Fighting the hate

THUMBS UP: New Ulm’s Art Wall park has been a unique venue for artistic expression, especially among the young armed with spray paint cans. But it has also become a battleground over hateful, racist messages that have been sprayed on the wall and on the bike path tunnel nearby.

This week a group of volunteers took cans of paint, rollers and brushes to cover up the vile messages and replace them with messages of equality and hope. No sooner had the work been done on Thursday, however, than the haters came back and defiled the work that had been done.

It may seem a futile mission, to keep covering up the hateful messages and ugly words when it only takes someone a few seconds in the middle of the night to put them back up there. But it is a battle worth fighting. Thanks to the volunteers who are fighting it.

COVID-19 rising

THUMBS DOWN: For the first couple of months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cases in Brown County has stayed fairly stable. It took quite a while for the number of cases to reach double figures, but since mid-June, when businesses were allowed to reopen, the numbers started to rise a bit more rapidly.

This week, however, they seem to be taking off. After taking from March through June to reach 30 cases by the first of July, the number reached 43 cases as of Friday. That’s a leap of 13 cases since Monday.

Many of the new cases now are in the 20-30 age group. That would suggest that social gatherings and bar visits may be playing a factor here. One hazard this presents is that many younger cases may not be symptomatic and could be spreading the virus unknowingly. That’s why it is so important for people to wear masks out in public. Everyone. If you are infected but don’t know it, a mask will help keep the virus from spreading from you to others.