Editorial: Thumbs

To the Albert Lea High School girls’ hockey team.

Congratulations to the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team, who on Tuesday broke Luverne’s seven-game winning streak at Albert Lea City Arena.

The game was an upset for the Cardinals (7-1, 4-0 Big South), who came in having defeated its opponents by a combined score of 54-10.

Despite playing a prevent defense in the third

period, the Tigers outshot the Cardinals 10-8. On the game, Luverne had the edge in shots on goal 28-24.

Last time the Tigers played the Cardinals on Nov. 10, the Cardinals won 9-1 and outshot the Tigers 42-20.

Great job, Tigers, and congratulations to Albert Lea goalie Maddie Schneider, a seventh-grader, for keeping the game from going into overtime.

 

To Glenville-Emmons boys’ basketball player Derek Van Ryswyk.

Junior forward Derek Van Ryswyk this week scored his 1,000th career point on a free throw in a game against Immanuel Lutheran at Mankato.

Van Ryswyk last year set a Glenville-Emmons school record by hitting 109 3-pointers and was a First Team All-Area selection. He was one of only two players from the Tribune’s seven-team coverage area to average a double-double with 20.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.

Congratulations on a job well done!

 

To interest from developers in the Blazing Star Landing.

It was exciting to hear City Manager Chad Adams this week say there are seven developers interested in private development spurred by the proposed movement of Front Street to the north of the Blazing Star Landing.

The Blazing Star Landing, the former location of the Wilson & Co. plant, has sat empty for almost 15 years.

Though development may still be a long way off, it is refreshing to hear that after all of these years, something may be on the brink of happening on that property.

The interest comes as the city is requesting several million from the state in bonding dollars to get the project going. If awarded, some of the funds would go toward moving Front Street.

Plans call for the construction of a new city hall, ice arena and community center with space for senior services and programs, meeting and activity rooms, a walking and running track, a fitness room, an indoor playpark, gymnasium and racquetball courts, to name a few.

City officials stated they will not spend any of the state’s bonding dollars or spend taxpayer dollars until private development is secured to pay for all of the first-phase improvements and a substantial amount of the second phase.

This is an exciting time in the history of Albert Lea.