Editorial: Thumbs

To the reopening of a biodiesel plant.

When the locally owned SoyMor biodiesel plant near Glenville suspended production in March 2008, we had hoped that the price of soybean oil would drop soon, diesel prices would find a sustainable level and the plant would reopen. The 56 owners would be glad, and the 30 employees would go back to work.

That didn’t happen so soon.

It was good news in August when the biodiesel plant reopened under new owners and with 20 employees. The new owners turned out to be Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group, which had been the plant’s management under the prior owners. Gone is the name SoyMor. The plant’s new name is REG Albert Lea. It is good to see a good facility no longer idle.

To Culley and Vicky Larson and Nicole Mayer.

Thanks for organizing the 10 Bikes for 10 Kids event last Sunday at the Albert Lea Skate Park. Many kids who had their bikes stolen, and their hearts broken, were made happy once again. What we don’t understand is how some people can be critical of a perfectly good, charitable cause. Some people just like to grouse about everything, huh? Never mind them. The organizers of this event deserve much praise for a job well done. They were thinking selflessly about the children, which is more than we can say about a lot of people.

To the Minnesota Vikings.

We are fans of the local pro football team for sure, but they have earned this thumbs down for playing one half of football for two games in a row — two games they could have won if they hadn’t become complacent with their leads. Now people are wondering if the squad is too old. It seems Super Bowl competitors Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers do a fine job of always keeping their teams young, which is needed to survive in the playoffs after a 16-week season. More teams are operating that way. Perhaps the Vikings need to follow this NFL trend toward hungry young players.