Thumbs up: Here's a salute to Dallastown Area High School's Aaron Bentzel, one of six cadets across the country to earn the JROTC's Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement Award.

More than 5,000 were eligible, but the breadth of Bentzel's activities "really set him apart from other cadets," said Lt. Col. Joseph Innerst, the JROTC instructor at Dallastown.

The 18-year-old from Jacobus is the battalion commander for his school's JROTC program, is vice president of the National Honor Society, an Eagle Scout, a student mentor and coordinated the JROTC Toys for Tots campaign.

Bentzel, the son of Steve and Meg Bentzel, said he's hoping to get accepted at the Merchant Marine or Naval academies.

"I want to serve my country," he said. "I want to give back to everything that's been given to me."

Thumbs down: Oh, come on! Really?

We thought we were getting used to the stink bug invasion that arrived in York County a few years ago. Maybe not "used to" the shield-shaped pests -- more like we found ways to roust them from our homes (the ones we can see, that is).

The foul-smelling invasive Asian bugs appear inside and outside, on walls and ceilings, in bed clothes and shoes, on window screens and roof eaves. You name it.

There are some common ways to deal with them, though.

Outside the home, a hose works well. Inside, they're easily nabbed with a paper towel, vacuumed up (then flushed) or drowned with sudsy water.

But unless you're well-versed in HVAC repair, you're out of luck when it comes to the little buggers' latest hiding places.

Home heating specialists say the stink bugs are now crawling into heating units and causing sometimes-costly service calls -- not to mention a foul, warm stench -- as people fire up their furnaces for the first time this season.

Repair bills could range from between $100 and $300 depending on the damage, although an inspection before starting a heating unit ranges from $65 to $85 and can catch the problem before it damages the unit.

These businesses do not recommend homeowners try to deal with the problem themselves unless they know what they're doing.

"When you're dealing with products of combustion, guesswork is not a good option," said Matthew Miller, service manager at Dutch Heating Inc. in York City.