To Albert Lea High School graduate Melissa Roche.

Roche, an interior designer who now lives in Las Vegas, is one of four contestants remaining in the HGTV reality show “Brother vs Brother.” The finale airs at 8 p.m. today on HGTV.

At the start of the show, there were 10 contestants from all over the country, including everyone from real estate agents and contractors to interior designers. The contestants were divided into two teams, led by identical twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, and each week there were eliminations after the teams spent three days renovating a home.

The Albert Lea Salvation Army will host an open house beginning at 7 p.m. for a viewing of the show. Roche is the daughter of Mark and Marilyn Roche, who volunteer and work at the Salvation Army, respectively.

We wish Melissa the best and hope the community will show her their support!

 

To three Albert Lea Township Firefighters recognized this week for saving a life.

Mike Czaplewski, Tom Furland and Tim Brenegan received special recognition this week for their efforts in May to save the life of Scott Kruse, who suffered a heart attack in a demolition derby at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds.

The firefighters were on duty at the derby when Kruse, then a 43-year-old driver from Stansfield, began having chest pains.

Kruse later went into full cardiac arrest.

He credited the firefighters who kept the oxygen flowing in his body until he his heart started beating again after he was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

 

To an explosive found at Legion Park near Bricelyn.

A person mowing the grass at the park found the explosive device Wednesday night in an outdoor restroom and called authorities.

The Bloomington Bomb Squad traveled down to the park and safely detonated the bomb. We are grateful no one was hurt.

It is still unsettling that authorities do not know how long the explosive had been in the park or how it got there. We encourage anyone with information about the incident to contact the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office at 507-526-5148.