Work on the B Street tunnel should be well appreciated

Also: Congrats Capt. Tom; thanks for cleaning riverfronts; a black-and-white color photo; and a Capt. Jerry treasure

We’re not convinced that there won’t still be a need for monitoring and safety patrols, but brightening up the B Street tunnel to the extent being done should be a big help.

The tunnel under railroad tracks near the Marysville High School has long been an iffy proposition - dark, dirty and scary. Lots of kids that need to get from one side to the other chose other means, sometimes walking the tracks – not safe.

But action has been coordinated and taken to make the tunnel more useful. It’s been painted, LED lights have been added, a colorful mural painted at an entrance to make the structure less ominous … cleaned up and inviting.

It’s hoped that the renovations are all done before the new school year. Kudos to all involved.

* Thumbs Up: We’re happy that our friend, retired Air Force Capt. Tom Walther of Yuba City was named the 3rd Assembly District’s Veteran of the Year for 2017.

Assemblyman James Gallagher honored at last week’s 10th annual Veteran of the Year Recognition Luncheon in Sacramento.

We know him as a stalwart Yuba City Early Risers Kiwanis guy who helps make one of the top (that means fun and tasty) fundraising events happen every year: Brews, Blues and BBQ (August 26 at the fairgrounds).

He enlisted in the Air Force in 1964 and retired in 1988. But retirement is not a real thing for this guy: after the military, he was the chief executive officer at Peach Tree Healthcare and the chief operating officer at Sutter North Medical Foundation. He currently serves as first vice president of the Military Officers Association for the California area. He is a board member of the Beale Military Liaison Council and serves with other area nonprofits. Congrats.

* Here’s a shout out to the workers – including temp workers – who are doing a great job cleaning up the riverfront areas. Last winter’s and spring’s excessive moisture, high river flows, and sometimes rapidly fluctuating water levels, spread a mess over the parks. According to a story by Chris Kaufman in the Thursday edition, the crews are cleaning up lawns, wooded areas, clearing away debris and fixing infrastructure – lighting, power, sprinklers, bathrooms and such.

SThere are some important events coming up for the riverfront park areas including the annual Yuba-Sutter Veterans Stand Down in August and the Stampede in September … everything should be A-OK. * We got our wires a little crossed for the Friday edition and put one of the most colorful photos we had for that edition on a page that only had black ink available. Like most newspaper presses for papers our size, we only have so many units with colored ink available. In a 10-page section, only six pages have color available. Unfortunately, the picture of the Beale LGBT Pride 5 K Color Run, provided us by Beale personnel and featuring a shower of multi-colored powder, was not on one of those color pages. Sorry, folks.

* A couple in their 90s are both having problems remembering things. During a check-up, the doctor tells them that they’re physically okay, but it’s normal to have some memory loss and they might compensate simply by writing things down to help them remember. They agree with each other that they’ll give it a try.

That night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair.

“Want anything while I’m in the kitchen?” he asks.

“Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?” “’Sure.” “Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” the wife asks.

“Gosh, I think I’ll be able to remember it from here to the kitchen,” he replies.

“Well, I’d like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as not to forget it?”

“No, I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.”

“I’d also like whipped cream. And now I’m certain you’ll forget that. Why don’t you write it down?” They’re both irritated now. “I don’t need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream – I got it, for goodness sake!”

He troops off to the kitchen. About 20 minutes later, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs.

She stares at the plate for a moment. “Where’s my toast?” (Courtesy Capt. Jerry.)