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THUMBS DOWN! To the arrival of monkeypox in Macon County. The case was found in a congregate care facility and reported Monday by the Macon County Health Department. The health department and the Illinois Department of Public Health consider the exposure risk minimal. Transmission of monkeypox is through contact with the bodily fluids or monkeypox sores of a person with the disease; contact with the clothing or bedding of a person with monkeypox; and/or contact with respiratory droplets of a person with monkeypox. It's a rare but potentially serious virus. We don't need reminders of the pandemic to understand that care and caution are our primary weapons against the disease.

THUMBS UP! To the City of Decatur for its yard signs reminder. Signs of any kind need to stay on private property and are not allowed to be placed in the public right of way. All signs are illegal, "including but not limited to: contractor services, business promotional signs/flags" and, most important for our present purposes, "political signs." The pre-emptive strike might slow the odds of people complaining about their signs being taken down.

THUMBS DOWN! To non-stop political bickering. The parties' "days" at the Illinois State Fair ideally would focus on the positives promised by each party. Instead, there was hyperbole, like calling their opponints  “a party of anger, fear, hate and violence.” Which party's member uttered this? The fact that we can imagine it being from either side makes the continual ratcheting of right and left a frightful prospect.

THUMBS UP! To Terrence “TAT” Taylor. The Decatur Neuhoff Radio personality has been named the first official DJ for the Fighting Illini’s men’s football and basketball seasons. Taylor will work all games at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center. His duties officially begin on Saturday, August 27, at the Illini’s football season opener vs. Wyoming.

THUMBS DOWN! To the latest straw man in our culture wars. Amid elevated concerns about "indoctrination" in school material, Florida has passed a law requiring all books be pre-approved by "state-certified media specialists." One school district is refusing new dictionaries being donated by a local rotary club in concert with The Dictionary Project. Currently, there are no "state-certified media specialists" in the state to inspect any new books. We'd really like to hear the arguments against a current dictionary being in schools. And we also can't help but note that those most concerned about "indoctrination" are those who apparently feel as though they've figured it out and those who haven't don't deserve any consideration.

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