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Oskaloosa School Board Rejects Land Swap Proposal with City of Oskaloosa

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Community School Board held a special meeting last night to formally approve a letter rejecting a land swap proposal from the city of Oskaloosa.

The proposal, which was made during a joint public work session on September 10, would have swapped over 90 acres of land north of Oskaloosa High School, with the land going to the city to be used to build housing. The board approved a letter from Osky superintendent Mike Fisher, which cited “substantial community input” in its decision to decline the proposal.

The letter also stated that the district would be withdrawing their city annexation request, adding that they would resubmit at a later date to request city annexation of a portion of the high school campus that includes the baseball field, tennis courts, and practice fields.

About 20% of Americans regularly get their news from influencers on social media, report says

WASHINGTON (AP) — About one in five Americans – and a virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats – regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report released Monday by the Pew Research Center.

The findings, drawn from a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults and an analysis of social media posts posted this summer by influencers, provide an indication of how Americans consumed the news during the height of the U.S. presidential campaign that President-elect Donald Trump ultimately won.

The study examined accounts run by people who post and talk regularly about current events – including through podcasts and newsletters – and have more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or TikTok. They include people across the political spectrum, such as the progressive podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen and conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro, as well as non-partisan personalities like Chris Cillizza, a former CNN analyst who now runs his own newsletter.

The report found that news influencers posted mostly about politics and the election, followed by social issues like race and abortion and international events, such as the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them – 63% – are men and the majority – 77% – have no affiliation, or background, with a media organization. Pew said about half of the influencers it sampled did not express a clear political orientation. From the ones that did, slightly more of them identified as conservative than as liberal.

During the campaign, both parties and presidential campaigns had courted influencers, including creators who weren’t very political, to compete for voters who are increasingly getting most of their news from non-traditional sources.

The Republican and Democratic national conventions had credentialed influencers to cover their events this past summer. Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with Alex Cooper for her “Call Her Daddy” podcast and talked a little Bay Area basketball with the fellows on “All the Smoke.” Meanwhile, Trump hung out with the bros on the “Bussin’ With the Boys,” “Flagrant” and the popular podcaster Joe Rogan as part of a series of appearances targeting young male voters.

“These influencers have really reached new levels of attention and prominence this year amid the presidential election,” Galen Stocking, senior computational social scientist at Pew Research Center, said in a statement. “We thought it was really important to look at who is behind some of the most popular accounts – the ones that aren’t news organizations, but actual people.”

Even though 85% of news influencers have a presence on X, many of them also have homes on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

Racial minorities, young adults and adults with a lower income were more likely to get their news from news influencers, according to the report. Most of the people surveyed by Pew said news influencers have helped them better understand current events, while roughly a quarter say what they hear has not made much of a difference. A small share — 9% — say influencers have confused them more.

Media analysts have long been concerned about how influencers – most of whom don’t have to abide by editorial standards – could fuel misinformation, or even be used by America’s adversaries to churn out content that fits their interests. On social media, though, some influencers have positioned themselves as figures presenting neglected points of view.

Pew, which is doing the study as part of an initiative funded by the Knight Foundation, said 70% of the survey respondents believe the news they get from influencers is somewhat different than what they hear elsewhere. Roughly a quarter said it was “extremely or very different.”

The report found TikTok is the only one of the major platforms where influencers who identify as right-leaning do not outnumber those who are more liberal. Pew said news influencers on the short-form video app were more likely than those on other sites to show support for LGBTQ+ rights or identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The platform also had the smallest gender gap for news influencers.

Iowa Farm Bureau Analysis Finds Downturn in Ag Economy Claims up to 11,400 Iowa Jobs and $1.5 Billion in GDP This Year

WEST DES MOINES — A sharp downturn in the agriculture economy is causing a ripple effect throughout the state resulting in the loss of up to 11,400 jobs and $1.5 billion in value-added economic activity (GDP) and a $100 million loss to the state and local tax base, according to an exclusive Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) economic analysis.

Twenty-three businesses in Iowa announced layoffs for 4,097 individuals working in production agriculture and adjacent industries from the first of the year through Sept.18, 2024, but IFBF’s analysis finds those numbers balloon when taking broader impacts into consideration.

