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

This week’s H & S Feed & Country Store Pet of the Week is “Ajax”, a 5 year old American Stafforshire mix who is one of the best behaved dogs you will ever meet! He loves affection and will give you a kiss, but is not a ‘lickin’ machine’. Ajax loves to play, is great with kids and would love to meet you! Ajax is fully vetted, vaccinated and ready to go!

If you’d like to set up an appointment to meet Ajax 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 Ajax with Shanna from Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter here:

Osky drops opener to Albia, rebounds at home against Fairfield

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians baseball team got their season started on Monday and Tuesday this week with a road tilt at Albia followed by their home opener versus Fairfield.

Monday at Albia

The Indians began their season against the Albia Blue Demons almost exactly one year after an Aiden North walk-off home run lifted them over the same team to open their 2022 campaign. The Indians and Blue Demons traded runs to start: Wyatt Grubb drove Austen Coenen in with a single in the top of the first and Jarrod Parks mashed a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Albia answered each time with runs of their own.

The Blue Demons really got rolling in the bottom of the fourth when they plated two runs and followed it up with a 4-run 5th inning in rallies led by Wyatt Beckwith, Drake Irwin, and Drew Chance. The Indians weren’t able to provide immediate answers and found themselves trailing 8-2 entering the sixth inning.

It was here that the Indians found their own groove and battled back. Jarrod Parks got the rally started in the top of the sixth with a 1-out single; Wyatt Grubb followed with a single of his own, advancing Parks to third, and Jaden DeRonde brought Parks in with a sacrifice fly. The Indians would then see their 7-8-9 hitters all reach base: Logan Hoskinson drew a walk, then Garrett Roethler hit a clutch 2-run single, and Griffin Snitker entered the game and delivered a pinch-hit RBI single of his own. Just like that, the deficit was trimmed to 2 runs.

Jaden DeRonde, after entering the game in the fifth inning as a pitcher in relief of Cael Butler, set down the Blue Demons in the bottom of the 6th to keep the Indians in the game. The top of the seventh began auspiciously: Austen Coenen drew another walk and Aiden North reached base with a single. Jarrod Parks then came through with his 3rd hit of the night to drive Coenen in. With no outs, the Indians had cut the deficit to 1 run, but unfortunately ran out of steam from there. The next 3 Indian hitters were set down in order, and the tying run was stranded at 3rd. The Blue Demons left with the opening day victory, 8-7.

Monday Stats

Tuesday vs Fairfield

Less than 24 hours later, the Indians played their home opener against a Fairfield squad that owned a 12-6 record over them dating back to 2010. That didn’t bother Osky: after Garrett Roethler got the start on the mound and escaped trouble with a scoreless top of the first, the Indians saw each of their first three hitters reach base including a fielder’s choice to set up a 3-run bomb from Wyatt Grubb to take a 3-0 lead.

The second inning followed without much incident: Roethler held the Trojans at bay once again while the Indians could only reach base once. In the third, however, Fairfield plated their first – and, ultimately, their only – run of the game after their 1-2-3 hitters all reached with bases on balls, Roethler exited the game, and Kam Criss entered, surrendering an RBI single to cleanup hitter Caden Allison two batters later. Tough luck then entered the fold for the Trojans as DH Luke Konczal hit a line drive straight at Jarrod Parks at 1st, who was able to apply the tag to Allison immediately with ease for the double play to help Criss escape the jam, preserving the 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the third.

From there, it was smooth sailing for Osky: Kam Criss would go the rest of the way on the mound, finishing the night with 4 innings and 0 earned runs allowed. Fairfield’s Isaac Harris settled in on the mound and delivered two more scoreless frames before Osky got back on the board in the 5th inning with two more runs: Austen Coenen drew a walk and Aiden North mashed a double to center field to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. A passed ball put Coenen across, and Jarrod Parks brought North in with a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-1 ballgame entering the 6th.

Another scoreless inning by Criss ensued, and the Indians’ offense roared back to life in the bottom of the 6th. They reached base with 8 out of 9 hitters, and the offensive onslaught included a 2-RBI single from Coenen, an RBI single from Grubb, who finished the night with 4 RBI, and errors on balls in play from North and Parks, as well as a walk from Tucker DeJong. In the home half of the inning, the Indians clinched the game by the 10-run rule, 11-1.

Tuesday Stats

Oskaloosa (1-1) will play their next game at home next Monday against Ottumwa. The game will be broadcast on 104.9 FM and on kboeradio.com.

Man indicted in theft of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland

BROOKLYN CENTER (AP) — A man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” federal prosecutors in North Dakota say. The shoes were stolen in 2005 and recovered in a 2018 FBI sting operation, but no arrests were made at the time.

