Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun

• Thumbs up to the San Luis Youth Council, which is launching a campaign to urge residents to recycle household waste and cut down on their use of plastic bags. The mission is a positive way to make a difference in San Luis. And it’s wonderful to see the city’s youths engaged at this level, dedicated to helping the city.

• Thumbs up to the new state law that is intended to help protect Arizonans from surprise medical bills. The law is designed to help people who think their hospital visit is covered but later find themselves facing a bill from a health care provider who says he or she doesn’t accept their insurance, Capitol Media Services reports. Now, the patient can dispute the charges, and there is a process in place to help patients, which could cut down the patient’s liability.

• Thumbs up to San Luis Police Chief Richard Jessup, who recently was given a two-year contract for the job. Mayor Gerardo Sanchez said Jessup has brought stability to the police department, one that had seen six prior chiefs come and go over a seven-year period. And, said Sanchez, he has improved morale among the department’s officers.

• Thumbs up to the San Luis High School’s HOSA chapter, which earned second-place honors statewide during the Donor Network of Arizona’s annual campaign to register high school students as organ and tissue donors.

• Thumbs up to 2019. We’re excited about a new year filled with potential.

• Thumbs down to those people who fired gunshots into the air on New Year’s Eve. It’s a dumb, dangerous idea.

• Thumbs down to people who don’t use their turn signals. It’s a simple device that helps drivers communicate with each other, and every car has them. Use them, and do your part to keep the roads a little safer.

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.