Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun
• Thumbs up to the South Carolina women’s basketball team, which finished a perfect season with a NCAA championship over Iowa. Perfect seasons are tough to achieve – and as a fan, it’s amazing to watch one unfold. Congrats to the South Carolina ladies!
• Thumbs up to the solar eclipse on Monday. It was nice for a change to see the nation united as millions collectively gathered and looked to the skies. Even in Yuma, the partial solar eclipse was cool to see, bringing people together to share a pair of solar-safe glasses to witness it.
• Thumbs up to the new law in Arizona that gives state health officials more authority to monitor, fine and, if needed, put out of business, assisted living facilities that endanger patients. The bill, HB 2764, was crafted by Yuma Rep. Tim Dunn, and signed Monday by Gov. Katie Hobbs. People in these facilities are there for help – and the state has a responsibility to make sure the facilities are safe and functioning. This bill is a step in the right direction.
• Thumbs up to the Foothills. If you haven’t been out there lately, readers, it’s worth a drive. There are some great businesses out there, delicious eateries and hidden gems all over the place. It’s amazing to see how much the area has grown and changed over the last 10 years!
• Thumbs up to Uber, which is rolling out new safety options to help ensure rider safety. Those options include a four-digit code to make sure they are getting in the correct car, a ride check feature to let passengers know if a driver goes off course, stops unexpectedly or ends a trip early, and an audio recording feature, which will record your trip and secure the encrypted audio on your phone. It’s a great move – any action that can help make such experiences safer is welcome!
• Thumbs down to yet another price hike to send a first-class letter through the U.S. Postal Service. If approved, the cost would increase from 68 cents to 73 cents. CNN notes stamp prices have soared 36% since 2019, when they used to cost just 50 cents. The cost was last raised in January. The prices are still affordable, but it’s annoying all the same. Stock up on those Forever stamps now, readers!
• Thumbs down to dirty dishes. It doesn’t matter how often one cleans the kitchen … those dishes just keep coming back. Two hours later – poof! – a dirty fork appears, seemingly out of nowhere. The same applies to laundry and freshly mopped floors. No matter what one does, the joy of a clean house is inevitably very short-lived.
• Thumbs down to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found sexually transmitted diseases are rising sharply in Americans ages 55 and older. Chlamydia, Hepatitis C, and syphilis were specifically cited as being problematic. Readers, if you fall into this age group – or really, regardless of your age – be careful out there, get tested if you have concerns, and practice safe sex.
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.
Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.