Mahaska Now! – February 3rd, 2020
Oskaloosa Firefighters battle a blaze in Rose Hill on Saturday morning.
Today is Monday, February 3rd, 2020
It is the 34th day of the year
332 days remain
Local News
*No injuries were reported at a storage facility fire Saturday morning in Rose Hill. Firefighters from 4 departments battled the blaze.
*A Montezuma Man was killed in a 2 car head-on collision Friday afternoon. The crash remains under investigation.
State News
*Democrats scurried around Iowa like rats on the Titanic over the weekend, hoping to gobble up as many remaining votes as possible ahead of that State’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. The historically large field of candidates, including senators who had been held up in Washington for President Trump’s impeachment trial, barnstormed at the last minute before the onset of Monday’s caucuses. Prognosticators say it could be a very divided result. Former W. Bush advisor Karl Rove on Fox News Sunday said he thinks five candidates could come away with enough support to remain viable.
*Iowa’s caucuses are tonight, the first contest to help determine the Democrat nominee for President.
New Hampshire will vote next Tuesday, February 11th.
National News
*Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early Spring.
Organizers of the Groundhog Day event said he’s predicated an early spring only 21 times over the last 100 years — so it’s a rarity. Ironically, the Pennsylvania town got a light dusting of snow before the ceremony.
President Trump is finishing his State of the Union address, to be delivered before both houses of Congress on Tuesday night. Trump advisers view the speech as a new page, a way to move forward from the impeachment, which is soon to wrap up on Wednesday when a final Senate vote will take place. While top Trump advisers describe the speech as a “work in progress,” the President will reportedly minimize talk of the impeachment and focus on the…well, State of the union…especially the strong State of the economy.
*An estimated 2.2 million electric vehicles were sold in 2019, a meager 2.5% of the global market.
All electrics dominated 74% of the market, while plugin hybrid sales decreased. The Tesla Model 3 was the most popular worldwide, selling just over 300,000 units.
*The FDA has approved the first peanut allergy drug for patients aged 4 to 17 years old. While it doesn’t empower users to enjoy peanut products fully, it helps protect against accidental exposure by providing a small amount of peanuts with every dose, slowly and more safely building a tolerance.
*Google has released the most searched Super Bowl party recipes by State over the last week. In Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, chili was the top dish. In Illinois, the big search was for Philly Cheese Steak. New Jersey, Connecticut, and Virginia folks wanted buffalo chicken dip recipes, while coastal states Maryland and South Carolina had a taste for crab dip.
*Border officials seized $123 million worth of counterfeit, unlicensed Super Bowl merchandise last week, including jerseys, hats, jewelry, and “thousands of other items.”
In a statement, Homeland Security’s intellectual property protection division chief said they were committed to “ensuring Super Bowl 54 is not compromised by transnational criminal networks exploiting fan enthusiasm for illicit profits.” He added that fans deserve to have authentic, high-quality merchandise from the teams they support.
*Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show received mix reviews from viewers. While many loved the idea of having two female performers take the stage, others felt that the performances were too dance-heavy.
Twitter was flooded with comments about the women’s Latin nationality as well as their outfit choices.
JLo’s daughter Emme tugged at fans’ heartstrings as she sang alongside her mom and Shakira.
Overall, the Pepsi Halftime Show was very “Miami.”
ALSO–Demi Lovato nailed the “National Anthem.” Her performance is being compared to that of the late Whitney Houston’s.
International News
*The Chinese government has banned funerals for those who die from the coronavirus outbreak. Official guidelines call for immediate cremation to ebb the further spread of the disease. More than 300 have now died in China, and nearly 15,000 cases have been confirmed there.
