THUMBS UP: It’s great to continue to see Utah’s economy performing well, and that unemployment rates, specifically in Northern Utah counties, are improving year over year as well. Morgan County saw a jump of employment increases by 11.5 percent!

THUMBS UP: Regardless of whether or not we agree with all of his positions on national issues, it was nice to see and hear from U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop this week. Bishop held town hall meetings this last week in Vernal, North Logan, Morgan and South Weber. Like Bishop, we too hate tweeting, particularly the president’s tweeting habit, and wish he would not do it.

THUMBS DOWN: Annual town hall meetings are hardly frequent enough for constituents to meet with their federal representative. We are doubtful Northern Utah residents will see an increase of Bishop should he win re-election for his final term, but perhaps he’ll prove us wrong.

THUMBS UP: Proactive efforts like the Partnering for Change Conference held at Weber State University this week, and organized by Weber Human Services, give us and the community hope as we tackle serious issues like opioid addiction. For Weber and Morgan counties, the topic of opioid abuse and overdoses is especially relevant: The area has some of the highest overdose rates in the state, according to conference organizer Diane Jones.

THUMBS UP: Friday Night Lights is back. We look forward to seeing all the high school teams out on the gridiron once again, carrying out friendly competition and rivalries this fall.

THUMBS DOWN: Wherever you may stand on liking or disliking the new amphitheater in North Ogden, it really seems counterintuitive and irresponsible to set up more defined rules and regulations for the venue after it’s been constructed. Nevertheless, rules for governing the facility are necessary and need to be in place, and we hope the community is able to come to an acceptable compromise.

THUMBS UP: The Ogden Twilight Concert Series wrapped up and by all measures appears to have been quite a success this year. The 10 concerts this year included one sellout, the July 17 Sylvan Esso show. According to Standard-Examiner reports, concert organizers are fairly certain Ogden Twilight will be back next year based on the popularity of the shows in 2018.

THUMBS DOWN: A man is in prison for up to five years after beating his girlfriend’s toddler in 2016 in Clearfield. Now the state of Utah is suing the inmate in order to recoup $24,000 in medical costs to treat the injured child. It seems fair as part of the restitution process that the Utah Office of Recovery Services is able to recover expenses, if possible, from offenders. Though it has been reportedly more difficult since the Utah Justice Reinvestment Initiative, victims — be it individuals, businesses or state agencies — are only seeking the fair consequences of those actions.