Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong for his formal opinion Wednesday that elected officials sitting on the board of a new educationrelated nonprofit are not exempt from Freedom of Information regulations. Documents held by Republican House Minority Leader Themis Klaris and others on the Partnership for Connecticut’s board are subject to FOI, Tong ruled. The General Assembly made a grievous error when it agreed to make the publicprivate partnership created with a $100 million donation from Barbara and Ray Dalio exempt from transparency laws, particularly because the state will be matching the gift with public funds for five years. This exemption should be changed. Tong’s decision better reflects how government — including partnerships — should operate.

Thumbs down to federal immigration raids last week at several food processing plants in Mississippi that tore apart families and left some children alone. On Wednesday about 600 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounded the perimeters of several food companies to block employees from running away. They arrested 680 mostly Latino workers and carted them away on buses. Planned for several months, the workplace sting was the largest in at least a decade, the ICE acting director said. While it is illegal to be in this country without documentation, herding workers this way is unproductive and inhumane. The government must find better ways to address illegal immigration.

Thumbs up to Connecticut launching a website that can help consumers make better informed decisions on medical care. The state Office of Health Strategy site called HealthscoreCT includes a quality scorecard for 19 of the state’s health care organizations and in late September a cost estimator for routine procedures such as colonoscopies and specialized care such as hip replacements will be added. The quality of care ratings will cover more than 10 areas, such as children’s health, chronic conditions and preventative health. Interactive tables and graphs will help consumers make comparisons. The site, funded with a $45 million federal grant, will also rate providers with a fivestar system based on more than 30 health measures.

Thumbs down to a report of flesheating bacteria at Hammonasset Beach State Park that led to the amputation of a 68yearold man’s leg. Though it sounds like a science fiction scare, necrotizing fascitis is a real threat with four to five cases reported already this year — more than the past three years combined. The bacteria can enter through open wounds, so doctors caution anyone with a cut, burn or bite or a weakened immune system to take precautions in water. Most cases occur randomly, the state Department of Health stated; Connecticut’s state beaches are tested regularly for water quality, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection noted.

Thumbs up to to finally holding a Woodstock music festival in a town by that name. The original threeday concert was in Bethel Woods, N.Y., and its bestknown sequel in 1999 missed the mark again by taking place in Rome. A 50th anniversary concert seemed like a chance to finally hold a show in Woodstock, N.Y., but organizers apparently ran into too many obstacles. Their loss in Connecticut’s gain, as Gov. Ned Lamont has become the unofficial host of a battle of the bands in Woodstock, Conn., on Aug. 30. The show will take place as part of the Woodstock Fair, which has a history that’s 109 years older than the famed 1969 concert. If the gimmick works, there’s no reason it shouldn’t become a tradition.