Oskaloosa News Recap For February 4th, 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
SpaceX’s latest prototype exploded while landing on Tuesday.
The steel Starship prototype Serial Number (SN9) went up in flames at the end of a successful high-altitude test from Boca Chica, Texas.
After launching, the rocket reached an altitude of 32,800 feet before turning to a horizontal “belly flop” position. It then attempted to land upright, but came in “too fast and at a bad angle” before ending in a fiery explosion, according to the broadcast.
The incident was similar to what occurred in December, when the SN8 rocket was destroyed.
Elon Musk, CEO of the space company, made no comment on the latest explosion.
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Kraft Heinz is in talks to sell its Planters business to Hormel Foods for an estimated $3 billion.
Planters, which sells nuts and snack mixes featuring the famous Mr. Peanut, would be the latest addition to Hormel’s portfolio that includes chilis, frozen meats and condiments.
The deal, which would be the company’s largest to-date, could be announced as soon as next week if talks do not fall apart, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Last September, Kraft Heinz sold its natural cheese business to France’s Groups Lactalis for $3.2 billion.
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A college student from Minnesota used some of his newfound fortune from buying GameStop stock for a good cause.
Hunter Kahn, an engineering student at Cornell University, purchased six Nintendo Switches and a bunch of games — all from GameStop — which he then donated to the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Hunter told the Post that “there is no better group of people to receive a bunch of Switches than a bunch of kids going through a hard time.”
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The family of a teen from the UK who has been in a coma for the past 11 months are struggling with how to explain the coronavirus crisis to him.
Joseph Flavill, 19, suffered a severe brain injury after being hit by a car on March 1, 2020 — about three weeks before the first round of lockdowns.
The teen spent months at Leicester General Hospital before being moved to a neurological rehabilitation center. During that time, he caught and beat COVID twice.
While the family has not yet explained the full scale of what has been happening, they have let him know through video calls why they are unable to be with him right now.
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The FBI agents who were killed while serving a warrant in Florida have been identified.
Agent Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, and Daniel Alfin, 36, died Tuesday after a man they were seeking to arrest in connection to child pornography charges shot them.
Schwartzenberger, who is survived by her husband and two children, joined the FBI in 2005 and has specialized in crimes against children for the past seven years.
Alfin joined the FBI in 2009 and has worked crimes against children cases for six years. In 2017, he was involved in bringing down what was believed to be the world’s largest child pornography website. He is survived by his wife and child.
The suspect — who allegedly watched the agents approach his home via his video doorbell — also died at the scene.
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Adults ages 20-49 are COVID super-spreaders.
According to British researchers, this age group accounts for the largest amount of virus-spreaders in the US, so targeting them for vaccinations could hasten not only schools fully reopening, but also aid in limiting the spread.
The team from the Imperial College London used cell phone data from more than 10 million people and found that 65 of 100 infections originated from those aged 20-49 in the US.
They also found that people in that age bracket accounted for about 72% of the cases after schools reopened in October — less than 5% came from children, and less than 10% from teens.
Dr. Oliver Ratmann, from the college, added that “additional interventions targeting the 20-49 age group could bring resurgent epidemics under control and avert deaths.”
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Three members of the Idaho National Guard died after their Black Hawk helicopter crashed Tuesday night.
The incident happened during a routine flight near Boise.
While snowy weather conditions hampered initial search efforts, a spokesperson for the National Guard told ABC News that they were able to find the wreckage and personnel early Wednesday morning.
An investigation has opened into the accident.
This is the second deadly crash of a Black Hawk helicopter from the National Guard in the past two weeks
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John Matze is out as Parler CEO.
According to a memo sent to staffers by Matze, the Parler board decided to terminate his position. He stated that he “did not participle in [the] decision.”
Matze explained that he was met with “constant resistance” following Amazon Web Services’ decision to shut them down for “failure to moderate egregious content” following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
He concluded telling staffers that he plans to take a few weeks off before searching for a new venture.
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Teachers don’t need to be vaccinated from the coronavirus to safely return to school, according to the CDC.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky stated during a White House COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday that the “vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for safe reopening of schools.”
Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator reiterated the statement saying,” That means EVERY school has the equipment and resources to open safely.”
Recent findings, published in JAMA Network, found that virus transmission at schools was very low when mask-wearing and social distancing measures were taken.
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Wednesday saw little movement on Wall Street as stocks finished mostly flat with the Dow adding 36 points, the S&P gaining 3 points and the Nasdaq falling 2 points.
Alphabet surged by more than 7 percent after reporting fourth quarter earnings that easily beat analyst expectations.
Preliminary job market data looks promising as the economy reportedly gained 174,000 jobs where only 48,000 were expected in January. The official jobs report for the month will be released Friday.
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Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell have agreed to power-sharing rules in the Senate, where each party holds 50 seats.
