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School Closings, Delays, and Bus Routes 1/11/24

By Sam Parsons

Here is a breakdown of the changes to area school schedules and bus routes for today, 1/11/24:

Closed All Day

Cardinal

2 Hour Delay

BGM

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Lynnville-Sully

Montezuma

North Mahaska

Sigourney

Sully Christian

Buses Hard Surface Only

Albia

Centerville

Davis County

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Moravia

Ottumwa/Seton Catholic

PCM

Pekin

Pleasantville

Sigourney

Tri-County

For consumers shopping for an EV, new rules mean fewer models qualify for a tax credit

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. consumers looking to get a tax credit on an electric vehicle purchase have fewer models to choose from under new rules that limit the countries where automakers can buy battery parts and minerals — a potential blow to efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions from autos.

The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in 2022 expanded tax credits ranging from $3,750 to $7,500 for purchases of new and used EVs, an effort by the Biden administration to stoke demand toward its goal that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. But qualifying for the credits depends on requirements related to their battery makeup and minerals that get tougher each year.

As of Jan. 1, new rules favor U.S. domestic materials and manufacture. The rules largely target battery components from nations “of concern” — mostly China, but also Russia, North Korea and Iran.

China dominates crucial parts of EV battery supply and production, even as automakers race to establish key mineral and components efforts elsewhere. As a result, only 13 of the more than 50 EVs on sale in the U.S. are eligible for the credits so far this year, down from about two dozen models that qualified in 2023.

The Tesla Model Y SUV, Chevrolet Bolt compact car and Rivian R1T pickup truck all still qualify. But even different trim levels and variants of the same model now qualify differently; certain Teslas are no longer eligible.

Neither are the Chevrolet Blazer SUV and the Cadillac Lyriq, from General Motors; the Ford Mustang Mach-E; or the Nissan Leaf.

Carmakers say they’re scrambling to source parts that will make their models eligible for tax credits, but those parts can’t be sourced overnight, especially as several automakers are chasing the same goal.

Some experts said they expect the reduced selection of tax-credit-eligible EVs to have only a passing impact on growing consumer acceptance, especially as car makers hustle to get their models qualified.

“There’s still enough variety out there in terms of vehicles. There are still the incentives that we’ll see from automakers as they balance their inventory. There are still automakers that are going to work their supply chains throughout the year to come back into the fold,” said Elizabeth Krear, vice president of J.D. Power’s EV practice. “This would be a near-term hiccup.”

One positive development for EV buyers this year is that qualifying vehicles can have the credits applied at the time of purchase, as long as the dealer fronts the cost. That means buyers can more easily afford the purchase. More than 8,700 U.S. dealers have signed up to do so, the Treasury Department said last week.

General Motors is also taking $7,500 off its models that lost eligibility, and other deals are available across the market — even as automakers continue to lose money on EVs.

And leased EVs aren’t affected by the new rules because they’re considered “commercial vehicles,” not subject to the same manufacturing and battery content requirements. That means consumers can get the full amount of the credit with a lease even if the vehicle wouldn’t qualify via a purchase. Industry experts and dealers expect another uptick in EV leasing, after its share of EV acquisitions doubled in 2023 to 26%, according to consumer intelligence firm J.D. Power.

Electric vehicle sales grew 47% to a record 1.19 million last year, but EV sales growth slowed toward the end of the year. In December, they rose 34%. Gas-electric hybrid sales grew 54% to 1.2 million last year, with market share leaping from 5.6% in 2022 to 7.7%.

The transportation sector accounts for about 29% of total U.S. emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As the U.S. races to reduce its carbon footprint, it’s banking on consumers to adopt cleaner forms of personal transportation. EVs save significantly on emissions, said Jessika Trancik, a professor in energy studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Investments in electrification and charging infrastructure have stimulated EV purchases among early adopters, she said.

But affordability is a bigger concern for mainstream buyers than concerns about charging infrastructure, according to S&P Global Mobility. The average cost for a new gas-powered vehicle in the U.S. in November was $48,247, about $4,000 below an EV, according to Cox Automotive. That’s better than a year earlier, but still significant.

