Oskaloosa News Recap For December 30th, 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
What could be worse than the chaos of 2020? How about zombies, famine and world-ending astroids?
According to French philosopher Michel de Nostradamus’ collection of poetic quatrains, which alluded to such events as the French Revolution, the development of the atomic bomb and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 2021 may be worse than 2020.
His writings mention: “Few young people: half-dead to give a start,” “after great trouble for humanity, a greater one is prepared…rain, blood, milk, famine, steel, and plague” and lastly, “in the sky, one sees fire and a long trail of sparks.”
To shed a tiny glimmer of hope on the depressive outlook, historians note that Nostradamus’ writings are “incredibly vague,” so there is a chance things improve in the new year.
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The FDA has rolled out another recall of potentially hazardous hand sanitizers.
Wash-Free Hand Sanitizer from Shane Erickson, Inc. has been added to the already extensive list due to the “potential presence of methanol.”
There are now over 220 products that consumers need to be wary of, according to the FDA.
WORTH NOTING: In some cases, the toxic chemical isn’t even listed on the label.
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While it seems people only died of COVID this year, there were some odd health issues that did not involve the virus at all.
Here are some of the oddest (NON-COVID RELATED) health news headlines from 2020.
Massachusetts man dies after “overdosing” on black licorice
Poop transplant cures man’s “drunkenness disease”
Woman’s headache caused by tapeworm larvae in brain
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The first person in the UK to receive Pfizer’s COVID vaccine has now gotten her second dose.
On Tuesday, Margaret Keenan, who received her first dose on Dec. 8, became the first person outside of a clinical study to be “fully inoculated,” according to multiple reports.
The 91-year-old was the first person in the world to get poked after the UK “leapfrogged the EU to grant the vaccine temporary approval,” according to Sky News.
Just like with the first round, Keenan stated she feels “great.”
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At least 2.13 million doses of either Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines have been given in the United States, representing nearly half of the 4.6 million doses worldwide.
More than 15 million doses have been allotted across the country since the first approvals were issued mid-month.
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At least six are dead in Croatia after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake shook capital city Zagreb Tuesday.
It’s the largest quake in Croatia at least since the introduction of modern detection technology.
The earthquake caused multiple buildings to collapse and triggered an automated shutdown procedure at a nuclear power plan in nearby Slovenia.
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The Department of Justice revealed Monday that they will not bring charges against the Cleveland officers involved in the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
Rice was carrying a pellet gun when he was shot by officers in 2014. He had been seen throughout the day brandishing and pointing the realistic looking weapon at more than one person at the Cudell Park Recreation Center, prompting multiple calls to authorities.
Responding officers asked Rice to show his hands and when they believed he was reaching for the gun, one of them shot him.
Due to lack of evidence, the DOJ could not press charges.
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Tuesday’s trading session began positively and moved lower as the day continued. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 68 points, the Nasdaq Composite sank 49 points and the S&P 500 dipped 8 points.
Markets switched gears and went into sell-mode after Senate Leader McConnell blocked a vote to increase individual payouts from the economic stimulus bill.
Data was released on Tuesday showing U.S. home prices are at a 6-year high. One index follows home prices in 20 major cities and reported a 7.9 percent increased yearly pace in growth for the month of October.
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The victims in the horrific bowling alley massacre in Illinois have been identified.
Thomas Furseth, 65, Dennis Steinhoff, 73, and Jerome Woodstock, 69, all beloved members of the Rockford community, succumbed to their injuries after being shot by Army special-ops sergeant Duke Webb.
A 62-year-old unidentified man remains in critical condition after being shot in the eye, back, neck, groin and buttocks.
Other victims include a 14-year-old boy who was shot in the face and a 16-year-old girl who was hit in the shoulder. Both are recovering from their wounds.
While a motive is unclear, Webb’s lawyers suggested in court on Monday that their client suffers from PTSD.
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Six robbers swiped more than $60,000 worth of purses from a Manhattan shop over the weekend.
The midday heist occurred Saturday at the Balenciaga store in Soho, where the thieves made off with 30 bags, according to officers.
