To the residents who took time out of their schedules to meet the Albert Lea city manager candidates.

Thanks to the residents who made the effort to get involved in the search for a new city manager.

About 25 to 30 people attended the public meet-and-greet with the candidates Wednesday evening at Edgewater Park pavilion, which was more than most cities that host similar public events to meet candidates, according to the consultant who is helping the city with the search.

While this is a good start, we encourage more residents to get involved in future efforts.

When big issues come up in the community, let your city leaders know your opinions. Attend City Council meetings or other workshops and hear the information first-hand if you can, or read the articles in this newspaper to find out about the meetings as well.

Involvement is critical to the community’s success.

 

To the Albert Lea Salvation Army.

Thank you to the Albert Lea Salvation Army for opening its doors as a cooling station Thursday and Friday to residents in need of a cool place to go.

With the heat index expected to reach 105 degrees on Friday, it has been critical for people to stay cool and reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses.

The organization was also offering bottles of water 24 hours a day under the tent behind the building.

Thank you for keeping the safety of the area’s residents at the forefront.

 

To the arrests and medical emergencies reported at Harmony Park last weekend.

Numerous drug arrests were reported last weekend at Harmony Park during the Infrasound Festival. There were also a half dozen medical calls for overdoses and other drug reactions.

Arrests were for possession of drugs, including ketamine, MDMA, acid, marijuana and cocaine, according to Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office logs.

Logs also indicated there were at least six medical calls that appeared to be drug-related, including one listed as a possible ketamine overdose and another for an intoxicated man who was in and out of consciousness.

This is dangerous not only for the people who attended this festival, but also for the deputies and ambulance crews who responded to these calls.

We ask Harmony Park’s owner to consider not bringing this festival back in the future. There seemed to be a higher level of problems at this festival than most of the others there by looking at the law enforcement calls.

 

To the Alden-Conger trap team.

Congratulations to the Alden-Conger High School trap team, who placed third last week in the national trap shooting tournament in Mason, Michigan.

This is a great accomplishment for these students and for the school to receive recognition for its program. Keep up the good work.