Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun

• Thumbs up to the National Audubon Society, which recently named six local areas along the Colorado River as IBAs (important bird areas). The designations are intended to help raise public awareness about the importance of water for natural habitats, officials said.

• Thumbs up to Yuma Regional Medical Center, which recently was awarded the Level 4 Pioneer Award for Excellence. The award recognizes organizations for excellence in quality, performance and outcomes.

• Thumbs up to the Yuma Territory Live Steamers, which recently opened a new double-track bridge on its route at Riverside Park. The group has built a 1/8 scale replica train display with more than a mile of track, and are continually adding to the project.

• Thumbs up to the City of San Luis, which has been making improvements to Joe Orduno Park. The city is investing $50,000 in projects such as resurfacing the outdoor basketball court, and installing laminate panels inside the gymnasium.

• Thumbs up to naps. What a wonderful concept! Children do not fully appreciate them, but adults know the value of a good snooze now and then!

• Thumbs down to people who share information online without verifying it first. A quick effort to double-check the truthfulness of a meme or report could do much to cut down on false information spreading online.

• Thumbs down to that missed field goal by Bears’ kicker Cody Parkey in the final minute of the Chicago Bears/Philadelphia Eagles game Sunday. Oof! That one had to hurt!

• Thumbs down to people who don’t pay attention to the officers who have to redirect traffic at the scene of an accident. The officers are there to keep people safe, and to move traffic away from the scene of an accident. Don’t make their jobs more challenging. Follow the directions!

• Thumbs down to the report that a Phoenix woman allegedly sent more than 159,000 text messages to a man over the course of 10 months. The woman apparently went on a single date, which was followed by threatening text messages. Whoa — that’s a lot of texts!

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 will appear on Fridays in the Yuma Sun.