To newborn Ehnithaw Wah

Ehnithaw Wah was the first baby born in 2017 in Albert Lea last week to parents Mary and Der Wah of Albert Lea.

She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches. She joins an older sister, Eh, who is 2.

Welcome, baby, to our community. We are glad yo have you here, and we wish you a healthy and prosperous life.

To a collaboration between the city of Albert Lea and Freeborn County Historical Museum.

Work is nearly completed on a major project for the city of Albert Lea and Freeborn County Historical Museum.

Nearly 15,000 pages of historical city documents have been scanned and will be preserved and stored at the museum thanks to a $7,000 Legacy Community Collaboration grant from Southeastern Libraries Cooperating and $7,000 from the city.

Organizers have stated more than 600 hours of scanning time helped make the project a reality, and people will now be able to view the documents digitally and even print copies if they choose.

We think this is a great project, and we look forward to more like it in the future.

To a new legislative session.

Legislators from across the state returned to the capitol this week. While there are many issues to tackle — including the budget — we hope this year will result in new compromise and legislation to benefit the state’s residents.

We hope legislators remember their constituents when making their decisions and leave behind bipartisanship. Instead, they should develop an attitude of compromise.

In addition to the budget, there are several major issues to address, including health care, the tax bill and the bonding bill.

It is too early to tell how much of these things will get resolved or if they will get pushed back another year. We hope no decisions are made hastily and without thought about consequences.

Much is at stake.                                

To warmer temperatures forecasted for this week.

After a chilly week in southern Minnesota, we are glad to see warmer temperatures on the horizon. According to the National Weather Service, highs are expected to be in the 20s Monday through Wednesday though possibilities for snow are also forecasted.

January seems like one of the longest months for Minnesotans out of the entire year because of the temperatures and snow. Be prepared for it, and it’s more tolerable.