The agreement will keep the filibuster intact, and outlines the ratios of each party on Senate committees. Democrats have the edge on votes, provided the whole caucus votes together, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking any ties.
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President Joe Biden is adamant about cutting $1,400 checks to Americans as part of Covid relief, even if it means changing who’s eligible to receive them.
“I am not going to start by breaking a promise to the American people,” Biden reportedly said during a call with Senate Democrats.
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Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
Mr. Mayor / NBC / 7:00 pm
Hell’s Kitchen / FOX / 7:00 pm
Superstore / NBC / 7:30 pm
Call Me Kat / FOX / 8:00 pm
The Unicorn / CBS / 8:30 pm
Last Man Standing / FOX / 8:30 pm
Star Trek: Discovery / CBS / 9:00 pm
Dateline NBC / NBC / 9:00 pm
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Showbiz News
Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine are set to star in “American Dreamer.”
The film, written by Theodore Melfi, is based on a true story segment from the “This American Life” podcast.
According to the official description, Dr. Phil Loder (Dinklage), a professor of economics at Harvard, whose grand dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach until a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a lonely, childless, widow (MacLaine) offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies. But Phil quickly learns the deal is too good to be true.
Production is set to being next month in Vancouver.
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Another batch of guest hosts is set to take over the podium for the late Alex Trebek.
The four new hosts include, Anderson Cooper, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Savannah Guthrie and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
The four will each take their turn on the “Jeopardy!” stage after the previously announced guests hosts, which include Ken Jennings, Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik and Aaron Rodgers, have their run at hosting.
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And the nominees are…
Sarah Jessica Parker and TARAJI P. HENSON joined forces to announced the first round of nominations on the “Today” show.
“Mank” topped the list with 6 total nods.
Sacha Baron Cohen felt the love as his flick “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was nominated for best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy, while “The Trial of the Chicago 7” earned a nomination for best drama and Baron a solo award for acting.
A notable omission was “Bridgerton,” Netflix’s hot new series from Shonda Rhimes that has been making waves since it dropped over Christmas, with fans obsessing endlessly over onscreen lovers Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor.
Other snubs included: “Dead to Me” and “What We Do In the Shadows” which scored a number of noms at the 2020 Emmy Awards.
The ceremony hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be bi-coastal this year. NYC-based Fey will co-host live from The Rainbow Room in Manhattan, while L.A.-based Poehler will co-host live from the Globes’ home at the Beverly Hilton.
The Golden Globes will air live on NBC on Feb. 28.
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Mike Lindell appeared as a guest on Newsmax this week to talk about “cancel culture” after being banned on Twitter.
While the interview started out on the topic, Lindell quickly changed the focus to talk about election conspiracies and the “rigged election in favor of Joe Biden.”
As anchor Heather Childers steered the conversation back to Twitter, Lindell kept harping on about “election fraud with these Dominion machines.” Anchor Bob Sellers then stepped in saying “We at Newsmax have not been able to verify any of those allegations.”
As Lindell continued to talk, Sellers said “We wanted to talk to you about cancel culture…we don’t want to re-litigate the allegations you are making Mike.”
Lindell refused to move on from the topic, prompting Sellers to walk off set.
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Josh Duhamel has officially signed on to star opposite Jennifer Lopez in the film “Shotgun Wedding.”
Jennifer Coolidge and Sonia Braga are also joining the cast as the moms of Duhamel and Lopez’s characters.
Duhamel will be replacing Armie Hammer after he exited the project following a social media controversy entailing some sexual messages he allegedly sent out.
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Morgan Wallen is being cancelled.
The country superstar’s music has been yanked from Cumulus Media, the second biggest radio chain in the nation, after Wallen was captured on video using a racial slur.
Cumulus sent a directive to the program directors of its 400-plus stations saying “effective immediately we request that all of [his] music be removed from playlists without exception.” Other stations around the country are expected to follow.
Wallen issued a statement late Tuesday night after TMZ first reported the incident saying “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for just the word. I promise to do better.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Wallen’s record label had suspended the singer “indefinitely.”
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After being dropped by his record label following allegations of abuse, Marilyn Manson has now been dropped by Hollywood talent agency CAA.
Manson, who was accused earlier this week of abuse by ex-fiance Evan Rachel Wood, has been repped by CAA for years.
Additionally, AMC network confirmed to Variety that an episode of “Creepshow,” featuring Manson has been scrapped. Also, Starz, which airs “American Gods,” on which Manson has a recurring role, is reediting shows to remove his character.
Manson has denied all allegations.
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In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Michelle Pfeiffer reflected on her career and opened up about some of her biggest regrets.
One of those was passing on the role of Clarice Starling in the 1991 flick “Silence of the Lambs.” When asked why she passed on the job at the time, Pfeiffer said, “There was such evil in that film. I was uncomfortable with the ending. I didn’t want to put that out in the world.”
The film — which starred Jodie Foster as Starling — won five Oscars in 1992, including best actress in a leading role.