Trancik said buyers should consider total cost of ownership, which for an EV is generally less than that of a gas-powered counterpart due to savings on maintenance and fuel.

Christina Burns, a sales and marketing coordinator in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said she’ll be looking to buy a new vehicle later this year and would like to get something good for the environment. But due to uncertainty over tax credits, the higher upfront cost and concerns over charging, she’s planning on a hybrid or an efficient gas-powered vehicle rather than an EV.

“The most confusing thing would probably be the government part of it. Do you get a break, do you not? Will it apply next year, who knows?” she said. “You’re playing the odds as to whether the benefit will be there when you’re ready to purchase.”

Iowa’s governor calls for more tax cuts, teacher pay raises in annual speech to lawmakers

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds is calling for another reduction in Iowa’s personal income tax and a 50% increase in the minimum salary for first-time teachers.

Reynolds delivered the annual “Condition of the State” address tonight and outlined her priorities for legislators. The governor proposes a $50,000 starting salary for Iowa’s rookie teachers.

“We want younger Iowans to see the teaching profession as something to aspire to. It’s one of the highest callings one can have,” Reynolds said, “so let’s make sure that teacher pay sends that message.”

The governor wants state law to require a minimum salary of $62,000 for teachers with at least a dozen years of experience. “These investments will put Iowa in the top five states for starting pay and help recruit more of the best and brightest to join the teaching profession,” she said and lawmakers from both parties applauded.

Reynolds is proposing two tax cuts. Businesses would pay half as much per employee into the state fund used to pay unemployment benefits. “Instead of paying money into the government these businesses can create more jobs, increase salaries or reinvest into their communities,” Reynolds said.

And Reynolds proposes deeper cuts in the state’s personal income tax — a retroactive cut to January 1 of this year and lowering the rate to 3.5% in 2025.

“You know it wouldn’t be a Condition of the State address without me talking about your money or, as the government calls it, taxes,” Reynolds said near the end of her speech. “…Let’s not hestitate. Let’s stick to the approach we established in 2018 and allow Iowans to keep more of their money.”

The governor is proposing a major overhaul of the nine Area Education Agencies. “While some of our AEAs are doing great work, others are underperforming,” she said.

Iowa spends more than the national average to educate students with disabilities, but their test scores are below average. “No system, however long-standing, is above reform,” Reynolds said.

She proposes ending training and other education services from the AEAs and making special education their only focus. School districts would no longer have to forward all special education funding to the AEAs and could choose to that money to hire their own staff, contract with a private firm or pay the AEA for special ed services.

“We’re not reducing special education funding by one dime,” Reynolds said. “We are simply giving control of the funding to those who work directly with your child on a daily basis and taking special education off autopilot.”

The governor covered a number of other topics in her speech. Reynolds is asking lawmakers to tighten rules that forbid foreign ownership of more than 320 acres of farmland, to force disclosure if foreign interests are part of companies that own farmland. She’s also renewed her request that lawmakers extend Medicaid coverage for new moms for a full year. The limit for post-pregnancy check-ups is currently 60 days for women who qualify for government-paid insurance.

GOP leaders in the legislature say cutting taxes is a goal they share with Governor Reynolds, but it’s unclear if the tax plan she outlined in her annual address to lawmakers will sail through the House and Senate. House Speaker Pat Grassley said his first impression is the governor has made reasonable recommendations, but he told reporters House Republicans will examine the full impact over the next two years.

“I like the agenda she laid out when it comes to tax policy,” Grassley said after the speech, “and we look forward to fully engaging as we see what those out years look like.”

Last year, Senate Republicans proposed a bill to eliminate the state income tax by the end of this decade, but Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver said the governor’s plan for a 3.5% flat income tax rate by 2025 may be an interim step.

“The goal is to get to zero in the state of Iowa,” Whitver said. “Whether we get here in year one (or) year 10, we don’t know, but taking another step forward is certainly progress that we appreciate.”

