Good compromise

Cheers to the Natrona County Commission for agreeing to scale back its new juvenile detention center to 24 beds, the size recommended by Gov. Dave Freudenthal. The governor is expected to provide up to $8 million in federal stimulus money for the project. Commissioners made sure they could expand the facility, if necessary, at the county's expense.

Safety concerns

Jeers to the University of Wyoming, which was cited by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality for scattering a material containing asbestos over the outside of the Bureau of Mines Building on the Laramie campus, potentially exposing the public to the carcinogen.

Help for historians

Cheers to the Wyoming State Archives, which for the first time has made the Wyoming Blue Books -- an indispensable five-volume guide to the state's history since pre-territorial days -- available in a convenient CD version. Eventually, the books will be posted on the Internet and continually updated.

Drunken driving

Jeers to Maurice Jepson, 71, of Natrona County, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving and reckless endangerment charges in connection with a May crash that seriously injured a pregnant woman (broken arms, legs and a concussion) and an 11-year-old boy (broken leg) when his truck swerved into their lane and hit their SUV.

Dedicated volunteer

Cheers to 86-year-old George Simmons, the oldest volunteer in Grand Teton National Park. He has been living in a one-room ranger station cabin at White Grass Ranch every summer for the past 15 years. He greets park visitors from all over the world with a "yee-haa" and offers them root beer floats.