Oskaloosa News Recap For October 26th, 2020
Local News
Mahaska Public Health Talks Latest COVID-19 Information
Local Veteran Honored With Quilt
Mahaska County Elections Update
Grant Funds Support Virtual Care At Mahaska Health
Oskaloosa Fire Chief Talks Fire Safety
Legion To Collect For Those In Need
Enrollment Growth at William Penn University
Exterior Building Hopes To Help During COVID-19
‘Light The Night’ To Honor Cancer Victims
Oskaloosa Main Street to Hold “Twinkling Twenties” Lighted Christmas Parade in Reverse
National and World News
Portions of Disneyland will open next month.
According Disney, Buena Vista Street in Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim will reopen for outdoor dining and shopping in November. Guests will be required to wear masks, have their temperatures taken before entering and practice social distancing. Capacity limits will also be in place.
###
Bug hunters in Washington state have located the first-ever Asian giant hornet nest in the US.
The nest was found after a WSDA trapper collected two live Asian giant hornets—better known as murder hornets—which were tagged with radio trackers, leading entomologists to the nest.
While not typically dangerous to humans, the murder hornet’s sting can be extremely painful.
###
A 69-year-old California man died last week, three days after being knocked unconscious outside a Starbucks.
According to reports, the victim was punched and fell to the ground, where he hit his head, after complaining about loud music coming from the suspect’s vehicle.
Following the man’s death authorities re-arrested a 20-year-old man who initially faced battery and other charges for punching the man. He is now being held on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter.
###
A Florida arsonist, wearing goggles and a trash bag, torched a dozen commercial garbage trucks worth more than $3 million.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video of the incident over the weekend, saying the arson took place at Waste Pro in Pompano Beach.
The male allegedly “forced entry by torching the gate” he then walked toward the rear of the property “with what appeared to be a gas canister,” according to Sgt. Donald Prichard.
The fire set off a loud explosion that shook neighboring homes and knocked out windows.
###
Netflix subscription cancellations have skyrocketed in light of the “French coming-of-age” film, “Cuties.”
The movie, which many felt “hyper-sexualized” children, caused the streaming giant to lose “five times as many subscribers” in the first few weeks of September than in all of August.
Despite the huge amount of cancellations, Netflix’s chief financial officer Spence Neumann chose to ignore those numbers and focus only on the first half of the year, touting almost 195 million subscribers worldwide, in a recent company statement.
###
Fyre Festival fraud Billy McFarland has been placed in solitary confinement after recording a podcast from a prison phone.
According to the New York Times, his new show “Dumpster Fyre” premiered Tuesday, leading to an investigation which saw him removed from general population.
McFarland’s lawyer told the Times that “the photographs that were taken and utilized in the trailer…were all properly taken.”
His cellmate was also moved to solitary confinement.
###
A software engineer in Germany built a website that tracks every McDonald’s soft service machine in the US.
Rashiq Zahid was able to reverse-engineer the computer code in the McDonald’s app to reveal which locations have a broken ice cream machine on his site McBroken.com.
Fans of the eatery are thrilled to have the info and even Mickey D’s seems okay with the invasion. The fast-food giant’s vice president of US communications took to Twitter and said “Only a true @McDonalds fan would go to these lengths to help customers get our delicious ice cream! So, thanks!”
###
Opioid deaths are on the rise as states in the US remain locked down as a means to combat the coronavirus.
While national data is not yet available for this year, several states are reporting an increase in drug-related deaths.
Oregon saw a 70% increase in overdose deaths in April and May of this year, while Maine saw 258 deaths from January through June—a 27% increase over the second half of 2019. Overdose deaths in Connecticut were up more than 19% through the end of July, compared to the same period last year. They were up 9% in Washington, 28% in Colorado and 30% in Kentucky during the same time.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told a local Fox station that some counties in the state have “more deaths from overdoses than from COVID.”
Health officials and experts have cited “increased isolation and job loss” due to statewide shutdowns as “possible” factors for the surge in drug-related deaths.
WORTH NOTING: In 2017, President Trump became the first president to declare the opioid crisis a national health emergency. He signed a bill in 2018 increasing federal opioid funding to record levels.
###
New York City’s famed Strand bookstore may be forced to close its doors.
