😁 Happy Friday!  Christmas music this time of year seeps into our daily life seemingly every time we turn on the radio, go to a store, or get placed on hold. Many Christmas songs were created with the intention of being “sing-along” songs, which also encourages repetition. So, it’s okay that you love Christmas, but find the Holiday jingles annoying.

-WNCT

Weekend Weather:
Today 🌨️ Hi 26, Sat 🌧️ Hi 36, Sun ☁️ Hi 40, Mon 🌦️ Hi 39

B&A Club: 
🎂 Happy Birthday
Courtney Grabill -- Manning (33 yrs)
June Kennebeck -- Glidden
Curt Kirsch -- Carroll
Alex Blackman -- Westside (19 yrs)
Aiden Blackman -- Westside (19 yrs)
🥂 Happy Anniversary
None Reported

MARKETS FROM SHERWOOD Snacks
Albertsons sues Kroger over their broken merger, and Khan’s FTC scores a final win

Max Knoblauch / Thursday, December 12, 2024

If it please the cart… it doesn’t. After a federal judge blocked the $25B merger between two of America’s largest grocery chains, AlbertsonsACI $19.19 (4.88%) wants KrogerKR $63.21 (3.21%) to know “it’s not me, it’s you.” Albertsons yesterday officially backed out of the deal and sued Kroger for billions, accusing its larger peer of not doing enough to appease regulators. The grocers spent a combined $1B+ on the deal over the past two years to walk down the merger aisle.

• Cleanup: In July, the supermarket chains agreed to sell about 600 stores to a small rival to placate regulators, but Albertsons is accusing Kroger of not agreeing to divest from more locations.

• Checked out: The merger would’ve created a $200B grocery behemoth with 720K employees, which regulators said could’ve suppressed wages and created local monopolies. The chains argued it was necessary to compete with AmazonAMZN $228.86 (-0.54%), WalmartWMT $94.32 (-0.88%), and CostcoCOST $990.70 (-0.62%). rest of the story

LOCAL NEWS

Co-Owner Of Books And Bakery Recipient Of American Author Christmas Bonus

Co-owner of Books and Bakery in Carroll is one of 11 Iowa independent bookstores to receive a holiday bonus from a renowned American author. Nichole Crawford is one of the awardees of a $500 holiday bonus from James Patterson, who has wrote numerous of books from thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels. Patterson’s Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program began in 2015, this year awarded $300,000 to 600 booksellers who were nominated for the program. Patterson says he is grateful to be able to award independent booksellers through his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program, as a way to acknowledge them and all their hard work this holiday season. In a social media post, Crawford shares a heartfelt thank you to Patterson saying “This is a wonderful reminder of how powerful our literary community is.” A link to view the entire list of all receipts is here but the Iowa-based recipients is included below:

Amy Zmolek, Dog-Eared Books, Ames, IA
Susan Schafer, The Book Shoppe, Boone, IA
Nichole Crawford, Books and Bakery, Carroll, IA
Brandon Conrad, The Nook, Cedar Falls, IA
Bart Carithers, Next Page Books, Cedar Rapids, IA
Darci Tracey, Prologue Books & Wine, Charles City, IA
Joshua Signs, Storyhouse Bookpub, Des Moines, IA
Sue Davis, River Lights Bookstore, Dubuque, IA
CoriAnn Theroux, The Green Dragon Bookshop, Fort Dodge, IA
Angela Forret, Sidekick Coffee & Books, University Heights, IA
Nana Burford, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, IA

More Local Headlines

• Authorities Confirm Single Vehicle Fatality Accident Early Thursday Morning North Of Carroll

• Nativity Comes To Life Saturday Night In Carroll

• Bitter Cold, Freezing Rain Forecast For Western Iowa To End The Week

• Secret Santa Giveaway: Week 3 (LAST WEEK)

AREA NEWS
Area headlines

🧑‍🍳 Wild Rose Entertainment, the parent company of Wild Rose Casinos & Hotels, has announced key leadership promotions and a major culinary expansion to enhance guest experiences across its properties. Steve Cody, general manager of the Emmetsburg location, has been promoted to regional general manager, overseeing operations at both Emmetsburg and Jefferson. Cody says, “Our guests expect and deserve the best, and I’m excited to collaborate with these talented professionals to take Wild Rose to the next level.” Supporting Cody’s expanded role is Ian Wilkinson, who has been promoted to assistant general manager for Wild Rose’s Jefferson location. Wilkinson, previously a casino manager, brings extensive industry expertise to oversee day-to-day operations. In addition to leadership changes, Wild Rose welcomed Michael McGuigan as food and beverage director. McGuigan is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef with 25 years of experience and will develop a signature dining program across all locations.

