Nice to be wanted

THUMBS UP: Minnesota, in most political maps, is deep in the heart of flyover country. In years past we have tended to vote for Democrats in presidential races, and our 10 electoral votes have not exactly been an electoral gamechanger.

This year, howevr, Minnesota is a so-called “Battleground” state. President Trump very nearly took the state in 2016, and he thinks he can do it this year with a little investment of time and advertising dollars. Former Vice President Joe Biden wants to keep us for the Democrats, and is contesting Trump all the way here.

As a result, both candidates were here on Friday, dueling for voters in northern Minnesota, a traditionally strong DFL area that went for Trump in 2016.

Now we know how Iowans must feel in the runup to their caucuses. It sure is nice to be wanted.

COVID-19 caution

THUMBS DOWN: This has been a particularly bad week for COVID-19 cases in Brown County. Since last Friday, 25 new cases were recorded in Brown County, from 141 to166. A lot of those are the result of people attending large social gatherings, according to Brown County Public Health.

We know there is a lot of COVID fatigue out there, but this is not the time to get complacent and careless. It is still a good idea to wear masks, to keep up the use of hand sanitizers and frequent hand washing, and to maintain social distances, even when you’re gathering with people you know for celebrations or commemorations.

Please practice cautious and safe practices when you are in public. We can keep the number of COVID-19 at a relatively low level in Brown County.