Oskaloosa News Recap For January 27th, 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
Pizza Hut has a new Detroit-style pizza.
The eatery announced Tuesday that the nationwide rollout of the new ‘za was created in response to “the growing popularity of this pizza style across the country and requests from customers.”
The thick-crust offering is currently available at participating Pizza Hut locations nationwide.
###
Twitter has unveiled a new “community-driven approach” to help combat misleading information on its site.
Birdwatch — a pilot program that launched Monday — allows users to add notes to tweets they believe are false in an attempt to “add context” for other users.
Twitter VP of Product Keith Coleman said the platform wants to “broaden the range of voices that are part of tackling this problem” and a “community-driven approach can help.”
For the initial launch only 1,000 users will participate. It is unclear when the new tool will become available for all Twitter users.
###
John Hopkins University reports a steady drop in daily cases of coronavirus cases since the beginning of January. The nationwide positivity rate and hospitalizations have also dropped over the past month.
Infectious disease experts are attributing the natural plateau to the post-holiday season, with less people traveling and gathering indoors, rather than ongoing vaccinations.
The CDC reports that at least 12.8 million vaccines have been administered in the US so far — that is less than 5% of the country’s population. For herd immunity to be reached, 75% of the population needs to be immune.
###
The Indianapolis teen who killed five members of his family did so because his dad yelled at him and forbid him from leaving the house, according to authorities.
The gunman’s brother, who was critically wounded during the massacre, told officers that the teen was enraged over being reprimanded. He said he was with his parents downstairs when they heard the first gunshots upstairs and his sister screaming. The teen then came down the stars and started shooting at them. The younger brother was shot as he was running out the door.
The teen, who will not be identified publicly because of his age, faces charges of intentional manslaughter with a handgun and attempted murder.
###
A Chick-fil-A restaurant manager is being praised after assisting workers at a COVID vaccination site by directing gridlocked vehicles.
After being informed that traffic at the site was heavily backed up, Will Haynie, mayor of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, called Chick-fil-A manager Jerry Walkowiak for help, as the company is known for its keen skills at managing drive-thru traffic.
Haynie said Walkowiak used the specialized method, which included asking drivers if they had their paperwork and directing them a spot to receive their vaccine. In a very short amount of time, the drive-thru extraordinaire reduced the wait time from over an hour to 15 minutes.
Haynie told the Associated Press that he plans to use Walkowaik’s skills again in the future.
###
Toy sales in 2020 skyrocketed thanks to the coronavirus crisis.
Purchases of Barbie, LOL Surprise dolls, Star Wars and Pokemon merchandise all helped surge toy sales to $25.1 billion last year.
“The growth comes as parents desperately searched for ways to entertain their kids during lockdowns, school closures and stimulus checks,” according to NPD Group.
Gerrick Johnson, a toy analyst at BMO Capital said the surge is continuing into 2021 as people have been spending their gift cards received over the holidays. Explaining that “in lieu of family gatherings” and actual gifts to open, many were mailed gift cards.
###
On Thursday, the “Wolf Moon” will reach its peak, taking over the night sky as the highest full Moon of the year, according to Forbes.
“The Old Farmer’s Almanac” states that the January full Moon was named the “Wolf Moon” because “wolves were more often heard howling at this time.”
Experts say the best time to see the Moon will be at moonrise or moonset, as it will be too bright at its peak for people to look at.
The next full Moon — the “Snow Moon” — is expected in late February.
###
A teenager has died after a tornado blew through his Alabama town on Monday night.
The twister injured at least 30 people as it carved a 10-mile path of destruction in the northern suburbs of Birmingham.
Search and rescue efforts continued through the day Tuesday.
The Weather Service has yet to confirm the storm’s estimated strength, but FEMA described it as “a large tornado.”
###
Over 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty in the past six months as COVID relief benefits have expired.
According to a new report released by economists at the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame, the nation’s poverty rate increased by 2.4% between June and December 2020.
It also notes that an additional 8.1 million people are now considered poor.
Also, there are approximately 9.8 million more Americans out of work now than compared to last February, before the crisis began.
###
Tuesday saw all three major stock indexes fall as the Dow slipped 23 points, the Nasdaq lost 9 points and the S&P dropped 5 points. Both the Nasdaq and S&P were coming off record high closings during Monday’s session.
American Express Company did the most damage to the Dow Jones Industrial Average as it posted a 15 loss in quarterly profit. The credit card issuer saw its shares fall 4.1 percent on Tuesday.
Johnson & Johnson saw a 2.7 percent lift in stock price as investors prepare for new virus vaccine data to be released next week.
