Our Voice: We're grateful for Kennewick Police Department's decade-long search for Sofia Juarez

We're grateful to live in a community that is caring. The police continue a seemingly fruitless effort to find a missing child; individuals donate their time and effort to improve the community; and schools have their eye on the future.

The Mid-Columbia is a great place to live.

Missing girl

In 2003, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl and iTunes opened the world's first digital music store. Lots of things have happened in the last decade.

One thing that has not happened is the return of Sofia Juarez.

She has went missing from her Kennewick home 10 years ago on the day before her 5th birthday and still is gone.

Police are still looking for her.

We appreciate the tenacity of the agencies that are sworn to protect us. For 10 years, the Kennewick Police Department has followed up on many leads that have turned out to be fruitless.

We're grateful that they haven't given up, even if Sofia has not been found. It's exactly the reaction we'd want if our own child was missing.

It's easier to keep trying when you see some fruit from your labors. It takes a special dedication to keep going when you come up empty handed.

Someone knows what happened. That person should share the information, even if it's difficult.

Coke Roth honored

We're thankful to live in a community where people are generous with their time and talents. The Academy of Children's Theatre wants to make sure Kennewick attorney Coke Roth's generosity doesn't go unnoticed.

He has been named Kennewick Man of the Year and Tri-Citian of the Year and received the Governor's Award for Volunteerism -- to name a few accolades.

We wonder which, if any, of Roth's many awards he would consider to be the touchstone of his life's work.

ACT chose well in honoring Roth.

Summer concerts

It's not even spring yet, so it is premature to be celebrating summer, but this week's announcements of some of the summertime entertainment, along with a few sunny days, has us looking forward to the hot days ahead.

The Benton-Franklin County Fair & Rodeo is bringing Foreigner to town and Sawyer Brown is going to perform outdoors at Clover Island. And that's just two acts. There will be more.

Sometimes in February it's hard to remember August, but it will be here soon.

STEM grant

If we want to interest kids in science, technology, engineering and math (and we do), the younger the better.

The Washington State STEM Foundation must agree with us. It awarded $9,000 to Finley Elementary School.

As a nation and state, we just don't produce enough science-minded adults. And if anyplace should help solve the shortage, it's the Mid-Columbia.

All of the high schools have STEM programs. We're glad to see that priority is filtering down to the younger grades.

It lays a great foundation to build upon.

Young children are naturally curious. We ought to capitalize on that.