Vince, wherever you are ... thanks a bunch

Losing an iPod - with audio books and tons of music downloaded - that was a gift from your daughter would not be a pleasant way to start your week.

That's exactly what happened to Mary Henry of St. Charles after her husband Brian dropped her off at the Geneva train station on a Monday morning. Sitting in the train as it pulled out, Mary spotted her fallen iPod outside the car - as Brian was pulling away.

No problem, she figured. She quickly called Brian's cell phone, which unfortunately was turned off the night before at the movie theater.

It's not certain if the movie "Shutter Island" made Brian's mind go blank, but he never turned his phone back on. When he got to his office, he realized his phone was off, and there was the message about the dropped iPod.

"I raced back to the station, but it was gone," Brian said. "I checked at the ticket window, but nothing had been turned in."

That night, Brian placed "Lost" fliers in areas of the station, but didn't hear anything back. Early on Tuesday morning, while he was at his service club meeting, Brian got a call from a fellow in Geneva named Vince.

He had apparently found the iPod and eventually returned it to Brian.

With it being a gift from their daughter, Brian said his wife went from "total despair to total joy."

He offered Vince a financial reward, but he wouldn't take it.

So it turned out to be a perfect Good Samaritan story, leaving Brian to make sure others heard about this kind act, along with a "Thank you, Vince."

Get out of the shower: It would be hard for any environmental event to match the amount of interesting information shared by experts at the recent Fox Valley Environmental Conference in Batavia.

Keynote speaker Kay McKeen of SCARCE gave numerous recycling and conservation tips. I do a decent job of following most - except one. I don't take short showers, though I know I should.

Another "green" measure to consider is how to reduce the runoff on our driveways, thus sending untreated stormwater into our waterways.

For the state's business: If you are wondering how the state can regroup and position itself as a place you would want to do business in, you may want to ask questions or share views at the Illinois State Chamber's annual update breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. March 10 at Prairie Landing Golf Course in West Chicago. Chamber President Doug Whitley, a Batavia resident, will inform residents of the legislative issues being addressed in Springfield that are vital to the state's business climate. Based on how things go in Springfield, one would have to assume the list is quite long. Cost for St. Charles Chamber of Commerce members is $20 and reservations must be made by noon Thursday through Debbie Treutler at (630) 584-8384 or dtreutler@stcharleschamber.com.

dheun@sbcglobal.net