The 93-year-old book shop, one of the few original stores still standing on NYC’s famous Book Row, “survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, the rise of e-books, and online and big-box stores,” yet may be gone forever because of coronavirus lockdowns.
Nancy Bass Wyden, the store’s third-generation owner, told FOX Business that selling books has not been the “most lucrative business in the world,” especially this year. Wyden explained that the store’s revenue dropped 70% compared to last year and their cash reserves are “depleted.”
In a last-ditch effort, Wyden took to social media asking book lovers to visit her store. She is also spreading the word with #savethestrand.
###
A quarter of Americans are already done with their holiday shopping, according to a new survey from LendingTree.
The survey of 1,000 US consumers revealed that one in four finished shopping as early as the first week of October.
Chief credit analyst for LendingTree Matt Schulz says this may be due to some Americans “having a little more money in their bank accounts” due to the “relief bill, increased unemployment benefits and overall reduced spending during the last six months.”
###
Weekend Box Office
10. The New Mutants: $286k (down from 7)
9. 2 Hearts: $320k (down from 6)
8. After We Collided: $420k (new)
7. Monsters, Inc.: $494k (re-release)
6. Hocus Pocus: $530k (re-release)
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas: $577k (re-release)
4. The Empty Man: $1.3 million (new)
3. Tenet: $1.3 million (stayed at 3)
2. The War with Grandpa: $1.9 million (stayed at 2)
1. Honest Thief: $2.4 million (stayed at 1)
###
Tube Talk
Here’s what’s new on TV tonight:
• Big Brother / CBS / 7:00 pm
• Dancing With the Stars / ABC / 7:00 pm
• The Voice / NBC / 7:00 pm
• L.A.’s Finest / FOX / 7:00 pm
• Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event / CBS / 8:00 pm
• Filthy Rich / FOX / 8:00 pm
• One Day at a Time / CBS / 9:00 pm
• Emergency Call / ABC / 9:00 pm
• Weakest Link / NBC / 9:00 pm
###
Showbiz News
Despite getting pushed back for a fourth time, Bond flick “No Time To Die” will not be heading to streaming.
Bloomberg recently wrote about a rumor that MGM offered the film to Netflix, Apple and Amazon for a proposed one-year license of $600 million. But Deadline reports that “none of the streamers were willing to put up more than half the amount asked for the one-year license.”
The film is still currently set to hit theaters in April 2021.
###
Filming for “Mission Impossible 7” has been halted due to fears over a COVID outbreak on the set in Venice, Italy.
According to The Sun, 150 extras were informed last week that they were not to come in to shoot after an unidentified person on set tested positive.
No word on if Tom Cruise was in contact with the person.
###
Jessica Chastin is replacing Michelle Williams as the female lead who will star opposite Oscar Issac in HBO’s “Scenes From A Marriage.”
Williams had to drop out of the role due to a scheduling conflict.
###
Rosario Dawson is set to star in Hulu’s new limited series “Dopesick.”
According to TheWrap, Dawson will play the role of “tough DEA agent” Bridget Meyer who sets out to “curtail the use of OxyContin” in her community.
The show is slated to be released in 2021.
###
Judi Dench loves her pets.
The actress revealed in a recent interview that she once gave her pet goldfish mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Despite her life-saving measures, the fish did not survive.
As for how she knew her pet was in trouble, Dench said she saw him floating upside down at the top of the tank.
###
Jonah Hill and Seth Rogan will be reuniting with the rest of the “Superbad” cast for an online watch party in support of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Those interested in watching must make a donation of any amount to the party’s website.
The watch party is set for October 27.
###
The World Series is struggling in the ratings department. Game 3, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays continued the trend of record low viewership with an average of 5.9 million viewers, down 18 and 28 percent, respectively, from the first two match-ups.
Benefiting from the lack of interest were ABC’s “Shark Tank” and a “Big Brother” special on CBS which both scored an 0.5 (about 3 million viewers).
NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” and “Dateline” scored an 0.4 (about 2.4 million viewers).
###
“The Addams Family” is getting a sequel.
According to Deadline, Tim Burton has signed on to executive produce a live-action sequel series.
The new series, currently being shopped to networks and streamers, will be set in the present day and focus on a grown-up Wednesday Addams, per the official description.
