Keokuk County is now closing its offices to the public until further notice. If you’re planning to visit a county office, you’re asked to call first to see if the business can be handled over the phone or through e-mail. Keokuk County employees will still be working. A list of phone numbers for Keokuk County offices can be found at KBOE radio dot com and Radio KMZN dot com.
https://www.keokukcountyia.com/spaw/uploads/documents/News%20release.pdf
This week’s H&S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is Bessy, a 1 1/2 year old female Pointer mix. She’s a very happy girl and loves to sit on laps and loves to give all kinds of love and kisses. She’s now looking for that special someone who wants to spend the rest of forever with her. Bessy is waiting for her spay but is considering applications for adoption NOW!!! Call Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter at (641) 673-3991 for more information about Bessy or a wide variety of other loving and adoptable pets!
There have been some changes at Penn Central Mall because of the coronavirus. Mall manager Mike Gipple says some stores have cut back on their hours.
“Goodwill will be reducing its hours from 10 until 6 Monday through Saturday, Sunday 12 to 5. Dollar General will be closing They are asking customers to reserve that first hour of the day for those people that are elderly and at risk for health issues. So I think that’s a good community-minded that company is taking.”
Meanwhile, Maurices clothing store is now closed, as the company has decided to close all of its stores in the US and Canada for at least two weeks.
Gipple says that while you can’t sit down and eat at the restaurants in the mall, you can still order carry-out from them.
“Mi Ranchito is going to do both lunch and dinner. WanderLunch is running their normal hours, 11 to 2. Pizza Ranch has decided to do reduced hours: 11 to 2 and then 4:30 to 7.”
Also at Penn Central Mall, the Ironside Axe Club and Old School Pinball and Arcade are both closed until April 2…and the Penn Centre Theatre will be closed until March 31.
Iowa health officials have confirmed nine additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total Wednesday (3/18) to 38. The Iowa Department of Public Health says three of the cases are residents of Johnson County, two are from Polk County, two are from Dallas County and the last two are from Washington and Winneshiek counties. There are no reported cases in the No Coast Network listening area.
That news follows the announcement that employees at Iowa’s public universities may get an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave under an emergency measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Board of Regents President Mike Richards used his new emergency powers to authorize the universities and special schools to provide the extra leave.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits surged last week by 70,000, indicating that the impact of the coronavirus was starting to be felt in rising layoffs in the job market.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for benefits, a good proxy for layoffs, rose by 70,000 to a seasonally adjusted 281,000 last week.
Both the one-week rise and the total number of applications were far above the levels seen over the past year as the country’s unemployment rate fell to a half-century low of 3.5%.
Economists are predicting a surge in layoffs as efforts to contain the spreading coronavirus result in people losing jobs in a variety of industries from restaurants and bars to airlines and hotels.
There have been a number of states such as Ohio reporting huge jumps in unemployment applications already. The Trump administration and Congress are scrambling to produce a support package of around $1 trillion which would provide checks to Americans who have been affected by the virus and support for small businesses and big companies such as the airlines.
A proposal from Treasury has suggested spending $500 billion to provide checks for Americans who have suffered economic harm because of the virus.
Oskaloosa schools will be opening their doors on Monday, March 23 to allow parents and students to retrieve essential items from a student’s locker. Only parents will be allowed in Oskaloosa Elementary School. Monday’s hours for the Elementary School are Kindergarten from 9:30 to 10:30 am, First grade from 10:30 to 11:30, Second grade from 11:30am to 12:30pm, Third grade 12:30 to 1:30, Fourth grade 1:30 to 2:30 and Fifth grade from 2:30 to 3:30pm. Times for Oskaloosa Middle School parents, guardians or students on Monday are Grade 6 from 9:30 to 11am, Grade 7 11am to 12:30pm and Grade 8 12:30 to 2pm. And times for Oskaloosa High School parents, guardians and students are: Grade 9 from 9:30 to 11am, Grade 10 11am until 12:30pm, 11th Grade 12:30 until 2pm and Grade 12 2 to 3:30pm. If you have more than one student in a school, pick the child’s grade level time that’s most convenient for you.
