The Rico community has benefited from an outpouring of assistance recently, from the area emergency-response agencies who gave mutual aid in the response to a recent house explosion, to the agencies and individuals who have helped move the overabundance of snow that has inundated the community.

A state emergency designation has helped a lot, but even more valuable is the willingness of many people to pull on their boots and dig in.

In the face of hard times, good people have stepped up. That, more than anything else, is what has made this country great, and it is good to see it happening in our area.