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To Home Solutions Midwest.

Thank you to Home Solutions Midwest and any others who are involved with renovating a house in Albert Lea for homeless veterans and veterans struggling with addictions.

On Monday, Home Solutions brought in 28 employees to install new windows, doors and gutters at the house, at 604 Giles Place. The company donated all of the labor and supplies to make it happen.

We thank the company for their generosity in this project, which is an effort spearheaded by Kevin Chapman of The Chapman House Foundation.

The foundation has previously done similar work in Texas and North Carolina and chose Albert Lea as its first city in Minnesota to expand its projects for veterans. It purchased the house from the city earlier this year.

When this house is complete, we think it will be a great resource for veterans.

To those who organized and carried out the Albert Lea Fourth of July festivities.

Another Fourth of July has come and gone, and many memories were made for Albert Leans and others who participated in all of the activities around the community.

Thanks to all those who made the events a reality, whether it was workers with the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce or the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, police officers and police reserves who helped keep the streets safe during the Third of July Parade and fireworks, the city street sweepers, trash companies, the company that sets off the fireworks and any others in-between.

The Fourth of July provides a lot of opportunity for people to get together and celebrate family and friends while recognizing freedoms we enjoy in this country.

It would not run as seamlessly without all of these people who jump in to make it possible.

To the unseasonably mild temperatures this week.

After a hot and humid Fourth of July, it has been welcome to have temperatures in the 70s this week with lower humidity the last few days.

The heat can sometimes take a toll, and it has been a chance to catch up on yard work or other outdoor tasks, or to simply get out and enjoy the fresh air.

Temperatures were slated to increase steadily through the weekend and reach 85 for the high on Monday.

Now if only the area could get some rain that is so desperately needed as half of Freeborn County is considered to be in a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.