Weekend Box Office
10. The Rhythm Section: $2.8 million (new)
9. Little Women: $3 million (down from 8)
8. The Turning: $3.1 million (down from 6)
7. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker: $3.2 million (stayed at 7)
6. Jumanji: The Next Level: $6 million (down from 5)
5. The Gentlemen: $6.01 million (down from 4)
4. Gretel & Hansel: $6.1 million (new)
3. Dolittle: $7.7 million (stayed at 3)
2. 1917: $9.6 million (stayed at 2)
1. Bad Boys for Life: $17.6 million (stayed at 1)
Day of the Year
American Painters Day
Doggy Date Night
Elmo’s Birthday
Four Chaplains Memorial Day
National Cordova Ice Worm Day
International Golden Retriever Day
National Football Hangover Day
National Carrot Cake Day
National Patient Recognition Day
National Missing Persons Day
National Wedding Ring Day
National Women Physicians Day
The Day the Music Died
Take a Cruise Day
On This Date
1781 – American troops under Nathanael Green cross the Yadkin River using flat-bottomed skiffs designed by a Polish engineer and military advisor. The retreat came after demoralizing defeats at the Catawba River and Tarrant’s Tavern. Many of the highways were packed with citizens trying to escape the wrath of infamous British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The river crossing made a swift escape possible.
1865 – Terms of ending the Civil War are discussed at the Hampton Roads conference. It marked the meeting of Abraham Lincoln and a Confederate delegation. Lincoln refused to negotiate or concede anything to the splintered Confederate states, and the meeting ended in just a few hours. The Confederates did not think Lincoln would hold his ground on ending slavery.
The meeting followed two similar encounters between a Union delegate and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In those meetings, the Union delegate suggested combing forces to beat French troops in Mexico; both countries united behind a common enemy.
1959 – “The Day the Music Died.” American rock stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson died when their chartered plane crashed in Iowa just a couple minutes after taking off from Mason City en route to Minnesota. An investigation concluded that bad weather and pilot error were responsible for the crash.
The crash was later memorialized by Don McLean in his song, “American Pie.”
1966 – The Soviets put a probe on the Moon in a controlled landing. Previously they had rocketed probes into the Moon that crash-landed.
When the spacecraft, named Lunik 9, landed it transmitted photos and television images back to Earth.
The whole capsule weighed only 220 pounds. The U.S. trailed the Soviets in moon exploration until finally putting a man on the Moon in 1969.
2002 – The New England Patriots win their first Super Bowl. They defeated the Rams 20-17.
2019 – The New England Patriots once again make it to the Super Bowl. They defeated the Rams (again) 13-3.
This marked their 11th Super Bowl Appearance.
Local Sports
Friday Night Basketball
High School Boys Basketball
Pella 65 – Norwalk 66
Pella Christian 59 – Indianola 60
Oskaloosa 62 – Newton 43
Grinnell 33 – Mount Vernon 62
High School Girls Basketball
Grinnell 73 – DCG 62
Pella 42 – Norwalk 34
Pella Christian 43 – Indianola 49
Oskaloosa 45 – Newton 60
High School Wrestling
Oskaloosa Little Hawkeye Wrestling Results
285-Kegan Mitts-Butler – 2nd place
138-Leland Evans – 3rd
145-Wyatt Krier – 3rd
106-Ryllie Siroky – 4th
120-Trey Miller – 5th
132-Zach Beebe – 5th
152-Garisin Hynick – 5th
182-Will Campbell – 5th
113-Connor Harbour – 6th
220-Warren Feudner – 6th
College Sports
Women’s Basketball
MidAmerica Nazarene 79 – Graceland 51
William Penn 89 – Evangel 79
Baker 60 – Grand View 71
Central 62 – Wartburg 90
Grinnell 62 – Ripon 68
Men’s Basketball
MidAmerica Nazarene 92 – Graceland 89
William Penn 101 – Evangel 74
Baker 74 – Grandview 69
Indian Hills 80 – Southeastern CC 64
Indian Hills 104 – Black Hawk College 57
Central 88 – Wartburg 97
Grinnell 74 – Ripon 109
Baseball
William Penn 5 – Harris-Stowe State 1
William Penn 16 – Harris-Stowe State 8
William Penn 11 – Harris-Stowe State 7
Graceland 3 – Columbia College 9
Graceland 9 – Columbia College 10
Men’s Volleyball
Graceland 3 – Clarke 0
Grand View 3 – Cardinal Stritch 0
Grand View 3 – Aquinas College 0
Graceland 0 – Mount Mercy 3
William Penn 3 – Dordt University 1
William Penn 1 – Graceland 3
Men’s Indoor Track
William Penn 1st of 9 teams
National Sports
*The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 Sunday night. The Chiefs clocked three touchdowns in the last six minutes of play to take a decisive lead. It was Kansas City’s first Super Bowl appearance since 1969.
