WELCOME — Monday is Labor Day so you may want to check to make sure any business you plan to visit is open.

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Good luck to all the students going back to school. Drivers: Please watch carefully for them and the buses that transport them.

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Red Cross blood drives will be held in the area in September.

First, there will be a blood drive from 12:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Fairmont Holiday Inn.

Next, there will be a blood drive from 1-6 p.m. Sept. 17 in the back room at Legends II in Ceylon.

Also, a blood drive will be held 2-7 p.m. Sept. 21 at St. John Vianney in Fairmont.

Lastly, a blood drive will be held noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Welcome.

Appointments must be made to accommodate social distancing and masks are required. To make an appointment or for more information, call (800) 733-2767, go online at www.redcrossblood.org or text BLOODAPP to 90999. Use Rapid Pass the day of the drive to shorten the amount of time at the reception area.

Blood donations collected in the United States for a year total 15.7 million. A donation must be used within 42 days.

An estimated 38 percent of the population is eligible to give blood. Donors must be age 17 or older; weigh 110 pounds or more, depending on height; and be in good health. But only 10 percent give each year. Each donation takes less than 15 minutes and the whole process usually takes about one hour. If you are able, please donate blood.

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The Welcome City Council meeting scheduled for Sept. 15 will be 6 p.m. Sept. 17 at City Hall to coordinate with the public hearing concerning the financial program and issuance of bonds for a housing development in Welcome that will be held before the council meeting.

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Remember to send your Legion dues to Phil Burgess and Auxiliary dues to Eileen Morrow.

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Upcoming events include the drive-through luminaria ceremony for the Relay for Life American Cancer Society fundraiser Sept. 26 at the Martin County Fairgrounds in Fairmont. For more information or to donate, contact Marsha Williams at gjwmgw@frontiernet.net or call her at (507) 236-2034. Plan to attend.