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To the Albert Lea golfers advancing to state.

Congratulations to Albert Lea boys golfer Drew Teeter and girls golfers Alyssa Jensen and Whitney Mullenbach, who this week advanced to compete at their upcoming state golf tournaments later this month.

Teeter was a co-medalist in the Section 1AAA tournament, in which the boys team just narrowly came up short, losing to Rochester Mayo by two strokes.

Though they won’t be going to state as a team, we congratulate them for a great season.

On the girls team, Jensen and Mullenbach came in fourth and fifth, respectively, in their section tournament.

The team also deserves kudos, for placing third overall in the section.

We look forward to seeing these golfers compete at the state level.

To the partnership between Riverland Community College and Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

Thanks to Riverland Community College and Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea for partnering to allow students to get practical experience on the Albert Lea campus.

Mayo Clinic Health System staff are also working as adjunct faculty members at the college to fill a faculty shortage.

Not only will the partnerships help better educate the rising workforce, but it will also attract these students to potentially stay in the community and work in the clinic.

In Albert Lea, the students have been working in the psychiatric department.

Riverland also provides medical assistant training through Mayo Clinic Health System, which has also proven a success for both sides.

To the new historical markers being created to highlight buildings in the historic downtown and throughout Freeborn County.

Hats off to the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library & Village, which is spear-heading a project to make historical markers for downtown buildings and in other locations in the county. The plaques could also end up in historical homes and even in the outlying communities, such as Twin Lakes, Hollandale and Geneva.

Stephanie Kibler, executive director for the museum, said she hopes the effort encourages people to want to discover more about the history of the downtown and other locations and that it will help people become more vested in the community and appreciate what is here.

The idea for the signs was inspired by Kibler’s trips to North Minneapolis, otherwise known as the historic warehouse district.

The first plaque was presented last month at Plymouth Shoes, and we look forward to seeing more as the are put up this year and beyond.

To increased crashes this week.

We were saddened to see an increase in crashes in Albert Lea and Freeborn County this week on the interstates and other county highways.

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, summer typically sees an increase in vehicle crash fatalities across the state.

We encourage motorists to slow down and be aware of their surroundings and to be aware of what typically is an increase in traffic.

Even one fatality is one too many. We urge you to take precautions to make sure you are doing everything you can to be safe on the road.