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Lil Uzi Vert is taking his love of jewels to the next level.
The rapper announced this week that he spent the last four years paying for a $24 million natural pink diamond that he had implanted in his forehead.
Responding to a fan who told him to just put the diamond in a ring, Uzi said “If I lose the ring U will make fun of me more than putting it in my forehead ha ha jokes on you ha ha ha ha…And yes I do have insurance.”
Other fans compared him to Vision, the Marvel superhero who is powered by the Mind Stone.
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TJ Osborne — one half of the duo Brothers Osborne — has come out as gay.
In an article published by Time on Wednesday, the 36-year-old revealed his news, saying that while he is “very comfortable being gay,” he was nervous for the reaction that his fellow country singers and fans would have.
Mere hours after the announcement was made, his country pals offered him their support and praise.
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The Daily Kardashopus
Rob Kardashian is slowly making his way back into the spotlight.
As of late, the 33-year-old has been posting more on social media, including many new photos of himself and his daughter Dream Kardashian, 4.
According to insiders, Rob is “doing a lot better and continues to focus on his health.” Adding, “He wants to be the best dad possible and doesn’t want to let her down.”
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Kanye West is on the move.
The music mogul was spotted moving some items — including 500 pairs of sneakers — out of the home he shares with Kim Kardashian.
Meanwhile, Kim has been away on a family vacation in Turks and Caicos. A source telling Page Six the pair “felt it would be less dramatic without both of them in the house.”
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Sports
Buccaneers running-back LeSean McCoy is comparing this weekend’s Tom Brady-Patrick Mahomes match-up to the likeness of “Michael Jordan vs Kobe Bryant.”
McCoy told the Tampa Bay Times, “You look at a guy like Brady and he’s like Jordan — established, older. He don’t Air Jordan dunk anymore, but he’s beating you with the fadeaway. I think of Pat as the young Kobe. Like, he’s coming. The league’s aware of him, and he’s making plays.”
McCoy spent the last season with the Chiefs and Mahomes, helping them win the Super Bowl. The 12-year veteran signed with the Bucs in the offseason.
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Day of the Year
National Create a Vacuum Day
National Hemp Day
National Homemade Soup Day
National Thank a Mail Carrier Day
Optimist Day
World Cancer Day
Stuffed Mushroom Day
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On This Date
1789 – The Electoral College convenes for the first time, and unanimously elects George Washington the first president of the United States.
Prior to the Twelfth Amendment, the candidate with the second-most votes became Vice President. In this case, it was John Adams.
Washington won re-election by the same procedure exactly four years later, in 1793.
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1861 – The first congress of the Confederacy convenes in Montgomery, Alabama.
They officially called themselves “delegates from the several independent South States of North America.”
On the docket was drafting a new constitution, which they copied almost exactly from the Union. Some exceptions included a single, 6-year term for the president, and of course, included specific language that permitted slavery.
Before the provisional congress disbanded, they elected Jefferson Davis the first president of the Confederate States.
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1922 – Ford Motor Company buys Lincoln Motor Company for—$8 million dollars.
At the time, Ford was being beaten by General Motors, which was offering a broad range of cars. Meanwhile, Ford was still perfecting the Model T, which was only available in black.
After the acquisition of Lincoln, Ford started producing the Model A, which was available in a variety of colors, with several options.
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1938 – “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is released by Disney.
Walt Disney personally spent $1.5 million of his own wealth to produce the film. Critics were apprehensive about the picture; they didn’t believe adults or children would sit through a feature-length, animated movie.
Even during the Great Depression, the film would gross $8 million. It was the most made by any movie up to that time.
After they screened the film, critics were thrilled.
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2004 – Mark Zuckerberg launches TheFacebook.com from his Harvard dorm room.
He was partially inspired by an earlier project he started, called Facemash, which had users vote on attractive college co-eds.
After Facemash got publicity in the Harvard Crimson, he began writing code for TheFacebook.
Of course, that website would explode into Facebook, which now boasts billions of users worldwide.
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Birthdays
Jacko Hooper – pop singer – 29
Krept – rapper – 31
Bug Hall – movie actor, “The Little Rascals”, “Get a Clue” – 36
Kimberly Wyatt – pop singer – 39
Gavin DeGraw – pop singer – 44
Cam’ron – rapper – 45
Natalie Imbruglia – pop singer – 46
Oscar de la Hoya – boxer – 48
Dan Plesac – former MLB pitcher – 59
Lawrence Taylor – former NFL player – 62
Alice Cooper – rock singer – 73
Born On This Date
George A. Romero – movie director, “Night of the Living Dead” – 1940 (d. 2017)
Rosa Parks – Civil Rights leader – 1913 (d. 2005)
Charles Lindbergh – American aviator – 1902 (d. 1974)
Raymond Dart – Australian paleoanthropologist – 1893 (d. 1995)
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