Oskaloosa News Recap For February 24th, 2021

Local News – Local and State News

Local Sports – Local Sports

Indians Network
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North Mahaska Warhawks

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Obituaries
Radar and Road Conditions
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National and World News

Dogs in Russia are changing colors.

The bizarre phenomenon is occurring in and around the town of Dzerzhinsk near an abandoned chemical plant that once manufactured highly toxic hydrocyanic acid — a core ingredient in a once commonly used “Prussian blue” dye.

Veterinarians are blaming the blue hue on “some kind of chemical,” which doesn’t appear to have harmed the pups physically.

The blue dogs will remain under close investigation for about 20 days.

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Coca-Cola’s new diversity training urges employees to be “less white.”

The “Confronting Racism” course, offered to the company by LinkedIn Education, contained a slide that read: “In the U.S. and other Western nations, white people are socialized to feel that they are inherently superior because they are white.”

Another slide suggests employees “try to be less white” with tips that include being “less oppressive” and breaking “with white solidarity.”

The material was shared by YouTube commentator Karlyn Borysenko, who said the screenshots were sent to her from an “internal whistleblower” from Coca-Cola who said the course was “required.”

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The leader of Oklahoma’s Cherokee Nation wants Jeep to stop using the tribe’s name on its SUVs.

Chuck Hoskin Jr. expressed his thoughts on the matter after Car and Driver magazine inquired whether or not the branding was “appropriate in the context of the nationwide rethinking of racial and social justice issues.”

Jeep, which has been using the Cherokee name for nearly five decades, responded to the article writing: .

“Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess, and pride. We are, more than ever, committed to a respectful and open dialogue with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr.”

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People who wear glasses are two-to-three times less likely to get COVID, according to a new study.

Researchers from India questioned 304 patients on their glasses-wearing habits and compared them to the general population.

The study showed that the risk of the virus was two-to-three times less “in the spectacles-wearing population than the population not using spectacles,” according to lead researcher Amit Kumar Saxena.

The researchers noted that people touch their face “an average 23 times an hour and the eyes on average three times per hour.”

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The wife of the notorious Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera was arrested Monday at a DC-area airport on drug trafficking charges.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the US, the Justice Department stated in a press release.

According to federal court documents, Coronel Aispuro’s father was a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, which El Chapo led for nearly three decades. Coronel Aispuro and El Chapo met in 2007 and were married while she was still a teenager.

Coronel Aispuro was allegedly the “go-between and messenger” when El Chapo was behind bars. She was also the mastermind behind the plots to help the kingpin escape from prison.

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An American Airlines pilot reported a close encounter with a “long cylindrical object that almost looked like a cruise missile” while flying at 37,000 feet above New Mexico on Sunday.

Steve Douglas, an experienced radio interceptor, told The War Zone that he heard the pilot’s bizarre transmission, asking air traffic control if there were “any targets up here” because a “long cylindrical object” was “moving really fast right over the top of us.” He was told “no significant military aircraft presence” was reported in the area.

The outlet noted that the incident was similar to one that occurred in the same area almost three years ago, when a Learjet and an airliner both had close encounters with an unidentified object.

The War Zone reached out to the FAA and American Airlines for further comments on the latest mystery. So far, they have not heard back.

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The people of Manitoba, Canada can’t stop creating sexually explicit snow people.

Recent images shared to the City of Winnipeg Complaints Department’s Facebook page — a totally fictional agency — feature snowmen and women in a series of sexually suggestive positions, including a pair getting frisky on a bench near Winnipeg’s City Hall.

A missive by the so-called Complaints Department from Feb. 19 reads: “PLEASE STOP MAKING SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE SNOW SCULPTURES AT CITY HALL! WE HAVE CAMERA FOOTAGE OF THE PERSONS INVOLVED AND POLICE WILL BE INVESTIGATING!!”

Most of the group’s followers appear be enjoying the snow sculptures, with one commenting they are the “best thing ever.”

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Tiger Woods underwent surgery Tuesday after sustaining multiple leg injuries in a horrific single-car crash in L.A. county.

The pro-golfer, who was in town for his annual Genesis Invitational golf tournament, had to be extricated from the vehicle by first responders. Law enforcement officials said Woods was “calm” and “alert” enough at the scene to ask them to have his manager pick up his stuff.

Nothing illicit was found inside the vehicle and officers do not believe alcohol was involved, but have not ruled out other substances.

A crew member working on the TV show “Grown-ish” — which was being shot at the hotel Woods was staying at — said Woods almost hit him as he “took off fast” out of the parking lot of the hotel yesterday morning. It is not clear if officers believe speed was a factor in the crash.

