Editorial: Thumbs

To people wanting Albert Lea to be a Yellow Ribbon Community.

We think it’s great that people are working together to make sure soldiers deployed overseas don’t have to worry that their spouse or family needs help after a pipe breaks or they have a flat tire or to find other resources. People can call a number and get advice or be connected with volunteers who can help them with their problems, which means soldiers know their families are taken care of — one of their biggest requests before deploying. Hopefully the work the steering committee has done means Albert Lea will officially become a Yellow Ribbon Community in August.

To the Albert Lea Colonels not playing this year.

For the first time since 1990 there’s a lack of interest in playing town baseball. The team’s coach, Bill Trygstad, said he hoped to get enough players to form a team next year and we hope he’s able to so Albert Lea’s long history of town baseball isn’t finished.

To Albert Lea’s fireworks show.

Not only were the fireworks fantastic, the community is the ones who make it happen! It’s pretty cool when enough people care about the fireworks show to donate more than $16,000 in a Buckets on Broadway fundraiser held earlier in June. The fireworks are funded fully by donations, which is awesome for a time when many cities are cutting fireworks from the budget. Let’s aim for $17,000 next year!