“Ultimately, this starts with depressed incomes at the farm gate that have ripple effects on the Iowa economy,” said Christopher Pudenz, Iowa Farm Bureau economics and research manager. “For example, because farm incomes are down, farmers aren’t making the same machinery purchases they’ve made in previous years which means manufacturers, suppliers and retailers slow down production and are forced to lay people off.”

Iowa’s ag-related layoffs have occurred during a prolonged period of economic hardship and uncertainty for farmers. USDA’s September 2024 farm income forecast projects another challenging year for farmers, who are expected to lose nearly a quarter of their income in just two years due to slumping commodity prices and stubbornly high input costs.  Net farm income, a key measure of profitability, is projected to decline 4.4% from 2023, following a record year-over-year drop of 19.5% from 2022 to 2023.

Pudenz said that the downturn is particularly impactful in Iowa, considering agriculture accounted for more than 22% of Iowa’s total economic output in 2022, according to a study commissioned by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. Nearly one in every five Iowans are employed due to agriculture and ag-related industries, accounting for more than 385,000 jobs. “Agriculture is the heartbeat of the Iowa economy, and when agriculture struggles, those pains are felt throughout the state,” Pudenz said.

“This analysis underscores why a farm bill is so important – farmers need assurances as they try to balance economic uncertainty,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “A farm bill extends beyond the farm and protection of our food supply; it also provides access to nutritional programs for families facing hunger, advances conservation efforts and spurs innovation through research. If a new farm bill isn’t passed, many critical programs will face significant interruptions,” said Johnson.

Loring Closes Year with Heart POW

OSKALOOSA — Destynd Loring (Jr., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management) wrapped up a successful rushing campaign with another weekly award as on Monday he was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Football Offensive Player of the Week, presented by Musco.

Loring received his second career laurel (both this season) after leading William Penn past Missouri Valley 17-7 last Saturday.

The junior carried the pigskin 30 times for 203 yards and a touchdown.  He had seven rushes of at least 10 yards, headlined by a 37-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

For the season, Loring accumulated 1,041 rushing yards on 179 carries (5.8 yards per rush).  He scored 13 touchdowns and recorded the 14th 1,000-yard rushing season in WPU history.

The award is the second for the Statesmen in 2024.

Mahaska County Board of Supervisors Discusses 911 Issues

By Sam Parsons

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met this morning and had a discussion with Oskaloosa City Councilwoman Ronda Almond about 911 issues within the county. The discussion came about following an incident last week during a council meeting in the city of Pella, where the Pella city council was set to consider an agreement to provide police and fire dispatch services for the city of Oskaloosa, and the Oskaloosa city council said they had no knowledge of the agreement.

Almond said that one of the issues with contracting out dispatch services is the potential change in response time, adding that while the city has no issue with contracting out for other services such as utilities, 911 services involve peoples’ lives, and she said that there was too much at stake.

“We are going to figure this out,” Almond said. “It’s a need for this community. And at the end of the day, if the answer is to change something, at least everybody is on board and everyone knows about it.”

Board chair Mark Groenendyk said that the entire ordeal with county 911 services for Mahaska County comes down to the fact that nobody wants to pay for them.

“Everyone wants to shove it on EMA…if EMA takes it over, the city and the county will no longer budget for these items, and it’ll be assessed to the taxpayer directly. No accountability. That’s what this is all about…nobody wants to be accountable. We just want to shove it on someone else, put it on a board that nobody knows when they meet, how they meet, and who’s accountable for what…as I have heard many times, the mayors will vote to put it on EMA, because it’s on the county levy, so who cares? ‘It’s not us raising your taxes, it’s the county, it’s on their levy.’ There is no accountability in EMA.”

“How many lawsuits did we have? The sheriff and every mayor voted to sue their own county and lost every time,” Groenendyk continued, “and we’re back to the same discussion.”

Groenendyk also added that the board agreed that a potential 28E agreement between the city and the county for these services would not be the solution based on court rulings.

Both Groenendyk and board vice chair Steve Wanders agreed to attend any meetings with the city of Oskaloosa and other cities to hash out the issue, provided the meetings wouldn’t have the end goal of putting 911 costs on the county levy. No official action was taken on the matter.

