Bravo to the unidentified witness who broke up a burglary ring in Durham on Tuesday. The man was driving on Route 9 when he spotted two people wearing dark hoods jump from a car and run between some houses.

Hooded sweatshirts in 90-degree heat? Something just didn’t add up.

The witness stopped and knocked on the doors of nearby homes. That frightened two of the suspects, who were quickly spotted fleeing into a nearby woods. The man then drove until he spotted the car that had dropped the suspects off. He wrote down the registration information and called it in to police, who eventually arrested a 16-year-old boy.

The man’s actions kicked off a ground and air search that lasted most of the afternoon.

In rural areas, neighbors looking out for neighbors are the first line of defense against crime. This time, an alert witness went above and beyond the call of duty to stop a crime in progress.

Bravo to Poland School Union 29 Superintendent Nina Schlikin who is initiating a “Parent University” for parents, grandparents and child-care providers in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland.

There has been groundbreaking research in the last 10 years into how young brains develop and how very young children best learn. The goal of the two workshops is to share the latest education information in a fun environment and help parents help prepare their children for success in school.

Parents will learn what they can do to maximize brain development, concept development, explorative thinking, speaking and listening. Another workshop will teach attendees about how best to develop all-important reading skills.

Parents are busy and don’t always have the time to sort through the volumes of literature on this subject. Parents should do themselves and their children a favor by setting aside the time to attend “Parent U.”

Bravo to Patty and Sandy Page for the 563-acre conservation easement they recently granted around Marshall Pond in Oxford.

The easement will be held by the Western Foothills Land Trust and effectively halts all future development around almost half of the pond.

Patty Page controlled most of the land and her niece, Sandy, donated about 13 acres. The easement includes 7,283 feet of shoreline, small wetlands, a brook and many acres of thick forest.

No motorized activity will be allowed, but the public can hike, ski, snowshoe or horseback ride if they first receive permission from Page.

The large grant nearly doubles the trust’s holdings and preserves an important piece of natural Maine against sprawl and development.