Thumbs column

It is that time again -- time to acknowledge some good deeds or not and to award the appropriate up or down digits.

First and foremost, we salute and give a great big "Thumbs-up" to the many ways in which Hot Springs and Garland County residents last Saturday (Veterans Day) honored past and present servicemen and women who have given so much to protect this country and its freedoms and values.

Kudos to the veterans' organizations, the schools, businesses and churches, the civic groups, the platoons of volunteers, the hometown newspaper and other media, for recognizing the sacrifices and bravery of the men and women in our military.

Here is another well-deserved "Thumbs-up" to Arkansas State Police Cpl. Brandon Cook, who last Thursday night risked his life to rescue a woman who apparently jumped from the south shore bridge on Central Avenue.

As reported in the Nov. 11 edition of The Sentinel-Record, Cook and a state police sergeant were sent to the scene after there were reports that a woman was observed dangling her feet off the west side of the bridge. Told that she had jumped, Cook then saw the woman floating and unresponsive in the lake. After calls to her went unanswered, he dove into the cold waters, secured her by a collar and swam with her to a boat dock east of the bridge.

Cook maintained he was only doing his duty as a sworn state trooper, but the public is grateful for his quick thinking and resolute actions.

Meanwhile, a Hot Springs woman sends out a "Thumbs-up" to the driver who recently alerted her to the presence of a deer near the roadway.

In an email submission, the woman wrote, "On the evening of Sunday, Nov. 5, just about dusk, I ventured over to the Jewish Rest at the corner of Summer and Albert Pike as I had heard the colors of a particular tree there were just stunning and indeed they were. I spent a little longer than I should have in the cemetery -- taking pictures and reflecting on all of the old friends there.

"I decided to go over West Mountain to see if the trees in Whittington Park might be adorned in their fall splendor. I was traveling a little faster than I should have, as the time change hadn't really sunk in yet and dark was quickly approaching. About halfway over the mountain, I met three cars creeping up the hill.

"Since the temperature was in the upper 70s, I had my window down and as I passed the first vehicle, I heard the lady drive yell, 'Deer!' I didn't know exactly what she meant, but I slowed down and in no time, a deer leaped from the woods and on to the road, running across right in front of my car. My thanks to the kind lady who was thinking of more than herself -- the deer is still walking and I am still driving. The fall leaves in Whittington Park are lovely, but I need to leave the house a little sooner these days."

On the other hand, this writer gives a "Thumbs-down" to the driver who on Friday, Nov. 10, was proceeding at a virtual snail's pace down West St. Louis.

Waiting to turn left onto St. Louis from Phillips Street, I stayed put because the auto was traveling so very slowly it occurred to me that there might be car problems or perhaps the person behind the wheel was looking for a certain house.

When the driver reached my vantage point, I saw that it was a woman and she was talking on the telephone, seemingly oblivious to the growing line of cars behind her.

A distracted motorist? For sure.

Cheers and a "Thumbs-up" to the National Park College Nighthawks for being pictured on the front page of The Sentinel-Record last Sunday as they took on the Williams Baptist basketball team during play at the NPC Wellness Center gymnasium. The Nighthawks won their second game of the year, 111-76.

Best wishes to the Nighthawks during the rest of this season.

Editorial on 11/15/2017

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