To the Bayside Skiers.

We recommend going to one their shows. The theme this year for the shows is “American Music Awards.” The shows take place every Thursday at 7 p.m. at Edgewater Park in Albert Lea. See jumps, flips, pyramids and other tricks. The occasional wipeouts are pretty fun to watch, too. Ski shows are not a feature of many community, so Albert Lea is fairly privileged to have such as nice summertime asset. Throw a few dollars in the tip jar when you go.

 

To bullies.

Bullies can be any age, and so can the victims of bullies. A 10-minute YouTube video captured by a student in upstate New York shows seventh-graders picking on a 68-year-old bus monitor, calling her fat, making fun of private parts and saying how she is alone because her family members killed themselves. A fund seeking to raise $5,000 to give the monitor a proper vacation has skyrocketed, as of Friday, past $500,000.

Many people blame the bullies — yes, they deserve to own their mistakes — but the true blame lies with the parents of those seventh-graders. Parents must teach their children to not make themselves feel better by putting someone else down. Parents must teach their children to do the right thing when other children are doing the wrong thing, even if doing the right thing means standing up to so-called friends and stopping the bullying. And, most of all, some parents need to stop yelling at their kids for every little error. How parents treat the kids is how the kids will treat other people. Try positive reinforcement, not negative reinforcement.

 

To sex offenders in Freeborn County.

We’ve said this before: We recall a time about six years ago when Freeborn County had no Level 3 sex offenders.

Sigh. Now there are four, and there would be five if one of them hadn’t been pulled out of the community to be sent to state prison for breaking the terms of his probation. Fortunately, two presently are in the county lockup, which means only two are free. We know sex offenders have to live somewhere, but we strongly echo what police say: Don’t become their friend. The people they committed their crimes against were people they know.

The two free offenders are Tai Lars Stadheim and Sylvester Akondaye Mustin. Matthew Alan Radke and Brooks Daniel Fisher are in jail. Cody Padraic Trott is the one in prison.

 

To Fashions Through the Years.

What a good idea for a fundraiser! Who doesn’t want to see ladies and gentlemen dressed up in duds from the past — especially crazy stuff people wore in the 1970s.

The show Saturday morning went well, and we hope the organizers return for next year with more absolutely fabulous clothing. Proceeds benefit the expansion of the Freeborn County Historical Museum.