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To people who fulfill their civic duty as jurors.

Hats off to the men and women who faithfully respond to their calls for jury duty.

Most people would agree that jury duty isn’t the most glamorous job, and it’s sometimes filled with lots of downtime during jury selection and sometimes even during the trial as lawyers weigh out other issues outside of the presence of the jury in the courtroom.

It can also mean a lot of time away from people’s regular lives and livelihoods, and that does not go unnoticed.

Thank you for taking this call seriously, whether it’s in a case with minor charges or one that could mean substantial years in prison if there is a conviction.

To having a spring break where it actually felt like spring.

Albert Lea Area Schools students and teachers have been on spring break this week, and it has been pleasant to see some actual spring-like temperatures during this break for once.

Normally, spring break in Minnesota occurs when it’s still quite cold outside, and it seems funny to describe the time off as a “spring break” instead of something more fitting like “late winter break.”

Who knows if it will happen again next year, so we hope families took advantage of the nice weather.

It looks like we’re in for a little chillier weekend with a high of 36 expected for Sunday and 38 for Monday before temperatures rebound to the 50s on Tuesday. Spring on the calendar is officially on March 20.

To expanded housing options coming up at St. John’s Lutheran Community.

We were pleased to hear the announcement from St. John’s Lutheran Community this week that the organization plans to open 12 board and lodging units in part of the former Luther Place campus.

Work has been done to update the rooms since the nursing home residents were moved to the Fountain Lake campus last fall, and each room will have local phone service and basic cable, as well as a half bath. Three meals a day and two snacks will also be provided.

It is great to have more options for seniors in the community. Some may not be to the stage where they need assisted living or further skilled nursing care, so this will be a nice alternative for those folks.

From the sounds of it, if St. John’s finds that these are utilized well, there could be an opportunity to have more in the future.