Oskaloosa News Recap For December 21st, 2020
Local News
Protecting Yourself During the Holiday Season
School Board Accepts High School Principal Resignation
United Way Of Mahaska County Playing Role In COVID-19 Help
Big Brothers And Big Sisters Closes Door In Mahaska County
Gov. Reynolds signs new proclamation modifying public health measures
City Council Declares Special Election
Supervisors Talk Landfill Commission Membership
2021 Eggs And Issues Set
2020 Oskaloosa Lighted Christmas Parade
Elvis Has Left The Building
Staff At Mahaska Health “We’re Doing Well”
Little Hawkeye Conference COVID-19 Update
Oskaloosa City Facilities COVID-19 Update
Oskaloosa Fire Chief Talks Fire Safety
Local Sports
Indians Network
Statesmen Sports Network
North Mahaska Warhawks
Statesmen Garner 11 All-Heart Honors
Defense Stands Out in Second Win Over MMU
Huge Run Helps Statesmen to Road Win
WPU Competes in Inaugural Dual, Claims Victory Via Tiebreaker
Oskaloosa Boys Swim Team Open Season
NM Girls Upset No. 8 Hawks
Central takes top honors at state dance tourney
Pender, Blaylock Lead the Way as Statesmen Beat MMU
Statesmen Fail to Upset Clarke on Road
Newman’s Big Night Helps WPU Beat Clarke
Oskaloosa News Links
Obituaries
Radar and Road Conditions
Local Traffic Cameras
National and World News
The owner of a North Korean fishing fleet was publicly executed for listening to a banned US-funded radio station while at sea.
The captain, only identified by his last name Choi, was gunned down by a firing squad in mid-October for listening to Radio Free Asia over a “long period of time,” according to a law enforcement source in North Korea.
The source added that authorities were tipped off about the prohibited actions by a crewman at Choi’s base in the port city of Chongjin. Choi was publicly shot at the base in front of 100 other captains and managers of the facility’s fish processing plant.
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A gem dealer has been busted for allegedly stealing $1.4 million in diamonds from a New York wholesaler.
Nehal Modi, 41, pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree grand larceny in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday and was released without bail.
Nehal also faces serious charges in India for allegedly laundering more than $100 million for his billionaire jeweler brother, Nirav Modi, according to the BBC.
Actresses Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet have been known to wear Nirav’s designs. Also, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas has graced billboards advertising the brand.
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Dr. Fauci is putting minds at ease when it comes to Santa Clause and the coronavirus.
The nation’s top infectious disease specialist appeared on CNN’s “Sesame Street ABC’s of COVID-19 Town Hall,” where he answered questions from worried Muppets, including Elmo.
One question raised was, “What if [Santa] can’t go to anyone’s house or near his reindeer?”
Dr. Fauci responded, “I took care of that for you…a little while ago, I took a trip up there to the North Pole. I went there, and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself.”
He added that Santa will be able to slide down chimneys and leave presents this Christmas Eve.
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More than 1 million people were screened by the TSA on Friday, despite CDC warnings saying people should stay home this holiday season.
Friday marked the sixth time passenger counts were above the one million mark since the coronavirus crisis began in March, according to the Times.
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The FDA is looking into at least five incidents of recipients of the Pfizer COVID vaccine suffering allergic reactions.
According to the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, allergic reactions to the drug have been reported in more than one state, including Alaska.
Officials believe that a chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG) found in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine could be the “culprit.”
They are advising Americans who have previously experienced severe allergic reactions to vaccines — or to the specific ingredients in this vaccine — to skip the shot. There are also now requirements to have appropriate medical treatments on hand for immediate allergic reactions when the shot is administered.
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The first shipments of Moderna’s COVID vaccine left warehouses early Sunday en route to more than 3,700 locations across the nation.
The US government said the plan is to distribute 5.9 million Moderna shots this week, along with 2 million from Pfizer.
All shipments are expected to arrive at healthcare providers by today.
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Eight nuns at a Wisconsin convent have died from COVID complications — all in the same week.
The sisters lived with 80 others at School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province in Elm Grove, just outside of Milwaukee.
Another nun who lives at the convent told a local news station that the sisters have all been “following CDC precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing.”
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A judge in Minnesota is upholding his decision to livestream the trial against the four former officers who have been charged in the death of George Floyd.
County District Court Judge Peter Cahill cited the “immense global interest” and “limited courthouse space” in his ruling.
Cahill also ruled last month that all four officers will be tried in the same proceeding.
The trial is set for March 2021.
