No fatalities in Remsen St. Mary’s bus crash
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office has released more information on the bus crash that involved members of the Remsen St. Mary’s girls basketball team. Three girls on the team are currently recovering from “serious injuries”, but there are no fatalities on either the bus or the SUV.
There were 13 total individuals involved in the crash: nine were in the 2014 StarCraft Prodigy bus the team was riding in, and four were in the 2016 Jeep Compass SUV. Three girls on the bus aged between 15 and 18 were airlifted to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls and the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. A fourth girl and the driver of the bus was transported to Unity Point North in Sioux City. In the SUV, two adults and two minors were also transported to Unity Point North, with the driver of the vehicle suffering minor injuries.
The accident remains under investigation by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol. KLEM will continue to update this story when more information becomes available.
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The BIG Challenge’s Final Pitch Competition this week
Five entrepreneurs from across northwest Iowa will present their ideas for new businesses on Thursday during the final stage of the BIG Challenge.
The challenge is organized by Iowa’s West Coast Initiative and Northwest Iowa Developers, and started in October, when local entrepreneurs in a seven-county area submitted ideas to start or expand a business. Over 5,000 votes were cast by the public on entries, with the top three vote-getters and two entries chosen by a selection committee advancing to Thursday’s “pitch-off”.
The finalists include Le Mars native Priscilla Kenowith’s “The Market at Shop Near the Corner”, as well as “4:13 Protein on Wheels” from Jessica Knobloch of Rock Rapids, “Next Level Health and Fitness” from Kayla Engleman of Rock Rapids, “Sewn 2 Dance” from Charmaine Regino of Sioux City, and “Route 10 Mini Golf” from Jennifer Schwade of Hawarden.
The final competition will take place this Thursday, November 20th, at the Wells Visitor Center in Le Mars. Starting at 6pm, contestants will have 6 minutes to present their business idea, followed by a 5 minute questioning period from a panel of judges. The winner of the competition will receive $5,000, second place will receive $3,000, and third place will receive $2,000.
More information on the competition is available here.
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Memorial held for businessman, philanthropist who helped save Arnolds Park
Family and friends gathered in northwest Iowa Monday to honor a local businessman and philanthropist who helped save the Arnolds Park amusement park from the wrecking ball. Toby Shine of Milford died Friday at the age of 82. Shine went to work at his family’s scrap metal business in Spencer in 1960 and later became its president and owner. Herman Richter, co-owner of the Three Sons clothing store in Milford, knew Shine well.
Richter credits Shine with spearheading a regional approach to economic development and the result is the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor, that promotes the four counties that touch Iowa’s largest natural lakes.
Sue Richter of Milford — Herman Richter’s sister-in-law, worked with Shine in 1999 to save the region’s amusement park, which developers planned buy, demolish and build condos on the property.
Shine had served on the Advisory Board of the Chicago Federal Reserve. He also served on the Spencer City Council and later on Wahpeton’s City Council. The Shine Brothers Corporation in Spencer was the site of the memorial gathering for Shine on Monday afternoon.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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Iowa cattle industry convention to be held in December
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association will host their annual Iowa Cattle Industry Convention next month in Ames, the association announced.
The keynote speaker of the convention will be Kevin Good, according to a press release. Good will provide insights on the ever-changing global marketplace of the beef cattle industry, using his experience with CattleFax to provide an outlook on the industry.
Following up last year’s convention, the ICA has added “significantly” to the educational value of this year’s event. Participants will have more than nine sessions to choose from, alongside the new “Classrooms to Cattle” educational track designed to help high school upperclassmen and college students get a start in the industry. More than 30 industry partners will exhibit during the convention, and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation will hold an auction, with proceeds supporting programs offered by the Cattlemen’s Foundation.
The convention will be held on December 16th at the Meadows Events Center in Ames. More information can be found on the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association website.
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KLEM’s Holiday Auction takes place tomorrow
A reminder that KLEM’s Holiday Auction will take place tomorrow morning starting at 8:30am.
Items up for auction this year include a vintage Coca-Cola sign, electric bikes, a two-night stay at a mini-lodge in Ponca State Park, and a party bus reservation. Specials will also be announced during the auction.
KLEM will be taking calls live over the air starting at 8:30am; bidders can call 712-546-4121 during the auction to bid on items. For a full list of items available, click here.
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