Flotsam and Jetsam

I wasn't here in 1993. What we saw in southern Illinois doesn't even compare.

If I may suggest, please take time to stop and help at one of the sandbagging locations during the coming week. And if you are the prayerful sort, spend some time offering up those affected by the flood, those working to help, those working long hours and those standing watch. In comparison to '93 it may not last nearly as long, but as the old joke goes, "it's not as long but it's just as wide".

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Yesterday was my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. We had a small reception at the Emsland Halle on north 8th Street (lovely place with much German atmosphere...consider it for a meeting or reception of your own). It was a lovely affair and let's face it: 5 years is quite an accomplishment.

Happy anniversary Mom & Dad, and many more to come, God willing.

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Mary Griffith was covering Barack Obama's visit to Quincy on Saturday. Both Jim Dewey and myself had previous engagements we really couldn't get out of. But about 2:30 I got a call (on Bob Gough's cell, of all things).

Mary had passed the time waiting for Obama by filling sandbags. When alerted that he had arrived she got up to go to the south lot where he was working...and dropped her recorder, shattering it.

Then she couldn't find her phone (we're hoping it's not now part of the wall surrounding the water plant). So she borrowed Bob's and called Jim who said he'd bring his but it would be a while. That led to her call to me. I zipped home, snagged my digital recorder and head over to the OLC.

Of course it was a mess and the police wouldn't let me out to get the recorder to Mary. Jim arrived and was able to find the back way out and got my recorder to Chad Douglas from KHQA, who got it to Mary who was lingering at the back of the press pool since she had no equipment.

Armed with the recorder she moved to the front where the national press were keeping their distance from Senator Obama, who was working with a young Boy Scout filling sandbags.

I'll leave the rest of the story for Mary to tell, but suffice to say she started the questions of Obama by stepping into the group around the Senator (all of whom she knows). I understand Chad Douglas from KHQA and Jake Miller from WGEM also got in some questions while they were moving inside with the Senator. How cool is that?

So we ran our story just before 5 p.m. on WTAD on Saturday. Made me proud to be part of the team and to have a boss who went the extra mile to get the job done.

There will likely be more of those kind of efforts in the days to come, because it's our job to make sure we get as much information to you as possible, in a timely fashion. We'll do our best, and I daresay that all of us, competitors that we are, will work together at some level to make sure you all know what you need to know as the fight against the river continues.

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One last thought: standing in the lobby at the Lincoln Douglas apartments where the STARadio studios are located and looking up at the ceiling some 30 feet above.

That's pretty darned deep water, and not as deep as it will be when the river crests.

Holy cow!

Keep safe and dry if you're out fighting the flood. Don't hurt yourself filling sandbags. And may God bless you all.