Hart of the Matter

MAYBE FATS SHOULDN’T have taken the train to Quincy last summer. Click here for more.

David A. Hayes of Chicago was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for possession with intent to deliver more than 50 grams of crack cocaine in Quincy. Authorities arrested Hayes, whose nickname is listed in federal court documents as “Fats,” after he got off the Amtrak train in Quincy.

Investigators said Fats, a suspected gang member in Chicago, made several deliveries of crack cocaine in Quincy before a tip from an informant led to his arrest. He pleaded guilty in November before being sentenced Tuesday in Springfield by Judge Richard Mills.

He isn’t the first out-of-towner to get caught in Quincy, and he won’t be the last.

Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Bob Short, who heads up the Quincy-based West Central Illinois Task Force, says the arrest and conviction sends a clear message to out-of-town drug dealers.

“Crack is much cheaper in Chicago and they make a lot of money selling it here,” Short said. “I think the community as a whole doesn’t like people coming in and selling drugs.”

You can blame outside influences all you want, but there still has to be a market for the drugs, and this community has a lot of work to do addressing drug and other issues.

“I do know that it sends a message that our criminal justice system is serious about people selling crack cocaine,” Short said.

THERE IS SOME controversy about Lucky Dog Bakery, Boutique and Daycare going into 812 Hampshire.

Scooby Doo

What caught my eye was the last paragraph of Ed Husar’s story in which the owner states “dogs are treated like members of the family” and “would be housed in a cage-free environment where each animal would have access to its own suite and sleigh bed. The dogs also would have big-screen TVs.”

Big-screen TVs?

That led to compiling a list of fellow dogs the Lucky Dog clients will watch when lounging in front of the big screen. If you have your own please leave them in the comments.

Favorite Canine Characters From TV

Precious (from "Silence of the Lambs")

Lassie
Scooby Doo
Brian from Family Guy
Eddie from Frasier
Flash from the Dukes of Hazard
Zeus and Apollo, the dogs from Magnum PI

Steve Martin's dog from "The Jerk"

Favorite Dog Movies
Where the Red Fern Grows
Benji
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
The Lady and The Tramp
Beethoven
Air Bud
Turner and Hooch
Marley and Me
Old Yeller
The Silence of the Lambs (Precious, beloved poodle of Buffalo Bill, is huge in this movie)
Top Dog
The Jerk (because the dog was called, uh, well, it was Steve Martin’s dog)

THE FOLLOWING IS a press release from Quincy Police Pro-Act officer Kelly VanderMaiden.

There have been several scams circulating in the Quincy area recently. These scams are not new, but seem to resurface every few months. The first is the Nigerian/Canadian lottery scam.  With this scam, you would receive a letter stating that you are the winner of a lottery. You are to wire money out of the country to pay for taxes or handling fees on your winnings.

The second is the fake check scam. You may receive a letter with a check attached, and you instructed to cash the check and wire a specified amount of money out of the country and keep the rest.  The letter states this money could be from a contest you supposedly entered or advance payment for being a secret shopper.

Don’t be a victim of one of these scams. If you didn’t purchase a ticket, you cannot win a lottery. There is no such thing as free money. Do not respond to these solicitations and never give out any account numbers or personal information. Remember, if is sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you have any questions or for more information, contact the Pro-Act office at the Quincy Police Department at 228-4485.

REV. WILLIAM FOOSE, a beloved figure in Quincy, is about to get the honor of his lifetime.

Foose is pictured above with Judy Graham and Mike Duffy of Good Samaritan Home, where a building bearing his name is about to open.

Good Samaritan Home is ready to open the Foose Center building for Alzheimer’s care, in honor of Foose and his late wife, Muriel. Foose was administrator at Good Samaritan from 1973 until his 1988 retirement, and he helped build one of the first nursing home units in Illinois committed to Alzheimer’s care.

Foose, 90, lives at the home and was moved to tears when learning of the honor.

What many people don’t realize about Good Sam is how huge and sprawling it is. When you look at it from Harrison it doesn’t seem that big, but it extends south back to North Wilmar Drive and is quite an impressive facility.

The public is welcome to honor Foose at Sunday’s 2 p.m. dedication ceremony. We’ll have much more in Saturday’s Herald-Whig.

I AM WORKING on an Answers Column question about the official City of Quincy seal, and how the emblem used by the city came about.

At first we thought it might have something to do with the original Adams County Courthouse, which was on North Fifth across from what is now known as Washington Park.

The original Quincy seal featured town founder John Wood leaning mournfully over a dead tree in Washington Park. The tree was vandalized in 1841, and had been planted in the park to by Wood. He supported city residents who wanted to keep Washington Park, then known as John’s Square, in a park setting. Many of the original settlers wanted to use the park for their animals to graze.

So when did Quincy officially adopt the new seal, shown above and still used to this day?

You’ll have to read Saturday’s Answers Column ….

