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two Travel Rally Day events to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week.
• The events Tuesday in Mitchell at the Corn Palace and Wednesday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City are aimed at generating excitement in the visitor industry and highlighting the importance of travel and tourism on the state's economy.
• National Travel and Tourism Week runs May 5-13.
• Several communities across the state will be hosting hospitality training courses and other community events to kick off the summer travel season.
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• LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Beef Products Inc. will close processing plants in three states this month because of the controversy surrounding its meat product that critics have dubbed "pink slime," a company official said Monday.
• About 650 jobs will be lost when the plants close on May 25 in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo Iowa, company spokesman Rich Jochum said. A plant in South Sioux City, Neb., will remain open but run at reduced capacity.

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