To World War II veteran Arthur Christiansen.

Freeborn native Arthur Christiansen, a 97-year-old Army veteran, was recognized with a Quilt of Honor Thursday at St. John’s Lutheran Community.

Christiansen took part in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II and helped liberate three concentration camps. He has received numerous awards over the years.

Our hats are off to Christiansen and all veterans for their sacrifice and dedication to our country.

Our country will forever be indebted to you.

 

To resolutions passed Monday to assist in developing the former Ramsey School building into a new housing development.

The Albert Lea City Council approved a tax abatement agreement with Schoolhouse LLC, the developer of the project, as well as an agreement for a loan from the city’s workforce housing development and economic development fund.

The city will abate about 75 percent of new taxes on the property over the next 10 years.

Schoolhouse LLC plans to build 12 units on the building’s first and second floors, with an additional 17 planned in a second phase.

Though some may argue why the city is giving the company the incentive, we think it is necessary to make some of these types of projects a reality.

We hope the developer finds success with the project, and we are glad there will be more rental options available.

 

To two high-speed chases within the last week.

The Albert Lea Police Department, Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and other authorities have had two high-intensity moments in the last week — one that started with an alleged carjacking and the other that started with an alleged robbery.

Both instances turned into high-speed chases from authorities and ended up traveling into Iowa.

We thank the law enforcement officers who responded to these situations and who every day put their lives on the line to help keep our communities safe.

We are grateful these situations were able to get under control without any major injury.

 

To efforts under way to encourage Albert Lea residents to be active.

The city of Albert Lea kicked off a campaign this week, reminding people how easy it is to walk and bike in the community.

The city recently installed scannable stations at five high-traffic locations, alerting pedestrians about how close other community destinations are.

We hope residents take advantage of these friendly reminders and make an effort to utilize the sidewalks and streets that the city has worked diligently to implement and maintain.

Once you’ve done it a couple times, you might realize how just how easy it was.