Oskaloosa News Recap For March 4th, 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
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National and World News
Exam scores of high-schoolers across the state of North Carolina have declined dramatically in math and science amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the News & Observer.
This trend is neither shocking nor relevant to only NC. The NWEA, a non-profit that administers standardized testing, found in November that elementary and middle school students scores also dropped when it came to math.
It is not just the decline that is concerning, but some students have dropped off the map altogether since the pandemic began. Thousands of students have not been accounted for within school districts across the country — virtual or in-person — since last March.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has yet to order all schools open — something he promised he would tackle right away. Instead, he aims to have the “majority” of elementary schools reopened by his 100th day as President.
WORTH NOTING: His 100th day is April 30 — this gives the kids a month-ish to attend in-person school. What’s the point?
ALSO WORTH NOTING: The students who have been unaccounted for are the students who likely need to be in the classroom the most. Why does the focus seem to only be on protecting teachers from a virus — with a 97% survival rate — and not protecting our children mentally, socially, emotionally, physically, educationally, nutritionally, etc.?
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Some National Guard members, currently defending the US Capitol, have gotten sick after being fed meat that was almost completely raw.
An anonymous staff sergeant with the Michigan National Guard told a local news outlet that more than a dozen troops were sickened by the undercooked meat, which also contained pieces of shaved metal.
Those who served overseas “cannot believe the quality of the food they are being fed here,” one solider told the outlet.
Also, this isn’t a new issue. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she had “fixed” the food vendor problem last month…clearly not.
The troops are currently set to stay at the Capitol through next week.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci has donated his personal 3-D model of the coronavirus to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in DC.
Museum Director Anthea Hartig credited Fauci with saving millions of lives, while noting that his “humanitarianism and dedication truly exemplify what it means to be a Great American”
Fauci was also honored with the museum’s Great Americans Medal.
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An eight-year-old Wisconsin girl has made it her mission to help those less fortunate.
After learning about the millions of children who are homeless across the US, Peyton created Eye of a Child, which raises awareness of the prevalent issue and sends money, toys and other products to homeless shelters around the Milwaukee area and in Los Angeles, where some of her family lives.
To raise money for the donations, Peyton created T-shirts and homemade crayon hearts to sell in her community through various “pop-up shops.” All proceeds go toward homeless shelters of her choosing.
“Every child deserves to smile,” Peyton responded when asked about her mission — the same saying featured on her T-shirts.
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Dr. Seuss dominated Amazon’s top 10 bestselling list on Wednesday, one day after the publisher announced it was pulling a number of books for racist undertones.
Famous titles, such as “The Cat in the Hat,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “Fox in Socks,” accounted for 9 out of the top 10 bestselling books.
What’s more, Seuss’ books accounted for 30 of the top 50 bestselling books on Amazon.
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Flu deaths are extremely low this year, especially when it comes to children.
According to data from the CDC, there has only been one child in the US who has died of the flu this season, compared to the hundreds of deaths during previous years.
During the 2019-2020 flu season, the CDC reported 195 children died of the flu.
While influenza numbers have stayed low this year, experts warn that the virus is expected to come back in full swing next fall and winter.
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The lawyer for the family of Ariel of Young, the 5-year-old girl injured in a car crash last month involving Brit Reid, the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, says she likely suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the accident.
Tom Porto told “GMA” this week that the girl continues with her recovery, but “likely, she has permanent brain damage that she will endure for the rest of her life.” “She’s not walking. It’s a sad, sad, sad story,” he added.
The crash is currently being investigated by Kansas City authorities.
As for Reid, Porto believes he should face criminal charges.
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China has made anal COVID-19 swabs mandatory for all foreign travelers arriving in the country.
The government claims that such tests “provide a higher degree of accuracy than other screening methods,” the Times UK reported Wednesday.
The move comes after Japan asked China to stop performing the exams due to the “mental anguish” they may cause travelers.
Anal testing hubs will be located at Beijing and Shanghai airports.
