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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.

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ dominates at SAG Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA. (AP) — The unlikely awards season juggernaut “Everything Everywhere All at Once” marched on at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, and even gathered steam with awards not just for best ensemble, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan but also for Jamie Lee Curtis. The SAG Awards, often an Oscar preview, threw some curve balls into the Oscars race in a ceremony streamed lived on Netflix’s YouTube page from Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Curtis won best female supporting actor for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” over the favorite, Angela Bassett. Brendan Fraser took best male lead actor for “The Whale.”

Bill would ban college subsidies in Iowa divorce decrees

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A bill eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate would prohibit judges from requiring a divorcing parent to cover some of the costs of their child’s college education.

Senator Scott Webster, a Republican from Bettendorf, said the bill is sponsored by another senator, in response to a specific case. “A father was weaponizing this particular system against a mother who couldn’t afford the college. She then had the opportunity to go to court and it got dropped, but she still had to pay all the legal fees,” Webster said.

An Iowa judge currently has the option of ordering a parent getting a divorce to pay up to a third of the total cost of their child’s undergraduate education. Webster said it’s an equal protection issue. “The subsidy does not currently apply to any other parents: married, single or never married,” Webster said.

Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, said his parents were divorced when he went to college and their divorce decree helped navigate the financial aspect of getting that degree. “There are ways to make this system better,” Boulton said. “There are ways to make it more fair and I think we are all open to that discussion, but simply to pull the rug out from underneath kids from divorced families who want to go to college is the wrong way to do this.”

The bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames who voted against the bill, said parents have an obligation to provide for their children and college is a big step forward in life. “It’s certainly possible for people to get good jobs without a college degree and have a perfectly happy life,” Quirmbach said, “but on average college graduates earn significantly higher over a lifetime. They have a greater degree of marriage stability. They have a longer life span, on average.”

That kind of criticism is “a little bit disrespectful,” according to Webster. “It’s been said, maybe discussed that college is the way to go,” Webster said. “I didn’t go to college. My wife didn’t go to college. We turned out good.”

Iowa is one of 17 states that allow judges to order a divorcing parent to pay at least part of a child’s college tuition and fees.

Mahaska Chamber Eggs and Issues Feb. 25

By Sam Parsons

The Mahaska Chamber hosted another round of Eggs and Issues on Saturday with four Iowa state lawmakers present: Iowa House Representatives Barb Kniff-McCulla and Helena Hayes, and Iowa State Senators Adrian Dickey and Ken Rozenboom.

The first question that the panel received was about Iowa Senate File 85, which pertained to Social and Emotional Learning. Senator Rozenboom said that Senate File 85 wasn’t going to be seeing the light of day.

The panel was also asked about House File 297, which would change the structure of funding going to preschools. Representative Hayes said that while, in theory, increased preschool funding could help children, she was hesitant about what it would mean for families.

And the lawmakers were asked about the governor’s recently-introduced government reorganizational bill, and specifically how it would relate to agencies pertaining to arts and culture. Senator Dickey said that the bill wasn’t so much about changing the nature of government agencies as it was about streamlining the operation.

The next Eggs and Issues forum will be held on March 11 at Smokey Row with speakers from Mahaska Health and the Mahaska EMA.

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