Thumbs up to the (relatively) smooth passage of a pay raise for state and university system employees this year. House Bill 13 increases pay by 3 percent in each of the next two years, increases state contribution to employee health insurance, and provides money to move all state salaries to at least 80 percent of the "market rate" for each position.

Thumbs up to Helena High School students involved in a long overdue facelift for the school's cafeteria. The project is a collaborative effort planned by the student council, X-CEL class and the 3-7-77s Club. It will be paid for with a $15,000 grant and fundraising for another $30,000 to $40,000.

Thumbs down to an ill wind that killed a horse in a freak incident this week. Gusts blew a plastic sheet from a nearby construction site into a field where it wrapped around the animal's head, causing it to panic and run into a fence. The three-year-old horse broke two legs and had to be euthanized.

Thumbs up to yet another drop in Montana's unemployment rate. The rate fell to 2.7 percent in January, down from 2.9 percent in December, and well below the national rate of 4.6 percent. Only Wyoming, at 2.6 percent, has a lower rate than Montana.