Oskaloosa News Recap For February 8th, 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
As of this weekend, over 39 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered, while over 59 million have been distributed, according to the CDC.
The agency reports that over 30 million people have received 1 or more doses, while more than 8 million have gotten their second dose as of Saturday.
More than 4.6 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in long-term care facilities.
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The 5-year-old girl who was in the vehicle that was struck by Kansas City Chiefs Assistant Coach Britt Reid over the weekend is fighting for her life.
The child, identified as Ariel by family members, “suffered swelling in the brain and bleeding around her brain,” her aunt posted on a GoFundMe page.
Reid was behind the wheel of a white Dodge Ram pickup when he struck a Chevrolet Traverse that was pulled over on the side of a highway entrance ramp. The son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, told officers that he had 2-3 drinks and had taken some Adderall prior to the crash.
Ariel’s mom was on the ramp to help a family member who had run out of gas. Both vehicles had their hazard lights flashing.
A 4-year-old child also sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
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Archeologists in Egypt uncovered a 2,000-year-old mummy with a gold tongue.
The mummy was among 16 burials dug up in rock tombs at the temple of Taporsiris Magna, just west of Alexandria.
According to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, ancient Egyptians would have “given the mummy a gold tongue during a ritual to help him speak to Osiris, the god of the underworld, in the afterlife.”
Other finds from the dig included: two mummies with crowns decorated with horns and a cobra, a falcon’s head pendant and eight masks of marble dating back to the Greek and Roman eras.
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Memorial services for the two FBI agents who were shot and killed last week were held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami over the weekend.
Laura Schwartzenberger, 43, was honored on Saturday afternoon and Daniel Alfrin, 36, was honored on Sunday.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency lost “two warriors who took on one of the hardest jobs in the FBI: crimes against children.”
As previously reported, the agents were killed while executing a search warrant a home in Florida last week.
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The US Coast Guard rescued 66 people stranded on ice floes in northeastern Wisconsin last Thursday.
Ice boats and helicopters helped bring the people who were ice fishing to safety in Door County as three separate ice floes broke away after cracks developed between the shore and the groups of people.
High winds pushed the floes further from the shore.
Bryan Swintek, search and rescue coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, called the rescue a “success” due to the “close relationships with agency partners in the greater Sturgeon Bay Area.”
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Taylor & Hart has created an engagement ring inspired by Haribo candy.
The ring has a 2.70-carat cabochon yellow sapphire as the main stone, surrounded by 40 yellow diamonds, while the rose gold band is set with 224 rubies.
The colors were chosen to replicate Haribo’s jelly rings from the 90s.
The candy-themed ring — dubbed “the world’s most expensive sweet ring” — has a price-tag of $34,300.
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AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine has proved to be highly effective against the highly transmissible variant that was first detected in the UK, according to new data.
Researchers from Oxford University said the vaccine afforded similar protection against the strain found in the UK at about 75%, compared to efficacy against prior strains at 84%.
The news comes as other recent findings show the AstraZeneca vaccine not only drops virus transmission by two-thirds, but also improves hospitalization rates and prevents other serious diseases. Researchers also noted that new data shows spacing out the two doses actually boosts protection against the virus.
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Prosecutors want to charge all four police officers in connection with George Floyd’s murder with third-degree murder.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a motion last week that would allow him to charge officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng with the crime.
Thao, Lane and Kueng are currently charged with aiding and abetting murder along with aiding and abetting manslaughter. Chauvin faces second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
An additional charge of third-degree murder could add up to 25 years to a potential jail sentence for all four men.
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An additional 1,500 elderly residents of New York State adult-care facilities has been added to the coronavirus death toll.
The number comes after officials adjusted the initial figures to reflect adult-care patients who died in hospitals rather than at the centers themselves, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy.
The additional deaths come one day after state health officials also — quietly — updated their stats for nursing home deaths to reflect an additional 4,067 patients who died in hospitals.
The combined updates bring the state’s death toll for long-term facilities to 15,000.
WORTH ASKING: What will Gov. Cuomo’s bail be set at?
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV.
The win earned Tom Brady his 7th career championship.
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Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is pushing for legislation that phases out direct covid relief payments for those earning more than $60,000.
Last year, the threshold was $70,000. Recent negotiations have indicated $50,000 as the max-out level.
Yellen told Jake Tapper on CNN Sunday that people like teachers and policemen who can’t work to take care of kids who are home from school deserve the payments.
