Thumbs up to the Kennebunk businesses and organizations that took advantage of facade grants from the state. Thanks to approximately $115,000 in funding, upgrades were made at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, the American Legion, Andrews Milligan real estate company, the Kennebunk Free Library, the former Kennebunk Five and Dime store on Route 1, The Kennebunk Inn and New Morning Natural Foods. The organizations were required to put in matching funds, but with a maximum of $25,000 available per project, the matching dollars are well worth it. These ”“ and other ”“ grant funds will be awarded year after year, and towns like Kennebunk that take advantage stand to gain a lot of good-looking, up-to-date infrastructure improvements. Other towns should follow Kennebunk’s lead and seek similar funding for buildings and businesses in need of repairs.

Thumbs up to all the law enforcement agencies, officers and citizens who aided the effort to capture David Glenn Hobson, who escaped from the Carroll County House of Corrections in New Hampshire on Dec. 1. The 34-year-old from Alfred was being held on a burglary charge, and when he escaped, with the alleged intent of harming an ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, many area residents were on edge as multiple cars were reported stolen and searches were conducted. Police warned people to keep their homes and cars locked, and keep their eyes open for Hobson and suspicious activity. Thanks to a tip, law enforcement officials apprehended Hobson on Tuesday in the parking lot of Market Basket supermarket on Milton Road in Rochester, N.H. York County residents can now rest soundly knowing that Hobson is, once again, behind bars.

Thumbs up to the organizers and participants of Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies in local communities. In Saco and Biddeford, people gathered in Eastman Park last Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and dedicate a new memorial recognizing veterans from World War II to the present. People also gathered for a remembrance ceremony in Sanford at Number One Pond. Taking time to honor and remember veterans, past and present, is a show of support for those service members, and reminds all citizens of the hard-fought rights we enjoy today.

Thumbs up to Carmen Carbone, owner of Surfside Boats in East Rochester, N.H., who donated a custom-built, 21-foot skiff to the Town of Wells for use by Harbormaster Chris Mayo. Carbone is a boat builder and mooring-holder at Wells Harbor, and said that when he found out the town could not purchase a new craft for Mayo, he built the boat for the harbormaster’s use ”“ valued at $14,000.

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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.