NWA EDITORIAL | THURSDAY’S THUMBS: Arkansas sees some good news in higher education enrollment

It's Thursday and another chance to fire off a few up or down thumbs about some of news developments in our neck of the woods and elsewhere:

[THUMBS UP] Great news from Bentonville in the realm of higher education: Northwest Arkansas Community College officials say their spring enrollment numbers rose 15.9 percent from last year's, at least according to unofficial numbers from a "snapshot" 11 days into the new semester. That's more than 1,000 additional people seeking to expand their skills and their minds through education at the largest two-year college in the state. It's a nice rebound from the pandemic-induced declines in enrollment that public two-year colleges across the nation had to weather.

[THUMBS UP] Overall, the state's colleges and universities reported a modest year-over-year increase in enrollment in a measure of numbers reported from the fall. A modest increase qualifies as good news, if one assumes there's value in higher education, an idea we hope most people can embrace. Why does modest qualify as good news? It's the first time enrollment across the state hasn't decreased since 2012. The lamentable part is that the state's institutions of higher learning have 24,272 fewer students than they did in 2012.

[THUMBS DOWN] Tragedies are huge for those directly affected, and we recognize addressing them in a brief fashion can seem flippant. Not our intention at all. But we noticed a story the other day about a man on a hunting trip in Kansas being accidentally shot and killed. How? He apparently placed a loaded shotgun in the back seat of his truck along with his dog. The dog, according to investigators, stepped on the shotgun and caused it to discharge, striking the man. It is a sad but attention-getting reminder guns should be secured and/or unloaded when they aren't in active use. Who could have imagined such an outcome? It pays to assume such tragic accidents can and do happen when a gun is loaded, unsecured and treated as though it's just any other tool. Unloading guns, then still treating them as though they may be loaded, is the way to go for everyone's safety.

[THUMBS UP] Benton County could have had an ambulance crisis on its hands after its provider decided to end its coverage of rural areas, but county leaders quickly responded and got another ambulance service provider on board. Pafford Medical Services of Hope on Friday began its contract to serve Benton County, Cave Springs, Decatur, Gentry and Highfill. Taxpayers will subsidize Pafford EMS to the tune of $1.51 million a year over the course of the four-year contract to ensure western Benton County has ambulance service. It's a big amount, for sure, but the presence of ambulance service will undoubtedly save lives.

A correction: Last week, we offered a thumbs up to a U.S. Postal Service change that allows Elm Springs and Tontitown residents to use their town names, rather than the nearby and larger city of Springdale, on their mail addresses. A separate state system determines to which cities sales taxes collected for delivered parcels are allocated. Our item was incorrect about that impact of the mail address change.