Thumbs up, down from the Yuma Sun

• Thumbs up to our public safety officers who are outside in this heat, working hard to keep Yuma County safe. From officers and paramedics to firefighters and Border Patrol agents, part of the job means helping people outdoors, no matter how hot it is. Thanks for all you do!

• Thumbs up to the City of Yuma, which is looking for artists to create artwork on the three-sided cinderblock enclosures of trash dumpsters in downtown Yuma. There are a few that are already painted, and they definitely make the structures more appealing than just blank gray walls. It’s great to see the city embracing public art, and turning plain walls into unique creations.

• Thumbs up to the U.S. Army and those who serve at the Yuma Proving Ground. YPG recently marked the Army’s 246th birthday with a five-mile run and a cake-cutting ceremony. The cake was sliced by a sword owned by YPG’s first commander in 1943 – Col. George Howard. It’s important to celebrate history and heritage, and using a sword with an amazing connection to YPG is incredibly cool.

• Thumbs up to Adopt A Street programs, and the people who take part in them. These programs make a positive difference in Yuma County, keeping our streets and roads clean.

• And at the same time, thumbs down to people who leave their trash outside for others to clean up. We hear a lot of complaints about this problem, which seems to never stop. There are trash cans all over the place … be responsible and clean up after yourself.

• Thumbs down to reports that an infectious variant of COVID-19 is spreading across the U.S. The delta variant of COVID-19 has increased from 2.7% of all

U.S. cases in May to 9.7% so far this month – and that’s concerning. On the positive side, “average deaths and cases per day have plummeted 90% or more across the U.S. since winter,” the Associated Press reports, but some places are still seeing spikes in cases and hospitalizations – and we don’t like that at all.

• Thumbs down to Mother Nature. The heat is on, and there is no rain in sight to help the Colorado River out or cool us down at all. Mother Nature, give us a hand here … a little rain (or a lot!) and a cool down (even a couple of degrees!) would be amazing.

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.