The next regular meeting for the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for December 2.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is trying to obstruct justice from jail, prosecutors say

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has tried to reach out to prospective witnesses and influence public opinion from jail in a bid to affect potential jurors for his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors claimed in a court filing urging a judge to reject his latest bail request.

The government accusations were made in a Manhattan federal court filing late Friday that opposes the music mogul’s latest $50 million bail proposal. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.

Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded jail calls made by Combs shows he has asked family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and has urged them to create “narratives” to influence the jury pool. They say he also has encouraged marketing strategies to sway public opinion.

“The defendant has shown repeatedly — even while in custody — that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a submission that contained redactions.

Prosecutors wrote that it could be inferred from his behavior that Combs wants to blackmail victims and witnesses into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defense.

Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Two judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and a risk to flee.

His lawyers recently made a third request for bail after the rejection of two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail proposal.

In the request, they cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release Combs so he can better prepare for his May 5 trial.

But prosecutors said defense lawyers created their latest bail proposal using some evidence prosecutors turned over to them and the new material was already known to defense lawyers when they made previous bail applications.

In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in jail shows he must remain locked up.

For instance, they said, Combs has enlisted family members to plan and carry out a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding.”

He encouraged his children to post a video to their social media accounts showing them gathered to celebrate his birthday, they said.

Afterward, he monitored the analytics, including audience engagement, from the jail and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case,” they said.

The government also alleged Combs during other calls made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defense against the charges.

“The defendant’s efforts to obstruct the integrity of this proceeding also includes relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.

Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Increases to 3.0 Percent in October

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 3.0 percent in October amid job cuts in manufacturing and construction. Meanwhile, the state’s labor force participation rate ticked down by 0.1 percentage points to 66.2 percent last month, and the U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in October.

“October’s report provides more indications of Iowans’ worry about the general state of the U.S. economy in the run up to the national election,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Now that we are past the election, we expect employers’ prior hesitation may dissipate. We nonetheless have more than 52,000 jobs posted on iowaworks.gov for any Iowan looking for a new career. IWD can help match you with an employer who needs what you can offer.”

The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 51,000 in October from 49,400 in September.

The total number of working Iowans fell to 1,633,200 in October. This figure is 1,400 lower than September and 19,300 lower than one year ago.

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

Iowa firms shed 3,700 jobs in October, lowering total nonfarm employment to 1,600,200. Goods-producing businesses, namely construction and manufacturing, showed the most movement since September and shed a combined 3,400 jobs. Service sectors showed significantly less movement, losing a slight 300 jobs. Government (a sector that includes federal, state, and local political subdivisions, as well as schools, universities, and public hospitals) showed little change since September but remains up 3,500 jobs from one year ago, mostly due to hiring within local governments. Private industry has added 2,600 jobs.

Construction shed 1,800 jobs in October to lead all other sectors. This is the second month in a row that this sector lost jobs. Specialty trade contractors fueled much of the loss in October. Manufacturing also shed jobs this month, paring 1,600 jobs. Durable goods factories shed slightly more than nondurable goods shops. Machinery and transportation equipment factories fueled much of these losses. Smaller drops this month include financial activities (-800), trade and transportation (-700), and professional and business services (-600). Alternatively, a few sectors added jobs this month – led by health care and social assistance (+1,100). Social assistance hiring was responsible for much of this monthly gain, although ambulatory health firms also lifted this sector in October. Leisure and hospitality added 600 jobs with hiring split between arts, entertainment, and recreational industries along with accommodations and food services.

Annually, leisure and hospitality leads all sectors with 6,100 jobs added since last October. Eating and drinking establishments have added the most jobs for this sector, although recreational industries have also added jobs over the past 12 months (+1,500). Education and health care has gained 5,900 jobs. Health care and social assistance bolstered this sector with 4,200 jobs added over the year. On the other hand, manufacturing has shed 6,100 jobs annually. Nondurable goods factories account for most of the jobs shed (-5,000), although durable goods factories have also decreased since last October (-1,100). Professional and business services are down 3,500 jobs. Administrative support and waste management firms lost the most jobs within this sector (-2,500).

Late Surge Secures William Penn Win Over Central Methodist

OSKALOOSA — The Statesmen men’s basketball team closed strong to claim a hard-fought 91-83 victory over Heart of America Athletic Conference competitor Central Methodist Saturday.

William Penn (5-1, 2-0 Heart) traded early leads with CMU (4-2, 1-1 Heart), culminating in a 16-16 tie at 9:53 in the first half.  The Statesmen broke the deadlock with an 18-6 scoring run, building momentum to eventually to take a 42-35 lead into halftime.  WPU maintained control over the Eagles despite being outshot 37.0%-35.9% at the break.

Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) chipped in all nine of his points by intermission, while Manny Hammonds (So., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) added eight points.

The second half saw the Eagles claw back into the game, scoring the first nine points of the second stanza.  The navy and gold fought back, however, and went back on top 61-52 with 13:57 to go.  The see-sawing continued, however, as CMU eventually took its final lead at 83-82 with 2:38 to go.

A pair of Jamir Reed (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Criminology) free throws then gave the Statesmen the edge back for good, and Naysean Baisy (Sr., Seattle, Wash., Sports Management) hit a three-point dagger the next time down.

Isaac Hoberecht (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo., Business Management) eventually iced the game with a free throw, combined with a steal and layup on the other end to cap the scoring.

Overall, the navy and gold were outshot 47.5%-38.6%, but made up for it by turning CMU over 21 times and converting those errors into 29 points.  WPU committed just nine turnovers Saturday.

WPU also came up short on the glass at 43-35, but posted a slight edge offensively at 13-11.  Both squads managed 10 second-chance points.

Despite the shooting deficit, the Statesmen were better from behind the three-point arc, going 11-for-27 (40.7%), while the Eagles were just 5-for-19 (26.3%).  Both sides were exceptional at the free-throw line with WPU going 26-for-33 (78.8%) and Central Methodist finishing 20-for-26 (76.9%).

Hammonds led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and an impressive 5-for-9 from the three-point line.  He also tallied five rebounds.

Baisy came on strong in the second half, scoring 16 of his 18 points after the break.  Hoberecht and Reed both hit double figures as well with 11 points apiece, while Williams just missed the mark with nine.

Malique Oates (Jr., Huntsville, Ala., Sports Management) and Yarayah Evans (Fr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Business Management) contributed eight points each as well.

“This was a gritty and very solid win for us,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Naysean Baisy and Manny Hammonds came alive tonight and really gave us a huge boost offensively.”

Marion County Man Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud

DES MOINES — Cameron Carl Allison, age 23, of Marion County pled guilty on October 31, 2024 to one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information, and received a deferred judgment at sentencing. He was also ordered to pay a $1,025 civil penalty and placed on probation for two years.

The charges against Allison originated from an investigation that commenced in July 2024, after the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau received a complaint about Allison. The complaint alleged that Allison submitted false information to an insurance company to gain a policy in order to cover damages for an accident that he would not have been entitled to.  Allison was arrested on July 26, 2024, following a warrant for his arrest.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division Fraud Bureau at 515-564-6556.

Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue and Billy Porter to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

NEW YORK (AP) — The giant balloons may be flying at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but the stars will be on street. Organizers revealed Thursday that actor-singer Jennifer Hudson, dance music icon Kylie Minogue and Broadway and “Pose” star Billy Porter will all perform, an upping of the star wattage over previous years.

The trio will be in front of Macy’s iconic Herald Square flagship store, while also added to the parade are “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo and Cole Escola, the star and writer of “Oh, Mary!,” the unconventional smash that’s become the toast of Broadway.

They will join a massive group of already-announced parade stars — including reality TV’s Ariana Madix, Broadway belter Idina Menzel, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of the WNBA champions New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay.

Music performers scheduled to perform include The War and Treaty, Lea Salonga, Kylie Cantrall, The Temptations, Chlöe, Charli D’Amelio, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Rachel Platten, Bishop Briggs, Joey McIntyre, Natti Natasha and ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia.

The holiday tradition will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 in all time zones and will be kicked off by actor Alison Brie, the “Glow” star currently starring in Peacock’s “Apples Never Fall.”

This year’s parade will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and 10 performance groups.

The parade airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” will host and a Spanish language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.

Broadway also will be represented by performances from “Death Becomes Her,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Outsiders,” as well as the iconic Radio City Rockettes and “Riverdance” dancers.

The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators line-up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the floats, entertainers and marching bands. Last year, Cher was the headliner.

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