The following events, organizations and people deserve either a
Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down this week:
THUMBS UP: This time of year casts shadows of traditions – football, elections, and of course, Halloween. In the past seven years a new tradition has taken shape, that of local and out-of-town people making a trip to the Swank Farms Great Corn Maze and Haunted Ranch. Some 30,000 visited the farm last year to work through mazes, labyrinths and check out the scary attraction in the middle. This is a business that appeals to the child in all of us, and is simply good wholesome fun. Any business that brings this many visitors from all over the area is one we owe a debt of gratitude.
THUMBS DOWN: Vandals ravaged classrooms at R.O. Hardin and Calaveras schools last weekend, and the damage was so extensive that students were forced to relocate to other areas of the school. Computers were wrecked, paint splattered, even student artwork was torn from the walls and destroyed. Teachers and school officials were forced to eschew actually teaching children so they could sift through the wreckage and try to make sense of the classrooms.
THUMBS UP: This week health professionals, educators and anyone interested gathered at a pandemic flu preparedness summit in Hollister. No one wants to sound a siren for something that may not happen, but in this case being prepared at the educational level is a wise move. Public Health Services will also work with business owners to prepare them for a hypothetical situation. We applaud this effort. Should the unthinkable happen, the local response can at least be effective.
THUMBS DOWN: San Benito County’s Chief Probation Officer and the Juvenile Hall Superintendent were placed on administrative leave, and although officials across the board in the county refuse to comment in any meaningful way, the situation is not positive for anyone. How much the public has a right to know about public officials is open to debate, but the fact is, citizens have a right to know what is going on in our institutions. We hope the mess is cleaned up quickly and effectively and without a major rupture in morale.
THUMBS UP: A small group of people in Hollister gather each week to laugh. At least to start their day with a laugh. They gather in the morning, stretch, and do something or say something funny. While we don’t expect anything like this to catch on with the mainstream, it certainly sounds like a pretty unique way to start the day.
