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Kelsea Ballerini Talks Taking Ballet To Get Ready For Tour

Kelsea Ballerini recently revealed that she was taking ballet classes, and apparently she’s using it to get in shape for her upcoming 10-city tour. In an interview with “Women’s Health,” Kelsea reveals that she started taking ballet when she was 10, but gave it up at 14. “But I loved it so much,” she says. “And then my path really shifted to music.”

She explains that her goal now is “to see what my body remembers and then relearn the art of it, because it’s so beautiful.” She notes, “It’s the little micro muscles in your ankles and in your inner thighs, and the (idea) that there’s a string pulling you directly up to the ceiling while your toes are pushing down into the ground.”

Kelsea says she’s also getting ready for the tour by getting in her 10,000 steps a day on “really long, slow walks.” She says, “Just to get fresh air and get sunshine and move my body, but not move my body in a way that I’m feeling like I’m needing (to see) some results.

  • Kelsea’s “Heartfirst Tour” kicks off September 24th in New York.

Source: Women’s Health

This day in Country Music History

  • Today in 1971, a summit meeting of past and present stars of country music took place at Woodland Studios in Nashville as recording began on “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” a triple album released in 1972 by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Legends on the album included “Mother” Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff and Merle Travis.
  • Today in 1977, Kenny Rogers’ self-titled album was certified gold.
  • Today in 1990, Mark Chesnutt began his first concert tour in Highland, Texas.
  • Today in 1991, Vince Gill became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
  • Today in 1994, Alan Jackson’s “Here In The Real World” album was certified double platinum.
  • Today in 1998, George Strait’s album, “Carryin’ Your Love With Me,” was certified triple platinum while his “Lead On” album was certified double platinum.
  • Today in 1998, Reba McEntire’s “Greatest Hits Volume II” was certified for sales of 5-million.
  • Today in 1998, the “Souvenirs” album by Vince Gill was certified double platinum.
  • Today in 1998, “The Patsy Cline Collection” was certified platinum.
  • Today in 1999, Kenny Chesney’s “I Will Stand” album was certified platinum.
  • Today in 2000, there were two only country acts to appear on the 2nd annual Family Television Awards. Reba McEntire hosted the festivities, and Billy Gilman performed.
  • Today in 2000, then-Vice President Al Gore personally asked Mary Chapin Carpenter to perform at the Democratic National Convention. Mary Chapin was asked to perform a song from her “Stones In The Road” album called “Why Walk, When You Can Fly.”
  • Today in 2000, Jo Dee Messina hit another milestone in her career as it was announced that her album, “Burn,” had debuted on Billboard’s Country Album chart at #1.
  • Today in 2001, Cyndi Thomson made her Grand Ole Opry debut.
  • Today in 2001, Martie Seidel became Martie Maguire when she married hubby Gareth in a supersecret ceremony in Hawaii. The happy couple was able to keep their news quiet until late-September, when the Dixie Chicks performed on the “Tribute to Heroes” special – Martie was seen wearing what looked to be a wedding ring, and she soon admitted through reps that she and Gareth had indeed exchanged vows. The couple split in 2013 and share three daughters.
  • Today in 2001, Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Golden and his wife, Brenda, welcomed their new son, William Solomon Golden, into the world at 11:04am local time at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. And even though little William arrived 12 days early, he weighed in at a healthy 6-pounds, 13 ¾-ounces.
  • Today in 2001, Clint Black hosted the Family Television Awards. He and wife Lisa Hartman Black performed their chart-topping hit, “When I Said I Do,” on the show. Interestingly, the program, which honors the best in family-oriented viewing, was the couple’s first televised appearance since the birth of their daughter, Lily Pearl, that May.
  • Today in 2001, one of the biggest stars on the planet became of the brightest in the sky as members of Shania Twain’s announced they had paid to have a star registered in Shania’s name – it’s in the constellation Virgo.
  • Today in 2002, for the first time since their 1998 Grand Ole Opry debut, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison – aka the Dixie Chicks – made their follow-up performance on the legendary stage of the Grand Ole Opry.
  • Today in 2006, Kenny Chesney’s nine-minute “You Save Me” video aired on CMT for the first time.
  • Today in 2009, Lady Antebellum’s single, “Need You Now,” hit the airwaves.
  • Today in 2009, Brooks & Dunn announced in a short note that they would be ending their partnership after one last tour. The message? “It’s time to call it a day.” And while the pair – aka Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks – have continued recording solo music, they have since offered a reunion of sorts through a series of shows in Las Vegas with Reba McEntire.
  • Today in 2012, Jason Aldean’s “Take A Little Ride” video premiered on CMT.
  • Today in 2014, Cole Swindell wrote his future hit, “You Should Be Here,” with songwriter Ashley Gorley at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. All this while he was prepping to open for Luke Bryan.
  • Today in 2016, Eric Church earned a gold single from the RIAA for “Record Year.”
  • Today in 2017, Taylor Swift took the stand in Denver as she insisted a former local disc jockey groped her inappropriately backstage in 2013: “He did not touch my arm. He did not touch my rib,” she said. “He did not touch my hand. He grabbed my bare ass.”
  • Today in 2018, the Lady A single, “Need You Now,” was certified nine-times platinum by the RIAA.
  • Today in 2019, Chely Wright performed “Shut Up And Drive” and “Single White Female” at the Grand Ole Opry. It was her first appearance at the Mother Church since she came out in May 2010.
  • Today in 2019, Rodney Crowell, Jeannie C. Riley and Claude Gray joined the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.

