Every year, the Carroll Broadcasting News Department picks their favorite stories of the year, but what did you, the listeners, find the most interesting? Assistant News Director, Nathan Konz, counts down the top 10 through five stories from 2017.
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“You never know what might come across the news desk on any given day, but what our audience finds interesting is sometimes just as unexpected. Let’s start our list of top stories in 2017.
Number 10 was the announcement the Carroll Kmart store in CitiCentre Plaza would be closing in July. Rumors about Kmart shutting its doors had surfaced for years, but the rumors were true for the last time when Sears Holdings, Kmart’s parent company, announced Carroll was on the list of dozens of stores being closed down. The building would only remain empty for a few months, though. The Carroll Bomgaars officially opened their doors in the plaza on Nov. 2 after moving from their previous location on the west edge of town.
Our next story was written nearly one year ago when more than a dozen accidents occurred in Carroll after roads became covered in ice. On Jan. 10, the Carroll Police Department and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office were stretched thin responding to so many calls. The accidents varied in severity from minor fender benders to a vehicle colliding with a garage causing serious structural damage. Conditions were so bad that a tow ban was issued temporarily because it was deemed unsafe for vehicles to be on the roadway.
Number eight on the list was the announcement from one of the state’s largest cooperatives, Landus Cooperative, that they would be making a five percent cut across a 26-county region. The reductions were part of the company’s Project 2020: Consolidate Then Grow effort. Project 2020 saw full closures at the Coon Rapids location, grain asset closures in Audubon and Exira and seasonalization in Sac City. CEO, Milan Kucerak told members, “We are reducing costs and consolidating to be more profitable and, in turn, re-investing profits to more efficiently handle smart volume through strategic assets.” He added the decision was tough, but needed to be made. The final grain asset closure takes place in Exira effective Jan. 1, 2018.
Three of our top ten stories dealt with closures or cutbacks, and number seven is no exception. This story comes from Santa Maria Vineyard and Winery and their announcement in May they would be shifting their focus back to wine with the end of their full-service restaurant. Instead, the owners, John and Rose Guinan, expanded the catering side of their business and starting utilizing their Tuscan-themed courtyard and restaurant space for wine tasting and live entertainment.
The final story on my half of the top ten countdown affects many people in the listening area. Number six on the list was the notice in May that a landmark Carroll business, Farner-Bocken Company, was being purchased by California-based Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. for $190 million. Farner-Bocken employs more than 1,000 employees and Chairman, John Norgaard, told the staff and community the purchase was good news for all. President, Dean Onken and CFO, Paul Francis stayed in key leadership positions as co-division presidents through the transition which was completed in July. Core-Mark indicated they did not anticipate major changes for Farner-Bocken employees after the acquisition.
And that was the start of your top 10 countdown of listener favorites from 2017. News Director, Chantelle Grove, will close out the list in upcoming broadcasts.”