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Kimball, MN (KROC-AM News) - A memorial to the Minnesota National Guard members killed in a helicopter crash a year and a half ago will be officially dedicated this afternoon.

The National Guard says James Rogers, Charles Nord, and Kort Plantenberg lost their lives on December 5, 2019, when a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a routine maintenance test flight. They were members of Charlie Company 2-211th General Support Aviation Brigade, which is an air ambulance company headquartered in St. Cloud.

The crash occurred in the field near the town of Kimball owned by Helen and Larry Krippner. A news release says the couple decided shortly after the tragedy to turn the site into a memorial that would be open to the public. Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Major General Shawn Manke will be presenting the Krippners with a Public Service Commendation Medal for making the memorial possible.

The ceremony will take place at the new memorial at 1 PM.

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LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

 

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