EDITORIAL: Thumbs up to Wolfe, Van Lancker, Synergy

May 23—Welcome to our Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, the Clinton Herald's roundup of accomplishments, and sometimes a possible downer, from throughout the Gateway area.

This week we're giving a Thumbs Up to:

—The Synergy Team, which has spearheaded an effort to bring murals to downtown Clinton. One of the most recently completed murals is at the downtown branch of Clinton National Bank. The mural is a collaboration between artist Jacob Schoenhaar, Synergy, and Clinton National Bank and can be found at 235 Sixth Ave South. The second mural, Batting 3000, is located at NelsonCorp Field on the side of the city's baseball stadium. The LumberKings mural, which was unveiled last week, is a collaboration between Clinton High School graduate and artist Cameron Raab, Synergy, the City of Clinton, and the Clinton LumberKings.

—Jack Wolfe, a longtime Clinton attorney, who received the Clinton Human Rights Commission's award during a ceremony at Clinton City Hall last week. Wolfe, who has served as a public defender and in private practice, was praised for his decades-long career providing legal representation to people regardless of their social and/or economic circumstance.

—Clinton County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Eric Van Lancker, who was honored with the Clinton County Bar Association's 2023 Liberty Bell Award. Van Lancker, who has served as Clinton County auditor since 2008, is the recipient of the award given locally each May to recognize outstanding community service in conjunction with the national observance of Law Day.