Thumbs up to the effort at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach to set aside a seat for the “missing man,” in remembrance of those military service members who are missing in action. These understated memorials are a moving way to remember the people who served our country but never came home, and we’ll be glad to see one grace this local shrine to the American pastime.

The Raging Tide is collaborating with the Rolling Thunder and other veterans groups to provide a plaque for this memorial, and the Old Orchard Beach Town Council is behind it, too. It’s the least we can do to remember those who are still unaccounted for.

Thumbs up to Thornton Academy’s new STEM program, in partnership with the University of Maine System. Science, technology, engineering and math are important areas of study that can lead to well-paying jobs and important innovations, so we feel TA and other schools embracing this approach are moving in the right direction. Particularly exciting at TA, however, is a new program allowing students to earn up to 30 credits toward an engineering degree at the University of Maine, which will give them sophomore status as soon as they enter college. This means that students who follow the program will save a significant amount of money and be able to graduate earlier and enter the workforce. For those who are not as focused on engineering, TA will be offering a STEM-endorsed diploma or applied STEM diploma to give students a bit more clout when applying to colleges. Workers with STEM skills are sorely needed in Maine, and it’s great to see a local high school collaborating to address that need.

Thumbs down to those who are still breaking the rules of Biddeford’s new recycling program by failing to use the proper disposal bags, overloading their containers or otherwise being negligent. The program was announced well in advance, with mailings to each household and further details explained in a packet when the trash and recycling cans were delivered earlier this summer. The code enforcement office is planning to crack down on offenders and has been issuing stickers to notify people when they fail to adhere to the ordinance. Come Oct. 1, it’s “no more Mr. Nice Guy” and fines will begin to be issued, starting at $100. The rules are simple: Multi-family complexes of six or more units that are included in the program get recycling cans, but all trash must be disposed of in the special orange trash bags; single-family homes, two-family homes and buildings with up to five residential units get one blue recycling container and one green trash container per unit. Trash container lids must be closed and any overflow trash must be placed in the special trash bags. Those who live in Biddeford should help spread the word to neighbors and friends so all can adhere to the program and avoid fines.

Thumbs up to a proposed charter change in Old Orchard Beach that would remove one provision of the “conflict of interest” section. This provision says that any town staff member with a relative who is a member of the council cannot get a raise as long as that council member is seated. This does not seem fair to town employees, who should not have to forgo a raise just because a family member is also serving the town, particularly when the rest of their cohorts are getting contractually-approved raises. Of course, councilors should be required to announce their conflict of interest and recuse themselves from any discussion or voting on raises that would affect their family member, but a blanket penalty against these town employees is not appropriate.

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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 office.