😁 Happy Friday! While sports fans may argue that the Super Bowl is the ultimate football showdown, many of us are more interested in the $8 million ads that promise to be funnier, bolder, and more memorable than the actual game. Why not just skip the game and go straight to the good stuff? 🤣

Weekend Weather:

Today 🌥️ Hi 36, Sat 🌨️ Hi 31, Sun ⛅️ Hi 27, Mon 🌤️ Hi 28

B&A Club: 
🎂 Happy Birthday
Doug Beckman -- Carroll
Owen Williams -- Carroll (11 yrs)
Colten Tigges -- Carroll
Karen Koster -- Breda (61 yrs)
Ben Danner -- Templeton
Axton Vonnahme -- Westside (12 yrs)
Denny Pietig -- Carroll
🥂 Happy Anniversary
none reported

SNACKS FROM SHERWOOD

🏈 Sports Edition: How Super is this Bowl?

This Sunday in New Orleans, the action on the field will draw the most attention, but an invisible force is shaping how the game is played: Amazon Web Services. 

AWS has been the NFL’s data partner since 2017 and tracks every player’s movement using sensors embedded in their shoulder pads — not to mention one in the football itself. The league collects millions of data points per game and uses artificial intelligence to analyze movement patterns, assess injury risks, and suggest rule changes meant to improve player safety.

• Game changer: The data from AWS is literally changing the game, with two major rule changes arising from AWS’s findings: the new “Dynamic Kickoff” formation and the hip-drop tackle ban, which was found to cause injuries at “20x the rate of a normal pass or run play.” Super Bowl LIX will be the first where the refs enforce these new rules.

• “Are you not entertained?”: While AWS’s head of sports told us that everybody wants to make the game safer, some fans we talked to wondered if the motivation was more monetary than safety-driven. With all this data available, viewers can now see (and bet on) stats like how likely a pass is to be completed or the odds of a fourth-down conversion.

The Takeaway

Is all this data a good thing or a bad thing for the game? It’s a coin toss. What is certain: the hunger for data is good for Amazon. 

It’s easy to forget in all the hype over AI and billions and billions in spending that Amazon, which reports its earnings after the bell today, rakes in huge profits from its AWS division, which contributed 60% of Amazon’s total profit last quarter. 

Read th full article for more on how Amazon is changing the NFL.

LOCAL NEWS

St Anthony Regional Hospital Listed On Newsweek's America's Best-In-State Hospitals 2025 List

St. Anthony Regional Hospital has been named on Newsweek’s America’s Best-In-State Hospitals for 2025 list. In collaboration with Statista, a world-leading industry ranking provider, this award identifies the top hospitals in the country at the state level, being measured in four data sources: quality metrics, a nationwide online survey, patient experience, and a voluntary patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) implementation survey. St. Anthony was one of 700 hospitals named nationwide and one of only 17 based in Iowa. St. Anthony’s Vice President of Quality, Bailee Schleisman says, “St. Anthony is honored to be recognized on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best-In-State Hospitals 2025. It reinforces that St. Anthony excels in quality of care, has high patient satisfaction and is one of the leading hospitals in Iowa.” View the complete award list by visiting the link included here.

More Local Headlines

• City Of Carroll, CCSD Exploring Shared Cost Of Dedicated School Resource Officer

• CCSD Board Of Education Discusses Multiple Ideas For Building Additions With DLR Group For Its Master Facility Plan

• DNR Reminds Iowans Of Feb. 20 Deadline To Remove Ice Fishing Shelters

• Sen. Grassley Reintroduces Legislation To Keep AM Radio In New Production Vehicles

AREA NEWS
Area headlines

🏥 Stewart Memorial Community Hospital (SMCH) has donated over $2,000 to area schools to continue promoting healthcare-related classes and programs. Through the hospital’s Casual for a Cause initiative, where employees are able to donate at least five dollars once a month to dress casually at work, staff raises funding for local organizations. In 2024, $2,264 was raised and distributed between the East Sac County and Southeast Valley Community School Districts (CSD). The donations will be utilized for high school students participating in CNA programs and other health and medical classes. SMCH wants to thank staff members for continuing to support local organizations by participating in Casual for a Cause, helping to improve students’ success and programs to support a growing health care workforce.

⛳️ The Lake View City Council heard a proposal from the Chief of Police George Athan, recommending changes to the ordinance relating to golf cart usage around town. Athan says per city code, an individual must possess a valid driver’s license to operate a golf cart on city streets. However, he asked the council to change the ordinance to only individuals 18 years of age and older with a valid license. The reasoning behind the proposed change was due to a rise in younger drivers who were driving golf carts around without their parents, causing unsafe conditions for both themselves and other commuters on the streets. The city council did not agree to change the age restriction and believed as long as individuals had a valid driver’s license, it would suffice. Athan then recommended updating the language in the ordinance, stating that beginning drivers on instructional permits need to have an adult over 25 riding with them, just as they would if in a vehicle. The updated ordinance will also include limiting passengers, with only one person allowed per seat, and increasing the registration to operate on city streets to $25 per year. Once a draft is approved, the ordinance must go through three readings with the city council before implementation.

