To Albert Lea residents Mark Nechanicky and Taryn Israel Nechanicky.

Thank you to Mark Nechanicky and Taryn Isreal Nechanicky for opening your home to us to explain about some of your family’s Christian and Jewish traditions at this time of year.

It was eye-opening to hear about your traditions.

Mark Nechanicky considers himself Methodist and came from a Christian background, and his wife came from a Jewish background. It was neat to see how the couple teaches their daughter about both religions.

Crashes in winter weather.

A few people were injured this week after crashes on icy roadways.

We encourage people to use extra caution when driving on snow and ice this winter.

Here are a few tips:

Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Remember, driving in icy conditions will take more time, so plan ahead. Remember to take your time so your vehicle will have traction on the road.

Make sure to have a longer following distance between yourself and other vehicles. This will help you be safer if you have to stop.

Don’t go out if you don’t have to on the really bad days. You might thank yourself later.

To community leaders working to lessen local racial divides.

Thanks to Albert Lea Assistant City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos and United Way of Freeborn County Executive Director Ann Austin, who will attend an eight-week program called the Equity Works Leadership Institute. The goal of the program is to help facilitate the implementation of equity and inclusion policies that address racial inequalities within Minnesota’s workforce development sector.

We look forward to hearing what things Gabrielatos and Austin learn from the program and how they can implement the ideas into our community.

To a strike being planned at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota announced Thursday it intends to hold a one-day unfair labor practice strike Dec. 19 at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. The strike would affect 79 people who work as certified nursing assistants, housekeepers, sterile processing and utilities and materials management workers.

We are disappointed negotiations have reached this point, and we wish the hospital and union leaders could reach a swift compromise.