Who deserves praise and criticism this week in Northern Utah?

THUMBS UP: While their are many details packaged with it, including a new national emergency, for which we are not supportive of as the best way to address some of our nation’s problems, we are relieved the federal government did not shut down again come Friday.

We know many residents employed by the government in Weber and Davis counties, as well as across the country, were relieved to also be able to continue going to work and catch up on the backlog of duties left untouched by the record-long shutdown last month. Since January, the economic impact of the shutdown has been felt locally and in other areas of America, and a second shutdown would have left so many bartering with only hope.

THUMBS DOWN: Like most of Utah’s representatives, we are concerned about the president’s decision to issue a national emergency to fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. While border security is very important, a national emergency hardly seems like the most effective way to address the national issue. Sen. Mitt Romney, Rep. Chris Stewart and Rep. John Curtis all issued comments questioning the declaration. If carried out, it could set a wide-reaching precedent by either party to carry out solutions to national issues the opposing party does not embrace.

THUMBS DOWN: Utah continues to struggle with decisions tied to saving and preserving the future of the Great Salt Lake. The Utah Legislature has the ability to spread awareness and approve bills and resolutions that could reverse the lake’s decline. Yes, it is an immensely complicated issue. Water rights are among one of the most complicated things in this desert state. But Utahns’ quality of life is also at stake if the lake continues to dry up, as it has in recent years as less and less water makes it from Bear River to the Great Salt Lake. The consequences of ignoring this problem will be felt to all those downwind of the lake, as they’ll be increasingly vulnerable to dust storms and the respiratory problems that come with them.

THUMBS UP: Also in relation to areas along the Great Salt Lake is the preservation of Willard Spur, 14,000 acres north and west of Wilard Bay Reservoir off Interstate 15, which came up in the Legislature this week. The House approved a bill to create the Willard Spur Waterfowl Management Area in order to protect duck hunting, airboating, bird watching and other public uses. Simultaneously, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality hopes to designate the same area as a unique water body that would allow the state to tailor water quality standards to safeguard the area’s ecosystem. We hope this designation, with the increased ability to protect waterfowl and other parts of the ecosystem, will be approved.

THUMBS UP: While two shootings so far this year might be in the forefront of some Ogden residents’ minds, the new data the Ogden Police Department released this week suggests violent crime is occurring less and less often. In fact, OPD reported that Ogden saw a decrease of almost 20 percent in part one crimes in 2018. Part one crimes are the more serious offenses and include violent offenses and property crimes. This is a significant drop that should be rightly acknowledged. Ogden might still be fighting perceptions of its past, but things are changing. The work of OPD, federal agencies and local public servants is working to make Ogden a much safer place to live and work. Whatever initiatives the department has put in place, we hope they continue to carry those out and keep up the trend.

THUMBS DOWN: To all those dumping their shoveled or blown snow in the roads, knock it off. UDOT officially came out this week saying it was going to cite people who push snow off their property and into state streets, which increases the already busy jobs of our plows. With all the snow Utah has been getting this winter, the workers operating snow plows cannot get enough thanks.