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrs said about half a million Iowans do not owe any income taxes to the state and the proposed cuts don’t help them. “We didn’t hear anything tonight about affordable housing, about child care, about utilities,” Konfrst said. “Costs are more about income taxes.”

Grassley said there’s interest in both parties in the governor’s plan to raise teacher salaries. “The governor’s been very clear over the last several months that was going to be something she wanted to look at as we came into the legislative session,” Grassley said tonight. “I think you’re going to see a lot of interest in wanting to do something when it comes to getting us into those higher levels.”

Konfrst said Democrats have for years supported raising teacher salaries, but they need more details. “We have a lot of questions, of course,” Konfrst said. “We want to know about the paraprofessionals and other professionals in the school, some of whom are earning less than $10 an hour.”

Whitver said Senate Republicans are interested in setting a higher minimum salary for beginning teachers and they’ll see how the governor’s proposal fits in the overall state budget. Reynolds said her teacher pay plan has a $96 million price tag.

School Closings 1/10/24

By Sam Parsons

Below is a list of area schools that have announced weather-related closings for today (1/10):

Albia

BGM

Cardinal

Davis County

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Grinnell-Newburg

Knoxville

Lynnville-Sully

Melcher-Dallas

Montezuma

Newton

North Mahaska

Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa Christian

Ottumwa

Ottumwa Christian

PCM

Pekin

Pella

Pella Christian

Pleasantville

Sigourney

Sully Christian

Tri-County

Twin Cedars

Mahaska Chamber to Host First Coffee and Conversation Event This Weekend

OSKALOOSA — The Mahaska Chamber’s first round of “Coffee and Conversation” events will take place this weekend.

Coffee and Conversation – previously known as “Eggs and Issues” – is an engaging series of informative sessions providing Mahaska County residents with invaluable insights into state, county, and local topics, fostering opportunities for community members to meet, learn, and discuss subjects important to community improvement. All Coffee and Conversation events are hosted at Smokey Row Coffee in Oskaloosa (109 S Market St) from 8:30-9:30am.

The dates for Coffee & Conversation and panel speakers are as follows:
January 13, 2024 – City of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County
January 27, 2024 – Iowa Senate #19 Ken Rozenboom and Iowa Senate #44 Adrian Dickey
                   Iowa House #88 Helena Hayes and Iowa House #37 Barb Kniff-McCulla
February 10, 2024 – Mahaska County Schools
February 24, 2024 – Iowa Senate #19 Ken Rozenboom and Iowa Senate #44 Adrian Dickey
                    Iowa House #88 Helena Hayes and Iowa House #37 Barb Kniff-McCulla
March 9, 2024 – Mahaska Health, EMA, Sheriff/Police Department
March 23, 2024 – Iowa Senate #19 Ken Rozenboom and Iowa Senate #44 Adrian Dickey
                 Iowa House #88 Helena Hayes and Iowa House #37 Barb Kniff-McCulla
Please reach out to Deann De Groot at the Chamber with any questions about the forum at ddegroot@mahaskachamber.org or by phone 641.672.2591.

Tiger Woods, Nike end partnership after more than 27 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Tiger Woods has gone from “Hello, world,” to saying goodbye to Nike.

Woods ended months of speculation by making it official Monday that the partnership between golf’s biggest star and the powerful Swoosh brand is ending after 27 years, a move that raises questions about the future of both in the sport.

Woods in a social media post thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought them together when he turned pro.

“Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world,” Woods wrote. “The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever.”

Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, confirmed the end of the deal that began in 1996 when Woods turned pro after winning his third straight U.S. Amateur.

“I guess, hello world, huh?” a 20-year-old Woods said at the Greater Milwaukee Open.

Nike launched a “Hello, World” campaign two days later, and Woods lived up to the hype. Within eight months, he already had four wins, including the watershed Masters victory that made him the first golfer of Black heritage to win a major.

“It was time for the next chapter,” Steinberg told The Associated Press. “Amazing run. Great partnership.”

Nike also posted to social media, saying in a photo, “It was a hell of a round, Tiger.”

