Hope for Fort Ridgely golf course

Thumbs Up: The battle to rescue the golf course at Fort Ridgely State Park from destruction got a boost this past week, when a Senate panel, the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance Committee, approved a bill that would require the Commissioner of Natural Resources to work out an agreement with the City of Fairfax to lease and operate the golf course. The bill moves on through the legislature, but this is a big step.

The DNR has shown little interest over the past year in trying to save the golf course, or to let others save it. It rejected the last proposal from Fairfax and from the Friends of Fort Ridgely for reasons that can only seem arbitrary. They don’t want golf carts on the golf course, and they don’t want 3.2 beer sold to golfers. The DNR had only considered the proposal because legislators had encouraged them to. Now it’s time for legislators to compel the DNR to save the course.

Human Rights award

Thumbs Up: Congratulations to the United We Stand Players, a special group of actors who perform original plays and scenes to tell the story of what it is like to live with disabilities, especially in a world that doesn’t understand. The players, who have been performing for 22 years, were the recipients of the New Ulm Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights award this week.

It is a well-deserved honor.

State tourney time

Thumbs Up: The winter sports season is drawing to a close with the state tournaments. We salute The Journal area wrestlers who are competing this weekend, including the Sibley East team that competed in the Class A team tournament.

We will be watching the sectional tournaments as well, where we have teams contending for a state trip in girls’ and boys’ basketball.

Good luck to all our teams across The Journal area.