Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down in NKY

We’re starting a new feature here and want you to contribute.

“Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down NKY” is an opportunity to give credit where credit is due to people and organizations that have done positive things in Northern Kentucky. And it’s a place to point out efforts and events that didn’t work out so well.

Readers are invited to submit “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” items by replying to the “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” post at this blog. I’ll suggest some in this space from time to time. We’ll publish some of the best ones on the Community Forum page of The Kentucky Enquirer as well.

For example, here are a few I’ve collected recently. You get the idea.

Thumbs Up: To Kirsten Allen, a junior softball player at Ryle High School, who broke a state record with her ninth career perfect game.

Thumbs Down: To officials at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange. They set a prisoner free after receiving a phony fax ordering his release. According to the Associated Press, the fake court order contained grammatical errors and wasn’t on official letterhead. Policies didn’t require checking the source of a faxed order to release a prisoner. It took two weeks to catch the error; then the prisoner was captured at his mom’s home in Lexington.

Thumbs Up: To Covington police Detective Ron Wietholter. He was named police officer of the year by the Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police’s associate lodge. Another “thumbs up” goes to his son, Justin, who recently joined the Covington force after graduating first in his class in the Kentucky police academy.

Thumbs Down: To CSX Transportation for suing Covington to avoid fixing railroad bridges that are becoming hazardous eyesores. CSX maintains it has no legal responsibility for maintaining the bridges and overpasses. CSX just reported first quarter earnings of $240 million on revenue of $2.4 billion. Seems like there ought to be a way to work this out.