Best in the nation
Thumbs-up to John Henry of North Vernon. Henry, who works for Village Apartments of Brownstown, recently was selected as 2015 Maintenance Person of the Year by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development. He qualified for that honor after winning the Indiana Rural Development Maintenance Person of the Year award.
The last day
Thumbs-up to Tony Nguyen, who grew up in Seymour and recently made the first of a three-part documentary autobiographical film. The first part is about his mother, Giap Thi Byers, a Vietnamese refugee who came to America in 1975 after the fall of Saigon and wound up in Seymour. The film, “Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory,” is about her last day of work at Home Products International Inc. in Seymour. Byers, who still lives in Seymour, spent 24 years at what is now the only factory making ironing boards in the United States.
Perseverance
Thumbs-up to the 45 Jackson County youth who are 10-year members of 4-H. Their participation in various and numerous 4-H projects over the years serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance and a model to younger children as they begin participating in 4-H.
Pool operators honored
Thumbs-up to Dave and Chris Boggs, who recently were recognized for 25 years of service to the city. The Seymour couple received a key to the city pool, which they have been operating for the past 25 years, during the annual Pepsi Plunge swim meet at Shields Park Pool.
Fair volunteers
Thumbs-up to the hundreds of volunteers who work all year to organize the Jackson County Agricultural Fair and 4-H Exhibition. This year’s event begins Sunday. We’re sure it will be as successful as those in the past.
Shopping cart thefts
Thumbs-down to people who take carts from the parking lots of stores for their own personal use or to just abandon alongside a road or a vacant lot. Someone — the customers of those stores — has to pay for those carts.
Time to stop
Thumbs-down to motorists who don’t understand how to deal with a stoplight that is not working or working improperly. When stoplights fail to work, state law requires motorists to treat an intersection as a four-way stop.
Flooded
Thumbs-down to motorists who drove into floodwaters earlier this month, putting conservation officers, police and other rescue personnel at risk by their actions.