Terry Martin was indicted Tuesday with one count of theft of a major artwork, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The indictment did not provide any further information about Martin and online records do not list an attorney for him.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Martin is 76 and lives 12 miles south of the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. When reached by the newspaper, he said, “I gotta go on trial. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Janie Heitz, executive director of the museum, told The Associated Press she was surprised the suspect lived nearby but said no one who works at the museum knows him.

Garland wore several pairs of the ruby slippers during production of the 1939 musical, but only four authentic pairs remain. When they were stolen, the slippers were insured for $1 million but the current market value is about $3.5 million, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

The slippers were on loan to the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown when someone climbed through a window and broke the display case, prosecutors said when they were recovered.

Heitz said she and the museum’s staff were “a little bit speechless” that someone had been charged nearly two decades after the slippers were stolen.

Over the years, several enticing rewards were offered in hopes that the slippers would turn up. Law enforcement offered $250,000 early in the case, and an anonymous donor from Arizona put up $1 million in 2015.

The road to the missing slippers began when a man told the shoes’ insurer in 2017 that he could help get them back. After a nearly year-long investigation, the FBI nabbed the shoes in Minneapolis in July 2018. At the time, the bureau said no one has been arrested or charged in the case.

On Wednesday, a summons was issued for Martin. An initial court appearance was set for June 1, and it will be via video. Terry Van Horn, spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department in North Dakota, said he could not provide any information beyond what was included in the one-paragraph-indictment.

The shoes are famously associated with one of the iconic lines in “The Wizard of Oz,” as Garland’s character Dorothy clicks her heels and repeats the phrase, “There’s no place like home.” They are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Most of the ruby color comes from sequins but the bows of the shoes contain red glass beads.

The three other pairs Garland wore in the movie were held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian, and a private collector.

When they were stolen, the slippers were on loan from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who received an insurance payment seven years after the theft, according to the museum’s director.

Heitz said the museum staff hopes the slippers will return to Garland’s hometown after the legal case ends.

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Iowans who are 65 or older and own the home they live in have about six weeks to apply for a new property tax exemption.

The tax plan Governor Reynolds signed into law earlier this month includes a new property tax exemption for Iowa seniors. It will reduce the taxable value of a home by $3250 for property taxes due this September and next spring. For the next assessment year, the exemption doubles to $6500.

Iowans who were at least 65 years old by January 1st of this year have until July 1st to file a form with their local county assessor to claim this exemption. Once the exemption’s granted, there’s no need to reapply in future years. The Legislative Services Agency estimates it will be worth $50 million annually to Iowa seniors.

Iowans who are receiving or are eligible for the military service property tax exemption will see it increase to $4000. Veterans who were on active duty during a war or served 18 months during peacetime may claim the exemption on the home they live in.

Application Window Closes Tomorrow for Supporting Rural EMS Through an Internship Initiative

OTTUMWA — The Supporting Rural EMS Through an Internship Initiative’s application window is closing tomorrow at noon, and the program is still seeking applicants from Wapello County.

The Supporting Rural EMS through an Internship Initiative will provide an opportunity for 16 participants, aged 17-24 from the counties of Appanoose, Davis, Van Buren, and Wapello in a rural, socioeconomically depressed area in South Central/South East Iowa, to complete a paid internship to become Emergency Medical Technicians. There is a desperate need for certified EMS professionals in these counties as well as statewide.

During the summer paid internship, participants will take a state-approved EMT course while completing healthcare exploration, as well as course lab and clinical hours at area ambulance services and hospitals. During the program, interns will also receive information on furthering their education in healthcare, particularly in EMS by continuing to the Paramedic level, as well as soft skills needed to be successful in a job and career.

  • Starting date of June 1, 2023, through August 12, 2023.
  • 24-hour work week – this is a commitment to the program; the course has been condensed to meet the current summer schedule and there is very little leeway for absences.
  • Internship program will pay interns $12 per hour.
  • Participants that successfully complete the program – successfully completing the EMS course and taking NREMT Testing will be awarded a $500 bonus.

The program application and job description are attached to the email and available at www.wapelloready.org/emsintern

Old Hwy 163 Closed Starting Today

OSKALOOSA — Starting today (5/18), Old Highway 163 in Mahaska County will be closed for a repaving project.

The road will be closed until it is completely repaved, with the estimated completion date of mid-June. Old Hwy 163 will be closed from the entrance off New Hwy 163/Jewell Ave to the roundabout at Pella Ave/Hwy 432 (see highlighted area in the map above).

If you use this road to get to the Lacey Complex, it is advised that you use a different route.

BLAKE SHELTON HAD NO IDEA REBA WAS HIS REPLACEMENT ON ‘THE VOICE’

Reba McEntire was officially named as Blake Shelton‘s successor in the big red chair on “The Voice” when the show comes back for Season 24.