“Tiger, you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking,” the Nike post was captioned. “You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge we’re grateful.”

Woods signed a five-year deal worth $40 million when he turned pro. It was shocking money at the time to most in the industry except Nike, and his father.

“Chump change,” the late Earl Woods once said, and he was proven correct. Woods renewed the deal believed to be worth over $100 million in 2001. His eight-year deal in 2006 was reported to be $160 million, and his latest deal was signed in 2013 for a reported $200 million.

As recognizable as any athlete in the world, Woods became the face of Nike Golf and had his own “TW” brand.

On the golf course, Woods set records as the youngest to win the Grand Slam at age 24, the only player to hold all four major titles at the same time and his 15-shot win at the U.S. Open, the largest margin for a major in golf history.

But there were signs in recent years of a fractured relationship. Woods returned from his February 2021 car crash that shattered bones in his right leg by wearing FootJoy shoes, saying it was a better feel considering his injuries.

Woods remained in them — Nike has a long history making shoes — even until the PNC Championship last month that he played with his son.

When asked about his deal with Nike, Woods replied, “I’m still wearing their product,” and sternly repeated the phrase when asked if this was the end of his deal.

More than just a face, Woods unwittingly delivered big moments for Nike, none greater than his 2005 Masters victory when he hit a pitch from below the 16th green that went up the slope and then rolled back toward the hole. The ball hung on the edge for a full second — the swoosh in full view — before it dropped. It remains one of the most famous moments in golf’s most-watched tournament.

He also was filming a commercial one year when between takes, Woods began bouncing the golf ball off his club. That led to a spot where he bounced the ball off the club, between his legs, behind his back, before hitting the ball in mid-air.

“Throughout the course of our partnership, we have witnessed along with the rest of the world, how Tiger not only redefined the sport of golf, but broke barriers for all of sport,” Nike said in a statement. “We watched him set records, challenge conventional thinking and inspire generations of people around the globe. We are grateful to have been a part of it. We wish him the best in the future.”

Woods has won 15 majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus (18), and his 82 career PGA Tour victories are tied with Sam Snead. But he has been slowed in recent years by five back surgeries, shattered ligaments in his rebuilt left knee, the 2021 car crash and age. He turned 48 at the end of last year.

Nike stood by him when his personal life imploded in 2009 over extramarital affairs, and when his schedule was reduced greatly because of leg and back injuries. Woods remarkably returned from fusion surgery to win the Masters in 2019, his fifth green jacket.

Nike also has shown signs of slowing its golf business. It decided to get out of the hard goods business in 2016, sending Woods to play different clubs and a different golf ball.

Nike, meanwhile, said in a recent earnings call it planed to cut $2 billion over the next three years, raising questions about how much it would remain invested in golf.

The company still has a stable of golfers wearing its apparel — including Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who wears a “TW” brand shoe — and Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda. Jason Day, a former No. 1 player, did not renew his deal this year and switched to a different apparel company.

Woods has been optimistic that he can play once a month in 2024, which likely is to start at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles next month.

Steinberg said he was working on a new deal and that “I anticipate there could be an exciting announcement” at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods indicated the same.

“People will ask if there is another chapter,” Woods wrote in his post. “Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA!”

Tougher penalties in Iowa for trespassing on farms upheld

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A federal appeals court has upheld enhanced penalties in Iowa for trespassing on farms.

A federal appeals court has upheld two state laws that established new penalties for trespassing on farmland or in livestock confinements. The laws make is a crime to lie on a job application in order to gain access to an agricultural facility. The laws also forbid recording video or audio while trespassing on farming properties.

Critics say it’s a violation of the free speech rights of those who seek to expose environmental hazards or the abuse of livestock.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said the laws “safeguard Iowa’s ag community and protect our food security.”

Two Arrested for Weekend Burglary

OSKALOOSA — The Oskaloosa Police Department made two arrests in connection with the burglary of a vehicle over the weekend.

On January 5, 2024, at around 6:47 a.m., officers were called to the 1000 block of Mabel St. in reference to a burglary of a vehicle. When officers arrived, the victim advised that his truck had been broken into and that his handgun was also stolen.

