On smoking, schools and economic development

Thumbs Up: To Covington officials who are considering a smoking ban in city-owned buildings and vehicles. The dangers of second-hand smoke are well documented, and citizens often have to be in those buildings for reasons that are hardly discretionary. Plus, it will be better for the health of the city workers. The debate about Ohio-like bans in all public places and businesses is one for another day, but this makes sense.

Thumbs Down: To this incomprehensible mess surrounding the release of Kentucky's state accountability test scores for schools -- known as CATS. The goals of testing students to measure school and school district performance are accountability and improvement. You can't have accountability or smart improvement plans with results so hard to decipher. Educators already are complaining; parents and taxpayers are sure to follow. Enjoy reading those concordance tables and wondering why someone didn't make simplification a higher priority in the current process. On top of that, last year's results are showing up after this school year already has started.

Thumbs Up: To the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development District on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Not many economic development agencies have a report card as good as Tri-Ed's -- one of the most successful examples of how regional thinking has helped Northern Kentucky become an economic engine.

In its first 20 years, Tri-Ed contributed to the location or expansion of more than 400 companies in Northern Kentucky and the creation of nearly 40,000 primary jobs -- many of them the well-paying technical and professional jobs that allow a region to build a solid future. The next 20 years will be equally challenging for Tri-Ed, because it must play a key role in achieving the regional goal to have 50,000 net new jobs in Northern KY by 2015.