Editorial: Thumbs

To Hunter Kreutzbender and Jeannie Jackson.

This boy and his grandmother collected 1.2 million aluminum pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in St. Paul. The tabs were recycled for a total of $381. Every donation to the Ronald McDonald House helps families with children in a nearby hospital stay for at the house for no charge, a noble charity that is helpful to families across the state. In Minnesota, there is one in the Twin Cities and one in Rochester. Both assist local Albert Lea area families who, as often happens, likely are about to face insurmountable medical bills.

 

To confusion at stop signs.

Every driver has seen it happen and some have experienced it. They stop when there is no stop sign because they think a two-way stop is a four-way stop. Then other drivers honk their horns and collisions become possible. Here are two driving tips: First, smart drivers look for a stop sign on their corner to determine whether they need to stop. Secondly, smart drivers know that the reason stop signs are octagonal is so they can be identified from the other directions. For example, people will notice: “Oh, I see they have a stop sign and I do not. I will keep driving.” We urge motorists to watch for octagons. Failure to stop indeed is a problem, but failure to go causes problems, too.

 

To Freeborn County, the state Department of Natural Resources and the federal government.

It was good to read last week that Freeborn County officials submitted a $1.1 million offer to the Union Pacific Railroad to acquire 12 miles of an abandoned corridor that stretches from Albert Lea to Hartland. The goal is to develop the route into a trail for cycling, skating, running and walking. Funding was available with $950,000 from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and $150,000 from the federal government. Though it could be some time before an answer is discovered, it’s good to know county and state officials are eager to get the line into public hands. It could be a great resource for tourism and bolster the quality of properties along the rail line in Albert Lea.