On January 6, 2024, officers were called to the William Penn Tech Center for a report of two males looking in vehicles. Officers were able to locate one of the males. He was identified as Haiden Caesar. Officers attempted to track the other male but were unable to locate him.

On January 7, 2024, officers were called to Hy-Vee for a theft. The caller advised that a male took off with a bottle of alcohol and ran into the mall. Officers located the male running in an alley behind the mall. After a short foot chase, the officers took the subject into custody. This subject was identified as Dallas Bailey. Bailey was found to be in possession of the stolen gun from 1-5-24.

Haiden Caesar, 20 years old, was charged with Trafficking Stolen Weapons 1st offense (Class D Felony), Possession of Controlled Substance 1st offense (Aggravated Misdemeanor), Burglary 3rd Vehicle 1st offense (Aggravated Misdemeanor), and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs (Aggravated Misdemeanor).

Dallas Bailey, 18 years old, was charged with Trafficking in Stolen Weapons 2nd offense (Class C Felony), Violation of Probation Warrant (Class D Felony), Felon in Possession of a Firearm (Class D Felony), Interference with Official Acts – Firearm (Class D Felony), Two charges of Burglary 3rd to Vehicle 1st offense (Aggravated Misdemeanor), Violation of Probation Warrant (Aggravated Misdemeanor), Theft 4th degree (Serious Misdemeanor), and Theft 5th (Simple Misdemeanor).

Members of the Oskaloosa Police Department were assisted in this investigation by members of the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Department and the Mahaska County 911 Center.

School Closings 1/9/24

By Sam Parsons

Below is the list of area school districts that have announced weather-related closings for today (1/9):

Albia

BGM

Cardinal

Centerville

Davis County

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

Grinnell-Newburg

Knoxville

Lynnville-Sully

Melcher-Dallas

Montezuma

Moravia

Newton

North Mahaska

Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa Christian

Ottumwa

PCM

Pekin

Pella Public

Pella Christian

Pleasantville

Sigourney

Sully Christian

Tri-County

Twin Cedars

‘Oppenheimer’ dominates Golden Globes, ‘Poor Things’ upsets ‘Barbie’ in comedy

BEVERLY HILLS (AP) — Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer” dominated the 81st Golden Globes, winning five awards including best drama, while Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein riff “Poor Things” pulled off an upset victor over “Barbie” to triumph in the best comedy or musical category.

If awards season has been building toward a second match-up of Barbenheimer, this round went to “Oppenheimer.” The film also won best director for Nolan, best drama actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and for Ludwig Göransson’s score.

“I don’t think it was a no-brainer by any stretch of the imagination to make a three-hour talky movie — R-rated by the way — about one of the darkest developments in our history,” said producer Emma Thomas accepting the night’s final award and thanking Universal chief Donna Langley.

Along with best comedy or musical, “Poor Things” also won for Emma Stone’s performance as Bella, a Victorian-era woman experiencing a surreal sexual awakening.

“I see this as a rom-com,” said Stone. “But in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that really made me look at life differently.”

Lily Gladstone won best actress in a dramatic film for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone, who began her speech speaking the language of her native tribe, Blackfeet Nation, is the first Indigenous winner in the category.

“This is a historic win,” said Gladstone. “It doesn’t just belong to me.”

The Globes were in their ninth decade but facing a new and uncertain chapter. After a tumultuous few years of scandal, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved, leaving a new Globes, on a new network (CBS), to try to regain its perch as the third biggest award show of the year, after the Oscars and Grammys. Even the menu (sushi from Nobu) was remade.

“Golden Globes journalists, thank you for changing your game, therefore changing your name,” said Downey in his acceptance speech.

It got off to a rocky start. Host Jo Koy took the stage at the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, California . The Filipino American stand-up hit on some expected topics: Ozempic, Meryl Streep’s knack for winning awards and the long-running “Oppenheimer.” (“I needed another hour.”)

