Oskaloosa News Recap For February 5th, 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
Officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety are apologizing after issuing an Amber Alert featuring the iconic killer doll, Chucky.
The emergency message sent out last Friday was a test that “accidentally went out,” according to the DPS.
The message described the suspect, Chucky, as having “blue denim overalls with multi-colored striped long sleeve shirt wielding a huge kitchen knife.” His race was listed as “Other: Doll.”
Glen Ray — from 2004’s “Seed of Chucky” — was listed as the abductee and described as wearing a “blue shirt and black collar.”
In response to the alert Don Marncini, who created the Chucky character, tweeted “PLEASE FIND THEM.”
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An 81-person orgy was broken up by police last week for violating a coronavirus curfew.
The sex party, which took place at a warehouse just outside of Paris, was fully equipped with booze, sound systems and light installations, according to The Independent.
An investigator told the outlet that not only was the group in violation of the curfew, but “there were also problems with masks and social distancing.”
All in attendance were fined for breaking curfew.
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A man in Florida tried to board a plane with 22 pounds of crystal meth.
A TSA agent stopped Eli Brown at the gate for a random bag check before he could board the flight to Louisville, Kentucky.
The agent found 22 bags, each containing one pound of crystal meth, wrapped in clothing and $900 in cash.
Officers told local news station WKMG that the drugs are worth $500,000.
Brown said the bag wasn’t his, telling arresting officers that he fell asleep on his flight from L.A. and when he woke up, he saw the bag next to him so he grabbed it assuming it was his.
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The world’s tallest swing ride has opened in Dubai.
The Bollywood Skyflyer, part of Bollywood Parks Dubai, reaches heights of 460 feet — beating the previous tallest-swing, the 450-foot Starflyer located in Orlando, Florida.
Passengers on the ride are lifted into the air where they will enjoy panoramic views of the park while being spun around in their seat, according to Milton D’Souza, the general manager of the theme park.
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Dr. Fauci wants everyone to “lay low and cool it” for this year’s Super Bowl.
The infectious disease expert pled with the nation to cancel Super Bowl viewing parties, fearing large gatherings could lead to the further spread of coronavirus.
Fauci’s plea comes just days after the CDC said “gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest way to celebrate the Super Bowl this year.”
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American workers filed 779,000 applications for unemployment benefits last week.
The newest batch brings the total for the coronavirus crisis to approximately 77.2 million.
While the number is below the expectations of some economists, data suggests that workers are still feeling the pressure from the virus even though the nation’s case counts and hospitalizations are on the decline.
The number remains above the pre-pandemic record for the 46th consecutive week.
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The number of people in the US who have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine has now surpassed the total number of cases.
As of midweek, the CDC reports that over 27 million people have received one or more doses of the vaccine, while total number of cases sits at just over 26 million.
Nearly 6.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.
*In Wisconsin, close to 85,000 people have received both doses.
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Johnson & Johnson submitted its single dose COVID vaccine for emergency use authorization to the FDA yesterday.
The move comes after the company stated last week that their data shows the vaccine to be about 72% effective in protecting against the virus in the US.
If approved, the company said they could have 100 million doses ready by June.
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Major indexes rose on Thursday. The Dow surged 332 points, the Nasdaq gained 167 points and the S&P was lifted by 41 points.
Technology shares led the way on Thursday with eBay rising 5.3 percent and PayPal climbing 7.4 percent. Both companies reported far better earnings than had been forecast.
Initial jobless unemployment claims fell below 800,000 for the week ending January 30th. Clearing this benchmark increased positive sentiment for investors.
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The Candy Funhouse is looking for people to try their candy and rate it.
The Canadian company will pay workers for their honest reviews, which can be completed in their own homes.
The “candyologists” will help select 10 new and original candy creations by narrowing down their favorites from hundreds of possible options.
The part-time gig is 15 hours a week at $30 an hour and the full-time spot is 40 hours at the same rate.
Candy-eating experience is not required.
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Politico reports that efforts to recall California governor Gavin Newsom “went from unlikely to unavoidable” this week.
Newsom has overseen California’s botched covid mitigation efforts and publicly circumvented his own advice, namely getting caught dining out at a restaurant just hours after demanding Californians stay home.
Worse, he only moved to open up businesses and restaurants as the recall effort mounted.
