Thumbs up to the many people who have taken the ice bucket challenge ”“ or not ”“ to raise money and awareness for the ALS Association, which supports people with and research efforts for the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In a very public, grand display, members of the Wells Police Department recently took on the challenge, as nearly a dozen officers ”“ including Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam ”“ had a front-end loader dump ice-filled water over their heads. It’s all in good fun, and for a good cause, and the challenge has taken off like wildfire with friends challenging friends, businesses challenging other businesses and so on. It’s nice to see people taking on the challenge to bring awareness to the issue, while also raising money for the association. And it’s working. Officials at the ALS Association said last week that the group had already raised more than $3 million more than compared with the same time period the previous year.

Thumbs down to the news of two untimely deaths last week ”“ one that shook that local political community and one that shocked the world. On Sunday, Aug. 9, former Maine legislator Ed Legg died suddenly. The 71-year-old had represented the Town of Kennebunk in the 124th Maine Legislature and he also served on the board of trustees of the University of New England in Biddeford and was later a vice president there. Colleagues and friends spoke highly of Legg, saying the news was a shock and that the native Texan will be missed in the state he made his permanent home. On Monday night, the world was shocked to find out that 63-year-old comedian and actor Robin Williams had killed himself at his home in San Francisco. His career spanned more than 35 years, and despite battling substance abuse and depression for many of those years, he made hundreds of appearances in movies, on television and performing standup comedy live. The tributes poured out from fellow comedians and entertainers last week, remembering a man who made millions of people laugh on the big screen, and who “Tonight Show” Jimmy Fallon aptly called the “the Muhammad Ali of comedy.”

Thumbs up to the Saco School Department and Regional School Unit 23 ”“ which now consists only of Old Orchard Beach ”“ for working together to ensure students in the Saco Transition Program get, well, a smooth transition. Since the three towns that made up the former RSU split at the end of the school year, each has been working to get organized and fund their own school districts once again. And while all of that is important, it’s also important to continue offering the best programs for students’ needs. In RSU 23, that means continuing access for students in the Saco Transition Program ”“ of which OOB students make up the majority ”“ and eventually moving it to the RSU so that students there can continue to benefit from the alternative high school program.