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To the nuns and staff from Good Counsel who are helping out in New Orleans.

The mission trip by the local group is a good reminder that much still remains to be done in the area after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The dedicated group of members range in age from 18 to 74, providing the energy and life experience to tackle a tough job. Besides a group of about 10 nuns, the group consists of lay workers from the convent including everyone from maintenance and grounds workers to health-care employees.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame have always been women of action, and this two-week mission trip is another example of their hands-on work.

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To the Minnesota State University College Republicans chapter, which after a difficult political year was named the Tim Pawlenty Chapter of the Year last week. The award is given to the top college chapter in the state, and MSU won by pushing hard for Republican candidates despite the fact that 2006 was perhaps the worst political year for the GOP in chapter members’ lifetimes.

The award not only feels good for the local MSU Republicans, but it’s also an honor that MSU itself can be proud of. These days, when many Americans complain that college campuses are hostile territory for conservatives, it’s good to know that the MSU Republicans exist in an environment where they not only survive, but even thrive.

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To American Family Insurance for its efforts to help teenage drivers learn safety through implementation of a new device called “DriveCam.”

The in-car camera records activity in the automobile that suggests sudden changes in direction or control of a vehicle. The insurance company is partnering with San Diego-based DriveCam that has a Mankato office.

The cameras are being used under American Family’s Teen Safe Driver Program aimed at reducing serious injury and death among teen drivers, 70 percent of whom are involved in an accident during their first year of driving.

Tests on the cameras in Mankato and St. Clair said it helped cut risky driving maneuvers by 70 percent and the cameras prompted regular seat belt use.