🚔️ The City of Audubon and the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office will merge the two entities as only one officer remains on the force. On Monday night’s city council meeting, the current standing police chief, Coby Gust, announced that he is resigning, as he has accepted a position as a deputy for the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office. The department had lost two serving officers before Gust announced his departure, as both accepted positions at other agencies. To accommodate a short-staffed department, the Audubon City Council has approved a resolution to increase the hourly wage of as-needed police officers to $30 an hour for 90 days while the city and county work on an agreement to consolidate. In previous meetings, Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson says the city will need to establish a pay rate and how many hours a sheriff would be contracted to work inside the city limits, but states at least two deputies must be available within the county in case emergencies arise. While this transition was first discussed last year after the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office combined forces with the Harlan Police Department, it didn’t become a priority until there was no longer an adequately staffed department for the City of Audubon. There is no specific timeline for when this merger will be completed, but city officials are looking to combine departments sooner rather than later.

🦃 Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Wednesday for Sac County following a confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock. The proclamation mobilizes state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and other agencies to assist with tracking, containment, disposal and disinfection efforts. Regulatory provisions relating to commercial vehicles responding to affected sights are also waived during the proclamation’s duration, which expires Jan. 10, 2025. This is Iowa’s seventh detection of HPAI in poultry in 2024, and comes five days after the first detection in Sioux County since June. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are urging poultry producers to enhance biosecurity measures. Symptoms of birds with HPAI include sudden deaths, decreased egg production and respiratory issues. Detections of HPAI does not pose an immediate public health risk, and poultry products remain safe to consume. Producers that suspect HPAI in their flocks should contact their veterinarian immediately. For more information or to report suspected cases, contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture at 515-281-5305.

LOCAL SPORTS
PODCAST: Weekly Sports Recap and Preview

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 indepth 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!

LOCAL EVENT
ASA 2024 Christmas Concert - ‘A Vintage Christmas Festival’

All Strings Attached is proud to present 'A Vintage Christmas Festival' on Saturday, December 14th at 4:00 pm and Sunday, December 15 at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm at the Carroll Recreation Center Theatre.

Tickets are available at Market on 30 or through the ASA Studio for $12 each or 2/$20. You can also email [email protected] to have tickets set aside for you.

STATE NEWS
Dental patients are plagued by a growing shortage of Medicaid providers in rural Iowa

Iowa Public Radio | By Sheila Brummer
Published December 12, 2024 at 2:22 PM CST

Officials with the Iowa Dental Association want state lawmakers to address a major shortage of dentists who accept Medicaid patients. Health officials in northwest Iowa say children and the poor are especially impacted.

Buena Vista County Public Health Resource Specialist Tracy Gotto said many young people in his community face critical dental issues.

“We know that it affects their ability to learn and eat,” Gotto said. “We know that it affects all kinds of health issues regarding a child's body, but we also know that we have adults in our community that need dental care and the amount is overwhelming.”

Of the five dentists who serve Storm Lake, no one accepts Medicaid patients. The only available provider is the local health center.

“Dentists are just saying that they can't do it based on the reimbursement, and I think we're just having this crisis all over. We were sending kids to Fort Dodge at one point, and now Fort Dodge is saying they can't take any more kids either,” Gotto said. rest of the story

MORE STATE NEWS:

• Growing number of central Iowans can't afford emergency expenses

• The number of homeless families staying in hotels hits a record high in Des Moines

• UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson remembered as valedictorian in Iowa

• As winter nears, communities in NW Iowa still grapple with summer floods

• Campbell’s Contract Extended To 2032

• Iowa football: Three Hawkeyes named to USA TODAY All-America team

MORE NEWS
What else!

• Selena Gomez Engaged to Benny Blanco After One Year of Dating

• Mariah Carey Will Kick Off the Show at NFL Christmas Gameday

• Travis Hunter, the 2-way standout for Colorado, is the AP college football player of the year

• Bill Belichick, North Carolina contract details: Salary, length, bonuses and buyout make for unusual terms

• Kane and Katelyn Brown Release Steamy New Duet, “Body Talk”

• See the trailer for ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ premiering on Paramount+

WEEKEND
To Do List

✅HACK: Wrap those difficult shaped gifts seamlessly!
✅WATCH: Get in the Holiday spirit with the best Christmas movies of 2024.
✅STAY IN: Family activities you can do at home as the temperatures drop.
✅RECIPES: A list of the most delicious appetizers for your next Holiday party!
✅TODDLER SAFETY: How to toddler proof your Christmas tree.
✅TRY: Running out of Elf On The Shelf ideas yet?
✅MUST GO TO: All Strings Attached presents 'A Vintage Christmas Festival'
✅SATURDAY: Festival of Lights ‘Christmas Special’ at Swan Lake!
✅SUNDAY: Watch the classic “Elf” at Carroll 5!

JOKE OF THE DAY
What’s the difference between ice and icicle?
Answer below

GAMES
Ready…Get Set…Go

Crossword 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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Answer: Ice has noel.