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Weekend Box Office
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: $166k (re-release)
9. The War with Grandpa: $167k (stayed at 9)
8. Fatale: $170k (stayed at 8)
7. Promising Young Woman: $220k (stayed at 7)
6. News of the World: $400k (stated at 6)
5: Monster Hunter: $585k (stayed at 5)
4. Wonder Woman 1984: $905k (down from 3)
3. The Marksman: $1 million (up from 4)
2. The Croods: A New Age: $1.8 million (stayed at 2)
1. The Little Things: $2.1 million (stayed at 1)
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Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
The Neighborhood / CBS / 7:00 pm
The Bachelor / ABC / 7:00 pm
Ellen’s Game of Games / NBC / 7:00 pm
9-1-1 / FOX / 7:00 pm
Bob (Hearts) Abishola / CBS / 7:30 pm
All Rise / CBS / 8:00 pm
The Wall / NBC / 8:00 pm
9-1-1: Lone Star / FOX / 8:00 pm
Bull / CBS / 9:00 pm
The Good Doctor / ABC / 9:00 pm
Weakest Link / NBC / 9:00 pm
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Showbiz News
Jennifer Lawrence is recovering after being injured on the set of her Netflix film, “Don’t Look Up.”
According to the Boston Globe, a planned explosion went awry, sending glass flying and cutting the actress near her eye.
The film also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill and Matthew Perry. It is unclear whether any of them were on the set at the time of the incident.
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Armie Hammer has been dropped from his acting agency, WME.
The move is part of the fallout from the actor’s controversial social media posts that were leaked online.
It comes after Hammer exited roles in a pair of films, including “Shotgun Wedding,” which he was set to star opposite Jennifer Lopez.
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Lou Dobbs’ Fox News show has been cancelled.
His firing comes after he was listed in a lawsuit — among other Fox News anchors — from Smartmatic. The voting software company filed the suit over false claims that their technology was used to commit voter fraud in the November presidential election.
While it is not clear exactly why Dobbs was fired so abruptly, CNN’s Brian Selter said that despite high ratings, the host had been “causing trouble for Fox Business” before the lawsuit.
It is unclear what, if any, actions Fox may take against the other anchors listed in the suit: Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.
WORTH NOTING: Dobbs is an old white man, the two other anchors listed are women and minorities.
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Mike Lindell made a two-hour documentary supporting his claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
The My Pillow CEO released the film, titled “Absolute Proof,” on his YouTube channel over the weekend. He also paid One America News Network to run it as a commercial throughout the weekend, according to The Post.
Lindell claims the film will show “100 percent” that China and other countries flipped votes in Joe Biden’s favor.
The documentary isn’t Lindell’s first run at cinematography. In 2019, he helped produce an anti-abortion drama, titled “Unplanned” and was also featured in a film about his life in 2016.
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During a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Dolly Parton shared why she once had to walk five miles through bear and bobcat infested woods.
While playing an adult party game on the show, Parton said she once dated a guy who kicked her out of the car and made her walk home at night through a forest filled with bears and bobcats.
Parton explained that she was 17 or 18 at the time and it was a “put out or get out situation.”
Looking back, she says that now she would much rather “be chewed on by a boy than a bear.”
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VH1 has suspended production on its reality series “T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle” after stars of the show Tip Harris and Tameka Harris were accused of sexual abuse.
Several women, including former associate Sabrina Peterson, have come forward with allegations of trafficking, drugging and sexual coercion.
The couple have denied the claims, calling them “egregiously appalling.”
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Hilaria Baldwin is back!
The wife of Alec Baldwin returned to social media over the weekend after a brief hiatus following her Spanish heritage fiasco.
The 37-year-old told followers that she spent the last month “listening” and “reflecting.”
The scandal unfolded in December after a Twitter user called her out for “impersonating a Spanish person.”
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NBC has laid off the entire staff of E!’s “In The Room” amid a massive restructuring.
While the show, hosted by Jason Kennedy, was cancelled this summer, staff had been helping out in other areas since then.
“Pop of the Morning” and “E! News” were also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.
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The Weeknd headlined the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show for the first time last night.
A full choir opened the performance in the stands and the 30-year-old joined them, stepping out in a red glitter blazer.
First, he belted out “Starboy” and followed it up with “The Hills.” He then headed into a maze of lights to perform “Can’t Feel My Face” among a throng of dancers wearing back and red suits with their faces covered in bandages.
Heading back to the stage, he sang “I Feel It Coming,” followed by “Save Your Tears.” He then delivered a performance of his song “Earned It,” as the bandaged dancers took the field and marched along to the beat.