💻️ A Denison man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison on child pornography charges. According to records from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, 21-year-old Brandon Matthew Halsey received his sentence earlier this week after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in October. Authorities say an investigation into Halsey revealed he knowingly received, distributed, and possessed visual depictions of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) between Feb. 5, 2022, and Feb. 1, 2023. Halsey used a social media messaging app, Kik, to exchange images and videos. Officials executed a search warrant at Halsey’s home, which recovered 233 separate images and 104 videos depicting very young children. In addition to the six-year prison sentence, Halsey was ordered to pay $18,600 in restitution and fines. Following his release, he must complete a five-year term of supervised release. The case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Project Safe Childhood and investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Cyber Crime Bureau—Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Halsey remains in custody at the Woodbury County jail, awaiting transfer to a federal prison.

LOCAL SPORTS
PODCAST: Weekly Sports Recap and Preview with Area Coaches

At the start of each week the Carroll Broadcasting Sports Network Crew catches up with area high school coaches to recap their previous weeks events and previews the match up for the week ahead. If don’t follow this podcast yet, you should, get in depth dialogue from our area coaches by clicking here.

More Sports:

• Sports Schedule

• Brincks Exteriors Sports Reports

• Brincks Cabinets + Design Athlete Spotlight 🆕 

• Macke Motors Photo Gallery

• Motor Inn Player of the Game

• Outlaw Graphics Regional Player of the Week

• St. Anthony Athletes of the Week 

• Teamwork with Olsen’s Outdoor Power

If you want the latest local sports anytime when you want it, download our APP to read, listen, and watch everything our local sports department has to offer!

STATE NEWS
Fong's Pizza moving to former Peace Tree Brewing location
Linh Ta

Fong's Pizza is moving from its long-standing Court Avenue location into the former Peace Tree Brewing building in East Village.

State of play: The new location is nearly double the size of the existing, 16-year-old restaurant near Fourth and Walnut, says Jeff Bruning, co-owner of Full Court Press, which operates Fong's.

What's new: The new location features a larger kitchen, allowing the restaurant to increase its catering orders and expand its menu to include salad, noodle and rice dishes.

• They plan on utilizing the green space and patio that was popular with Peace Tree's former customers and are also installing a pickup window for pizza.

The big picture: Bruning tells Axios he's excited to get a "fresh start" by moving Fong's near the upcoming Market District, but he still plans on having a presence on Fourth Street, despite the business losses the area has experienced since 2020.

• Full Court will continue operating its popular Royal Mile pub and is planning a new business in the old Fong's location.

What's next: The existing spot is closing in late March, and the new Fong's will open immediately after. see story

MORE STATE NEWS:

• Racing and Gaming Commission approves Cedar Rapids casino project

• Weekend event guide: Drake basketball games, Puppy Bowl watch party

• Gov. Reynolds' bill restricting cell phone use in schools advances in the Iowa Senate

• 3 things to watch when the Cyclone men play TCU

• What to watch for in Hawkeyes' matchup with Wisconsin on Saturday

MORE NEWS
What else!

• 'Wild' scene unfolded in locker room after Warriors' Butler trade

• "Narco sub" loaded with 5,000 pounds of cocaine seized off Colombian coast

• Irv Gotti, music executive who created Murder Inc. Records, dies at 54

• Apple Cider Vinegar Explores the Sour Side of a Wellness Empire

• The heist of 100,000 eggs in Pennsylvania becomes a whodunit that police have yet to crack

WEEKEND
To Do List

✅TRIVIA: For the die hard sports fans… can you get a perfect score?
✅VALENTINE’S: Stop by Prep & Plate for a prearranged Valentine basket for your special someone!
✅GAME DAY SPREAD: 101 of the best Super Bowl snacks.
✅SIZE MATTERS: Why choosing the right size mattress is crucial for a good night sleep.
✅TUNE IN: Be caller number 6 to qualify!
✅FLU SEASON: Here’s what to look for.
✅SATURDAY: Valentine’s Shopping Event at Carroll Design & Salvage!
✅SUNDAY: Super Bowl Sunday at Wasted Grain!

DID YOU KNOW:
Over the years, the cost of Super Bowl commercials has seen steady growth. Just in 2022, the price was around $6.5 million, and this year it surpassed the $8 million mark.

GAMES
Ready…Get Set…Go

Quiz Time: For those of you that wake up each morning wanting a challenge—how fast can you finished this quiz. Ready…get set…go.

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