News Editorial: Use common sense this Fourth of July

Common sense safety. If it is common sense you think the safety tips would go without having to be said, but that’s not the case, that’s why on your blow dryer it says not to immerse in water.

Common sense tells us that would be a bad idea but obviously someone did it, thus the need for a warning.

Many things come with common sense warnings that are not heeded by users.

This week with the Fourth of July celebration starting tomorrow many people will be lighting off a plethora of fireworks.

Fireworks are not toys. Fireworks are not to be used in games or fights. Don’t shoot Roman candles at one another. Don’t shoot bottle rocks at one another.

For years my parents would tell us children of a young Thermopolis man who injured his hand severely holding onto a Roman candle.

My neighbor in Lovell, a young boy about 10, lost his eye when he and his friends were battling with bottle rockets.

Heed safety warnings and tips. They are not there to ruin your fun but to ensure your fun doesn’t end tragically.

And, this Fourth of July, do not just heed safety tips for fireworks, but also be attentive while traveling.

Do not get distracted. Do obey traffic laws, signs and signals. Do wear your seat belt. Do drive defensively, never assuming you know what the car in front of you will do, or the car coming at you in the other lane.

Do not drink and drive … ever.

The fireworks and driving safety tips not only keep you safe, but keep others safe as well.

Have a safe and fun Independence Day.

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On a different note: Last week the Northern Wyoming News published our 74th annual Big Horn Basin Edition. We had a People and History section and a Business & Industry section.

Our staff worked hard to put together this edition featuring people and places around the Basin, and businesses and industry that have proven longevity, businesses that have shown recent growth and some brand new businesses.

Our online subscribers will not have noticed anything out of the ordinary. However, our print subscribers, if you have started to read the 18-page edition, will have notice a glaring error in the Business section.

Due to an unfortunate printing error where the wrong plate was put on the press, two pages from the People and History section were printed in the Business and Industry section, thus two pages of the B&I section never got printed.

Print subscribers will find a re-print of that section in this week’s issue.

We were frustrated with the error. We have worked with our advertisers to address the issue and our printer is working with us to address it as well.

It is times like this we realize we are all human. We make mistakes. Our goal here, when we make a mistake, is to learn from it, work to ensure it does not happen again and move on. It does not do anyone any good to place blame and point fingers.

But we apologize to you our readers for the error and we hope you take the time to enjoy the features in this section.