UP for the Rotary Club of Bellevue for reaching its funding milestone of $1.8 million for the Inspiration Playground at Bellevue’s Downtown Park. The park will offer sensory-rich play and equipment that allows children with disabilities to interact with their peers. It also will let disabled adults play with their children and grandchildren. The project is a public-private partnership with the city and the Rotary club hopes to raise $4.3 million for the outdoor play environment. It’s a project that deserves both public and private support.

UP forr the C. Keith Birkenfeld Memorial Trust for a $500,000 donation to a fundraising campaign by the Boys and Girls Clubs in Bellevue to open a new clubhouse downtown. Birkenfeld, a former Bellevue School District teacher, continues to help youngsters even after his passing.

UP for President Obama, who on Wednesday authorized U.S. airstrikes in Syria along with expanded airstrikes in Iraq as he vowed to wipe out Islamic State terrorists “wherever they exist.” No one wants us to be involved in another war, but as political theorist and philosopher Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Let’s hope other countries respond as well.

UP for sound minds and good science that came together in the 1980s to phase-out certain chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol cans. As a result, scientists say the Earth’s ozone layer is beginning to recover. Ozone shields the planet from solar radiation that causes skin cancer, crop damage and other problems.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter