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Election interference not a possibility

Posted on by Rick Watts

After the 2016 election, there was plenty of talk about how possible interference through the internet could have affected the election results.  During a visit to Oskaloosa last week, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said that kind of thing isn’t possible in Iowa because we use paper ballots.

“That should set aside all these rumors about Russians changing votes or anybody else changing votes. That’s not possible under the process we use.  There’s a lot of other safeguards we implement and the key thing here is transparency.  We want people to understand what we do so that they can say ‘Yes, they’re doing that because of this.’  That’s a key part of this.”

Pate adds that in the US, elections aren’t centralized.  They’re controlled by state and county auditors and that’s as grass roots as you’ll get.

By the way, if you haven’t registered to vote yet, the deadline is this Saturday, October 27.  The Mahaska County Auditor’s office will be open on Saturday from 8am until 5pm.  You could still register at your precinct on Election Day; just make sure to bring along a photo ID that shows your current address.

Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean to Headline Stagecoach

Posted on by Rick Watts

This year’s headliners are Luke Bryan on the first night of the festival, Sam Hunt on Saturday and Jason Aldean playing the third and final night of the massive party in the desert that is typically one of the first major music festivals of the year.  While both Bryan and Aldean have headlined the festival in the past — Bryan headlined in 2016, Aldean in 2012 and both performed top slots in 2014 — 2019 will be Hunt’s first year headlining the festival.

“Last time he played in 2016, he brought out Snoop Dogg as a special guest,” says Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice’s director of festival talent and longtime programmer for the annual concert. “We’re seeing so much crossover now in country, whether it’s Maren Morris and Zedd or Florida Georgia Line with Bebe Rexha, we’ve entered this new time when country is driving huge pop songs.”

As always, this year’s festival features plenty of ascendant country acts poised for a possible future as a headliner, with Cole Swindell and Kane Brown, who just took home three American Music Awards, performing Friday, and emerging country stars Luke Combs and Cam holding it down Saturday night.    “Combs and Cam are very different, but I think they’re gonna compliment each other really well,” Vee tells Billboard. “It’s country A to Z with those two together.”

Sunday night features Old Dominion, who first played the festival in 2016 and have seen their stars rise with their popular 2017 album Happy Endings, as well as ongoing support from Goldenvoice who featured the band on their 2016 Stagecoach Spotlight tour.  As always, there are a few surprises every year — legendary singer Tom Jones is making a trip to the desert for a Sunday night set.  “He attended when Jerry Lee Lewis played a few years ago,” Vee said. “He must have had a good time because his agent later called me to ask about performing and it took me half-a-second to enthusiastically say ‘heck yes.'”

Vee said this year’s Stagecoach highlights a number of rising women in country music including Lauren Alaina and Jesse James Decker telling Billboard “I’m working so hard to help develop these incredibly talented women,” she says. “There’s just an abundance of female talent out there right now and I’m trying to do my part for artists like Abby Anderson and Rachel Wammack who are incredible.”

Old Dominion will appear on Ellen later today to announce the lineup. Tickets go on sale Friday (Oct. 19) at 11am Pacific at stagecoachfestival.com. Three-day general admission passes start at $349.

October 22: On this day

Posted on by Rick Watts

On this day in 1968, Glen Campbell was at #1 on the US Country music album chart with his sixth studio release, Gentle on My Mind. The title track written by John Hartford, won two 1968 Grammy Awards and received over 5 million radio plays. Campbell used “Gentle on My Mind” as the theme to his television variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hourbetween 1969 and 1972.

Deadly deer virus found on Minnesota farm

Posted on by Rick Watts

Several deer from a private herd on a Minnesota farm have contracted a deadly virus that until now has not yet been seen in the state.  Minnesota Board of Animal Health officials say the virus was confirmed in seven deer on the farm and six have died.  The virus, called epizootic hemorrhagic disease,  is carried by biting flies and causes rapid death from internal bleeding.  No vaccine is available for infected animals.  State wildlife officials say there’s no indication the virus is present in the wild deer population.  And, although it’s the first time the virus has been detected in Minnesota, it has been present in the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Iowa.  The Star Tribune reports there are no known health risks to humans.

Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots continue to grow

Posted on by Rick Watts

The Powerball jackpot will top $620 million this week because no one won Saturday’s drawing, but that may seem relatively small compared to the $1.6 billion Mega Millions drawing expected on Tuesday.

Both lottery jackpots will approach new heights this week. The Mega Millions jackpot will likely set a new record, and the Powerball jackpot will be the third largest ever for that game on Wednesday.  The Mega Millions jackpot has been growing since July, when a group of 11 California office workers won $543 million.  It costs $2 to play either game.  The odds of winning Mega Millions are about one in 302 million. The Powerball odds are slightly better at one in 292.2 million.

