Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun

• Thumbs up to Housing America Corp., which recently donated $40,000 to the Somerton, Gadsden and Wellton school districts! The funds will be used to help pay for after-school programs, school supplies and other expenses such as books or sports. The support for our schools is appreciated!

• Thumbs up to Somerton Judge Manuel Figueroa, who is stepping down after serving 31 years in the position. Figueroa first began his career as a municipal judge in San Luis, before being appointed to municipal judge in Somerton. He has served longer than any sitting judge in Yuma County, which is amazing. To Judge Figueroa, thank you for your service to our community!

• Thumbs up to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, who secured Super Bowl spots with victories in the AFC and NFC championship games. We’re excited to see the two teams square off on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 12.

• Thumbs up to Yuma Regional Medical Center, which is opening a new inpatient behavioral health center in Yuma. The 24-bed facility will provide short-term psychiatric inpatient care for adults ages 18-64. Mental health care is a much-needed area of treatment in our community, and one that we hope continues to grow.

• Sideways thumb to the news that Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL, again, this time for real. He’s won seven Super Bowls, which is an astounding accomplishment. But he also retired in 2021 … and then came right back to football. This time around, retirement feels a bit anticlimactic.

• Thumbs down to the CBPONE mobile app by the U.S. government. According to a report by the Associated Press, the system is riddled with problems and technical issues, adding complications to an already-convoluted immigration process. CBPONE has the potential to be an asset to asylum-seekers, but only if the government invests the time and money to work out the bugs.

• Thumbs down to the busy week for law enforcement in Yuma County … an incident at a high school, a double homicide and a fatal car accident all happened in a very small window this week, and represent just a slice of what our law enforcement officers responded to locally. Yikes. It’s time for things to calm down.

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.