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To the businesses and residents who took part in the ‘Flare for the Fourth’ initiative.

Thanks to the businesses and residents who took time out of their busy lives to decorate for the Fourth of July holiday through the “Flare for the Fourth” initiative organized by the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It was great to see so much patriotism in the community and to see people celebrate the wonderful country where we live. We hope this patriotism can continue in other respects year-round.

A special congratulations to The Children’s Center and The Albert Lea Art Center, which were declared the winners of the contest.

 

To increased car break-ins in Albert Lea.

There have been a significant number of car break-ins in different areas around the city in the last week.

We hope these break-ins can serve as a reminder for residents to take precautions to protect their vehicles and belongings.

Police often remind residents to remove valuables from their automobiles, to lock their car doors and to park cars in garages or well-lit areas when possible.

Essentially, removing valuables from your car makes it an unattractive target for potential thieves.

As always, if you see anything questionable near your home or vehicles, report it to authorities.

 

To the friends and family who organized a special prom for 18-year-old Jessa Gasteiger of Lake Mills.

Thank you to the friends and family of 18-year-old Jessa Gasteiger, who organized a small version of prom last weekend, so Gasteiger could attend before leaving for basic training with the National Guard on July 20 at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

Though the Lake Mills Community School is slated to have its prom later this month, Gasteiger would not have been able to attend were it not for those who organized the special event.

We hope the day was an especially memorable one for all involved, and we thank Gasteiger for her upcoming service.

 

To the upcoming special session expected to begin Monday.

We are hopeful the upcoming special legislative session will bring more results than the previous one, which ended with many major issues still unresolved.

Top on the agenda are possible police reforms and the state bonding bill, of which several local projects are included.

We encourage legislators to work together across the aisle to accomplish legislation that will positively move the state forward, and we hope legislators will compromise to approve a bonding bill. These projects were needed before the COVID-19 pandemic but are especially important now for Albert Lea and other Greater Minnesota communities as we seek to rebuild from the pandemic in the coming months.