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Thumbs up for a fun night out. It’s been an annual tradition for years for families and their children to come out to Wescott Athletic Complex for the annual Noon Kiwanis Free Track Meet and Thursday night’s meet was a perfect night for another run. It was fun to see the kids running, jumping and throwing — even when they weren’t competing — and it’s a reminder just how fun this event has been over the years.

Thumbs down for tech failure. A global technology outage that many of us woke up to Friday morning was responsible for grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off the air. While not believed to have been a cyber attack, it is a cooling reminder of just how much our society relies on technology and how it could adversely affect our daily lives.

Thumbs up to the work of Parks and Rec. Beginning soon, if it hasn’t already, the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department is going about the task of replacing surfacing at several playgrounds that were affected by June’s flooding. Not only is it taking away concerns of what the flooding left behind, but the department is also replacing it with surfacing that is far better for safety and the costs to the city.

Friday night for spraying. The City of Austin was finally able to get out Friday night to spray for mosquitoes, which many of us have noticed over the last few weeks. It will be good to hopefully walk around without fear of coming home with welts all over our legs and arms.

Thumbs up for connecting with youth. A story earlier this week is a good reminder to younger athletes the effect they can have on the younger players coming up. Blooming Prairie graduate and Gustavus Adolphus basketball player, along with men’s player Ashton Dingman, held a camp in Blooming that engaged youngsters in the sport. Having a former player, not far removed, is a great way to continue that connection and makes it all the more real for players hoping to follow suit.