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Imagine a world with pristine oceans, rains, maybe even clean white snow and landmasses with plate tectonics: This was the planet Venus over a billion years ago, according to research highlighted by the World Economic Forum — until the greenhouse effect transformed the planet into an uninhabitable hellscape.
No, satellites haven’t found ruins of gas-guzzling trucks and carbon-emitting factories there. Instead, the planet naturally incurred a period of heavy carbon dioxide burped by giant volcanoes to change the composition of its atmosphere and oceans.
So, there’s that.
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In San Francisco, lockdown restrictions over COVID are so intense, their NFL football team has abandoned the city altogether; after all, so far 173 San Franciscans have died from the disease.
But that’s just over one-fourth of the 621 people who have died from drug overdoses there this year. Worse, SFGate.com reports that officials administered anti-fentanyl compound Narcan 3,000 times between January and early November to help save those suffering from an overdose.
The 621 number is staggering: In all of 2019, 441 people died from drug overdoses, and that was a 70% increase from 2018.
SFGate further reports: “The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted city services like housing and treatment, and left many people who rely on others to help save them if they overdose to use alone.”
WORTH REMEMBERING: Speaker Nancy Pelosi represents San Francisco.
WORTH ASKING: Does she think the lives of people who are overdosing and dying are worth more or less than those who die from contracting COVID?
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Weekend Box Office
10. Come Play: $115k (stayed at 10)
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas: $130k (re-release)
8. Freaky: $165k (down from 4)
7. The War with Grandpa: $170k (down from 5)
6. The Polar Express: $231k (re-release)
5. Half Brothers: $260k (down from 2)
4. Elf: $365k (re-release)
3. Fatale: $925k (new)
2. The Croods: A New Age: $2 million (down from 1)
1. Monster Hunter: $2.2 million (new)
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Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
• The Bachelorette / ABC / 7:00 pm
• Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical / NBC / 7:00 pm
• neXt / FOX / 7:00 pm
• Kid Of The Year / CBS / 8:00 pm
• Cosmos: Possible Worlds / FOX / 8:00 pm
• CMA Country Christmas / ABC / 9:00 pm
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Showbiz News
Maren Morris has cancelled her previously postponed “RSVP” tour.
The 30-year-old stated that with the uncertainty surrounding when music venues will be allowed to reopen due to the coronavirus crisis, she felt it is best to simply cancel the tour.
In the meantime, the country singer said she is working on some new music which will be ready when she is able to hit the road again.
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Netflix has given its popular romance drama series “Virgin River” a 10-episode third season.
Also, Zibby Allen (“Grey’s Anatomy) will join the cast as a series regular and Stacey Farber (“Saving Hope”) has been tapped for a recurring role.
Allen will play Brie, Jack’s (Martin Henderson) sister, while Farber will play Tara Anderson, Lucy’s (Linda Boyd) daughter.
Returning cast members include: Alexandra Breckenridge, as Melinda Monroe, Henderson, Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Colin Lawrence and Jenny Cooper.
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There is going to be a Boba Fett Disney+ spinoff series.
The news was revealed during the post-credit sequence in the Season 2 finale of “The Mandalorian,” which dropped Friday night.
“The Book of Boba Fett” is happening December 2021.
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NBC is developing “Look At Me,” a drama series inspired by the life of deaf model, actor and activist Nyle DiMarco.
DiMarco, who appeared on “America’s Next Top Model” and “Dancing With the Stars,” will serve as executive producer on the project.
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Eminem used the new album he dropped on Friday to apologize to Rihanna.
On the album, titled “Music to Be Murdered By—Side B,” Slim Shady used the track “Zeus” to apologize to Ri-Ri for supporting her ex Chris Brown in lyrics that leaked last year.
On the track, Em said he had Brown’s back following his 2009 assault of Ri-Ri.
The lyrics raised eyebrows as Em and Ri collaborated on “Love the Way You Lie” in 2010, “Numb” in 2012 and “The Monster” in 2013. They also went on tour together in 2014.
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Howard Stern isn’t losing any sleep over a former employee who called him a “cruel penny-pincher.”
A former longtime employee unloaded his feelings on the shock jock, telling The Post that Stern forced his longtime show engineer to beg for money via GoFundMe to pay for medical bills as his wife died of cancer. The employee continued on saying that after the woman passed away, Stern couldn’t even offer “his condolences.”
In response to the criticism, Stern told his listeners that he simply “doesn’t care.”
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Jim Carrey will no longer play Sleepy Joe Biden on “Saturday Night Live.”
Carrey tweeted about his exit on Saturday writing, “Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President…comedy’s highest call of duty. I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that [stuff]. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”
The 58-year-old temporarily moved to NY to play Biden, according to The Wrap.
In the latest episode of “SNL,” Biden was played by cast member Alex Moffat, who joked, “I’m like Colonel Sanders. Every time you see me, I’m a different guy.”
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Nicole Curtis is returning to HGTV.
Curtis’ “Rehab Addict,” which ran from 2010 to 2018, will return with a slightly new format as “Rehab Addict Rescue!”
The new show centers around Curtis as she rescues homeowners who are totally overwhelmed by the renovation process, Variety reports.
The eight-episode series will debut on Jan. 28 on HGTV, as well as Discovery+.
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“The Wilds” is getting a second season.
The first young adult series for Amazon Studios is described as part survival drama, part dystopia slumber party, by creator Sarah Streicher. It follows a group of teenage girls after their plane crashes, leaving them stranded on a deserted island.
The series premiered earlier this month.
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Mossimo Giannulli has been placed in COVID-related protective custody one month after beginning a 5-month sentence for his role in the college admissions scandal.
PEOPLE reports that the 57-year-old has been separated from other inmates as a “precaution amid a coronavirus outbreak within the prison.”
A source told the outlet that hundreds of cases have been confirmed at the facility.
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Sports
Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame will contend for a national championship.
The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl are the two semifinal games. The former was moved from Rose Bowl Stadium to AT&T Stadium in Texas for parents of the players to attend the game. Meanwhile, the latter will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
The semifinal games will be played on New Year’s Day.
The national championship game is set for Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
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Day of the Year
Crossword Puzzle Day
Humbug Day
National Maine Day
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
Winter Solstice
National Flashlight Day
National French Fried Shrimp Day
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day
Anne & Samantha Day
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On This Date
1913 – The first crossword puzzle is published, and it appears in the New York World newspaper.
It contained 31 clues, and was arranged in a diamond-shape, rather than the modern square. It was then called a “word-cross puzzle.”
The author was Arthur Wynne, who would play a major role in modernizing the crossword puzzle, like introducing black squares to break up words and columns.
Wynne’s puzzle only became known as a Cross-Word — rather than Word-Cross — following a typesetting error.
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1937 – “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” opens in Los Angeles. It’s the first full-length film produced by Walt Disney’s studio.
The animators used a multi-plane camera to help create the illusion of depth, and also used live actors while drawing the characters. Both were new techniques.
The total budget for the film was $1.5 million at the time. That’s nearly $24 million today.
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1945 – George Patton dies following a car accident at 60 years old.
Patton was commander of the 7th Army during World War II, when he captured Palermo, Sicily.
He commanded the 3rd Army during the Battle of the Bulge.
He was known for a reckless mouth and impatience for cowardice.
Patton survived the war, but died the year it ended, when he broke his neck in the accident.
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1968 – The first manned mission to the Moon launches, though the astronauts on board had no intent to land on it.
Apollo 8 carried Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders into orbit around the Moon.
They orbited 10 times, broadcasting TV images back to Earth, and taking some of the closest photos ever.
They were the first astronauts to see the dark side of the Moon as well.
Less than 7 months later, the first men would walk on the Moon.
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1988 – A Pan Am Flight en route to New York from London explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland.
All 243 passengers died, along with 16 crew members. 11 on the ground were killed from the wreckage.
It was determined the bomber was Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, who planted a bomb inside a cassette recorder, which was stowed in the cargo bay of the plane.
He was protected by the Libyan government until 1999, when former dictator Muammar Qaddafi turned him over to soften relations with the United States.
In 2003, Libya took responsibility for the attack.
In 2009, al-Megrahi was released from prison and returned to Libya after doctors determined he had terminal prostate cancer.
He died in May of 2012.
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2005 – Elton John and David Furnish register their civil partnership at Windsor Town Hall.
The pair were one of hundreds of same-sex couples who formed civil partnerships in England and Wales on this day – the first day such ceremonies became possible.
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2012 – “Gangnam Style” by Psy becomes the first video to reach one BILLION views on YouTube.
The music video was recognized by “Guinness World Records” as the most “liked” video on YouTube at the time.
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Birthdays
Emmanuel Macron – President of France – 43
Kiefer Sutherland – actor – 54
Andy Dick – comedian – 55
Jack Noseworthy – actor, “U-571” (played Wentz, the radioman) – 51
Ray Romano – actor – 63
Jane Kaczmerek – actress, “Malcom in the Middle” – 65
Kay Robertson – “Duck Dynasty” matriarch – 70
Samuel L Jackson – actor – 72
Jane Fonda – communist – 83
Phil Donahue – film producer – 85
Born On This Date
Joe Paterno – 1926 (d. 2012)
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