To a meeting planned for Thursday regarding the recent Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin announcement.

We applaud the Albert Lea City Council and city staff for organizing a forum for residents to attend on Thursday to get their questions answered about the Mayo Clinic Health System announcement to move most inpatient services from Albert Lea to Austin.

There are many questions still lingering about the changes, and we hope residents take full advantage of the opportunity to attend. Local Mayo public relations staff are expected to attend the event, and Mayo Clinic officials in Rochester have also been invited. We hope it will be a full-house crowd.

We also applaud city leaders for keeping options open about future health care in the city,  by communicating with other hospital systems in the state. No matter what happens, community residents must remain a top priority.

To the Corey Goodnature Memorial Scholarship
Golf Classic.

Today is the 12th annual Corey Goodnature Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic. The event, done in memory of Goodnature — who was killed while performing a rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2005 — has awarded more than $185,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors from the area in prior years, and we look forward to seeing that number rise in the future.

Thanks to the organizers and all of the people who have supported it over the years. We look forward to seeing how much more money is given out today.

To Lake Mills native Cody Nickson.

Lake Mills native Cody Nickson has been selected to be on popular CBS show “Big Brother,” which begins Wednesday.

The show follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones that follow the movements of participants. Someone will be voted out of the house each week, and the last remaining house guest will receive a $500,000 grand prize.

We look forward to seeing how the show plays out.

To heavy rain that has canceled a few events.

It was a disappointment that rain came into the area right at the start of the Morin Lake Days Parade in Alden last Saturday. Weather was also the reasoning behind the cancellation of this week’s Thursdays on Fountain concert series.

We know a lot of planning goes into these types of events, and we appreciate all the effort that organizers make to better the community.

We hope there won’t be many more events canceled this summer because of rainy weather.