UPS & DOWNS

Thumbs up to the talented students in Betsey MacDonald’s Cumberland High School AP studio art class: Allison Maria, Jessica Paolo, Ashley Butler, Nicolette Hayes and Jean Amore, who all won Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards for their

Thumbs up to the well-attended send-off for Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas Carey last week. Listening to the tributes from his colleagues in law enforcement, it was evident to all that he was a man who put the utmost priority on professionalism Thumbs down to the bill recently introduced in the General Assembly to institute harsh criminal penalties (a $1,000 fine and three years license suspension) for parents who leave their children unattended in a car. Extreme cases of neglect are certainly disturbing and deserve to be dealt with. But that said, we don’t think a law that turns parents into criminals and police officers into baby sitters is the best use of our legal system. We also think this law creations, which included paintings, illustrations and photographs. The works not only show a tremendous amount of creativity, but also display a confidence and knowledge of technique that should serve these students well in the future.

while at the same time keeping himself in touch with those he worked with on a personal level. We hope the chief enjoys his well-earned retirement, and we hope whoever replaces him takes more than a few pages from his book. would be most likely to hurt the working poor. The single, working moms or dads who leave a child briefly in the car while they put their bills in the mailbox shouldn’t have to look over their shoulders for fear of being busted and losing their license and potentially their livelihood. Let’s settle down on trying to legislate good parenting, and instead use our existing laws and a dose of common sense to police this behavior.