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Thumbs up for recognition. Austin Police Officer Damien Schroeder’s efforts in saving a man trying to escape a house fire is not only an inspiring story of the service of our law enforcement towards our community, but also an act of selflessness that we can all be proud of. It might be simple to say it’s his job to respond this way, but it doesn’t take away from the inspiring efforts to put yourself in harm’s way to pull another out of it.

Thumbs up for helping a cause. Ian Klingfus’s modest effort to contribute to a fund that helps support residents of Good Samaritan Society-Comforcare residents is an example of what employees can do for the larger effort, while at the same time showing what a quality organization can do when it empowers its employees.

Thumbs up to state qualifiers. Congratulations to Austin’s swimmers who are representing Austin at the Minnesota State Swimming and Diving Meet this weekend. Another example of the athletes our community boasts.

Thumbs up for closing statements. While the Grand Meadow Super Larks girls basketball team didn’t make it to the Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament, losing to Goodhue Thursday night in the Section title game, they’ve made a statement about how a program succeeds and that has been spearheaded by longtime coach Ryan Queensland. Queensland is stepping down as coach and during his time has developed a program that is poised to get the best out of every girl that plays, displaying class and respect for the game and opposing players along the way.

Thumbs up for learning ag. Registration is open for the Agriculture and Food Science Exploration Day and we suggest your kids take advantage of this opportunity to get in the field. It’s a valuable resources for better understanding of our area.