Thumbs up to local merchants and others who have pushed, prodded and persevered for the start of a Main Street program in Langley. Kudos, too, to the volunteers who have stepped up to serve on the new board of directors for the effort during this most critical juncture.

Langley’s downtown core is at a crossroads, and though a number of new businesses have opened or expanded in recent months, the efforts to bolster the economy by branding the Village by the Sea as an experiential destination for tourists and others haven’t produced the beneficial results that many in the city and the South End desire.

Here’s hoping that the energy and enthusiasm for a Main Street program can be sustained, and that efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown will result in a more diversified economy that can weather economic downturns in the years ahead.

Thumbs up for the courageous young actors who are performing “The Other Side of the Closet” at Whidbey Children’s Theater.

Chad Reinkens, Trevor Hein, Sarafina Durr, Sabrina Warren, Angelica Janda, Lane Kowghorn and Max Cole-Takanikos have taken on the task of portraying both the persecuted gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning youths and those who persecute people because of their sexual orientation. The play runs through Feb. 13 in Langley.

Thumbs down to Gov. Christine Gregoire for suggesting the creation of a regional ferry district that would have added an additional tax burden on property owners in counties served by Washington State Ferries. The suggestion that residents in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, King and Pierce counties could be tapped to take over the financial responsibility of a major piece of the state highway system was a non-starter and an immense waste of time for lawmakers and others interested in realistic reform at WSF.