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Iowa Supreme Court upholds absentee ballot directive

Iowa’s highest court is upholding a state directive that was used to invalidate tens of thousands of absentee ballot requests mailed to voters pre-filled with their personal information. The Iowa Supreme Court issued its ruling in favor of President Donald Trump’s campaign and Republican groups Wednesday (10/14). The court rejected a Democratic challenge that argued the directive issued by Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate was unconstitutional. In July, Pate instructed county elections commissioners that all absentee ballot request forms they mailed to voters must be blank in order to ensure uniformity statewide. Auditors in three counties defied Pate’s guidance and courts invalidated their pre-filled forms at the urging of Trump’s campaign.

MEET THE H & S FEED & COUNTRY STORE PET OF THE WEEK: “STEFAN”

This week’s H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is “Stefan”, a playful 7 month domestic shorthaired orange tabby cat. Stefan is affectionate, loves to cuddle, and gets along well with other cats. He’s not declawed, but he has had all of his vaccinations, and is neutered. Stefan is ready to find his forever home, and would love to meet you!

If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Stefan or any of the pets at Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter, visit https://www.stephenmemorial.org/ and fill out an adoption application.

Check out our visit about Stefan with Terry Gott from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:

Reba To Star In Series Based on “Fried Green Tomatoes”

Reba McEntire has lined up her next acting gig. The singer is attached to star in, and executive produce, a new NBC series in the works based on the hit movie “Fried Green Tomatoes.”

Legendary producer Norman Lear is executive producing the project, which will follow the descendants of the original movie and novel.

Reba will play a present-day Idgie Threaadgoode in the modern telling of the story, who returns to the Whistle Stop café after a decade. There she must face her estranged daughter, the fate of the café, as well as a “life-changing secret.”

Source: Variety

This day in Country Music History

  • Today in 1960, Loretta Lynn makes her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, singing “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She receives an invitation to tour with Johnny Horton, but he dies just three weeks later.
  • Today in 1969, Johnny Cash wins a record-setting five times during the third annual Country Music Association awards at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. He takes home Entertainer and Male Vocalist; Album, for “San Quentin”; Single, for “A Boy Named Sue”; and Vocal Group, with June Carter
  • Today in 1970, Bill Monroe and the original Carter Family were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
  • Today in 1973, at the 7th annual CMA Awards, Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Roy Clark was named Entertainer of the Year and Loretta Lynn and Charlie Rich were named Female and Male Vocalists of the Year.
  • Today in 1978, The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inducts Joe Allison (“He’ll Have To Go”), Tom T. Hall (“Harper Valley P.T.A.”), Hank Snow (“I’m Moving On”) and Don Wayne (“Country Bumpkin”).
  • Today in 1988, Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens’ duet, “Streets of Bakersfield,” hit #1.
  • Today in 1991, Tracy Lawrence’s debut single, “Sticks and Stones,” was released. It eventually hit #1.
  • Today in 1997, Bryan White’s album, “The Right Place,” went gold. Trisha Yearwood’s Christmas album, “The Sweetest Gift,” was also certified gold.
  • Today in 1997, Patty Loveless’ “On Down the Line” was certified gold, while her “Honky Tonk Angel” project was certified platinum.
  • Today in 1997, John Denver’s remains were cremated in California and his ashes then flown to Aurora, Colorado where a memorial service was planned by the late singer’s mother and brother.
  • Today in 2002, Faith Hill’s “Cry” album arrived in stores.
  • Today in 2010, Miranda Lambert’s “Revolution” album went platinum.
  • Today in 2012, Taylor Swift shot an installment of “VH1 Storytellers” in California.

Garth Brooks Isn’t Giving Up On Chris Gaines

Garth Brooks is set to receive the “Billboard” Icon Award at tonight’s Billboard Music Awards, and in a new cover story for the magazine he reflects on his career.

While Garth has had a ton of success over the years, he did seem to flop with his 1999 release, “Garth Brooks in … The Life of Chris Gaines,” that was supposed to be a soundtrack to a movie on the character, although that never happened. And while that may be a blemish on his career, Garth isn’t actually ready to give up on Chris Gaines altogether.

“Trust me, it’s got a whole life of its own and it’s all coming,” Garth tells the mag when asked if he’s thinking about bringing back his alter ego. “It won’t be anything predictable, I can guarantee you, because that’s kind of what that character’s thought process was.” He wouldn’t go into details about what he has planned, although he noted, “If you know the greatest hits, they had to come from somewhere, if that tells you what’s coming.”

