Birdie: By those who heeded the alarm sounded by Al Carter, Moore County’s director of Animal Operations, about a couple of confirmed cases of rabies identified in the past couple of weeks. After a front-page article quoting Carter appeared on Sunday, his office received numerous calls and visits from concerned dog and cat owners seeking to get their pets vaccinated.

Though two cases of rabies might not sound like much, even one case is too many in a county that has remained relatively free of the dread disease for years. Good for Carter for issuing his appeal, and good for those who responded so promptly.

Bogey: By others who, after ignoring the danger, have gone for years without getting shots for their pets — only to face a terrible choice after one of them tangles with a rabid racoon: Either have the beloved animal euthanized or else spend thousands to have it quarantined in a cage for six months.

Birdies: By both Pinehurst Surgical and Southern Pines Diagnostic Imaging, for widening the options for those needing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures, formerly available locally only at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

Kudos also to FirstHealth, for offering patients the area’s first “true open” MRI. This significant medical advance makes having an MRI done much easier for those patients who either (1) are too large physically to fit comfortably inside the standard doughnut-shaped model or (2) find the traditional MRI procedure too claustrophobic to endure.

The remarkable range of medical help available in our little community seems to grow greater every day.

Birdie: Speaking of local medical advances, Moore County Emergency Medical Services deserves a pat on the back for successfully landing a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, making possible the distribution of 100 automated external defibrillators to law-enforcement vehicles all over the county.

Credit for a significant assist goes to HeartSafe Moore County, which initiated the AED project in 2007. Assuring such wide distribution of these devices in emergency vehicles is certain to save many lives in the long run. Universal expressions of gratitude are in order.

Bogey: By the Moore County Board of Commissioners, for painting itself into a corner by committing not to use a property tax increase to pay its share of airport improvements — thus forcing itself to contemplate dipping into occupancy tax revenues that ought to be used for their intended purpose of community tourism promotion.

Birdie: By MooreFit, which has made a big contribution of its own to our general well-being by launching “Ready, Set, Grow,” a program that features a series of classes designed to promote the availability of fresh, locally grown foods. Participants who complete three classes or activities at “MooreFit University” will receive certificates and become eligible for prizes. They and their families will also eat better.

Winners all around.