###
Chelsea Handler offered to pay her ex, 50 Cent’s taxes, if he “comes to his senses.”
Handler made the bold—and very illegal statement—after 50 criticized Joe Biden’s tax plan and encouraged fans to vote for Donald Trump.
WORTH NOTING: Buying someone’s vote gets you up to $10,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, or both.
###
John Mulaney is set to host “Saturday Night Live” this week.
It will be the former “SNL” writer’s fourth time hosting the sketch-comedy show.
The musical guest will be The Strokes.
###
Sports
The Army-Navy football game has been moved from Philadelphia to West Point because of attendance limits placed on outdoor events in Pennsylvania.
By playing on the Army’s home field in New York, the entire Brigade of Midshipman and Corps of Cadets will be able to attend.
The game, scheduled for December 12, will be the first played at a home site since the Army hosted the event in 1943 during WWII.
It is unlikely fans will be allowed to attend.
###
Day of the Year
National Financial Crime Fighter Day
National Tennessee Day
National Day of the Deployed
National Mule Day
National Pumpkin Day
National Mincemeat Day
###
On This Date
1825 – New York Governor DeWitt Clinton leads the ceremony to open the Erie Canal.
The project linked the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, by way of the Hudson River. Once open, commerce and settlers moved into Western New York and the Midwest, including Wisconsin.
Shipping costs were reduced 90 percent, and traveled twice as fast. Barges carrying agricultural products flooded Eastward, while manufactured goods produced on the coast poured into new territories.
###
1881 – A bloody shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona leaves 3 dead and 3 wounded.
The fight culminated weeks of tension between Wyatt Earp and the Clanton-McLaury gang. It took only 30 seconds, and an estimated 30 rounds were fired.
Virgil Earp shot Billy Clanton at point-blank, right in the chest. Doc Holliday shot dead Tom McLaury, and Wyatt Earp put a round through Frank McLaury’s stomach.
Wyatt’s brothers Virgial and Morgan were wounded, as was Doc Holliday.
Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran away. Those curs.
###
1917 – The First World War escalates with Brazil’s entry into the conflict.
Brazilian merchants had been susceptible to Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare; at least four commercial barges had been sunk by U-Boats that year.
There were a few Brazilian troops involved in the war – which is to say, about 50. Troops were limited to a medical team and pilots.
###
1967 – Muhammad Reza Pahlavi declares himself Shah of Iran.
Coincidentally, it was his 48th birthday.
Though the Shah led many efforts to modernize the Islamic republic, he was eventually chased out of the country by revolutionaries backed by the US and UK. The Shah took asylum in Egypt.
###
1977 – The last known case of naturally-contracted smallpox was documented, found in a hospital cook in Somalia. It had been two years since the previously documented case.
Since then, a medical photographer got the disease at a research hospital and died, in 1978. One strain of smallpox remains, carefully guarded, in an American laboratory.
###
2001 – George W. Bush signs the PATRIOT Act into law.
Within 3 years of its passage, it helped the federal government file charges against 310 people for suspected terrorist activity, of which 179 were convicted or plead guilty.
###
2019 – A raid by US Special Forces kill ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria.
al-Baghdadi led the Iraqi section of al-Qaida before announcing the formation of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq.
In June 2014, al-Baghdadi controversially declared a worldwide caliphate with himself as caliph that at its peak covered large parts of Syria and Iraq.
###
Deaths
Jerry Jeff Walker has died.
The singer-songwriter, known for his hit song “Mr. Bojangles,” passed away on Friday after a battle with throat cancer.
He was 78.
###
Birthdays
Gregg Gillis – Girl Talk composer – 39
Jon Heder – actor, “Napoleon Dynamite” – 43
Keith Urban – country star – 53
Cary Elwes – actor, “The Princess Bride” – 58
Lauren Tewes – actress, “The Love Boat” – 67
Hillary Rodham Clinton – Mrs. Bill Clinton – 73
Pat Sajak – host, “Wheel of Fortune” – 74
Jaclyn Smith – original Angel of Charlie – 75
Born On This Date
Bob Hoskins — actor, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” — 1942 (d. 2014)
Jackie Coogan – actor, “The Addams Family” – 1914 (d.1984)
###