Larry Uhlmeyer, left, chats with his attorney, Wayne Schoeneberg, shortly before closing arguments begin Tuesday afternoon at the Marion County Courthouse in Palmyra, Mo. Larry Uhlmeyer is charged with assault in the shooting of James Rudd of Knox City after Rudd was found in Uhlmeyer's garage in September 2007. (H-W Photo/Philip Carlson)

Idle time with a jury deliberating in Palmyra, Mo. …

• The Marion County Courthouse in Palmyra is one of my favorites. The good people here have done an outstanding job of maintaining the 110-year-old structure. There’s a fascinating framed Palmyra Spectator article about an 1897 hanging of John Nelson. It’s well worth the read if you have time and can stop by. Same goes for the large silver sphere mounted on a pedestal nearby. It crowned the previous courthouse in 1855, and there’s a detailed description of the sphere’s history. There are still bullet holes in it from an 1862 Confederate raid. Also love the historic jail across the street and the detailed plaque. The 150-year anniversary of the Palmyra Massacre, where 10 Confederate sympathizers were executed here, is coming up in two short years, and I’m sure it will be a big deal.

• Jury trials are very hard on friends and families on both sides. About a dozen supporters of Larry Uhlmeyer are waiting to hear the verdict in his assault trial. You can tell they are nervous, but they’ve been cordial, and you know the waiting has to be brutal. About 10 members of the James Rudd family were here Tuesday. Rudd himself is in a wheelchair from being shot by Uhlmeyer in 2007. He listened intently to closing arguments and talked softly to family members during the four-hour deliberation Tuesday. None of the Rudd family was here Wednesday morning when the jury began deliberating again.

• The courthouse does not have free wireless access, so sending stories is a challenge. An awesome little coffee shop is just down the street across from the Palmyra Police Department, and several other places like the Palmyra Family Restaurant right across the street from the courthouse. The thing about a jury trial is just when you think you are safe and can zip out for a minute … the jury comes back.

• Judge Robert Clayton is widely known for his sense of humor and firm command of the law. He has a very folksy way with people in the courtroom, and you can’t help but like and respect him right away. Credit as well to the two attorneys trying this case, Wayne Schoeneberg of St. Peters and Marion County Prosecutor Tom Redington. There have been a few sharp exchanges, but it’s been professional and they’ve made every attempt to keep things moving.

• Also love the fact gas prices are five cents a gallon cheaper here than in West Quincy …. and, of course, WAY cheaper than across the river.

Quincy Police Department officers talk at the intersection of Seventh and Lind Thursday afternoon during a five-hour standoff with two subjects.

SHE WAS ANGRY when she called The Herald-Whig Friday morning. She asked to speak to somebody who was writing about the incident Thursday at Seventh and Lind, where a person wanted by authorities was hiding in his girlfriend’s apartment.

The wanted suspect allegedly displayed a gun when chased by an off-duty Quincy Police Department officer earlier in the week following a traffic crash. Police surrounded the building for about five hours until the man, Isaiah Murray, and his girlfriend, Kimberly Koontz, gave up without incident.

Unfortunately, the woman said, she lives in the same building as Koontz, and was advised by the police to leave her residence after Murray was believed to be in the building.

“You need to know that we are not happy with her,” the woman said. “She treated this whole thing like a joke and she put us out.”

The woman said Koontz was laughing when escorted in handcuffs out of the building. To them, she said, this was no laughing matter.

Murray was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender. He’s from Cook County and one resident said he “made us nervous” when he stayed with his girlfriend.

Police kept things pretty low-key in the area. Several officers stood by the entrance, two more were at the Seventh and Lind intersection, and a canine unit was down the street in case the suspect tried to run.

At times there’s a general uneasiness when QPD has a presence at situations like this. This time, the woman and several others said police acted appropriately, and they were glad Murray was apprehended.

“I just thought you should know,” she said.

A JOB FAIR for convicted felons drew an over-capacity crowd  near downtown Houston.

For more, click here.

THE SUN HAS been out and temperatures are slowing creeping up. Here’s to hoping spring is on the way.

But don’t get your hopes up just yet.

AccuWeather.com reports in the following press release that despite the anticipation of spring and changes that take place in March spawning some warm days, melting snow and rain, more winter is waiting on deck for the middle and second half of the month.

As long range expert Joe Bastardi and AccuWeather.com meteorologists have been warning people about, the later in the spring heavy snow falls, the greater the risk of rapid meltdown of the snow cover and major flooding.

Many locations across the country will gain from one to two hours of daylight during March and that alone is enough to bring more temperature spikes during the daytime. The increase in sun angle also boosts temperatures and will melt more snow as the month progresses.

The strengthening sun and its effect on temperatures also begins to pull the jet stream farther north. The jet stream is essentially the path upon which storm systems travel upon.

The warm air surging northward, combined with cold air trying to hang on creates some of the strongest non-tropical storms of the year.

The weather pattern this weekend will certainly reflect the warmer scenario and thaw. However, winter is going to fight back during the middle and latter part of month in the eastern two-thirds of the nation with cold air and, you guessed it, more storms.

So don’t put away those shovels just yet ….

ONE WAY TO will your team to victory is to Hide Behind The Couch.

Do you have superstitions you follow before watching your team?

Some eat a special meal, or arrange the furniture just so, or simply get on their knees and pray.

What do you do?