The cheapest bag in the loot sells for $1,850.
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Tube Talk
All late-night shows are reruns this week.
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Nothing new on the tube tonight.
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Obituaries
Radar and Road Conditions
Local Traffic Cameras
National and World News
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Showbiz News
Hilaria Baldwin’s official agency bio has been updated after it came to light that she is not of Spanish descent, but rather a “white girl” from Boston.
Her page on Creative Artists Agency’s site no longer reads, “born in Mallorca, Spain and raised in Boston, Massachusetts.” In fact, there is no longer any tidbit of where she was born or raised, now only references her work and TV appearances.
The alteration comes after Hiliaria was forced to come clean about her past after a Twitter user questioned her Spanish heritage. The wife of Alec Baldwin admitted that she was born and raised in Boston as Hillary Hayward-Thomas.
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Disney flick “Soul” is being blasted over the decision to cast a white woman as the “savior” of the story.
While many seemed to enjoy the film and appreciate the “live life to its fullest” message over the weekend, some viewers are now calling the movie “racially insensitive,” saying the role of the disillusioned spirit named 22 should have gone to a black female instead of Tina Fey.
One Twitter user wrote that Fey was likely selected for the role to make sure the film didn’t “alienate white audiences.”
Neither Disney, Fey nor Jamie Foxx, who voices the lead character, have commented on the backlash.
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Tom Cruise returned to work this week after his tirades about following COVID restrictions resulted in him leaving early for the Christmas holiday.
Variety reports that Cruise is now working on “Mission: Impossible 7” at Longcross Film Studios, where other blockbusters such as, “Skyfall,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Thor: The Dark World” have filmed.
The film is slated for a Nov. 19, 2021 release.
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Lori Loughlin had an emotional reunion with her daughters following her release from prison on Monday.
A spokesperson at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California confirmed that the actress completed her sentence and quickly left the facility to be with her daughters, Olivia Jade, 21, and Isabella, 22.
PEOPLE magazine reports that the trio shared a tearful reunion in Los Angeles.
Loughlin’s husband Mossimo Giannulli is still behind bars for a few more months for his role in the college admissions scandal.
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New movies to steam over the holiday break.
New to Netflix:
Catch Me If You Can
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cool Hand Luke
The Creative Brain
The Departed
Enter the Dragon
Gimme Shelter
Good Hair
Goodfellas
Gothika
Check out the rest of the list here.
New to Disney+:
700 Sharks
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
Great Shark Chow Down
Mega Hammerhead
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
The Wolverine
New to Hulu:
Blood Diamond
Changing Lanes
Chaplin
Dance Flick
The Firm
Footloose
In & Out
Kiss the Girls
The Longest Yard
Major League
Check out the rest of the list here.
New to HBO Max:
The Trouble With Spies
Underclassman
V for Vendetta
Happy Feet
The Electric Horseman
Escape from New York
The Exorcist
Flashpoint
Blade
A Better Life
Check out the rest of the list here.
New to Amazon Prime:
Star Trek Beyond
The Brass Legend
The Brothers Mcmullen
The Cooler
The Devil’s Own
The Firm
The Interview
The Legend Of Bagger Vance
The Longest Yard
The Peacemaker
Check out the rest of the list here.
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Carole Baskin is working on a new TV show and memoir.
The “Tiger King” star revealed the new projects in an end-of-the-year email she sent to her fans.
Baskin bragged about her bobble head, licensing deal with mask manufacturers and being “one of Cameo’s most prolific earners, having created more than 2,300 greetings.”
Also in the email, Baskin reminded everyone that while she was doing all of that, her arch nemeses Joe Exotic and Doc Antle sat in jail on two felony counts of wildlife trafficking.
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Universal has moved its sequel “The Boss Baby: Family Business” from March to September, bumping the flick “The Bad Guys” from September to sometime in 2022.
The move comes amid concerns that theaters — of which only 60% are currently open in the US and Canada — will remain shuttered for most of next year.
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Channing Tatum is in talks to star opposite Sandra Bullock in “The Lost City of D.”