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M&M’s has a new sweet treat!
Mars Wrigley, M&M’s parent company, announced that they are expanding their M&M’s ice cream cookie sandwich collection with two new flavors: mint and a new take on their classic cookie sandwich.
The green-colored mint treat features mint ice cream sandwiched between two M&M-studded chocolate cookies and will be available just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. The new classic sandwich will feature creamy vanilla ice cream between two soft-baked chocolate M&M cookies.
Both kinds will be available at major supermarkets soon!
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Wednesday saw Wall Street trade lower as the Dow dipped 121 points, the Nasdaq receded 361 points and the S&P fell 50 points.
The 10-year Treasury bond yields jumped for the first time this week. As a result, investors scrambled for safer assets than high-risk stocks.
The National Employment Report showed anemic job growth as the private sector added 117,000 jobs in February -a number well below analyst expectations of 225,000 new employment opportunities.
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Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
Young Sheldon / CBS / 7:00 pm
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune / ABC / 7:00 pm
Superstore / NBC / 7:00 pm
Hell’s Kitchen / FOX / 7:00 pm
B Positive / CBS / 7:30 pm
Mom / CBS / 8:00 pm
The Chase / ABC / 8:00 pm
Call Me Kat / FOX / 8:00 pm
The Unicorn / CBS / 8:30 pm
Last Man Standing / FOX / 8:30 pm
Clarice / CBS / 9:00 pm
The Chase / ABC / 9:00 pm
Dateline NBC / NBC / 9:00 pm
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Showbiz News
Dolly Parton received her first dose of Moderna’s COVID vaccine this week and shared a video of the process, saying “Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine.”
The caption is a reference to the $1 million she donated last year to coronavirus research, which she later learned was used to fund Moderna’s vaccine.
Dolly also took the opportunity to call out the “cowards” and “chicken squats” who are afraid to get their shot.
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Joe Exotic is sticking it to his arch-nemesis, Carole Baskin, by hiring the attorney who recently repped the family of her missing husband.
John M. Phillips announced this week that he’d been retained by the “Tiger King” star in a bid to get a new trial.
Phillips previously worked with Don Lewis’ surviving family members, who believe that Carole knows more about his mysterious vanishing than she’s let on.
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Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s sixth child was welcomed via a surrogate, according to a new report.
A source told PEOPLE magazine that the couple used a surrogate to carry baby girl Lucia, who was born just five months after Hilaria gave birth to son Eduardo.
Fans were shocked when the news broke earlier this week that the Baldwins had secretly welcomed another child, so soon after welcoming their fifth. But many were able to do the math and deduce that the couple either adopted or used a surrogate.
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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard will host a new NBC gameshow — “Family Game Fight.”
The married couple will also compete in the ten-part series that will test brains, brawn and family bonds over the course of an hour for big cash prizes.
No word on when the gameshow will air.
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Fans are not impressed with Tom Hardy’s latest flick, “Capone.”
The film, which was released on Netflix UK at the end of last month, is being called a “waste of time” and “awful” by viewers. But those who commented negatively about the film, still gave Hardy credit for his “brilliant” acting skills.
“Capone” follows the last year of the mobster’s life, as he settles down in Florida after spending the past 10 years behind bars.
No word on when it will be released on Netflix in the US….or if anyone will bother watching it.
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Celebrities hit Twitter running following the news that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is opening up the state.
Chelsea Handler wrote: “Only another white man could figure out a way to become a worse person than Ted Cruz.”
George Takei tweeted: “Texas and Mississippi opening back up to 100% will disproportionately impact and kill minorities, who comprise much of the essential workforce bearing the brunt of this pandemic.”
Bradley Whitford called the GOP a “cult,” while Stephen King felt the decision to reopen is “premature.”
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Another one bites the dust.
This year’s CMA Fest has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The Country Music Association revealed its decision this week to cancel the June event, which is one of the oldest country music festivals. It was also canceled last year.
