Just a quick hit on some topics were looking at for the week of Sept. 1-8.

The federal government recently released estimates on drunken driving that showed millions of Americans continue take to the roads while impaired every year. We need to do better.

Some environmentalist continue to fight the so-called Biological Opinion on salmon recovery for the Snake-Columbia system despite evidence that efforts to restore critical runs are working. Are some people unwilling to accept success for the fish if it doesn’t include dam removal? It looks that way.

The state wants government workers to pay a bigger share of their health insurance benefits. It’s unfair when state employees are getting better benefit packages than most of the taxpayers who are footing the bill.

A new test might help keep student athletes who suffer head injuries from permanent harm. That’s worth exploring — and expanding, if it proves effective. Few kids will volunteer to bench themselves because of a lingering headache, even when returning to the playing field means serious health risks. The grownups have to be in charge.

Social service agencies recently told the Badger Club about increasing demand despite the Mid-Columbia’s relatively strong economy. The occasion is a good reminder to all of us that the Tri-Cities’ good fortune isn’t shared by all.

Some parents in the Richland School District are reading and rating the appropriateness — not the literary merit — of books, then posting their opinions online. There’s nothing wrong with the exercise per se, but we’re hoping no parents are willing to substitute someone else’s judgment for their own.

Southridge High School is offering a class on green design, covering alternative energy sources, energy-efficient design techniques and more. We particularly like the way the program draws on resources from school district, private industry and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to produce program superior to anything they’d put together on their own. Our community will need more of such innovative partnerships to prepare for future.

The week brought news of another gang sweep, this one resulting in dozens of arrests. Keep up the good work. We can either keep up the pressure or concede part of community to the gangsters. We opt for the pressure.