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Thumbs up for students fighting hunger. Earlier this week, it was announced that four Austin High School students will attend the Global Youth Institute, a part of the World Food Prize Foundation. The event, held in Des Moines, Iowa, is an important step in approaching the problem of food insecurity. That right there is enough to indicate how important this opportunity is for students attending the Global Youth Institute, where they will have a vested interest and will take part in making sure all have access to food.

Thumbs up for the first day. By all accounts, the move of kindergarten students to neighborhood schools has been a success and has brought some excitement to the district. While admittedly there were some concerns regarding the move when the decision was made in 2023, everybody jumped right in to ensure the change was as seamless as possible and that no educational opportunities were missed in the change over.

Thumbs up for another festival. For two days the arts took over downtown Austin this past weekend, once again proving just how important the arts are to the community, our area and southeastern Minnesota. In 13 years, this festival has become one of the premier art stops in the state and continues to grow, expand and evolve each year.

Thumbs down for avoiding preventative care. In a Minnesota Public Radio story this week, it was reported from the Minnesota Department of Health that 73.4% of six-year-olds and 40.5% of 13-year-olds were up-to-date on all recommended vaccines. These are declines and they have doctors worried and rightfully so. Also in the story, it was reported that 34 cases of measles have been reported in Minnesota, part of a global outbreak of the illness and there have been 500 cases of whooping cough this year. For various reasons, there has been a resistance to taking steps in self care and prevention, which often helps balloon illnesses. These vaccines are safe. Science has proven that over and over again. These are simple steps to make all of us safer.