Community salute
Thumbs-up to the members of Brownstown Church of the Nazarene who recently organized a special service to recognize and thank community members, first responders, business owners, military veterans and others for everything they do. The hope is that the thank-you service will have a ripple effect in Jackson County and surrounding communities, and others will continue to show love, kindness and support to everyone.
Nature photographers
Thumbs-up to nature photographers Stevie Combs and Dan Morgan. Photographs taken by the two Seymour residents recently were selected as finalists along with 35 other photographs in a nature contest sponsored by the Oak Heritage Conservancy and George Rogers Clark Land Trust. Combs’ photo is a view at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge through a young person’s eyes. “This place is special to me because before my father passed away, we used to drive around and watch the birds and just to get away from town,” Combs said. Morgan took a photo of his son, John, and his fiancée, Rebecca, on Skyline Drive east of Brownstown. Voting for the winner will continue through March 30. To vote, visit oakheritageconservancy.org/get-involved/photoexhibit.
Warming trend
Thumbs-up to Mother Nature who cut us a break by bringing some less harsh weather the past week or so. There’s nothing wrong with a good mid-winter thaw.
Fighting for equality
Thumbs-up to Charlie Smith, a junior high school social studies teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School in Seymour, for requiring his students to write essays each year for the Indiana Association of School Principals’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest. Writing the essays is a good way for students to understand a little bit more about the civil rights leader who fought for the freedom, dignity and equality not just of blacks but of all races and people.
Coming up short
Thumbs-down to those who sell a partial amount of firewood to people when they are supposed to be selling a rick.
No slowing down
Thumbs-down to motorists who don’t heed warnings about ice- and snow-covered roads and continue to drive fast, putting their lives and the lives of others in danger.