Source: Billboard

This day in Country Music History

  • Today in 1946, Grandpa Jones wed Ramona Riggins.
  • Today in 1957, Elvis Presley’s single, “Jailhouse Rock,” was released.
  • Today in 1967, Tammy Wynette had her first solo #1 country hit with “I Don’t Wanna Play House.”
  • Today in 1969, the “Galveston” single by Glen Campbell was certified gold.
  • Today in 1977, Elvis Presley’s “In Concert” album was certified gold and platinum simultaneously.
  • Today in 1985, the “Greatest Hits – Volume 2” collection by Hank Williams Jr. was released.
  • Today in 1985, bluegrass legends Flatt and Scruggs were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
  • Today in 1985, Ricky Skaggs was named the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 1985. The Judds won first of three straight CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Awards.
  • Today in 1985, Lee Greenwood’s single, “God Bless the USA” was the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year.
  • Today in 1989, Roy Orbison’s name was added to the West Texas Walk of Fame.
  • Today in 1992, John Denver launched a concert tour of China. It was the most extensive tour by a Western artist ever approved by the Beijing government.
  • Today in 1997, federal aviation officials said John Denver didn’t have a valid pilot’s license when his plane crashed off the California coast two days earlier. The National Transportation Safety Board said Denver’s license had been revoked in 1996 and he was told he couldn’t get it back until he provided medical certification that he didn’t have a drinking problem. (Denver had been arrested twice on drunk driving charges in Colorado.)
  • Today in 1998, Mark Wills’ album, “Wish You Were Here,” was certified gold.
  • Today in 1999, Vince Gill was inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. That weekend he also admitted publicly, for the first time, that he and Amy Grant were a couple. The lovebirds have since married and had a child together, Corrina.
  • Today in 1999, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood were among the famous folks on hand at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden for a tribute concert honoring Carole King.
  • Today in 2000, the Grand Ole Opry’s 75th birthday celebration included a red carpet walk of stars, special weekend performances and the cutting of a large birthday cake.
  • Today in 2000, Bryan White and wife, Erika Page, were married.
  • Today in 2002, Cyndi Thomson publicly pulled the plug on her recording career by writing an open letter to her fans via Nashville’s “Tennessean” newspaper. The move was a stunner considering the chart-topping success of her debut single, “What I Really Meant To Say,” and the gold certification of her debut album, “My World.” She added that she’d rather continue songwriting than worry about the difficulties of maintaining a performance schedule. In October 2009, Thomson released “This Time,” her first new music album in eight years.
  • Today in 2003, Josh Turner’s debut album, “Long Black Train,” arrived in stores.
  • Today in 2006, Josh Turner stormed to the top of the Billboard country chart with “Would You Go With Me.”
  • Today in 2011, the Zac Brown Band’s “Keep Me In Mind” video debuted on CMT.
  • Today in 2014, Florida Georgia Line’s album, “Anything Goes,” arrived in stores.

Barrett hearing turns to discussion of few high court cases

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing on Tuesday quickly turned to discussion of a few notable high court cases, including key decisions on abortion and gun rights.

Barrett was nominated by President Donald Trump to take the seat vacated by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18. GOP senators are moving swiftly on the nomination because they want her on the bench in time for Election Day, Nov. 3.

Democrats are concerned about her conservative record and worry she will vote to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

Here is a look at the cases that were referenced repeatedly by both senators and Barrett. One of the cases is coming to the Supreme Court while others were decided years ago.

ROE v. WADE and PLANNED PARENTHOOD v. CASEY

These cases from 1973 and 1992, respectively, are the two main decisions on abortion rights. Barrett is the most openly anti-abortion nominee to the Supreme Court in decades. She is certain to be asked repeatedly whether the cases were decided correctly, and whether they should be overturned, She’s not likely to answer either question. Barrett signed an anti-abortion newspaper ad in 2006, was a member of Notre Dame’s Faculty for Life and has cast two anti-abortion votes as an appellate judge.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HELLER

This is the court’s seminal 2008 case that declared for the first time that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to have a gun, at least in the home for self defense. The case was decided by a 5-4 vote, with conservatives in the majority. Barrett’s mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia, wrote the majority opinion in which he acknowledged that the decision still left room for some gun regulations, including “longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.”

But in the intervening 12 years, the court has not elaborated on the extent of gun rights, including whether the Second Amendment includes the right to carry firearms in public or whether states can ban semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. The justices have repeatedly refused to take up those issues. With Barrett on the court, there could be enough votes to deal with some of these issues.

CALIFORNIA v. TEXAS

The Supreme Court will hear this case on Nov. 10, a week after the election. It’s the third major challenge to the Affordable Care Act since its enactment in 2010.

The Supreme Court upheld key parts of the law in the two earlier cases. At issue now is whether Congress’ decision in 2017 to eliminate the penalty for not getting insurance renders that part of the law unconstitutional. That’s not a terribly important issue since the mandate to have insurance is now toothless. But if the court finds the mandate is unconstitutional, it next will consider whether the provision is so central to the law that the rest of it must fall as well. That would cause an enormous upheaval in American health care because other parts of the law include protections for people with preexisting conditions and measures to allow people under 26 to remain on their parents’ plans.

Osky American Legion Veterans food drive

Oskaloosa’s American Legion post is collecting food for a food drive.  Darin Alderson, house committee chairman for Harry L. Anderson American Legion Post 34, has details.

“The food drive will be November 7.  We’re taking donations now until November 7.  There are five drop locations: First Christian Reformed Church, Southern Iowa Fairgrounds, Edmundson Golf Course, Wood Iron Grille and at the Post on High Avenue.

“We are going to do a ruck to retrieve all the food.  A ruck is a military style movement (where the food will be carried in backpacks).  Some people in the ruck are teams and some are individuals. And if you don’t want to walk, you can always use a golf cart or ride a bike, whatever you feel comfortable doing.”

If you’d like to participate in the ruck, there’s more information on the Harry L. Anderson American Legion Post 34 Facebook page.

Osky Middle School reports positive COVID-19 tests

The Oskaloosa School District says several members of the Middle School have tested positive for coronavirus.  The statement doesn’t say how many are students or how many are staff members.  Oskaloosa Middle School is going to continue with face to face learning.  As of Monday morning (10/12), six students in the Oskaloosa School District have tested positive for COVID-19 with 31 students quarantining.  As far as staff is concerned, less than six have tested positive and less than six are in quarantine.

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