Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to the ongoing efforts to find a cure for Alzheimers. The New England Institute for Clinical Research in Stamford’s The Generation Program seeks volunteers aged 60 to 75 who have not been diagnosed with any sort of memory disorder. The volunteers are tested to see if they have a gene that puts them at risk for Alzheimer’s. If they test positive, they’ll be put on either a test medicine or a placebo for five to eight years, the goal being to determine the effectiveness of the new medicine. There are no guarantees, of course, but with some 91,000 people in Connecticut alone expected to have Alzheimer’s by 2025, the fight has to continue.

Thumbs up to the cyclists who will participate later this month in the CT Challenge Ride to raise money to support cancer survivors. Some 1,200 bicyclists representing 125 teams will ride on courses that range from 10 to 100 miles on July 28 starting in Fairfield to benefit Mission, an organization dedicated to helping survivors. The event was founded in 2005 by Jeff Keith, a cancer survivor from Fairfield, and John Ragland, a Westport entrepreneur and endurance athlete.

Thumbs down to a breach of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust Direct accounts that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars being swiped from families saving for college. State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier announced that $1.4 million had been removed in unauthorized withdrawals. The victims will get their money back, but the state owes it to them to do a thorough investigation into TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing Inc., which manages the accounts.

Thumbs up to Academy of Information Technology and Engineering student Ryan Edkins for his creation MoistTrue, a moisture detection system that notifies people on their smartphone when their plants need watering. Ryan, who lives in Wilton, recognized how much water is wasted and pursued a way to address the issue, which earned him a spot in the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge this fall.

Thumbs up to the City of Norwalk making a major stride toward identifying a future use for Manresa Island. A new study is suggesting several potential uses for the 125-acre property that was once home to a power plant, including a marina, education facility, a residential development and solar energy. There are still massive steps toward a new future for the island, but the study offers a peek into the future with exciting possibilities.

Thumbs up to John Gerald O’Rourke, of Milford, who was presented a Carnegie Medal for his rescue in February 2017 of a 10-year-old boy who’d fallen through the ice on a pond. O’Rourke, who was walking his dog, warned boys playing on the pond that conditions were dangerous. After the boy fell through, O’Rourke grabbed an 8-foot-long branch and moved on his stomach to reach the boy about 75 feet from shore when he, too, broke through the ice. O’Rourke got the boy onto solid ice and was rescued by police.