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Golden Globes viewership tanked this year.
Nielsen ratings recorded a pitiful 6.9 million viewers of Sunday’s award show, a sharp drop from last year’s 18.3 million viewers.
In the key demo of adults aged 18 to 49, the 2021 show notched a 1.5 rating, a new all-time low — the 2020 show had a 4.7 rating in that demo.
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The longest-running primetime scripted series in television history has been renewed for a 33rd and 34th season.
“The Simpsons” will now air through 2023 with a total of 757 episodes, both new records.
The series’ 700th episode will air on March 21.
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CBS will pay actress Bobbie Phillips millions of dollars as part of a legal settlement following sexual harassment claims she made against disgraced former executive Les Moonves.
The settlement was reached after the network hired two law firms — Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling — to investigate the allegations made by several women at the network, according to Vanity Fair.
A draft of the investigative report, which included Phillips’ allegation, was leaked to the Times in 2018. As a result, CBS and Covington were forced to pay Phillips millions of dollars because they “breached her confidentiality agreement by allowing the information to be leaked,” the outlet reports.
The settlement is rumored to be “in the tens of millions,” a source revealed.
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Day of the Year
National Grammar Day
National Hug a G.I. Day
Marching Music Day
National Pound Cake Day
National Sons Day
National Hospitalist Day
March Forth and Do Something Day
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On This Date
1933 – Franklin Roosevelt becomes the last President to be sworn in on March 4.
Until the 20th Amendment, the constitution mandated March 4 as the day the president would begin his term. As technology and communications systems improved, less time was required after the election to install the new head of state.
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1952 – Ronald Reagan marries Nancy Davis.
The two met when Nancy sought Ron’s help to keep her name off the Hollywood Blacklist during Joe McCarthy’s ambitious purge of communist sympathizers. He was, at the time, President of the Screen Actors Guild.
They married a year later. Reagan successfully ran for governor of California 15 years later.
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1952 – Ernest Hemingway finishes “The Old Man and the Sea.”
He wrote his publisher that day, informing them not only that the story was finished but that it was his best work.
The work culminated a decade-long dry spell, in which he did not write any new notable works.
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1954 – Secretary of State John Foster Dulles makes an authoritative speech against communism.
As the Soviet Union continued to prop up leftist revolutions across the globe, the U.S. became particularly concerned with South America, where revolutions were ripe.
The speech was given at the Inter-American Conference, a gathering of nations in the western hemisphere. Following the speech, the gathering passed a resolution that formally condemned communism — but no further action was taken.
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2005 – Martha Stewart leaves the slammer, after serving five months.
The homemaking maven was convicted of insider trading in 2001.
After her 5 months in prison, she was required to serve the remainder of her 10-month sentence under house arrest.
Similar convictions could’ve resulted in a 16-year sentence, but her celebrity status certainly helped.
While serving time, her company managed to thrive. Its stock value quadrupled.
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Birthdays
Brooklyn Beckham – son of David & Victoria – 22
Draymond Green – NBA player – 31
K Michelle – R&B singer – 35
Chaz Bono – reality star & only son of Sonny & Cher – 52
Sam Taylor-Johnsson – director, “Fifty Shades of Grey” – 54
Dav Pilkey – children’s author – 55
Patricia Heaton – actress, “Everybody Loves Raymond” & “The Middle” – 63
Catherine O’Hara – actress, “Beetlejuice” & “Schitt’s Creek” – 67
Born On This Date
Bobbie Kristina Brown – daughter of Bobby Brown & Whitney Houston – 1993 (d. 2015)
Clyde McCullough – baseball player – 1917 (d. 1982)
Lois Wilson – co-founder of Al-Anon – 1891 (d. 1988)
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Deaths
Geoffrey Scott has died.
The popular soap opera star, who appeared on “Dynasty” and “Dark Shadows,” passed away on Feb. 23 from complications related to his Parkinson’s disease.
He was 79.
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