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Central College’s Theatre Program to Perform Interactive Play for All Ages

PELLA — Central College’s upcoming theatrical performance will start in March with a trip to outer space.

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” by Ernie Nolan, follows a new galactic recruit, a missing star and a bit of unexpected mayhem in the world of the Star Keepers. Every night, Star Keepers make sure stars are awake and ready to shine, but what happens when one goes missing? This interactive play takes the audience on a journey that reminds us that mistakes happen, but no problem is too big if you ask for help.

“Twinkle is a perfect way for 4- and 5-year-olds to engage with live performance, but it’s also going to be wonderous for regular theatergoers too,” says guest director Andy McGuire, a 2010 Central graduate and executive director of the George Daily Auditorium in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Admission is free to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with performances at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4, or 1 and 4 p.m., Sunday, March 5, at the Kruidenier Center on Central’s campus. Seating is limited to 50 per performance. Central’s Theatre Honor Fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega, encourages donations of school supplies.

Ottumwa Landfill Tarp Violation Fee Set to Increase April 1

OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa/Wapello County Solid Waste Commission is cracking down on litter along roadways around the Landfill. For years, Landfill customers have been required to keep all loads completely and securely enclosed or entirely covered by a tarp in order to dump waste at the Landfill. However, in 2022, tarp policy violations increased more than 35% year-over-year. Effective April 1, 2023, the fees for violating this policy are set to increase. “Whether you look at the numbers or simply drive down West Second Street, it’s clear that the current fee is not enough of an incentive to get everyone to follow the rules,” said Solid Waste Director Zach Simonson. “Every customer needs to use a tarp that fits the load completely and keeps all their waste intact until they reach the Landfill.”

The new fees for regular customers paying with cash, check or card at the scale house are $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense and $100 for third and subsequent offenses. For commercial customers with a charge account, the tarp fee will be $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $150 for third and subsequent offenses.

The Ottumwa/Wapello County Landfill is located at 13277 165th Ave. The Landfill is open from 7:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:00a.m. to Noon on Saturday. For additional information about the tarp policy or any other Landfill issues call 683-0644.

Cancer survival rates up as state registry marks 50 years

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Cancer Registry is marking its 50th year and celebrating the fact cancer is much less deadly in Iowa today than in 1973 when the first report was published.

Registry director Mary Charlton, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa, credits decades of advances in medicine, treatment and early screening technology. “Cancer mortality is declining, and survival among people who are diagnosed with cancer is getting better as the years go by,” Charlton says. “So what used to be kind of a death sentence back in the ’70s versus now, we have over 160,000 Iowans living with a history of cancer and doing great.”

Early detection is the best defense against cancer, she says. Fifty years ago, about ten-thousand cancer cases were being diagnosed each year statewide, while today, it’s more than 20,000. While more Iowans are being told they have cancer than five decades ago, many more are now surviving the fight. “So things like breast cancer or prostate cancer, back in the 1970s, less than 75% of people diagnosed with those types of cancers survived at least five years,” Charlton says, “but now over 90% survive at least five years.”

There was troubling news in the report, as new national rankings now show Iowa has the second highest rate of new cancer cases in the U.S. “I was really surprised to see that we had climbed that high,” Charlton says. “We’re only behind Kentucky, which is down in the Tobacco Belt. They’ve been number-one for a long time and have a very high smoking rate. We do not have as high as smoking rate, but it does seem like we’re just high. We have high rates of lots of different types of cancers in our population and we’re really trying to figure out why that is and what we can do to address that.”

The annual report allows doctors and researchers to focus on how to prevent and treat cancer, she says, and it provides Iowans with the knowledge they need to get advance screening and improve survival rates across the board. “Breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancers continue to make up almost half of all cancer cases in Iowa,” Charlton says. “In terms of cancer deaths, lung cancer continues to be the most common cause of cancer deaths, accounting for one out of every four cancer deaths in Iowa, with colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer also in the top three.”

The report projects 20,800 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, an increase of 800 from last year. It also forecasts 6,200 Iowans will die from cancer this year, a drop of 100 from a year ago.