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Tuesday’s session once again ended with mixed results as the Dow gained 15 points, the S&P rose 4 points and the Nasdaq dipped 67 points.

Rising interest rates continued to be of concern as the 10-year Treasury bond yield continues to hover at rates higher than those seen in the last year. Such a trend is particularly damaging to smaller high-growth companies that rely on borrowing to support cash flow.

The financial sector finished more than one percent higher after the Bank of Montreal and Bank of Nova Scotia released promising quarterly results.

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Customs officials in Ohio intercepted a shipment of cocaine-frosted cereal earlier this month.

The officers said their narcotics detection dog, named Bico, discovered 44 pounds of cocaine-coated cornflakes that had been shipped from South America and was heading to a home in Hong Kong.

Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie said that while smugglers will try to hide narcotics in anything imaginable, his inspectors will “use their training, intuition and strategic skill” to stop such shipments.

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The House Budget Committee has approved the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package.

As it stands, anyone who got free government money last time around will get free government money again this time.

The package also includes $400-a-week in supplemental federal unemployment assistance, which means the average unemployed person will take home between $600 and $700 a week.

It also includes a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, but that’s expected to get tossed in order to curry favor with Democrat swing voters in the Senate.

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Tube Talk

Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:

Tough as Nails / CBS / 7:00 pm
The Goldbergs / ABC / 7:00 pm
Name That Tune / FOX / 7:00 pm
American Housewife / ABC / 7:30 pm
The Connors / ABC / 8:00 pm
Call Your Mother / ABC / 8:30 pm
For Life / ABC / 9:00 pm

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Showbiz News

Another white “Simpsons” voice actor has stepped down from voicing a character of color.

Harry Shearer will no longer voice the black character Dr. Hibbert. He will be replaced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Shearer has voiced the skilled doctor since 1990. He also lends his pipes to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, which he will continue.

“The Simpsons” is currently airing its 32nd Season.

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Bestselling true-crime authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge are teaming up for a new podcast.

“Saints, Sinners and Serial Killers,” aims to reveal exclusive new information about many of America’s most notorious crimes.

The 10-episode audio series will launch on March 15.

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Gillian Anderson is set to star opposite Viola Davis and Michelle Pfeiffer as Eleanor Roosevelt in “The First Lady.”

Showtime’s “The First Lady” is a revelatory reframing of American leadership told through the lens of the women of the White House. Season 1 focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Davis).

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Shailene Woodley confirmed her engagement to Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

The discussion began with Fallon asking point-blank if the rumors were true, to which the actress replied “Yes, we are engaged, we are engaged.” She added that she never thought she would be “engaged to someone who threw balls for a living.”

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Gladys Knight and Alessia Cara will perform at the NBA All-Star 2021 game.

The 70th annual event will also feature performances by iconic HBCU (historically black colleges & universities) musical groups.

Knight will sing the US national anthem from the Atlanta arena, while Cara will perform the Canadian national anthem from Toronto.

The NBA All-Star game is set for Sunday, March 7 on TNT.

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“Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards will host the game show for the next two weeks.

The team behind the scenes reportedly had a hard time booking someone after Ken Jennings’ stint was up, so Richards decided he would step up to the podium.

After Monday’s show, viewers called Richards a “natural” and took to social media to rave about the interim host.

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Current “Bachelor” Matt James opened up about host Chris Harrison excusing historical racism and contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racist behavior, calling it “incredibly disappointing and devastating.”

James chatted with Rachel Lindsay — the first black “Bachelorette” — about the incident, noting that he is “glad the controversy has, at least, sparked critical conversations and raised important questions,” but added that he is still “processing” it all.

He also thanked Bachelor Nation for their support on the matter.

James still has a few more episodes that remain on his season of “The Bachelor.”

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“The Rise and Fall of Victoria’s Secret,” is heading to Hulu.

The docuseries will chronicle the “lingerie franchise’s start as a small mail order brand to its ascension as a global juggernaut embroiled in controversies including the relationship between owner Les Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein,” according to the series description.

The series is currently in production with no set premiere date.

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“Frogger” is heading to Peacock.

The classic video arcade game is being turned into a physical competition series for the streamer.

The series will feature 12 obstacle courses, or crossings, seeing contestants dodging traffic, leaping over snapping gators and hopping over hungry hippos to conquer the course and win a cash prize.

NBCU has ordered 13 episodes — marking the biggest non-scripted project to date for the platform.

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Chrissy Teigen rejoiced as President Joe Biden’s Twitter account, @POTUS, unfollowed her — per her request.

