Oskaloosa News Recap For January 29th, 2021
Local News
Plans Are Getting Hammered Out To Help Make A Southeast Connector A Reality
Ecumenical Cupboard Helping Individuals Impacted By Pandemic
Iowa hospitals’ financial losses mount amid COVID-19
United Way Of Mahaska County Playing Role In COVID-19 Help
2021 Eggs And Issues Set
Oskaloosa Fire Chief Talks Fire Safety
Local Sports
Indians Network
Statesmen Sports Network
North Mahaska Warhawks
Oskaloosa News Links
Obituaries
Radar and Road Conditions
Local Traffic Cameras
National and World News
An x-ray technician in California passed away earlier this month after receiving his second dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine.
Tim Zook, 60, first fell ill at South Coast Global Medical Center, where he worked, hours after getting the second poke, according to the Orange County Register.
While his cause of death is being investigated, his wife told the Register that they are not blaming the pharmaceutical company but “the message is, be safe, take the vaccine — but the officials need to do more research. We need to know the cause. Vaccines need to be as safe as possible. Every life matters.”
California’s Health and Human Services is investigating other deaths in the state possibly linked to the vaccine.
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Coca-Cola has launched coffee in a can.
After several years of offering the beverage abroad, the drink has finally hit the market in the US.
The company describes the blend as “a refreshment coffee” that “sips like a coke and finishes like a coffee.”
The drink first launched in 2018 in Japan.
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Apple is warning those with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators to keep their iPhones at least 6 inches away from the life-saving devices.
In a recent update, Apple said the phones “have magnets, components and radios that release electromagnetic fields, which can potentially interfere with sensors on the medical devices when brought in close contact.”
The company noted that all iPhone models pose about the same risk of interference.
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PETA was mocked on social media this week after making the claim that calling someone a “pig,” “chicken,” or a “snake” is insulting to animals.
The animal rights organization tweeted that words can “perpetuate oppression” and calling someone an animal as an insult “reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals.”
One Twitter user responded, “Animals aren’t oppressed by those words because they don’t understand our language.” Another wrote, “6 years vegan, please stop making us look ridiculous.” And a third tweeted, “People at PETA are definitely bat s—crazy.”
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January as been the deadliest month for the US in the battle with COVID.
John Hopkins University reveals that nearly 80,000 Americans have died this month alone, topping the previous record set in December of more than 77,000 deaths.
Globally, cases have topped 100 million as of this week with more than 2 million lives lost.
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Lyme disease cases are being underreported, according to the CDC.
Between 30k and 40k cases of the tick-borne ailment are typically reported to the federal agency each year, but new findings from the CDC estimate that some 476k Americans were diagnosed with Lyme disease annually between 2010 and 2018 — about 10 times higher than what is currently reported.
Researchers also looked at the years between 2005 and 2010, during which they estimate there were 329k annual diagnoses of Lyme disease.
The report concluded that “Effective interventions are needed, and improved awareness among clinicians and the public is paramount to foster early and accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.”
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The first spacewalk of 2021 from the International Space Station happened this week.
Astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover headed to Columbus, one of the three high-tech labs at the orbiting outpost, where they focused on completing set-up for the “Bartolomeo” science payload platform.
Astronaut Katie Rubins assisted the men during the spacewalk by operating robotic arms from inside the space station.
The walk is the first of two, with the second set for Monday. Both walks are set to be about 6.5 hours, according to NASA.
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A new whale species has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to Marine Mammal Science, the species is being called the “Rice’s whale” in honor of American biologist Dale Rice.
Studies on the whale began in the 1990s, but it wasn’t until a major breakthrough last year when an examination of a skull of a Rice’s whale led researchers to determine that it was an entirely new species.
The whales, which can weigh up to 60,000 pounds and grow up to 42 feet, have been placed on the endangered species list as the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration says there are less than 100 remaining.
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Cannabis could help in the fight against the opioid crisis.
In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found a 17% reduction in opioid deaths between 2014 and 2018 in regions with at least one cannabis dispensary. When the number of shops increased from one to two, there was a 21% drop in deaths. Add a third and the rate fell another 8%.
According to the CDC, opioids — such as morphine, fentanyl, and heroin — killed more than 67,000 people in the US in 2018.
Researchers based their findings on data from 812 counties in 23 states with medical or cannabis dispensaries, combined with state and county stats on opioid deaths.