Trump says FBI searched estate in major escalation of probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. That’s according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Trump says agents opened up a safe at his home and describes their work as an “unannounced raid” that he likened to “prosecutorial misconduct.” The FBI and Justice Department have not confirmed the search. It marks a dramatic and unprecedented escalation of law enforcement scrutiny of the former president.

Crops suffer as Iowa’s drought worsens

By Jared Strong (Iowa Capital Dispatch) — Drought conditions across southern Iowa have led to the state’s corn and soybeans recently being rated their poorest yet this year.

About 73% of the state’s corn crop is rated good or excellent, down from 76% a week ago, the USDA report said. About 71% of soybeans were rated the same, down from 73% last week.

Those declines were the result of abnormally warm weather: The state averaged about 5 degrees above normal last week, according to Justin Glisan, the state climatologist for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Rainfall was highly variable, with very little for central and southern Iowa. The percentage of Iowa in drought status nearly doubled in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s report late last week, from about 17% to about 31%. Much of that gain was attributable to southern Iowa, according to the report.

Lepper Named Recipient of Heart’s Nomination for A.O. Duer Award

Oskaloosa — Corrin Lepper (Sr., Jefferson City, Mo., Exercise Science) has an opportunity at national hardware after winning the A.O. Duer Award nomination from the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Lepper’s award was announced at the Heart Summit recently.  She becomes the second Statesmen in as many years to earn the Heart’s nomination for the A.O. Duer Award after Tanner Bedier (baseball) was rewarded in 2021.

The A.O. Duer Scholarship Award has been presented by the NAIA since 1967 to one male and one female junior student-athlete in any sport who have excelled in scholarship, character, and citizenship.  A.O. Duer was a long-standing executive secretary for the NAIA.

Lepper has been a standout on the women’s volleyball team, earning three all-Heart honors thus far in her career.  A second-team pick in 2021, she posted 230 kills (2.32 per set) on a .259 attack percentage.  The now fifth-year senior also notched 83 blocks last fall.

A leader on WPU’s campus, Lepper owns a 3.81 Grade Point Average and has garnered three NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards and two Heart Scholar-Athlete laurels.  She serves as President of the Campus Activities Board and Communications Coordinator for the Association of Student-Athletes, and is a member of the Kinesiology Club.  For her efforts in the classroom, Lepper was named the 2022 Student of the Year by William Penn’s Division of Health and Life Sciences.

