Thumbs up to the long-awaited reopening of the bridge over South Main Street in Jamestown. Wet weather in October and early snow in November made the long bridge repair take even longer than anticipated. Because nothing with this project has come easily, drivers will have to be a little patient as some finishing work finishes this month and again in the spring when the final asphalt layer is laid. It will be a welcome sight to drivers, particularly at busy times of the day, to perhaps see traffic return to a normal level particularly on Washington Street, where traffic has been tied up with additional vehicles that ordinarily would have used South Main Street to make their way to the south side of the city.

Thumbs up to the latest addition to the Jamestown business community. The Beer Snob held its grand opening Monday in the former Vikings Lodge building on Washington Street. Located at 318 Washington St., The Beer Snob offers 36 craft beer selections on tap and 77 different types of bottles and cans. The beer store offers 50 to-go options as well in the form of six packs; big bottles, larger than 16 ounces; and “crowlers,” a 32-ounce sealed can filled with craft beer. The best news is that the area lured back a former area native with dreams of opening a business. Marty Schwab, owner of The Beer Snob, is originally from Falconer and moved away after graduating from Falconer Central School. He’s been around the country to places like Seattle, Wash., and Tampa Bay, Fla., but the opportunity to open a business in Jamestown brought him back. “I’ve been watching this natural progression of downtown (Jamestown) and figured it was the right time to come back home and see what we could do to help grow downtown Jamestown,” he said.

Thumbs up to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department for its quick action Saturday helping two youths get out of the woods safely after they got lost while hunting near Boutwell Hill Road in Cherry Creek. The department received a call from the youths saying they were having a hard time finding their way out of the woods. Dispatchers used GPS to try to guide the youths out of the woods, but the youths’ cell phone battery died and the connection was lost. A K-9 unit was then sent to the area to search the woods where the phone last had a connection. Deputies and New York State Forest Rangers eventually found the youths unharmed — a happy ending to what could have been a tragic situation.