Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to the Public Works crews who worked with precision Thursday to keep up with the fast-developing “bomb cyclone” of a snow storm — officially designated a blizzard in Danbury and Bridgeport — that drew most other services to a standstill. Now, with temps heading to the balmy 40s, is the time to remove the mounds at the end of driveways that obstruct views when pulling into traffic, and to clearing downtown parking spaces for better access to sidewalks. Thumbs up must also be given to the untold numbers of Good Samaritans who helped the elderly with their snow removal and checked in on neighbors during the dangerous cold snap.

Thumbs up to this positive effect of the single-digit cold: It could help eradicate some of the Eurasian watermilfoil clogging parts of Candlewood Lake, as long as it’s not blanketed with snow. Even though this winter was scheduled for a shallow drawdown of water by First-Light Power and Resources, a request from the New England power grid will lead to lowering the water level by another two feet, which could expose more watermilfoil to the chill.

Thumbs up to the state Board to Education passing longoverdue standards that will require school districts to challenge students expelled from public schools with more than just homework. These students will now be mandated to receive programming similar to what they would be offered in a traditional classroom, along with addressing the issues that led to the expulsion. Remarkably, it has taken years to address that students were often receiving less education after they were expelled.

Thumbs up to the 17 percent decrease in major crime in Danbury for the first 11 months of 2017 compared to the same period the year before, from 1,157 down to 963. The city is on the right side of the trend that has shown a steady decline for several years. Credit goes to the Danbury Police Department, Chief Patrick Ridenhour, and an emphasis on building community relationships. A low unemployment rate also helps.

Thumbs down to the uncertainty facing Connecticut families with the looming expiration of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on Feb. 28. It could leave some 17,000 state children without the umbrella of insurance. In Connecticut the program is called HUSKY B and serves families that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid. In the fallout, experts say, children will not be able to get vaccines and that existing illnesses could worsen. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is carrying the flag to increase congressional funding for the program and rightly notes that preventive health care for children is far less costly than trips by the uninsured to the state’s emergency rooms.