Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to Sandy Hook High School’s win in the final three seconds of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference football championship Saturday night. The 36yard touchdown pass as the clock ran out would have been an exciting ending to any football game, but this was one for the ages because it happened in the night mist on the seventh anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Thumbs up — though a borderline one at that — on Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to hold off on a vote on a trucksonly toll. It’s good that the governor finally realized that there needs to be a public hearing on this, but he’s tapping the brakes instead of slamming on them. There’s no way to give proper vetting to such a polarizing issue during the holiday season.

Thumbs down to a Coleytown Middle School Principal Kris Szabo in Westport for neglecting to report that she had been arrested for allegedly striking a man following an argument in a parking lot in Southbury. Szabo was arrested Nov. 27 and placed on administrative leave Dec. 4 after the incident was reported in the media. The case surfaced the issue that the state does not require school employees to report their arrests. The problem should explored further, but regardless of the law, it’s a remarkable lack of appropriate judgment for a school administrator not to come forward immediately in the interest of transparency.

Thumbs up to the state’s efforts to save the bluefish population. The problem is hardly unique to Connecticut’s section of the Atlantic coastline, but it’s a challenge that calls for all hands on deck. Possible restrictions for fishermen include a shorter season and a cut on maximum hauls from 10 fish a day to five. Figures compiled by the MidAtlantic Fisheries Management Council indicate a dramatic decline in the bluefish yearly catch. If action isn’t taken, the former Bridgeport baseball team won’t be the only bluefish to vanish from the state.