ETOnline actually asked Reba back in January who could fill Blake’s shoes once he left – and she played it off, not acknowledging the fact that she knew just the person – and it was her! Reba said at the time,  “Who could fill Blake’s shoes? To fill Blake’s chair? Wow. That’s gonna be tough. He did a great job, and kudos to him.”

Now that the news is official, ETOnline called her out on her little white lies, and then asked the follow-up question: did she confide in Blake, get his advice on taking the job? Reba admitted that Blake was nosing around about it. “He kept asking if I was gonna do it, so I couldn’t tell him that I was gonna do it, because they say he can’t keep a secret!”

Blake’s final two episodes on “The Voice” will be next Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC. Season 24 is set to premiere this fall and will air on Mondays (8/7c) and Tuesdays (9/8c). The show will also stream the next day on Peacock.

Source: CountryNow

This day in Country Music History

  • Today in 1983, John Anderson’s mega-hit “Swingin”‘ entered the country charts.
  • Today in 1997, Brooks & Dunn’s single, “Why Would I say Goodbye,” hit #1.
  • Today in 1999, Chely Wright’s album, “Single, White Female,” arrived in stores.
  • Today in 1999, Reba McEntire’s book, “Comfort From A Country Quilt,” was #8 on the “New York Times” non-fiction hardcover bestseller list.
  • Today in 2003, a bevy of country stars and everyday fans showed up at the First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where June Carter Cash was remembered in a touching public funeral. Johnny Cash, naturally, occupied a seat in the front row, positioned in a wheelchair not far from June’s light blue casket. Others on hand included daughter Carlene Carter, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Hank Williams Jr. and Trisha Yearwood. Larry Gatlin and the Oak Ridge Boys – two acts whose careers benefited from Johnny’s assistance – sang. And Emmylou Harris performed a couple of songs with the assistance of rocker Sheryl Crow. Rosanne Cash, who was 12 years old when June married Johnny, told the assembly that June banned the word “stepmother” from the household. According to the Associated Press, Rosanne said, “My daddy has lost his dearest companion … and his soul mate. If being a wife were a corporation, June would have been a CEO. It was her most treasured role.”
  • Today in 2005, Gretchen Wilson earned a gold single with “Here For The Party” and a platinum one with “Redneck Woman.”
  • Today in 2008, Sugarland’s “Stay” was a double-winner, claiming Single Record and Song of the Year during the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
  • Today in 2014, Keith Urban sold 22-thousand guitar packages on HSN.
  • Today in 2015, Sam Hunt’s “House Party” was released.
  • Today in 2016, while Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man” was certified double-platinum by the RIAA, Brantley Gilbert’s “Just As I Am” album went platinum.
  • Today in 2017, the Texas legislature named George Strait the state musician for 2017.
  • Today in 2018, Jake Owen launched a 21-date tour of baseball parks at AT&T Field in Chattanooga. His opening acts are Chris Janson and Jordan Davis.
  • Today in 2019, Travis Tritt’s bus was sideswiped on Highway 22 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as it dodged a crash. A jeep going the wrong way hit a pickup head-on, killing two people. Tritt is unharmed, though his bus sustains minor damage.
  • Today in 2019, Jimmie Allen tells Chicago radio station WEBG that he was diagnosed as a teenager with bipolar depression.
  • Today in 2019, Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses” hit #1 on the Billboard country singles chart.
  • Today in 2020, Dolly Parton and American Greetings announced a new “Birthday Time” ecard that personalized “9 To 5” as a birthday greeting for 1,200 different names.
  • Today in 2020, Lady A’s “What If I Never Get Over You” was awarded a platinum single status from the RIAA.
  • Today in 2020, Dolly Parton joined Jon Bon Jovi, Stephen Colbert and Meryl Streep in a benefit for the Covenant House, livestreamed via Broadway On Demand.
  • Today in 2020, Sage Warren, the 21-year-old son of singer and “Highway Don’t Care” songwriter Brad Warren, died in Tennessee after ingesting a drug laced with fentanyl.
  • Today in 2021, Andrew Jannakos officially adopted Brenson, the five-year-old son of his wife, Kat.

ESPN announces ‘Pat McAfee Show’ will join afternoon lineup

BRISTOL (AP) — Pat McAfee’s show is moving to ESPN as part of a new multiyear deal announced Tuesday.

McAfee first joined ESPN as a college football analyst for its Thursday night games in 2019. He returned to the network last year and became part of the “College GameDay” crew as well as hosting some alternate presentations of ESPN games, including the CFP National Championship.

