Two big bravos for our two largest cities.

In Auburn, the flowers are blooming on Turner Street across from the YMCA. This is a gorgeous display each summer. It can’t help but brighten the day for local residents and impress visitors.

In Lewiston, police met last week with residents of the Horton Street neighborhood to work on a puzzle. Why, they asked, is there much more crime on Horton Street than Howe Street, a very similar street one block away.

They came up with answers and goals.

It may take a village to raise a child, but the Lewiston police have long recognized that it takes a neighborhood to stop street crime.