Thumbs up to the employees of Pratt & Whitney, a major manufacturer of aircraft engines and parts, who are building F135 engines for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. Thanks to support from members of Congress and work by the company’s management, employees in North Berwick will be building these engines for years to come. Company officials also estimate the contracts to build these engines will lead to 400 long-term jobs when the program is up to speed. Keep up the good work of providing quality jobs and contributing to our national defense, Pratt & Whitney.

Thumbs up and congratulations to The Girl Scouts of the USA, celebrating its 100th year as an organization. Many well-known female leaders participated in the group, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and ABC News correspondent Barbara Walters, and the organization is still teaching young women leadership skills along with the importance of teamwork and community service.

Thumbs up to the local police departments and other agencies hosting prescription drug drop-off boxes all year round. While the drug take-back days are useful and have collected many prescriptions that would likely have been tossed in the trash or toilet, it is probable that many people continue to throw their prescriptions away rather than saving those containers for a drug disposal day. The boxes will be located in the lobbies of police departments in Kennebunk, Old Orchard Beach, Saco and Sanford and will provide anonymous, free disposal of unwanted medication during their regular hours. Drugs can also be a beacon for robbers, police warn, so we encourage readers to use the boxes to keep their unwanted and out-of-date prescriptions out of their homes, and also out of our landfills and water supplies.

Thumbs up to the City of Biddeford for banning smoking on its beaches and in city parks. Although the city implemented a smoking ban at ball fields and playgrounds in 2009, it was not until last year it approved a ban for beaches and parks. The change means a summer of smoke-free beach visits for residents and visitors in Biddeford, which will help keep the danger of second-hand smoke from affecting the many children and families spending their days on the sandy shores here.

Thumbs down to the officials in Old Orchard Beach and trustees at the Edith Belle Libby Memorial Library for their stalemate on how to proceed with the library’s financial management. Library officials said last week that the library would soon have to shut its doors if an agreement is not reached. The town is not paying the library its next quarterly payment, which would keep the doors open, because officials at town hall want to take over payroll and operations. But library officials want the town manager to sign a memorandum of understanding before they hand over financial records. The memorandum outlines an agreement that would have the town administer the bills and payroll and have the library’s board of trustees run the library. Library trustees say they must have an agreement signed, as they are bound by their bylaws, but Town Manager Mark Pearson said a signed agreement is not necessary, and the decision would be up to the town council, not him. The council has a workshop scheduled Tuesday, and all the parties involved need to come to an agreement to keep the library doors open and the library’s employees at work.

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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.