Daily Herald editorial

Elections during odd-numbered years seldom get much attention, but this year should be an exception. In November, voters will choose four school board members and, perhaps, decide whether to authorize construction of a new school. We hope that there is a large group of candidates for the open board posts, and suggest that an upcoming community education class on being a board member would be a good place for prospective candidates to start.

Democracy American-style is built on the idea that voters will have a choice about who runs their government. For that choice to exist, there have to be candidates, so it’s always true that a large field makes for better elections. In the case of the school board, members will have some big decisions to make over the next few years, which should appeal to anybody with an opinion on education and who likes a challenge.

Healthy democracies need willing and able candidates. We salute the Austin school district for offering prospective board members a way to become informed, and we encourage anyone who is interested to sign up for the free class, which is scheduled for May 10.

Some good news, too

During a week when taxes, tornadoes and troubles of all sorts were in the headlines, it is worth noting that there was also some good news, and some area people who deserve congratulations. Among them:

Five Riverland Community College students — Olena Berezovska, Eric Chouinard, Andrew Howe, Natasha Spear and Kaylin Wolf — were named to the 2011 All-Minnesota Academic Team

An Austin couple, Bill and Linda Nicol, won $150,000 in the lottery.

Pacelli seventh-grader Sarah Holtz will have her work published in an anthology of student poetry.

And down the road in Albert Lea, a quick-reacting family saved its neighbors from what could have been a deadly house fire.

There is always good news among the bad.