“I have tweeted a handful of times since my treasured @POTUS following. In order for me to flourish as me, I must ask you to please lord unfollow me. I love you!!! It’s not you it’s me!!!!” she tweeted.

Shortly after the unfollow, Teigen celebrated with an expletive-filled tweet.

The model was one of only 12 people the @POTUS Twitter account followed. The account has 4.5 million followers.

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Sports

Two beach volleyball pros from Germany are boycotting an upcoming tournament in Qatar over a policy that prohibits women from wearing bikinis on the court.

Karla Borger, 32, and Julia Sude, 33, were set to play in an FIVB World Tour event in Qatar next month, but they are bailing over the uniform policy for women in the Muslim country.

According to multiple reports, female volleyball players have been asked to wear long shirts and long pants instead of bikinis out of respect for the host country.

Borger and Sude took the issue one step further and questioned if it was even “necessary” to hold a “tournament there at all” — referring to the country’s alleged human rights violations.

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Day of the Year

National Tortilla Chip Day
Forget Me Not Day
Inconvenience Yourself Day
National Dance Day
Pink Shirt Day
World Bartender Day

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On This Date

1868 – The House of Representatives files 11 articles of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson.

The lawsuit came after Johnson’s dismissal of his Secretary of War, Edward M. Stanton. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Senate voted that any officials who needed to be confirmed by the Senate must also be dismissed by the Senate.

Twice Johnson tried to get rid of Stanton, but he was compelled the first time to keep him in office. The second time, Congress voted to impeach.

The trial ran from March 13 to May 26. Congress failed to achieve the two-thirds majority to convict him.

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1917 – The British government informs the U.S. that the Germans are planning an American invasion through Mexico.

The information became known in what is called the Zimmerman Note, a secret memo from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador to Mexico.

The note outlined plans for an invasion of the U.S through its southern border, should it decide to enter World War I. The Mexicans would be asked to join Germany as their ally. Germany also promised to restore Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

When President Wilson authorized leaking the memo, the press thought it was a joke — but Zimmerman himself confirmed its authenticity.

After its release, public opinion went from neutral to negative toward Germany.

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1981 – Prince Charles announces his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer.

He had proposed at Windsor Castle weeks earlier.

An interview asks the couple if they are in love, to which Diana responded “Of course” and Charles adds, “Whatever that means.”

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1982 – Wayne Gretzky knocks in his 77th goal, setting a new record.

The previous record of 76 goals had been held by Phil Esposito.

Gretzky was also the youngest NHL player to score 50 goals in a single season, among a host of other records.

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1982 – The Reagan Administration announces the Caribbean Basin Initiative.

The policy would aid Caribbean nations to protect them from being influenced by communism.

The package included $350 million in economic aid and $60 million in military assistance.

While the program quickly proved ineffective in rebuffing far-left politic, Reagan would leave his mark on Grenada and Nicaragua, where he aggressively overthrew leftist governments.

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1988 – The Supreme Court affirms the media’s right to satirize public figures.

The new precedent overturned Jerry Falwell’s lawsuit against Hustler magazine, in which Falwell was initially awarded $200,000.

Hustler’s depiction of Falwell was of course crude and disgusting. The Supreme Court affirmed this, calling it “in poor taste” but nonetheless protected by the first amendment.

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1998 – Elton John is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Elton Hercules John became Sir Elton for his services to British pop music and his work in raising money for Aids charities.

After his knighting, he said, “They don’t come much bigger than this.”

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2019 – A Roman Catholic Church summit on pedophilia ends with Pope Francis promising more action and calling those guilty “tools of Satan.”

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2020 – Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of rape and sexual assault, three years after allegations first surfaced.

The former Hollywood producer is sentenced to 23 years in jail.

Weinstein’s case ignited the #MeToo movement.

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Birthdays

Dylan Fuentes – rapper – 24
Lil Gnar – rapper – 25
Trace Cyrus – musician & brother of Miley – 32
Daniel Kaluuya – actor, “Get Out” – 32
Corey Graves – WWE superstar – 37
Floyd Mayweather Jr. – boxer – 44
Billy Zane – actor, “Titanic,” “Dead Calm” – 55
Phil Knight – cofounder of Nike – 83

Born On This Date

Steve Jobs – Apple co-founder – 1955 (d. 2011)
Honus Wagner – Hall of Fame shortstop – 1874 (d.1955)
Chester Nimitz -American admiral who commanded the US Pacific fleet in WWII – 1885 (d. 1966)
Wilhelm Grimm – author, “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” – 1786 (d. 1859)

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