See the full report here: https://shri.public-health.uiowa.edu/

Everything you need to know about the 2023 Academy Awards

NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood is gearing up for the 95th Academy Awards, where “Everything Everywhere All at Once” comes in the lead nominee and the film industry will hope to move past “the slap” of last year’s ceremony. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Oscars, including when they are, where to watch the live show and this year’s controversies.

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WHEN ARE THE OSCARS?

The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST and be broadcast live on ABC.

CAN YOU STREAM THE OSCARS?

The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. Some of these services offer brief free trials. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and on the ABC app by authenticating your provider.

WHO’S HOSTING?

Jimmy Kimmel will host for the third time and his first time since 2018. That was also the last Oscars to feature a solo host. The show went hostless for several years after Kimmel’s last outing. Last year, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted as a trio. In an ad for this year’s show styled after “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kimmel made his humble case for being the right person for the job while noting that he can’t get slapped because “I cry a lot.”

WHAT’S NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE AT THE 2023 OSCARS?

The 10 movies competing for best picture are: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tár,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Women Talking.” Here’s a guide to how you can watch them.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE SHOW?

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is yet to announce presenters. But it has said that winners to all categories will be announced live on the show. (Last year, some categories were taped in a pre-show, something that caused an uproar among academy members.) All signs point to a full slate of musical performances, with Rihanna performing “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on the show. Whether a dance party breaks out in the Dolby Theatre during the performance of Kala Bhairava’s “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” remains to be seen. So does word on whether Lady Gaga will sing “Hold My Hand,” from “Top Gun: Maverick” during the show.

WHO ARE THE FAVORITES?

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie sci-fi hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once” comes in with a leading 11 nominations. Close on its heels, though, is the Irish friends-falling-out dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” with nine nods, a total matched by Netflix’s WWI film “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) may have a slight edge on Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) for best actress. Best actor is harder to call, with Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Colin Farrell (“Banshees”) and Austin Butler (“Elvis”) in the mix. In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) are the frontrunners. Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) may win his third best director Oscar, though the Daniels could also pull off the upset.

WHAT’S BEEN CONTROVERSIAL THIS YEAR?

Aside from the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s biggest to-do has been the debate surrounding Andrea Riseborough’s unexpected nomination for best actress. Riseborough was nominated for the little-seen Texas-set drama “To Leslie” after many A-list stars rallied around her performance. When two other best-actress contenders — Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Viola Davis (“Woman King”) — were snubbed, some saw that as a reflection of racial bias in the film industry. The academy launched an inquiry into the star-studded, grassroots campaign for Riseborough but found no reason to rescind her nomination.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR?

Just the reading of the title to one of this year’s short film nominees should prompt a wave of giggles. John Williams (“The Fabelmans”), up for best score, is the oldest nominee ever, at 90 years old. After historic back-to-back best-director wins by Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), no women were nominated this year for best director. Also don’t expect to see Will Smith at the Oscars anytime soon. After striking Chris Rock at last year’s ceremony, Smith was banned by the film academy from attending for 10 years.

Ottumwa School Board Talks Douma Addition, Evans 6th Grade Transition

By Sam Parsons

The Ottumwa School Board met on Monday and received a presentation on the final bids for their proposed 3rd to 5th grade learning center addition for Douma Elementary. The original estimate for the complete project was $21.5 million, but a bid received from Bi-State Contracting came in at just under $16.8 million, or $4.7 million lower than estimated. The contract was awarded to Bi-State and it’s expected that ground will be broken toward the end of March, with substantial completion of the project to be done by the end of the 2023-24 school year.

The board also revisited the topic of the transition of the 6th grade class at Evans Middle School to Liberty Elementary. Associate Superintendent Brad McCloskey represented a committee of 25-30 people who researched the proposal, and superintendent Mike McGrory said that the committee unanimously recommended moving forward. A committee representative gave some numbers on what the feedback from parents looked like.

The transition was approved by the board and will go into effect next year.

The full board meeting can be viewed here.

