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America is celebrating its 250th

It is the Fourth July and that is reason enough to celebrate. Several community celebrations and fireworks displays are planned for the weekend. However, this year is extra special because it is America’s 250th anniversary. It is easy to be cynical and shrug off this milestone and say 250 is just another year of typical Independence Day celebration. However, it is a great time to look back at the United States history and all that has happened, both good and bad. Even a quick look back at how the nation has changed since the bicentennial in 1976 is fun exercise.

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The Sleepy Eye bear a rare sighting

Last week, Sleepy Eye residents got a surprise visit from a black bear. The animal was sighted a mile west of Sleepy Eye. It was even later spotted swimming in Sleepy Eye Lake. Its fairly unusual to see a bear in Brown County. While there is always potential of danger when bears and humans come in contact with one another, but so far the bear seems to be keeping to itself. The bear is a rare treat for the community and reminder of the wide variety of wildlife that is active in Minnesota.

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A need for social media warnings

On July 1, a new Minnesota law took effect that requires social media platforms to display mental health warnings whenever a user accesses a platform. These warnings would function similar to warning labels on tobacco or alcohol products. However, July 1 came and went and no pop-up warning appeared on any social media site in Minnesota. This is because state officials are not enforcing the law because the law is currently being challenged in court. A group of tech companies have filed a suit against the warning label requirement. It is entirely possible the courts may side with the tech companies and the law will be thrown out. No matter how the case is decided, our state and the world as a whole, will still need to deal with the negative side effects of social media use. A wealth of research has shown that too much social media use can be harmful to mental health. A warning label might curb some of the problems connected to social media, but its a small deterrent to a larger societal problem.