THUMBS UP

Graduation begin

School is nearly out for the summer. That means it is the season for graduation. Area high schools and colleges are preparing to host ceremonies for the spring 2025 graduates. In New Ulm, the first commencement ceremony will be held by Martin Luther College. The service is 10 a.m. today in the campus gymnasium. Cathedral High School graduation service is 1 p.m. Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. River Bend Education District’s graduation ceremony is 1 p.m. Tuesday at the New Ulm Community Center. Minnesota Valley Lutheran will hold its graduation ceremony is 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at MVL’s fine arts center. New Ulm High School’s graduation ceremony is 7 p.m. Friday, May 30 at the high school gymnasium.

THUMBS UP

Shoeless Joe Jackson eligible for Hall

Tuesday, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred removed multiple deceased players from the permanently ineligible list, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. This means Jackson is is eligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Manfred ruled that bans should only last as long as the players alive. A deceased player cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Jackson was initially banned from baseball for allegedly helping throw the 1919 World Series, though it is questionable if he was in on the scheme. His performance in the 1919 World Series suggests he was playing to win. His permanent ban has been questioned for decades. It is high time to this ruling was changed.

THUMBS DOWN

Wildfires season returns with a fiery

Wildfire season has returned to Minnesota. Three separate wildfires started north of Duluth. The three wildfires are the Jenkins Creek fire, the Camp House Road fire and Munger Shaw Fire. The Jenkins Creek and Camp House fires remain unconfined, but humidity and lower temperatures are helping to keep this in check. However, the damaged has already been extreme. As of Friday, these fires have covered a combine total area of over 32,000 acres.