To the people inducted into the Wall of Inspiration.

Congratulations to the eight people who were added Friday at Albert Lea High School to the Wall of Inspiration. The wall honors Josh Kuphal, a former Albert Lea High School graduate who died from spina bifida and was started in 2004 by the Kuphal family in his honor. It recognizes people who have touched the lives of others.

Each of the people recognized decorated a tile to contribute to the wall with what inspires them and what they think would inspire others.

We thank these people for their examples and to the Kuphal family, for starting and continuing with this annual tradition.

 

To the 2019 Farm Family of the Year.

Congratulations to Steve and Linda Kraushaar, who were named the Farm Family of the Year Tuesday at the annual Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce agriculture luncheon. The couple, along with their son, farm approximately 1,500 acres of corn and soybeans northeast of Myrtle.

In addition to farming, the family is involved in numerous community efforts. Among those efforts, Steve Kraushaar is a firefighter, and the couple is part of a team that responds to medical calls. Linda Kraushaar also led a successful fundraising effort to build a women’s medical center in Haiti.

We appreciate their dedication to the farming industry and congratulate them on this award.

 

To increased traffic on Bridge Avenue because of the flooding on Main Street.

If you had to go downtown near Clark Street or to a location on Bridge Avenue Thursday or Friday afternoon around 3 o’clock, you probably soon regretted it. With all the traffic of school letting out, combined with all the traffic moved over from Main Street to Bridge Avenue because of flooding, it made for quite a mess. 

What normally is a 5- to 10-minute drive across town easily turned into a drive at least twice as long.

Though there’s probably not much that can be done to remedy the situation while Main Street is closed for flooding, we ask that motorists practice patience and civility in helping their neighbors get to their destinations.

 

To the federal grant awarded for a bridge to connect Blazing Star Trail from Albert Lea to Hayward.

We are thrilled to hear a nearly $1 million grant will be available for the longtime Blazing Star Trail project in 2022 for the bridge to connect the trail from Albert Lea to Hayward.

The Legislature authorized the existence of the trail more than 20 years ago, and it has been finished in pieces in the years since. Now, the bridge over Albert Lea is the only remaining piece to be completed before the trail is finished.

We encourage the state to make the remaining $1.74 million in funding a priority to get this project completed once and for all.