Oskaloosa Indians Class 3A Region 7 Champions

Posted on by Rick Watts

For the third straight year, Oskaloosa High’s football team is going to the playoffs.  The Indians defeated South Tama 63-21 Friday (10/19) to wrap up the Class 3A Region 7 championship.  Senior quarterback Cole Henry completed eight of nine passes for 146 yards and four touchdowns.  Senior Casey Hill rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and also blocked a punt that Walker Newman recovered in the end zone for another score.  Senior Rashaun Braggs returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown and sophomore Leland Evans added two fourth quarter scores.  The Indians are 8-1 on the season; they’ll host Harlan in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs Friday night (10/26).  Kickoff is at 7:00 and we’ll have that game on KMZN and the No Coast Network.

Other area teams that made the playoffs:  Pella plays at defending 3A champions Cedar Rapids Xavier, In Class 2A, PCM hosts Kuemper Catholic, and in Class A, Lynnville-Sully travels to Hudson and BGM plays at Edgewood-Colesburg.  All those games are Friday night at 7.

Mega Millions 2018: What are the odds of winning the $970 million jackpot, and more questions answered

Posted on by Rick Watts

The $970 million Mega Millions jackpot will be up for grabs Friday night, after ballooning from $868 million Wednesday morning.  Do you think you have the lucky numbers? Here are the answers to your questions about the historic lottery drawing:

What time is the Mega Millions? 

The Mega Millions drawing will be 11 p.m. ET on Friday in Atlanta, Georgia at the WSB-TV studios. If you’re not on the East Coast, that’s 10 p.m. CT, 9 p.m. MT and 8 p.m. PT.   You have a few options if you want to watch for your numbers. The drawing will be broadcast live to different news affiliates, so check your local listings to see what channel to flip to Friday night. You can also check the Mega Millions website or download the app.

Is this the largest lottery winning ever?

At $970 million, this is the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever, but it isn’t the largest lottery winning ever.  The largest lottery jackpot in United States history was $1.6 billion from a Powerball game in January 2016. The former record holder for Mega Millions was a $656 million prize in 2012. The prize was split three ways in both of these drawings, with each winner receiving at least $200 million – before taxes, of course.

Wasn’t there a drawing on Tuesday? 

There was a drawing Tuesday night, but nobody guessed all six numbers. Tuesday’s winning numbers? 3, 45, 49, 61, 69, and 9.   One person did receive a $1.9 million prize Tuesday for guessing five of the six total numbers correctly at a Safeway grocery store in San Francisco.   If nobody claims the Mega Millions jackpot in the required time limit – which varies state by state – each state will get the money it contributed to the jackpot back. For example, in Virginia you have 180 days to claim the prize, otherwise profits go to K-12 education.

How late can you buy a ticket for Mega Millions? 

You can buy a Mega Millions ticket until 10:45 on drawing night in 39 of the 42 states that allow the Mega Millions game. In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, the last tickets will be sold at 9:50 p.m. ET, according to Fox News.

If you live in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina or North Dakota, you can buy a Mega Millions ticket online if you have registered with the lotteries of those states, according to the Mega Millions website. If you live in New Hampshire, New York, or Virginia, you can purchase a subscription for Mega Millions online.  Otherwise, head over to your local convenience store or supermarket to pick your lucky numbers in person.

What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot? 

Not great. The odds were 302,575,350 to 1 as of Thursday, according to Chris O’Byrne, a management information systems lecturer at San Diego State University.   “There’s over 300 million people in the United States,” O’Byrne said. “Obviously you have to play in the game to win, but if you think about it in that aspect it’s like picking the right person in the entire United States.”

Why do people play, then? Even when the odds are low, it’s all about hope.

Secretary of State Paul Pate was in Oskaloosa last night

Posted on by Rick Watts

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was in Oskaloosa Thursday to meet with Mahaska County Auditor Sue Brown and discuss the upcoming general election.  Pate says he’s concerned that people will go to social media to get election information—and that what’s on social media may not be accurate.

“For your most accurate information on voting, go to the county auditor or come to our office.  Go to the (county auditor) website or go to our website (sos.iowa.gov).  We have all the information there.  We have all the polling locations, we have the polling hours, all the information on how to register to vote and all the information about voter ID.  All that’s at your fingertips and we monitor it.  We make sure that it’s accurate and up to date.”

Pate says absentee voting, or early voting, is going well across the state.  Brown says just over 2000 absentee ballots have been requested in Mahaska County so far, with 578 of those returned.

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