“Blinded by the Lights” was the final song of the performance, with the dancers dropping to the ground and fireworks erupting in the stadium.
Overall, the performance seemed to receive a positive review from Twitterverse.
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Sports
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Drew Pearson, Alan Faneca, Bill Nunn, John Lynch and Tom Flores will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2021 was rolled out at the NFL Honors on Saturday night.
The 2021 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Aug. 8, 2021.
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Day of the Year
National Boy Scouts Day
National Kite Flying Day
National Iowa Day
National Football Hangover Day
National Clean Out Your Computer Day
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On This Date
1887 – President Cleveland signs the Severalty Act.
The legislation was an attempt to assimilate Native Americans with western culture.
The law ended tribal control of reservations and divided their land into individual holdings.
In 1934, the Wheeler-Howard act overturned the law, trying to give central control back to Indian tribes.
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1904 – The Russo-Japanese war begins.
Russia rejected a Japanese plan to split Manchuria and Korea. The Japanese then attacked a Russian naval base in China, where it decimated the Reds’ fleet.
Much of Japan’s success in the fighting was contributed to Russia’s underestimation of their fighting capabilities.
Fighting was swift. In August 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt brokered a peace treaty between the two nations.
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1910 – The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated.
In its earliest days, the YMCA managed and grew the program, then had it turned over to James E. West, who acted as the first Chief Scout Executive and worked to expand the program across the country.
Since then it has grown to a membership of nearly 3 million scouts and more than a million volunteer leaders.
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1915 – The silent film “Birth of a Nation” opens in Los Angeles.
It was the first feature-length film shown in America, and was an immediate hit.
The movie was actually called “The Clansmen” during its first month of release. The story follows the history of the Civil War and Reconstruction, from a very white-man point of view.
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1943 – Japanese troops up and leave Guadalcanal.
After weeks of fighting on the small Pacific island, the U.S. lost more than 1600 men in combat and suffered 4,000 additional casualties from wounds or disease.
Meanwhile, the Japanese lost 24,000.
Capturing Guadalcanal was the last necessary step in securing the Solomon islands.
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1952 – Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
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1993 – General Motors sues NBC.
The carmaker alleges that “Dateline NBC” rigged two car-truck crashes to show that the 1973-87 GM pickups were prone to fires in side impact crashes.
The network settled the lawsuit and issued an apology the following day.
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2007 – Anna Nicole Smith dies.
The model, actress and tabloid sensation passed away in Florida of an accidental drug overdose.
She was 39.
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Birthdays
Klay Thompson – NBA player – 31
Bethany Hamilton – professional surfer & shark attack survivor – 31
Dani Harmer – actress, “Dani’s House” – 32
Julio Jones – NFL wide receiver – 32
Anderson Paak – R&B Singer – 35
Cecily Strong – actress, “SNL,” “Ghostbusters” – 37
Seth Green – actor, “The Italian Job,” “Rat Race” – 47
Big Show – WWE wrestler – 49
Creed Bratton – actor, “The Office” & musician “The Grass Roots” – 78
John Williams – composer behind the theme of “Star Wars” & “Jaws” – 89
Born On This Date
Kimbo Slice – MMA fighter – 1974 (d. 2016)
Gary Coleman – actor, “Diff’rent Strokes” – 1968 (d. 2010)
James Dean – actor, “Rebel Without a Cause” – 1931 (d. 1955)
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Deaths
Mike Henry has died.
The former NFL linebacker and actor in the “Tarzan” flicks from the 1960s, as well as “Smokey and the Bandit,” passed away in Burbank, California on Jan. 8 from chronic traumatic encephalopathy and Parkinson’s disease.
He was 84.
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Christopher Plummer has died.
The legendary actor, best known for his roles in “Sound of Music” and “All the Money in the World,” passed away at his home in Connecticut, according to his manager Lou Pitt. A cause of death was not shared.
He was 91.
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Trisha Noble has died.
The actress, who appeared in two “Star Wars” films as Jobal Naberrie, the mother of Padmé Amidala, passed away on Jan. 23 after a battle with mesothelioma, according to the Daily Mail.
She was 76.
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George Shultz has died.
The former Secretary of State passed away Saturday at his home on the Stanford University campus, according to the Hoover Institution. A cause of death was not shared.
Shultz, who served under three American Presidents, was a key figure in bringing the Cold War to an end alongside President Ronald Reagan.
He was 100.
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