After one joke flubbed, Koy, who was named host after some bigger names reportedly passed, also noted how fast he was thrust into the job.

“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue?” said Koy. “I wrote some of these and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”

HI, BARBIE

Downey’s win, his third Globe, denied one to “Kenergy.” Ryan Gosling had been seen as his stiffest competition, just one of the many head-to-head contests between “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The filmmakers faced each other in the best director category, where Nolan triumphed.

It was two hours before “Barbie,” the year’s biggest hit with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, won an award Sunday. Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” took best song, and swiftly after, “Barbie” took the Globes’ new honor for “cinematic and box office achievement.” Some thought that award might go to Taylor Swift, whose “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” also set box-office records. Swift, though, remains winless in five Globe nods.

Margot Robbie, star and producer of “Barbie,” accepted the award in a pink gown modeled after 1977’s Superstar Barbie.

“We’d like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth: the movie theaters,” said Robbie.

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” two blockbusters brought together by a common release date, also faced off in the best screenplay category. But in an upset, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari won for the script to the French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” Later, Triet’s film picked up best international film, too.

Though the Globes have no direct correlation with the Academy Awards, they can boost campaigns at a crucial juncture. Oscar nomination voting starts Thursday, and the twin sensations of Barbenheimer remain frontrunners.

Other contenders loom, though, like “Poor Things” and “The Holdovers.”

Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph both won for Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” Giamatti, reuniting with Payne two decades after “Sideways,” won best actor and Randolph won for her supporting performance as a grieving woman in the 1970s-set boarding school drama.

“Oh, Mary you have changed my life,” Randolph said of her character. “You have made me feel seen in so many ways that I have never imagined.”

Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” won best animated film, an upset over “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

‘SUCCESSION’ AND ‘THE BEAR’ LEAD TV WINNERS

The final season of “Succession” cleaned up on the television side. It won best drama series for the third time, a mark that ties a record set by “Mad Men” and “The X-Files.” Three stars from the HBO series also won: Matt Macfadyen, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin.

“It is bittersweet, but things like this make it rather sweeter,” said “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong.

Hulu’s “The Bear” also came away with a trio of awards, including best comedy series. Jeremy Allen White won for the second time, but this time he had company. Ayo Edebiri won her first Globe for her leading performance in the Hulu show’s second season. She thanked the assistants of her agents and managers.

“To the people who answer my emails, you’re the real ones,” said Edebiri.

“Beef” won three awards: best limited series as well as acting awards for Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.

The Globes also added a new stand-up special award. That went, surprisingly, to Ricky Gervais, who didn’t attend the show he so often hosted. Some expected Chris Rock to win for “Selective Outrage,” his stand-up response to the Will Smith slap.

THE GLOBES COMEBACK

A few years ago, the Golden Globes were on the cusp of collapse. After The Los Angeles Times reported that the HFPA had no Black members, Hollywood boycotted the organization. The 2022 Globes were all but canceled and taken off TV. After reforms, the Globes returned to NBC last year in a one-year deal, but the show was booted to Tuesday evening. With Jerrod Carmichael hosting, the telecast attracted 6.3 million viewers, a new low on NBC and a far cry from the 20 million that once tuned in.

The Golden Globes were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which Penske Media owns, and turned into a for-profit venture. The HFPA (which typically numbered around 90 voters) was dissolved and a group of some 300 entertainment journalists from around the world now vote for the awards.

Questions still remain about the Globes’ long-term future, but their value to Hollywood studios remains providing a marketing boost to awards contenders. (The Oscars won’t be held until March 10.) This year, because of the actors and writers strikes, the Globes are airing ahead of the Emmys, which were postponed to Jan. 15.

With movie ticket sales still 20% off the pre-pandemic pace and the industry facing a potentially perilous 2024 at the box office, Hollywood needed the Golden Globes as much as it ever has.

The most comical evaluation on the Globes came from presenters Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig, who blamed the awards body for the constant interruption of a song they found irresistible while otherwise solemnly presenting best actor in a drama.

A furious, dancing Ferrell shouted: “The Golden Globes have not changed!”

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