Recall organizers have until March 17 to get 1.5 million signatures. They already have 1.3 million, but are shooting for 2 million to account for invalid signatures.
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Former President Trump will not testify during next week’s impeachment trial, after House impeachment managers called on him to clarify some of his statements.
Trump’s lawyers rejected the request quickly, and held their line that the trial itself was illegitimate.
Democrat Senators Joe Manchin and Chris Coons told CNN they don’t like the idea of Trump testifying, either.
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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
Niecy Nash will stand in for Nick Cannon as host of “The Masked Singer” after he contracted coronavirus.
The news comes as production on Season 5 began this week in Los Angeles.
The show is set to return in March.
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The Academy of Country Music Awards is the latest to drop singer Morgan Wallen after he was recorded using a racial slur.
The organization announced Wednesday that they will remove Wallen’s “potential involvement and eligibility for this year’s 56th Academy of Country Music Awards cycle.”
The cancellations come as Wallen’s latest record, “Dangerous: The Double Album” topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks straight.
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Lamar Odom, 41, and Aaron Carter, 33, are set to face-off in a celebrity boxing match this summer.
According to Celebrity Boxing CEO Damon Feldman, the former NBA star and the former popstar will battle it out at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey on June 12.
Both have already started training for the event, according to TMZ.
WORTH NOTING: Odom stands at 6’10” while Carter is 6’1”.
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Officers swarmed Marilyn Manson’s home on Wednesday to conduct a welfare check on the singer.
Sources told TMZ that a concerned friend called police saying they had been unable to get in touch with Manson for hours and became concerned.
After several attempts to reach him, and an LAPD helicopter circling overhead, Manson’s rep told officers that everything was fine and the singer simply didn’t want to come out.
The visit comes just days after actress Evan Rachel Wood made claims that Manson abused her over the course of their relationship. The two dated in 2007 and got engaged in 2010, but split shortly after.
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O.J. Simpson still owes the Goldman Family millions of dollars.
According to new court documents filed by Fred Goldman, Simpson has only paid $133k of the more than $70 million he owes the family.
Back in 1997, the ex-NFL star was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the Goldman family after he was found liable in the killing of Ron Goldman. Interest has caused the initial amount to balloon to over $70 million.
Goldman filed the new docs because he believes Simpson has more money than he claims.
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Owners of a Utah-based park named Evermore are suing Taylor Swift for trademark infringement.
According to the docs, park owners say they have ‘Evermore’ trademarked for a number of different purposes — including clothing and other merchandise — all of which they claim were affected once Swift released her ‘evermore’ album late last year.
Taylor’s team calls the suit “frivolous.”
Meanwhile, Evermore park, which already sent a cease and desist letter last year, is seeking millions in damages.
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JoJo Siwa will star in and executive produce “The J Team,” a live-action musical for Nickelodeon.
The film follows a young girl named JoJo, whose life is turned upside down when her dance coach decides to retire and is replaced by a curmudgeonly instructor named Poppy. After trying to appease the new instructor, JoJo realizes she is unable to hide her sparkle and gets kicked out of the troupe, leaving her to rediscover what dance means to her.
Production begins this month in Vancouver.
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The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show will be performed in the stands.
A source told Page Six that the show will be “only in the stands and nothing on the field” as a way to observe COVID safety precautions.
A different source told the outlet that while “the stage and sets will all be in the stands,” the singer “could step onto the field during the show.”
There will be 22,000 fans admitted to Raymond James Stadium for Sunday’s game.
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These albums are being released today:
Black Coffee, “Subconsciously”
CNCO, “Deja Vu”
Foo Fighters, “Medicine at Midnight”
Lil Mosey, “Universal”
The Staves, “Good Woman”
The Weeknd, “The Highlights”
VanJess, “Homegrown”
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Ryan Seacrest is leaving the red carpet behind.
After nearly 14 years, of hosting E!’s “Live From The Red Carpet,” Seacrest has decided to “move on to new adventures.”
In response to the announcement, the network noted that he will “always be part of the E! family.”
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Sports
Pressure is mounting for the Kansas City Chiefs to abandon their tradition of fans breaking into a “war chant” while making a chopping hand motion designed to mimic a tomahawk.
A coalition of Native American groups has put up billboards in the Kansas City area to protest the tradition, as well as the team’s name.