That will continue, but it is McAfee’s show that has created the most buzz. It began on satellite radio in 2016 and picked up steam when it began streaming in 2019. The show has been mainly on YouTube the past three years, but will move to ESPN, the ESPN YouTube Channel and ESPN+ as part of the network’s afternoon lineup beginning in the fall. It will likely air after “First Take” and start at 12 p.m. ET.

McAfee is exiting a four-year deal with FanDuel that the New York Post reported was worth $120 million.

The McAfee show is known for weekly appearances by Aaron Rodgers during the football season, including his announcement of his impending trade to the New York Jets, but also for a frequent use of profanity. McAfee said during ESPN’s presentation to advertisers Tuesday that he wouldn’t swear “nearly as much” but the substance and style of the show would not change despite its new home.

“We ain’t changing a damn thing,” McAfee said. “Every other word is good to go. … We won’t be doing that because it’s the middle of the day, but everything else will be good.”

ESPN also announced a documentary series on Serena Williams and four major matchups for the upcoming college football season.

“In the Arena: Serena Williams” has started production and comes on heels of the 2021 “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady” series. The Brady series was 10 parts and focused on each of the seasons Brady took his team to the Super Bowl.

ESPN has not announced how many parts there will be for the Williams series. Williams won 23 singles titles in grand slam tournaments, but ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the episodes won’t be dictated by that.

“We’ll combine some things here, but it’s going to be fantastic. I’m probably as excited about that as I am any film that we have in development right now,” Pitaro said.

Williams also appeared on stage during the presentation. The series will be directed by Gotham Chopra and is co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, Brady’s 199 Productions, and Williams’ and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.

The Labor Day weekend game between Florida State and LSU will air on ABC for the second straight season. The night game will be played in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 3.

Alabama will host Texas on Sept. 9 in a game airing on ESPN. ABC again will have the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma from Dallas on Oct. 7 as well as Notre Dame’s game at Clemson on Nov. 4.

The ESPN presentation was one part of the Walt Disney Company’s entire program for advertisers Tuesday. ESPN and other networks owned by Disney used to have separate programs before the move to a combined presentation a couple of years ago.

Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales and partnerships, noted the move from eight different events to one stemmed from a demand from advertisers to do fewer big events.

The presentation came amid layoffs throughout the Walt Disney Company, including ESPN. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in February that the company would reduce 7,000 jobs either through attrition or layoffs.

ESPN went through the first of two rounds of reductions last month. There also will be a round of cuts involving on-air talent over the summer done through non-renewal of contracts, buyouts or cuts.

“It has been a tough period, the past few weeks. I think folks are looking forward to getting through this month and regrouping,” Pitaro said. “We’re operating in a world where fewer households are subscribing to traditional television. That puts pressure on the business.”

Gov. Reynolds approves tougher penalties for fentanyl related crimes

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that significantly increases the criminal penalties for making or selling illegal drugs laced with fentanyl.

“Between 2019 and 2022, Iowa saw a 45% increase in opioid deaths,” Reynolds said this morning, “including and especially a 160% increase for those under the age of 25.”

The Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement has seized nearly 28,000 fentanyl pills in the last six weeks. Iowa’s Republican governor said “it’s no mystery” where this “flood” of fentanyl is coming from.

“President Biden has a constitutional responsibility to secure our nation’s border from illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human trafficking and everything that’s taking place at the southern border,” Reynolds said. “His failure is empowering criminals, it’s empowering the cartel who trade others’ lives for profit and it truly is a disgrace.”

The bill doubles the penalty making and selling illegal drugs. Those caught with 50 grams of fentanyl could be sentenced to 50 years in an Iowa prison and penalties are also enhanced for selling illegal drugs to a minor. There are also harsher sentences for providing drugs that lead to an overdose or death.

“This law brings the drug dealers who kill to justice,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who joined Reynolds for today’s bill signing ceremony. “It gives prosecutors the tools that we need to seek justice for the victims of crime and their families.”

The governor hosted a roundtable discussion in Atlantic about drug crimes before she signed the bill into law. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens said opioids are incredibly addictive and stopping the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into urban and rural Iowa is a high priority.

“Law enforcement must lean on one another and leverage all of our resources to combat this epidemic,” Bayens said.

Bayens cited the recent federal indictments of six Iowans after a series of overdoses in Cass and Shelby Counties. “In the span of just a few months, those two small rural counties had five fentanyl overdoses, two of which were fatal. Agents further learned that the distribution of naloxone in these two counties had spiked,” Bayens said.

“Once the size and scope the problem had been identified, state, federal and local law enforcement from Iowa and Nebraska initiated a proactive and targeted investigation designed to root out the source of these overdoses.”

All six of those who were arrested last year have pleaded guilty after being accused of distributing over 10-thousand fentanyl pills in southwest Iowa.

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