Many prominent tech companies will report earnings later this week. There is a great deal of optimism surrounding the announcements as nearly 87 percent of S&P companies reporting earnings during this current quarter have beat expectations.
###
Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
The Price Is Right / CBS / 7:00 pm
The Goldbergs / ABC / 7:00 pm
Chicago Med / NBC / 7:00 pm
The Masked Dancer / FOX / 7:00 pm
American Housewife / ABC / 7:30 pm
SEAL / CBS / 8:00 pm
The Connors / ABC / 8:00 pm
Chicago Fire / NBC / 8:00 pm
Name That Tune / FOX / 8:00 pm
Call Your Mother / ABC / 8:30 pm
S.W.A.T. / CBS / 9:00 pm
For Life / ABC / 9:00 pm
Chicago P.D. / NBC / 9:00 pm
###
Showbiz News
“Escape Room 2” has been given a new release date of Jan. 7, 2022.
The horror sequel was originally set to be released on Dec. 30, 2020, after being bumped from Aug. 14 and prior to that, April 17.
Sony believes the flick is a “hot one” for them, which is why they are willing to “protect their asset,” a source told Deadline.
###
Dan Bucatinsky is returning to ABC.
The actor, who won an Emmy for his role on “Scandal,” has joined the cast of Katey Sagal’s new series, “Rebel.”
The series centers on Annie “Rebel” Bello (Sagal), a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She’s a funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves.
Bucatinsky will play Jason Erickson, an edgy, somewhat bitter university professor who Rebel (Sagal) seeks out for help.
###
Taylor John Smith and Harris Dickinson will join Daisy Edgar-Jones in the film adaptation of “Where The Crawdads Sing.”
Based on Delia Owens’ best-selling novel, the story takes place in the mid-20th century South and centers on Kya, a young woman who is abandoned by her family and has to raise herself alone in the marshes outside of her small town. She is thrust into the spotlight after her former boyfriend is found dead and she is considered the prime suspect in his murder.
The book sold nearly 8.5 million copies worldwide and spent 124 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List.
###
Scott Michael Foster has joined Netflix’s serial-killer thriller “You.”
Foster will recur in the third season, which also stars Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti.
The series is based on Caroline Kepnes’ bestselling books “You and Hidden Bodies.”
###
The first batch of hosts for “Saturday Night Live” for the new year have been announced.
First up, John Krasinski will host this weekend’s episode. He will be joined by musical guest Machine Gun Kelly.
Dan Levy will host Feb. 6’s episode, with musical guest Phoebe Bridgers.
And on Feb. 13, Regina King will host and Nathaniel Rateliff will be the musical guest.
Krasinski was supposed to host last March, but the virus forced production to delay filming.
###
Twitter has banned My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell for his “repeated violations” of the company’s civic integrity policy.
While the social media site didn’t specify which tweet pushed it too far, it is safe to assume that being a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump, it was only a matter of time before he was kicked off.
In recent weeks, Lindell has sent numerous tweets about what he believes was a rigged election, leading some retailers to drop his products.
As of Tuesday, My Pillow’s account was still active.
###
On Monday, Kellyanne Conway allegedly posted a topless photo of her daughter Claudia Conway, 16, on Twitter.
According to screenshots, Kellyanne’s account shared the image using Twitter’s recently launched Fleets feature, which deletes posts after 24-hours. Claudia took to TikTok confirming the photo was authentic, saying her mom must have taken it “to use against [her] one day” and either posted it on accident or “got hacked.”
On Tuesday, police officers were seen entering Kellyanne’s New Jersey home, where they stayed for about an hour. Shortly after the visit, Alpine Police Chief Christopher Belcolle confirmed that “an investigation is being conducted.”
###
NBC has renewed “The Weakest Link” for a second season.
The network has ordered 13 more episodes, with production set to begin later this year.
Jane Lynch will return as host of the series.
###
Vanessa Bryant posted a letter she received from her daughter Gianna Bryant’s friend on the one-year anniversary of the 13-year-old’s death.
Taking to Instagram yesterday, Vanessa shared the note, which contained fond memories and heartbreaking revelations. She thanked her daughter’s friend for “the kind words” and added “I miss my baby girl and Kob-Kob so much too.”
Tuesday marked one year since Gianna and her dad, Lakers star Kobe Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash, along with seven others. Many celebrities and fans marked the somber anniversary with their own kind words and memories on social media.
###
Alison Roman has launched her own YouTube cooking channel.
