The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Editorials

December 29, 2006

Our View: City Mouse remains strong on uncommon anniversary

Thumbs Up

To City Mouse.

The Mankato-based band has been a staple of good music and good times for 35 years.

When Billy Steiner started the band in the early ’70s, he couldn’t have dreamed it would begin a decades-long gig that would go through more than 30 members and remain strong today.

The band has played thousands of times and are an annual staple at the Rockin’ in the Quarry event each summer, where they play with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra.

The band celebrates its 35th anniversary tonight at T.J.’s, the bar owned by Ron Doty, who is also celebrating 35 years in business and at whose bar the band first played.

City Mouse — now made up of Steiner, Dale Haefner, Ron Arsenault, Mike Pengra, Dave Pengra and Tim Waters — started in 1971 as a duo with Steiner and Bob Drengler.

There are few bands with the success, longevity and sheer likability of City Mouse.



Thumbs Up

To Gov. Tim Pawlenty for announcing Thursday he would support a tuition freeze for public universities if a plan were to come across his desk. This is good news for college students, and their parents, who are past due for a break from the ever-expanding price tag attached to higher education.

We only hope the governor goes further than merely agreeing to back a freeze if one should be passed by the Legislature. By becoming more active on the subject, and by working with the Legislature to advance the goal, he could push the effort further along.

As of now, Democrats’ enthusiasm for a tuition freeze is impossible to gauge. But the desire to hold down the rising cost of college tuition was expressed by both Democrats and Republicans in the runup to the 2006 election. So let’s talk more of this freeze, and if not a freeze, then other plans for putting the breaks on tuition costs that threaten to keep worthy students out of school or to saddle them with unreasonable debt.



Thumbs Up

To the good folks in Janesville and all the Janesville churches who for the last 16 years have shared the Christmas good fortune and food with anyone in need.

The community once again offered a fine Christmas meal to those with no other place to go on Christmas. Many just come for the friendship and feeling of community.

The dinner, held at the Janesville United Methodist Church this year, offered about three dozen people a home-cooked meal, holiday music and friendly conversation.

Many of the volunteers have been doing it for a decade. The group also boxed up meals and brought them to people who were homebound and working on Christmas.

Simple acts of charity like these renew faith in the goodness of people.

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