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Thumbs up to local music. If you’re a local musician and you want to perform in front of others, then Austin Area Arts’ ArtRocks Open Jams are a perfect place to start. Starting on Jan. 16, this winter and early spring will have four opportunities for musicians to take the stage. The other three dates include Feb. 20, March 20 and April 17.

Thumbs up to longterm dedication. Congratulations to longtime Public Works Director Mike Hanson, who after nearly 27 years is heading into a phased retirement. Hanson’s work at the county level has been second to none and his affable nature has always made it easy to work with him.

Thumbs sideways for higher utilities rates. Nobody likes to see a rise in any service we pay money for and some of you may have groaned somewhat when Austin Utilities announced its rate changes for 2025, which includes raises in all facets it governs. While this will represent an increase in what we pay out of our pockets each month, it’s cushioned by the knowledge that Austin Utilities has a history of doing everything in its arsenal to keep any changes as low as possible. The reality is, that energy is often dictated by outside influences and in this case it’s no different, but we can feel comfortable knowing that AU knows the situation and continues to do what it can to keep things down.

Thumbs up to the local sports scene. If you missed it earlier this week, we released our two year-end story wrap-ups. If you turned to the sports section, you also got an idea of how successful our young area athletes were in 2024, led by some of the most stand-up kids you’ll ever meet.

Thumbs up for Minnesota pride. It doesn’t have much bearing on our local selves, but the Minnesota Vikings are kind of fun to watch, aren’t they? In a year that includes the Minnesota Twins trainwreck, it’s nice, as a fan, to be in a situation where the biggest game of the year might not even be a playoff game. Too early to be thinking about the whole kit and kaboodle?