After her controversial comments about Chrissy Teigen got her canned from the New York Times, the 35-year-old announced her new venture on Instagram yesterday.
Roman said her channel will be a “mix of recipes from A Newsletter/Dining In/Nothing Fancy, Q&A’s and other fun things.”
She will be filming her new show from her apartment.
###
Sports
The NBA and NBPA are discussing the idea of an All-Star Game in March.
An anonymous source told USA Today Sports that the league has been discussing hosting the event in Atlanta, with plans to provide COVID relief and funding for historically black colleges and universities.
The All-Star Weekend was scheduled for Feb. 12-14 in Indianapolis, but the league scrapped the plans in November because of the virus.
The current schedule has a break March 5-10, with the second half of the season resuming on March 11. That empty week would allow the league to play some version of an All-Star Game.
###
The Baseball Hall of Fame will not induct any new players into the class of 2021.
The decision was made after voters deemed no-one had the merits — on or off the field — to be on this year’s ballot.
It is the first time the BBWAA didn’t chose anyone since 2013.
###
Day of the Year
National Chocolate Cake Day
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Punch the Clock Day
Vietnam Peace Day
World Breast Pumping Day
###
On This Date
1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
33 men composed the original society.
Their backgrounds included, geography, exploration, education, law, finance, and the military. All took an interest in scientific and geographical knowledge.
Their mission was to take sometimes dry subjects and make them interesting for the masses and also raise money for more exploration and study.
###
1928 – Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrates the first television system.
The display in London was called a pictorial-transmission machine, or a “televisor.”
(In Spanish, “televisor” is still the word for a TV set).
The first image displayed was of two ventriloquist dummies, who were being filmed live out of view of the audience.
Baird improved the design of Paul Nipkow, who was only able to make crude, unintelligible pictures appear on the screen of his invention.
Later that year, Baird even demonstrated a color version of the TV.
###
1943 – American forces conduct their first European-theatre bombing raid against the Nazis in World War II.
64 planes took off, and shot down 22 Germans. Only 22 allied planes were lost.
The B-17s and B-24s made it to the Wilhelmshaven port, and unleashed destructive fury.
The 8th Air Force bombers would become one of the most effective and deadly flying groups throughout the war.
###
1944 – Soviet troops break the Leningrad siege line that had been formed by Nazi troops for almost 900 days.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians had died of famine and starvation.
Though Leningrad was well defended, it also made it impossible to receive reinforcements and resources. The Nazi artillery bombardments didn’t help either.
Occasional shipments by boat or sled teams were able to make it into the city.
###
1967 – Three US astronauts die in a launch pad fire.
Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chafee perished in a simulation of the Apollo 1 launch scheduled for the following month.
A faulty electrical wire is suspected to have started the blaze. Pressure inside the cabin made it nearly impossible to open the escape hatch.
###
2006 – Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.
The service began in 1851 as the Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph. In 1856 it became Western Union Telegraph Company. By 1861, during the Civil War, it had created a coast-to-coast network of lines.
The decline of telegram use dates back to the 1980’s, when long-distance telephone service became cheap enough to offer a viable alternative. Faxes didn’t help and email would be the final nail in the coffin.
In its last year, only 20,000 telegrams were sent.
###
2013 – Magnus Carlsen wins the Tata Steel Chess Tournament at 22-years-old.
Later that same year he would become the new World Chess Champion.
###
Birthdays
Lucki Starr – R&B singer – 23
Noah Schnacky – country singer – 24
Iain Stirling – comedian – 33
Rucka Rucka Ali – pop singer – 34
Rosamund Pike – movie actress, “Gone Girl”, “Jack Reacher” – 42
Guillermo Rodriguez – TV actor, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” – 50
Patton Oswalt – TV actor, “The King of Queens”, “Ratatouille” – 52
Frank Miller – comic book writer – 64
Nick Mason – English drummer, Pink Floyd – 77
James Cromwell – movie actor, “The Green Mile”, “Babe” – 81
Samuel C.C. Ting – American physicist – 85
Born On This Date
John Witherspoon – TV actor, “The Wayans Bros.”, “Friday” – 1942 (d. 2019)
Edward Smith – British naval officer & captain of the RMS TItanic – 1850 (d. 1912)
Samuel Gompers – Founder of the American Federation of Labor – 1850 (d. 1924)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – composer – 1756 (d. 1791)
###
Deaths
Jimmie Rodgers has died.
The singer from the 1950s and 60s was best known for his hits “Honeycomb” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.” According to his publicist, Rodgers passed away last week from kidney disease.
He was 87.
###
