Thumbs up to local business owners seeking to expand their services and to the Powell City Council for helping foster local businesses.

Earlier this month, a proposed city ordinance change died since changing the city’s ordinances to allow a mobile food vendor to operate outside of the current 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. timeframe would mean door-to-door salesmen could knock on residences’ doors any time as well.

Nobody wants to be pestered at home during inconvenient hours — but some 2 a.m. dining options would be nice for the late-night crowd.

Members of the council are working on finding a way to allow more hours of operation for the owner of the food trailer that sparked the proposed ordinance change, and for that we give a thumbs up.

Thumbs up to economic development. Gluten Free Oats is building a large warehouse, thanks to a $1 million grant, and Northwest Wyoming Treatment Center got approval from the city council to apply for the same type of grant earlier this month.

Pending approval from the State Loan and Investment Board, the treatment center will be able to build a $3.6 million facility to help young men overcome their addictions and go on to lead healthy drug-free lives.

Both expansions mean more well-paying jobs in Powell, which means more residents contributing to the overall good of the community, and some new neighbors and classmates too.

The estimated three-year economic impact of the expanded treatment facility alone is about $8.91 million for Powell, according to the Wyoming Business Council, and that’s a benefit to all residents.

Thumbs down to criminal activity. Felony charges, deer poaching and murders have been on our front pages over the last few weeks, and nobody likes to see bad things happen in their own backyards.

The Badger Basin (Little Sand Coulee) murder has been an ongoing issue, and poaching continues to be a problem, as illustrated by the most recent case where a man allegedly wasted a deer using a 9mm Glock pistol in the Shoshone National Forest. Meanwhile, the search continues for the person responsible for the bear poaching earlier this spring.

Thumbs up to the Heritage Health Center and its new Chief Executive Officer Colette Behrent.

Being a first-of-its-kind federally qualified Community Health Center for northwest Wyoming means the center is paving a new path for a much-needed service.

Providing free and reduced price care to anyone who meets income guidelines and is uninsured or underinsured means a healthier community — which means fewer sick days and less spread of illnesses. The center also will provide care at regular cost for people who have higher incomes and/or are insured, and that means more options for health care for everyone.

Thumbs down to people getting lost and possibly drowning. Morgan Heimer of Cody has been missing in Grand Canyon National Park since June 2 and Merle Henry Daly of Billings has been missing and presumed drowned on the Buffalo Bill Reservoir since Monday evening.

Our thoughts are with their loved ones and friends as well as the Search and Rescue workers.

The great outdoors can be greatly exciting or greatly dangerous depending on how it is handled and prepared for. We urge everyone to hike with bear spray, use life preservers when on water and always be prepared for emergencies because it’s always possible for something to go wrong at any time.   

Thumbs up to the American Legion Auxiliary Wyoming Girls State — the participants, coordinators and guest speakers convening at Northwest College this week.

The only way to preserve our way of life is to make sure each generation has an in-depth understanding of how government works, and setting aside precious summer vacation time to do so shows promise for Wyoming’s future.

We add a wave goodbye and a tip of the hat to the 15 Park County School District No. 1 employees who retired this year. A big thumbs up and a thank you for your combined 383 years of dedication to helping our local youth, and a bit of a thumbs down, too, since it’s never fun to see a good thing come to an end.