Lepper is an active servant as well, volunteering on numerous occasions throughout the Oskaloosa community.

Lepper will now be considered for the NAIA’s national award.  The national winner will be announced in September as part of the NAIA’s National Awards Day.  The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship that their institution will used towards his/her’s tuition or other approved expenses.

Mahaska County Announces New Filing Period for Upcoming General Election

Mahaska County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, Jody Van Patten, announces that pursuant to a Federal Court Order, the filing period for candidates for Nonparty Political Organization (NPPO) and Non-Affiliated persons for the upcoming General Election, held on November 8, 2022, has changed.

Anyone interested in running as an NPPO or Non-Affiliated candidate in the General Election may pick up Nomination Papers and Affidavits of Candidacy in the Auditor’s Office, located at 106 South 1st St, in Oskaloosa, from 8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/general/index.html 

The first day for Non-Party candidates, Township Trustees and Township Clerks to file for the General Election is Monday, August 8th, with a filing deadline of 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. As a reminder, the last day to file for Soil & Water Commissioners, Ag-Extension and Hospital Trustees is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31st. If you have already filed papers to be on the General Election ballot, you do not need to refile.

County positions open are: Township Trustees, Township Clerks, Soil & Water Commissioners, Ag-Extension Council, and Hospital Trustees.

For more information and for the number of signatures required for each office, please contact the Auditor’s office at 641-673-7148.

Ottumwa School Board Hears Update on Free and Reduced Food Service Program

The Ottumwa School Board met on Monday and heard an update on the district’s free and reduced food service program. The district is set to offer both breakfast and lunch for students in need this coming school year, and the update had some encouraging news on the program’s sustainability.

Superintendent Mike McGrory said “it’s not hard to correlate” students’ nourishment and academic success, so it was important to sustain the program without it adversely affecting the district’s budget.

The full Ottumwa School Board meeting from August 8 can be viewed here. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for August 22.

Mahaska County to Conduct Public Test for Voter Equipment

The public test of Mahaska County’s voter equipment to be used in the September 13, 2022 City of Eddyville Special Election regarding Mahaska Rural Water System, Inc will commence at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 in the Mahaska County Courthouse and will continue until completed. The public is invited to attend. For further information, please contact the county auditor’s office at 641-673-7148.

One year after Afghanistan, spy agencies pivot toward China

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are shifting more money and resources to China. They’re moving hundreds of officers to China-focused positions, including some who were previously working on terrorism. One year after ending the war in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden and top national security officials speak less about counterterrorism and more about the political, economic and military threats posed by China as well as Russia. In a recent closed-door meeting with leaders of the CIA’s counterterrorism center, the CIA’s No. 2 official made clear that fighting al-Qaida and other extremist groups will remain a priority but that there’s an increasing focus on China.

DNR to host public hearing Aug. 11 on Intended Use Plans for new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) general supplemental funds

DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa DNR has released Federal Fiscal Year 2022 BIL General Supplemental Fund Intended Use Plans (IUPs) for public review, and will be hosting a virtual hearing Aug. 11 to take comments. The IUPs are for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

The IUPs outline projects and priorities for federal infrastructure dollars to fund water quality projects in Iowa. The plans can be reviewed at: https://www.iowasrf.com/infrastructure-bill-funding-opportunities/

The public are invited to provide comments on the IUPs through a virtual public hearing Thursday, Aug. 11 at 10:00 a.m. Participants should use the following conference call-in information to participate. Comments will be recorded.

Meeting ID

meet.google.com/qfe-yyik-ncf

Phone Numbers

(‪US‬)‪+1 240-457-9376‬

PIN: ‪670 973 501#

Written comments also can be submitted through Thursday, Aug. 18 by email to:  Water-infrastructure@dnr.iowa.gov

It is anticipated the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission will act on the IUPs at its Sept. 20, 2022 meeting. Intended Use Plans for BIL PFAS/Emerging Contaminants and Lead Service Line Replacement Funds are still forthcoming and will be published as separate documents at a later time.

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