Study authors feel the findings can aid policymakers who want to “weigh the potential benefits against the harms of promoting cannabis legalization.”
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A week of volatility on Wall Street continued as markets recovered from their drumming the day prior. Thursday’s session saw the Dow surge 300 points, the Nasdaq gain 66 points and the S&P add 36 points.
For the period ending January 23rd, initial claims fell by 67,000 from the prior week to 847,000. First time claimants were the lowest in three weeks. Some of the rebound may be connected to the willingness of Democrat controlled states and cities that have decided to reopen economies after the Biden Inauguration.
Both AMC and GameStop crashed on Thursday as trading sites for retail investors limited activity in an attempt to reduce volatility.
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Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
MacGyver / CBS / 7:00 pm
Shark Tank / ABC / 7:00 pm
The Blacklist / NBC / 7:00 pm
Friday Night SmackDown / FOX / 7:00 pm
Magnum P.I. / CBS / 8:00 pm
20/20 / ABC / 8:00 pm
Dateline NBC / NBC / 8:00 pm
Blue Bloods / CBS / 9:00 pm
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Showbiz News
These albums are being released today:
Baio, “Dead Hand Control”
Chris Garneau, “The Kind”
Lucerno, “When You Found Me”
Steven Wilson, “The Future Bites”
VanJess, “Homegrown”
Weezer, “OK Human”
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Paramount is pushing its flick “Rumble” to 2022.
The movie, set in the world of monster wrestling where monsters are superstar athletes, was set to hit theaters this May, but will now be released on Feb. 18 of next year.
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An animated version of “Game of Thrones” may be heading to HBO Max.
Sources told Deadline that “the idea is believed in early, early exploratory stages, and there is no concept or creative team on board.”
A rep for the streamer had no comment.
HBO is already planning to air multiple “GOT” projects, with new shows joining “House of The Dragon,” which is expected to debut in 2022.
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Dylan McDermott has signed on to star in “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”
Known for his role on ABC’s “The Practice,” McDermott will star alongside Christopher Meloni in the NBC drama.
No details about his character were revealed.
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Michael Strahan has COVID.
The “GMA” co-host has been away from the show this week as he quarantines.
He also appeared remotely on Fox NFL Sunday last weekend as the network covered the NFC Championship Game.
No word on the severity of his symptoms.
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Keke Palmer has been picked to host an upcoming unscripted competition series for Disney+.
“Foodtastic” will feature contestants who are challenged to make Disney-inspired works of art made out of food. NYC’s City Cakes founder Chef Benny Rivera and Flour Shop founder Amirah Kassem will serve as judges.
Palmer will also executive produce the 11-episode series, which is slated to premiere later this year.
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Eric Bolling’s Sunday morning talk show “America This Week” is wrapping up this weekend.
A spokesperson for Sinclair Broadcast Group said the show “will come to an end on January 31st as Eric has decided to pursue other professional opportunities.”
The conservative commentator has announced plans to launch a podcast with Brett Favre.
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NBC announced an air date for its three-part true-crime series “The Widower.”
According to the network, the hourlong debut episode will premiere on Thursday Feb. 18. Parts 2 and 3 — each two-hours long — will air on Feb. 19 and 21.
While NBC shared very few details about the docuseries, an insider said it “goes behind the scenes of one of the country’s most confounding murder investigations, revealing a tale of evil and a tireless quest for justice in real time.”
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Shawn King spoke about her final moments with late husband Larry King.
She told “Entertainment Tonight” that his final message was “I love you, take care of the boys.”
Shawn, 61, and Larry shared two sons, Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20. He also has son Larry King Jr., 59, from his marriage to Annette Kaye.
Although COVID was believed to be Larry’s cause of death, Shawn says he actually passed away from “an infection, it was sepsis.”
The two were in the middle of divorce proceedings when Larry died, but Shawn says she never believed they would “ever actually finalize the split.”
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Nick Cannon’s self-titled talkshow is set to launch this fall.
The show was originally set for last October, but was put on hold after fallout from the anti-Semitic remarks Cannon made on his podcast.
The show is described as an “exciting, fun and uplifting show reflecting Cannon’s brand of celebrity, music, comedy and pop culture.”
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Sports
While plans surrounding the NBA’s All-Star Game are still in limbo, fans are able to start the voting process.