Marion County Board Appoints New County Attorney, Talks Junction 92 Shop Funding

By Sam Parsons

The Marion County Board of Supervisors met this morning and officially appointed Jared Harmon as the new county attorney. Harmon was previously the first assistant county attorney and he replaces former county attorney Ed Bull, who in January announced his resignation from the position in lieu of accepting a new position as Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Health and Human Services section with the state of Iowa.

The board also approved and established the Marion County EMS Advisory Committee to allow local EMS providers to collaborate and make decisions for EMS in the future. The committee will consist of 15 voting members and 9 non-voting members.

And the board received an update on their Junction 92 Shop funding proposal. County Engineer Tyler Christian said that as of now, the county has set aside a total of $5 million from a combination of Local Option Sales and Services Tax, American Rescue Plan, General Fund, and Secondary Road Fund dollars. This wouldn’t be enough to fund the construction of an office space, but it would cover the main shop. Both Christian and the board agreed that impending uncertainty in state legislation for county funding would impact their decision making, but that the project shouldn’t be delayed for much longer; board member Mark Raymie said that even uncertainty shouldn’t prevent action. 

Raymie suggested that Christian return at their next meeting with numbers mapping out different legislative scenarios, and no action was taken.

The next regular Marion County Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on March 14.

White House promises crackdown on migrant child labor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it is creating a new task force to crack down on an explosion of the illegal exploitation of migrant children for labor in the U.S. Hundreds of companies that employed nearly 4,000 children last year were found in violation of federal labor laws, a dramatic increase in the last five years. The growing problem has put Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in the hot seat, with concerns mounting that migrant children have been discharged from shelters and out of federal custody too quickly, pushing them into vulnerable situations where they’re more likely to become victims of child labor.

Iowa AG Bird Discusses Fentanyl Crisis, Victim Services, New Crime Bill on Statewide Tour

By Sam Parsons

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is currently on a statewide tour across Iowa in which she has invited all 99 counties to a victim services roundtable to learn about issues and needs within Iowa communities.

In an interview with No Coast Network News, Bird, who is currently in the first year of her first term as the state’s Attorney General, compared and contrasted her approach to the fentanyl crisis with that of former Attorney General Tom Miller. Miller, in his final term as Iowa AG, led multiple lawsuits that featured dozens of different states and resulted in millions of dollars’ worth of settlements; in 2022 alone, Miller signed on to five new settlement agreements with manufacturers Teva and Allergan, as well as pharmacies CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens which totaled $132.5 million. Bird said that while holding opioid manufacturers accountable was important, she felt that a greater emphasis must be placed on stopping fentanyl from coming in from abroad.

Bird then discussed her recently proposed legislation that would increase the penalty for drug dealers who distribute a drug that kills someone. She said that the status quo is such that these cases are prosecuted on a federal level only.

Bird said that she thinks the state legislature supports the idea, but didn’t give a timeline on when she thought it would be passed into law.

More information on the Iowa Attorney General can be found at iowaattorneygeneral.gov.

Volunteer Training for New Volunteers with Mahaska County Conservation Next Week

OSKALOOSA — The Mahaska County Conservation Board has many ways you can help as a volunteer. If you have never volunteered for them before and want to join their volunteer team, visit the Environmental Learning Center on Monday, March 6th for their New Volunteer Training Session from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. You will learn about volunteer opportunities and receive training to be a volunteer with MCCB. The meeting will be held at the Environmental Learning Center which is located at 2342 Hwy. 92, Oskaloosa, IA 52577.

Registration is needed to participate. Contact MCCB to let them know you are planning to participate by calling (641)673-9327 or email decook@mahaskacountyia.gov.

Pella CSD Approves Teacher Salary Settlement

By Sam Parsons

The Pella Community School Board met last night and formally approved their 2023-24 Teacher Salary Settlement.

In 2022-23, the district paid out $14,314,189 in teacher salaries in benefits. For the upcoming year, that number will be rising by $470,760, or 3.29%, to $14,784,989. These numbers had been negotiated and determined at previous meetings.

The board also received a presentation from the city of Pella on their proposed City Rec Center and discussed how it tied into their 10 year facilities plan. The project is expected to cost about $50 million for the city over the course of 20 years and they are asking the district to fund $5 million of it. No decision was made by the board last night.

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