Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To the teams that have committed thus far to jumping in the lake in the Plunge for the Park.

As we write this, there are nine teams that have committed to jumping into Fountain Lake for the Plunge for the Park as part of the Big Freeze on Feb. 8.

The event is a fundraiser for the All Together Albert Lea Inclusive Playground and Miracle Field and will begin at 11 a.m. that day.

So far, the teams that have committed are Trinity Lutheran Church’s youth group, Maricle Martial Arts, the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, Albert Lea Mayor Rich Murray and other Albert Lea City Council members and city staff, Dave Syverson, Albert Lea school administrators, Albert Lea 18-21 Program teachers, Lou-Rich and Cargill.

There is still plenty of time to sign up and help finish the fundraising for the first phase of the inclusive playground. Reach out to the All Together Albert Lea Inclusive Playground and Miracle Field Facebook page or Tribune Editor Sarah Stultz if you’re interested in signing up.

Teams are asked to come with at least five people and raise a minimum of $250.

Following the plunge at noon there will be a chili cookoff and bake sale in the Edgewater Bay Pavilion.

To the bitter cold temperatures settling over the area.

Though we have had a pretty mild winter thus far this year, the temperatures are dropping this weekend, and it is a reminder that we’re still living in Minnesota.

According to the National Weather Service, wind chills are expected to reach about 30 degrees below zero.

We urge readers to use caution when outdoors, to dress appropriately and to watch out for your friends and neighbors.

If you have to be out in your car, make sure to keep an emergency kit in there in the event you are stranded. Dress for the weather, as these types of temperatures can cause frostbite.

And please be careful using space heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves.

Temperatures will warm back up starting Wednesday.

To new technology being used at St. John’s Lutheran Community.

We are pleased to hear about new remote patient monitoring technology being piloted at St. John’s Lutheran Community’s memory care unit.

The technology uses artificial intelligence to track data, such as temperature, blood pressure and heart rate, while also tracking movements captured through sensors in the individual’s apartment. It will provide an even closer look at residents and has the potential to help St. John’s staff catch sickness earlier and reduce trips to the emergency room. In the future it could also help people stay in their homes longer.

We look forward to hearing more as this develops.