Editorial: Thumbs

To participants in a courage retreat on Thursday and Friday.

Southwest Middle School eighth-graders participated in a courage retreat led by Youth Frontiers on Thursday and Friday across the street at the United Methodist Church of Albert Lea. The special event included three leaders from Youth Frontiers and 24 volunteers from the junior and senior class of Albert Lea High School. The courage retreat has happened for six years. We can tell you this thanks to reporter Kelli Lageson’s story Friday about the courage retreat: It’s good stuff!

To Old Man Winter.

It’s cold. It’s snowy. And it’s just the start. Ho-hum. Yes, we have to go through this every year, but can we possibly order one of those mild, brown winters for this time? Please? We’ve had some fairly harsh winters lately, and the energy prices are way up this time around. Let’s hope for a break. Folks really could use it.

To American English.

About 600 people braved the snow to see this Beatles tribute band Friday evening, and it was well worth it. Not only did they perform about 30 songs, they also had three costume changes and special effects. All of that wouldn’t matter if they weren’t a good band, but they sounded so much like the Beatles one audience member said if she closed her eyes she couldn’t tell the difference.