According to the film’s official description, “the rom-com follows a reclusive romance novelist (Bullock) who was sure nothing could be worse than getting stuck on a book tour with her cover model (Tatum), until a kidnapping attempt sweeps them both into a cutthroat jungle adventure.”
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Sir Paul McCartney performed a celebratory “jig” as his latest album “McCartney III” topped the Billboard Top Albums Sales chart in the US.
The 78-year-old noted that it is the first to top the chart since his 1989 album “Flowers In The Dirt.”
The album also debuted at No. 2 on the main Billboard 200 Album Chart, falling short to Taylor Swift’s “Evermore.”
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Just as Simon Cowell was set to make his return following his biking accident, in which he broke his back, everything is shutdown due to COVID.
According to The Sun, auditions for “Britain’s Got Talent,” on which Cowell is a judge, were set to begin next month, but will now be pushed back a few weeks because of COVID rule changes.
The move comes as the UK remains in strict Tier 4 regulations to help combat the spread of the virus.
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Sports
Heading into Week 17, here is what the NFL playoff picture looks like…
AFC
1. Kansas City
2. Buffalo
3. Pittsburgh
4. Tennessee
5. Miami
6. Baltimore
7. Cleveland
NFC
1. Green Bay
2. New Orleans
3. Seattle
4. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
6. Los Angeles
7. Chicago
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Day of the Year
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
Falling Needles Family Fest Day
National Bacon Day
National Resolution Planning Day
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On This Date
1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis goes into effect between the US and Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi tribes.
The agreement had the tribes relinquish rights to their land in exchange for $1,000 in goods, delivered over 12 years.
It was one of 14 similar treaties, all of which were signed near St. Louis, like in —
1825 – when an agreement between the US and Shawnee Nation called for lands in exchange for $11,000 and access to a blacksmith shop.
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1896 – Canadian hockey pro Ernie McLea scores the first hat trick in a Stanley Cup game.
One of the goals was for the win, which launched the Montreal Victorias to beat the Winnipeg Victorias.
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1916 – Grigori Rasputin is killed.
The mystic and influential adviser to the Russian royal family caused concern among noblemen and high-level government officials.
He was called to the home of Felix Yusupov, a Russian aristocrat with ties to the royal family, under the guise of curing a health issue.
The details of his death are uncertain, but Yusupov described them at length in his memoirs. He alleges that first, Rasputin was fed cake laced with cyanide, which had no impact. He drank wine that was poisoned, but did not die. Finally, Yusupov shot him three times, then dumped his body in a nearby river.
A later medical examination didn’t show any sign that Rasputin had been poisoned.
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1922 – The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR is signed to create a central Soviet government. There were 26 articles outlining the fundamentals of the new government.
Two years later a Constitution was formalized, expanding on the principles of the treaty.
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1936 – United Auto Workers begin their first sit-down strike.
They organized in-place at a General Motors factory in Flint, Michigan, refusing to do work. This caused logistical problems beyond the typical picket line outside such a plant.
A resolution was not reached until February 11. In the meantime, police tried to remove the workers by force, but were met with violent resistance and eventually stood down.
Workers won a 5% pay raise — and the right to speak to each other during lunch. Gotta start somewhere.
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2006 – Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is executed.
His hanging happened at Camp Justice in Northeastern Baghdad. He was buried at a family cemetery near Tikrit, Iraq.
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Birthdays
Brady Noon – “Boardwalk Empire” actor – 15
Jeremiah & Jedidiah Duggar – 11th and 12th (of 19) of the Duggar clan – 22
Trevor Wallace – comedian – 28
Ellie Goulding – singer – 34
LeBron James – NBA pro – 36
Andra Day – singer – 36
Tyrese Gibson – singer, actor “Fast & Furious” flicks – 42
Laila Ali – former boxer, TV personality – 43
Tiger Woods – Golf pro – 45
Andy Lassner – TV executive producer – 54
Matt Lauer – for tv morning host – 63
Born On This Date
Davy Jones – singer – 1945 (d. 2012)
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