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To free rides for seniors through SMART Transit starting in January.

Thank you to SMART Transit, which in January will begin providing free rides for seniors to and from their medical appointments on the Mayo Clinic Health System campuses in Albert Lea and Austin.

The program is being made possible through a grant from the Naeve Healthcare Foundation.

Having these rides will be a big blessing for seniors year-round, but especially in the winter when some don’t drive because of snow and ice.

The seniors will be able to get on the bus right at their own homes as requested.

We thank these entities for working out this program, and we hope it will continue for many years to come.

To the History Center of Freeborn County’s first-ever Historic Preservation Award.

Congratulations to the owners of The Broadway in downtown Albert Lea, who this week were presented with the History Center of Freeborn County’s first-ever Historic Preservation Award. The award highlights the work that the owners — known as the Century Partners — have done to bring back to life the historic Freeborn National Bank Building and adjacent Jacobson Building.

The bank building on the main level has an events center, while the main level of the Jacobson Building has been turned into a pizzeria and cafe. The upper floors are expected to have salon and wellness suites, as well as office suites, with the possibility of a rooftop patio.

In the future, members of the public will be able to nominate individuals or businesses they think should be eligible for the award.

With a lot of preservation taking place in the downtown right now and in other homes in the community, this award will be a great way to recognize the great work happening.

We look forward to seeing future projects.

To the theft of items near the intersection of Bridge Avenue and Marshall Street placed in memory of child killed on his bike.

It was disheartening to hear information this week that items set up in memory of 11-year-old Ayden Brackey were removed and discarded without regard to the family.

Ayden was killed while riding his bicycle in August 2023, and in the months since, a light pole near the intersection has become a makeshift memorial for him. Family and friends regularly decorate the base of the pole, providing them a way to grieve their loss and keep their loved one’s memory alive.

It is disappointing that the individual who took the items down did so without consideration for the impact it could have on the family.

While we wouldn’t wish this kind of experience on anyone, we do wish that people would consider what it is like to be in other people’s shoes more often and be a little kinder.

We all have challenges and heartache in life, and instead of tearing others down, we should try to lift them up when we can.

The memorial has also served as a reminder to slow down at that intersection and be aware of the surroundings.