Fans can now submit one ballot each day through either the NBA app or the NBA’s website. Fans can also vote for up to 10 players per day on Twitter.
Fan votes will count toward half of the final tally, while NBA players and select media members will split the remaining half of the votes.
TNT will announce the All-Star starters on Feb. 18.
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Ron Rivera is cancer free.
The head coach of the Washington Football Team was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma last August. He underwent treatment while continuing to coach the team.
Ron’s daughter revealed the good news on Twitter yesterday.
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Day of the Year
Curmudgeons Day
National Corn Chip Day
National Puzzle Day
National Big Wig Day
National Fun at Work Day
National Carnation Day
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On This Date
1820 – King George III dies. The monarch oversaw the collapse of British holdings in the Americas, causing a tremendous loss of revenue back to England.
The stress of the American Revolution led to a nervous breakdown and mental illness. By 1810, he was certifiably insane, and completely withdrew from public life.
His son took over as Regent beginning in 1810, and took the crown in 1820 as King George IV.
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1861 – Kansas becomes the 34th state in the Union. Amidst the tension of the civil war, it joined as a Free State.
Kansas and Nebraska became formal territories in 1954, whose citizens would cast votes nationally on the issue of slavery. Most of the settlers were transplants from the Midwest, and were abolitionists.
Regardless, Kansas would be a battleground often during the Civil War.
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1962 – Folk band Peter, Paul and Mary ink their first recording contract.
Though they rose to fame alongside the like of Bob Dylan and other contemporary legends, the group would not become quite the icons. They were the product of commercial America—good looking people who could sing, but didn’t write their own material.
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2002 – President George W. Bush first publicly uses the term Axis of Evil to describe rogue nations with despotic leaders. The nations included Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.
These were countries that harbored and supported terrorist groups around the country. President Bush most heavily criticized Iraq’s actions. He would lead efforts to oust Saddam Hussein in the coming years.
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2009 – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is unanimously ousted from office by the state senate.
The latest major scandal for a public officer in Illinois came when Blagojevich was caught trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
Phone tapes caught Blago shopping the seat around in return for cash and other perks. He at one point tried to offer it to Oprah.
Following his federal trial in that ended in August 2010, he was found guilty on 17 of 20 counts of extortion and bribery. He was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, where he’s presently serving in Littleton, Colorado.
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2019 — Jussie Smollett claims he was attacked in Chicago.
The actor described his attackers as white men, wearing MAGA hats, who shouted racial and homophobic slurs, poured an unknown chemical substance on him and tied a noose around his neck.
It would later come to light that the alleged attack was staged by Smollett.
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Birthdays
Lazell Shaw – fashion designer – 33
Isabel Lucas – movie actress, “Red Dawn”, “MacGyver” – 36
Marc Gasol – basketball player – 36
Adam Lambert – pop singer – 39
Riff Raff – rapper – 39
Sara Gilbert – TV actress, “Roseanne”, “The Big Bang Theory” – 46
Heather Graham – movie actress, “Scrubs”, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” – 51
Paul Ryan – politician – 51
Oprah Winfrey – TV show host – 67
Charlie Wilson – R&B singer – 68
Tom Selleck – TV actor, “Magnum, P.I.”, “Blue Bloods” – 76
Born On This Date
Anthony George – American actor, “The Untouchables”, “Dark Shadows” – 1921 (d. 2005)
William McKinley – former US President – 1843 (d. 1901)
Harriet Tubman – Civil Rights leader – 1820 (d. 1913)
Thomas Paine – English-American political essayist, Common Sense – 1737 (d. 1809)
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Deaths
Freddy the dog has died.
The Great Dane, recognized as being the world’s tallest dog, lived in the UK and measured 3 feet, 4.75 inches tall
His passing was announced by Guinness World Records this week.
He was 8.
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Happy Hour
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM MARTINI
(Courtesy of Tasty Kitchen)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Hulled Fresh Or Frozen (but Thawed) Strawberries
3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
2 whole Shots Of Whipped Cream Vodka
2 teaspoons Whipped Cream
1 Tablespoon Chocolate Syrup
DIRECTIONS:
Puree the strawberries in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Add heavy cream and pulse to mix.
Add two shots of whipped cream vodka and pulse to mix well.
Taste the cocktail. If you feel there is not enough vodka add more one shot at a time.
Pour into glasses, top with a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate.
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