UP: To what appears to have been a successful holiday season for local small retailers. Though there is still competition from online and larger national retailers, Beverly Neff of Neff’s Country Loft noted “It was a good season.” Doing the extra little things — and being able to provide gift certificates — proved to be the difference, as local folks seem to have made an effort to support the retailers who live right here beside them in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

UP: To the local first responders and other folks who work while the rest of us enjoy our holidays. What might be a slow, lazy week for many of us can be quite hectic for those who have to, for example, fight three fires in one morning or keep a hospital running smoothly. Thank you, folks.

UP: To the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, in Morgantown, for sending experts to rescue our local celebrity snowy owl, which had suffered a wing injury after being hit by a vehicle. Now in good hands, the bird will receive medical care and a chance to heal before it is released in four to six weeks — likely somewhere it will NOT be loved to death.