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The Southwestern Community College baseball team hopes to contend for a conference title this spring. More on 1S.
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SWCC preps for 6K-plus cyclists on campus By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com
Southwestern Community College (SWCC) could be the main campground for Creston RAGBRAI on July 25, as an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 cyclists will be on the college campus. The three campgrounds, which totals more than 80 acres of camping space, will be Southwestern Community College, McKinley Park and Creston middle school and high school. The main campground will be designated during the next Creston RAGBRAI committee meeting on March 22.
“When McKinley was going to be the main campground, I was thinking 4,000 to 5,000 people on campus,” said Tom Lesan, SWCC vice president of economic development. “But now that they’re going to come down (High- Lesan way) 25 first, we might be the main campground. It’s not official, but it makes sense for the first stop to be the main campground. That means if we have 17,000 cyclists (total), we may have 6,000 to 8,000
on campus that day.” During a corporate RAGBRAI committee meeting Thursday in Des Moines, representatives from other area colleges attended that have hosted RAGBRAI riders. “Cedar Falls (University of Northern Iowa) felt really comfortable with their count that they had 17,000 people come through on RAGBRAI,” Lesan said. “It’s gotten so much bigger and so much different than what I remember from 1997. There are 20 large charters, one that’s 1,500 individual riders, and we as a community will have to deal with them directly. So, you have to find a place to house 1,500 riders all in
one place.” Lesan said the college will open up the dorms for riders, but he’s unsure yet how many people will stay in each room. “I was thinking four individuals per room because there’s four beds, but I found out (Thursday) there will be groups of 10 to 15, and many of them will sleep on the floor,” Lesan said. “If we do 10 people per room, there’s a capacity for us to put 600 to 700 people in the dorm rooms. So, I now need to go check occupancy.” There are concerns about having such a large number of people staying in the residence halls, including water supply for showers.
Lesan said it has not yet been decided how much the college will charge per person staying in a dorm. “At one time, I was thinking 50 bucks, but then I heard from RAGBRAI people that’s not enough,” Lesan said. “At the meeting Thursday, I got some real mixed data. UNI charged $24 a person, while Storm Lake charged $75 a person, and both had their own story and issues. Here, we have individual rooms, air conditioning and Wi-Fi everywhere, so we’ll need to discuss this more.” The cost of staying in a dorm SWCC | 2A
Regulators approve Bakken pipeline permit
CHS spring vocal concert ABOVE: Creston High School (CHS) student Pamela Abel, center, waits for Jane Warner, vocal director, to begin the introduction song “Shout to God” by David Stocker during the high school spring vocal concert Thursday in the CHS auditorium. The concert choir, middle and high school soloists and a high school group performed. LEFT: Sasha Smith, Creston Middle School student, performs “Lass from the Low Countree” by John Jacob Niles during the Creston High School (CHS) spring concert Thursday in the CHS auditorium. Smith and Korbyn Ringer were both middle school students who performed at the high school concert. (CNA photos by BAILEY POOLMAN)
Creston: Arts adds event to SW Iowa Balloon Days schedule An added art event is slated to make its premier debut during the 39th annual Creston and Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days festival this year. Creston: Arts is offering a weekend escape for art and music enthusiasts of all ages Sept. 17-18. Art in the Park will be conveniently located in scenic McKinley Park, which includes such attractions as picnic shelters, a water park, disk golf, walking trailing, camp grounds and historic
village. The art festival will be offering a variety of handmade crafts, fine crafts and art at reasonable and affordable prices. The festival offers elegance of venue and a variety of affordable art. This festival is free to the public and Balloon Days attracts thousands of people from several states to the area. The festival celebrates seasoned, as well as emerging, artists and craftsmen.
The fine arts and crafts area is juried, judged and eligible for prize money and patron awards. The crafts area is juried, but not eligible for award money. The artworks in both areas are original creations and available for purchase. Take a break between hot air balloon events and browse the artist displays, watch the artist demonstrations or watch our smaller artists create their own masterpieces under the “Little Van Gogh” tent while
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2016
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friends and family watch. International street cuisine, food trucks and good old-fashioned festival food will be featured for the hungry festival attendees. There will also be live entertainment with musicians playing both Saturday and Sunday. Creston: Arts is designated a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization. For information go to www. crestonarts.com or email artscreston@gmail.com or barnartstudio@gmail.com.
DES MOINES (AP) — The last state permit needed for a pipeline that will carry a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois was approved Thursday by Iowa utilities regulators, who also gave the Texas-based company authority to use eminent domain for land that property owners are unwilling to voluntarily provide. The Iowa Utilities Board voted unanimously to approve a hazardous pipeline permit for the Dakota Access pipeline, called Bakken pipeline because it will stretch 346 miles from Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to Illinois, crossing through 18 Iowa counties and 1,300 parcels of land. “Together we weighed ■ The pipeall the issues presentline will ed by the parties and found the issues of safe- stretch 346 ty, economic benefits, miles from environmental factors Bakken and landowners’ rights to merit the most signif- oil fields icant weight in reaching in North our decision,” board Dakota to member Elizabeth JaIllinois, cobs said. The board decided crossing 18 that the pipeline met the Iowa counrequirements of Iowa law requiring it to “pro- ties. mote the public convenience and necessity.” After the vote, about a dozen people in the audience stood one by one and stated, “I am an Iowan and I vote no.” Board members quickly left the room. Outside of the building, opponents held a rally. “That pipeline will be a legacy that we will live to regret if we do not stop it. It is going to poison the land,” said Rodlynn Harrington, a Des Moines woman who was crying. An appeal is likely from individual landowners, farmers and a coalition of environmental and property rights groups who have voiced concerns about spills that could harm farmland, rivers and streams. “While the ruling is certainly a setback and disappointing landowners will assess how to move forward on appeal and they are going through that process,” said John Murray, a Storm Lake attorney who represents the OIL | 2A
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