Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun

• Thumbs up to the outpouring of kindness in the wake of President George H.W. Bush’s death. The occasion was solemn, but it’s amazing to see our nation pull together in a time of grief.

• Thumbs up to the news that Yuma County school districts are getting over 20 new school buses, thanks to the nationwide settlement with Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal. The new buses are coming at no cost to taxpayers.

• Thumbs up to those who have voted so far in the annual Yuma’s Best contest! Keep those votes coming, Yuma, at www.BestInYuma.com!

• Thumbs up to NASA! This week, the NASA spacecraft Osiris-Rex arrived at the ancient asteroid Bennu after a two-year chase. The spacecraft will go into orbit around Bennu on Dec. 31 in a first for the agency.

• Thumbs up to the Walt Kammann Sausage Fry, which marked its 60th anniversary this week. The event raises funds for the Yuma Rotary Club’s public service projects.

• Thumbs down to the scrapping of Arizona Western College’s football program. While the reasons behind it — funding strain, scheduling challenges and an uncertain future for the league — are understandable, it’s still sad to see the program fold.

• Thumbs down to a recent report that global carbon dioxide emissions increased 2.7 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to the Global Carbon Project. That number needs to be moving down, not up, to help slow global warming.

• Thumbs down to the recent increase in wait times while crossing the border into the United States at the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., due to the holidays, seasonal workers, caravan concerns and the closure of two lanes of traffic. Increased wait times aren’t unusual this time of year, but something needs to be done to improve the situation.

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 usually appear on Fridays in the Yuma Sun.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?

I am impressed! On Dec. 4, I sent an email to the County Public Works about the need for sweeping the streets nine weeks after the tropical storm left lots of sand and gravel on the street corners. And the next day, the sweeper is out there doing the cleaning! I thank you so much!