Dierks Bentley has pledged to donate $1,000 to each of the 90 employees at his Nashville bar Whiskey Row, which was forced to close due to the coronavirus. Well, now Florida Georgia Line is following his lead.
In a video posted to Instagram, the duo has also pledged $1,000 for each employee of their Nashville bar FGL House.
“You inspired us, man. We are going to follow suit, we are going to take your lead and we are going to do the same thing,” Tyler Hubbard shares. “We are going to give $1,000 to all the FGL House employees. We hope this helps out in a time of need.” Brian Kelley adds, “We are so grateful for everybody that helps make our restaurant run, every single person, barbacks, waiters, waitresses, bartenders.”
Today in 1984, RCA recording artists The Judds made their first stage appearance, opening for the Statler Brothers in Omaha, Nebraska.
The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most successful acts in country music history, winning five Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and eight Country Music Association awards. They also had 25 singles on the country music charts between 1983 and 2000, of which 14 went to No. 1. After eight successful years as a duet, the Judds ceased performing in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Soon after, Wynonna embarked on a highly successful solo career. The two have occasionally reunited for special tours, the most recent of which began in late 2010.
In 1983, they got their big break when Naomi convinced a record producer whose child she had cared for as a nurse to come to her home and listen to the act. The producer was “charmed” and the duo was signed by RCA and Curb.
The Judds’ first release for RCA/Curb was an extended play titled Wynonna & Naomi. The release consisted of six songs, two of which were issued as singles to promote it. First was “Had a Dream (For the Heart)”, a song written by Dennis Linde and originally cut by Elvis Presley as the B-side to his 1976 single “Hurt”. The Judds’ rendition was their first entry on the Hot Country Songs charts, where it peaked at No. 17. Next was “Mama He’s Crazy”, written by Kenny O’Dell. In mid-1984, this song became the first of eight consecutive No. 1 singles for the duo on the country music charts, while also earning the duo its first Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal the following year.
The Judds’ first full-length studio album, Why Not Me, was issued in 1984. Steve Huey of Allmusic wrote that the album “took its place as a classic of modern country, establishing the Judds as spokeswomen for a new generation of female country music fans.” Three singles were issued from it: the title track, which earned a second Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, followed by “Girls Night Out” and “Love Is Alive”. The album went on to sell a million copies in the United States.
Rockin’ with the Rhythm (1985) accounted for four more singles. First was “Have Mercy”, which held the No. 1 position on Hot Country Songs for two weeks, making it their only song to hold that position for more than a single week. “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Ol’ Days)” came next. Released in February 1985, the song won both a third Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, along with Grammy Award for Best Country Song, both awarded in 1987. Following these were “Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain” and “Cry Myself to Sleep”.
Source: Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDI8oUYWO48
Those of you who are interested in getting your exercise can still do that at Penn Central Mall in Oskaloosa. Mall manager Mike Gipple explains.
“We are still allowing our walking in there. We are encouraging people to be mindful of the social distancing. We’ve consulted with the local public health department on that. As of now, we feel very comfortable with that. Because when you have people walking, they’re usually not within the six foot (recommended distance) or if they are within the six foot, they’re probably with a loved one home that they’re at home with also. So we are still allowing that.”
Oskaloosa’s Xavier Foster has been named to the Class 3A All-State boys’ basketball team, courtesy of the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. The senior averaged 23.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots a game for the Indians last season. As you may know, Foster will attend Iowa State University on a basketball scholarship next year.
There were other area players recognized by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association on their All-State boys’ basketball teams. Knoxville’s Kieren Nichols is also on the Class 3A first team; with Pella’s Logan Shetterly on the 3A second team. In Class 1A, Montezuma’s Trey Shearer and Keota’s JD Stout both earned first team All-State honors. In Class 4A, Ottumwa’s Trae Swartz earned second team All-State honors. And Pella Christian’s Dan Jungling and Josh Van Gorp are on the Class 2A All-State third team.
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