A protest is also being planned outside of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, ahead of the Super Bowl.
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List of the Week
NFL Teams Ranked By Super Bowl Appearances in NFL History as of 2021
(courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
Patriots — 11
Steelers, Cowboys, Broncos — 8
49ers — 7
Washington Football Team, Packers, Dolphins, Giants, Raiders — 5
Bills, Vikings, Colts, Rams, Chiefs — 4
Eagles, Seahawks — 3
Panthers, Falcons, Ravens, Bengals, Bears, Buccaneers — 2
Saints, Cardinals, Titans, Chargers, Jets — 1
The Browns, Texans, Jaguars and Lions have NEVER been to a Super Bowl.
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Day of the Year
National Shower with a Friend Day
National Weatherperson’s Day
World Nutella Day
National Wear Red Day
Bubble Gum Day
Give Kids a Smile Day
National Chocolate Fondue Day
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On This Date
1883 – The Sunset Route of the Southern Pacific Railroad is completed, linking New Orleans and California.
With the completion of the project, the Southern Pacific Railroad had an almost complete monopoly on railroad logistics for westward transport.
Linking California and the rest of the country helped turn it into an economic powerhouse in the early-1900s and throughout the 20th century.
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1917 – Mexico establishes a constitution after seven years of civil war.
The regulations included an established separation of church and state and returning land to native tribes.
The document was weak, though. The president was killed by another revolution in 1920. The reforms would actually take hold after World War II, when industrial needs worldwide jumpstarted Mexico’s flagging economy.
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1917 – Congress passes the Immigration Act, which required literacy tests for anyone entering the country and outlawed immigrants from Asia.
Jingoism was at an all-time high in the months leading up to World War I. Progressive President Wilson vetoed the bill, but Congress managed to override it.
After becoming law, immigration into the US plummeted.
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1919 – Four actors come together to form the United Artists Corporation.
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffith wanted expanded financial and artistic control over their films. So, they founded their own studio to produce and distribute their own works.
It would be bought by MGM in 1981 then acquired again in 1992 by a French credit bank.
For a while Tom Cruise was put in charge of running it, until it was acquired again by MGM.
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1971 – Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.
It was the third successful moon landing.
Commander Alan Shepard famously took up his 6-iron and hit two golf balls during the mission.
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1988 – In the first prime-time WWF match in 30 years, fans watched Andre The Giant defeat Hulk Hogan for the World Heavyweight Championship.
33 million tuned in to watch the match on NBC.
The two would have a rematch 5 months later in Milwaukee where both would be disqualified.
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1997 – O.J. Simpson is found liable in the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson in a civil court action.
The jury deliberated for five days; 4 days and 19 hours longer than the jury in his criminal case.
Simpson was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the families of the two victims.
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1998 – Author Tom Clancy purchases the Minnesota Vikings.
He spent slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record (at the time).
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2011 – Ed Sabol is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was selected as a contributor for his works with NFL Films.
His company, Blair Motion Pictures became NFL Films in 1964 and earned exclusive rights to preserve NFL games on film.
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Birthdays
Neymar – soccer player – 29
Henry Golding – movie actor, “Crazy Rich Asians”, “Last Christmas” – 34
Cristiano Ronaldo – soccer player – 36
Carlos Tévez – soccer player – 37
Sara Evans – country singer – 50
Bobby Brown – R&B singer – 52
Michael Sheen – movie actor, “Underworld”, “Prodigal Son” – 52
Duff McKagan – bassist – 57
Nolan Bushnell – American electrical engineer, Atari – 78
Don Cherry – sportscaster – 87
Born On This Date
Hank Aaron – baseball legend – 1934 (d. 2021)
Robert Hofstader – American atomic physicist – 1915 (d. 1990)
William S. Burroughs – American writer – 1914 (d. 1997)
Elizabeth Ryan – American tennis player – 1891 (d. 1979)
Robert “Bobbie” Peel – British Prime Minister – 1788 (d. 1850)
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Happy Hour
APPLE MARTINI
(Courtesy of Food Network)
INGREDIENTS:
2 trays ice
1/4 liter vodka
1/2 liter sour apple mix
Splash of sweet vermouth
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium pitcher, combine ice, vodka, sour apple mix, and vermouth.
Stir thoroughly.
Strain into a martini glass and garnish with apple slice.
Serve immediately.
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