Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun
• Thumbs up to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma for an amazing air show last weekend! It’s always spectacular to see those planes strut their stuff across the skies.
• Thumbs up to parents who walk their kids to school every day. We know this isn’t possible for everyone – work schedules often get in the way. But for the parents who can do it, it’s great to see adults and kids walking together every morning in conversation.
• Thumbs up to the Yuma International Airport, which will receive $1.1 million in federal funding to improve accessibility, safety and efficiency at the facility. The funds are from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law. It will be used to upgrade 20-year flooring and remove existing transitions between varying floor types to resolve ongoing workplace safety and American Disability Act concerns for travelers and employees alike. It’s good news for both the airport and the community that uses it!
• Thumbs up to Arizona Western College, which recently gave fifth graders at Otondo Elementary a behindthe-scenes look at college life. It’s never too soon to plant the seed for the future with our youths, and we’re glad to see students getting a peek at college early on!
• Thumbs up to the NCAA’S March Madness tournament. It’s always exciting to see who makes it in, and how the games shake out, especially the Cinderella stories. Best of luck to the teams this year.
• Thumbs up to the Yuma Southwest Contractors Association’s Career and Trades Experience event at the Yuma County Fairgrounds this week. The event gave students trade job experience in a variety of industries, which is a great way to help students choose their future paths in life.
• Thumbs down to people who don’t look up and check for traffic before crossing the street or parking lots. Drivers can be on the lookout all day long, but if a pedestrian doesn’t look up or obey traffic signals, and then walks in front of a car, it’s a problem. Please, if you are out walking, or crossing a parking lot, please pay attention to your surroundings, and help out your fellow drivers.
• Thumbs down to the lack of information from the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry on the escaped prisoner in San Luis on Monday. The inmate walked off a work crew at 9:20 a.m., but ADCRR didn’t send out a press release until 4:37 p.m. Thank goodness for the San Luis and Somerton police departments, which kept the community informed in the meantime. As for ADCRR, there are still lots of unanswered questions – like how did the inmate make it to Phoenix? When incidents like this happen, agencies should get the word out as quickly as possible.
Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down are compiled by the Yuma Sun editorial board, based on recent events, happenings and activities around Yuma County and the nation, and normally appears on Fridays in the Yuma Sun.