UPDATED POST: Monday, February 29, 2016, 4:08 p.m.
Snow is still on the way later tonight and early Tuesday, but the start time will be delayed until late this evening.
The storm will begin as a wintry mix of rain, snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the north and it’ll move southward toward the Quad Cities.
It’ll transition to all snow north by this time and it’ll be in the midnight to 6 a.m. time period when the changeover to snow happens for the metro area.
The start of the “Winter Weather Advisory” and the “Winter Storm Warning” has also been pushed back to 9 p.m. It still runs through 9 a.m. Tuesday.
As for snowfall amounts, I’m leaning more to the lower side of the ranges that I presented this morning.
While there could be an isolated 6″ total north, most totals will be 3-5″. In the Quad Cities and north of Interstate 80, an inch or two seems more likely.
More snow is likely Wednesday night and Thursday.
Anthony
ORIGINAL POST: Monday, February 29, 2016, 5:32 a.m.
You know you live in the Midwest when you have record warmth one day and a winter storm the next day.
After reaching 66° in the Quad Cities Sunday tying the record high for the date, snow is on the way Monday night and early Tuesday.
We’ll enjoy one more warm day Monday with highs well into the 50s. Some southern hometowns may hit 60° again.
A wintry mix develops across northern hometowns Monday evening and this will start out as rain across southern hometowns.
As a cold front pushes south and low pressure moves across Missouri, colder air will be drawn into the system and that combination of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow Monday evening will be changing over to snow for most of the area.
A “Winter Weather Advisory” goes into effect at 6 p.m. Monday through 9 a.m. Tuesday for Cedar, Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones counties in Iowa and Carroll and Whiteside counties in Illinois.
Additionally, a “Winter Storm Warning” has been issued Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties in Illinois.
Snowfall amounts will be heaviest across the far north in the “warning” area. 3-6″ may fall there. Along Interstate 80 northward, 1-3″ seems more likely. South of I-80, hometowns may see anywhere from a trace to an inch.
There’s still some uncertainty as to where the heavy snow bands will set up. That 3-6″ range could shift north or south some later today. Stay up on the latest forecast.
Along with the snow, gusty winds are also going to make it more wintry and more difficult for travelers.
It’s Friday and that’s makes me very happy. The weekend is almost here and I get to share some of the things that got me to thinking this week.
As always, let me know your thoughts once you’re done. If you disagree, that’s fine. Just do it diplomatically!
SUPPORT FOR TRUMP CONTINUES TO GET SCARY
I had my “Random Friday Thoughts” all ready to go including a little spat between Donald Trump and Pope Francis and a quote from Trump’s Nevada Caucus victory speech earlier this week.
But, I bumped everything down when I heard about what David Duke, a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and Louisiana state representative had to say about Trump.
Duke says, “Voting for these people [Ted Cruz & Marco Rubio], voting against Donald Trump at this point is really treason to your heritage. I’m not saying I endorse everything about Trump, in fact, I haven’t formally endorsed him. But I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action.”
Six months ago, Duke made similar comments in support of Trump. The GOP front-runner then replied, “I don’t need his endorsement; I certainly wouldn’t want his endorsement.” And, he added, “I don’t need anyone’s endorsement.”
Duke is not the only white supremacists praising Trump. When asked about it, Trump’s response is coy, “A lot of people like me. Republicans like me, liberals like me. Everybody likes me.”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m have no positive feelings about Cruz or Rubio.
This is just scary, sad, and so reductive to the advances we’ve made in the past fifty years as a nation!
DONALD TRUMP TAKES ON THE POPE
The war of words between Donald Trump and Pope Francis has calmed down.
Last Thursday, while traveling from Mexico to Rome, Pope Francis talking about immigration, said this of Trump, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the gospel.”
The U.S. presidential hopeful fired back, “No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith”.
By that evening, God must have talked to Trump because he had a much nicer message and someone else to blame, “I don’t think this is a fight. I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media.”
Of course, blame the media! 🙂
PLEASE GRANT KANYE HIS WISH!
I’ll admit up front that I can’t stand pompous ass Kanye West. He may be a musical genius (as reported by others), but his ego is so disgusting, I wouldn’t think twice of giving his music a listen to see what it’s like.
Last week, he tweeted that “I love love love white people” after he tweeted this:
I hope white publications continue to get the word out about “black music”, but I wish that ALL publications would never write about Kanye again. Maybe the world would be a better place?
THEY SAID WHAT???
DR. BEN CARSON (GOP PRESIDENTIAL WANNABE) — speaking of President Obama and saying if elected he might be the first black president: “He’s an ‘African’ American. He was, you know, raised white. Many of his formative years were spent in Indonesia. So, for him to, you know, claim that, you know, he identifies with the experience of black Americans, I think, is a bit of a stretch.”
MRS. BETTY BOWERS (COMEDIAN –AMERICA’S BEST CHRISTIAN): “It is so inappropriate for the Pope to say Donald Trump doesn’t sound like a Christian. No conservative American does! How unfair to single Trump out.”
DONALD TRUMP (in his Nevada Caucus victory speech): “We won with highly educated, we won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated”.
ANTHONY (blog writer and political pundit): “I rest my case, your honor!”
“STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON”
After seeing this summer 2015 blockbuster now on DVD, it definitely should have been nominated in the “Best Picture” category for the Academy Awards that’ll be handed out this weekend.
I can’t say that any one performance in the movie deserved an Oscar nomination and if so, it would have been Corey Hawkins, who played Dr. Dre. Hawkins is now on the sixth season of “The Walking Dead”.
If you’re familiar with rap music, you know the story of “Straight Outta Compton”. It starts with the creation of the rap band N.W.A. and how Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy E changed the world of rap.
When watching this movie, you never want it end and you never notice the 2-hour-21 minute running time.
The $28 million movie grossed $201.6 million and is now the all-time highest grossing music biopic and is all-time highest domestic grossing film from a black director in the United States.
GRADE: A
#OSCARSSOWHITE WEEKEND
The 88th annual Academy Awards are this weekend, but sadly “Straight Outta Compton” will not be picking up the top prize. I’m not saying it’s the best movie of 2015, but as I stated above, it should have been nominated.
It could still win an Oscar since it’s nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I’d put my money on that one because the four screenwriters are white!
But, will there be more diversity next year when the nominees are announced? Big changes have been proposed to ensure that people of color are nominated in the acting categories. This year and last year, all 20 acting nominees were white, prompting #OscarsSoWhite.
The changes proposed are to double the number of women and minority members and there’s talk of taking away the voting rights of members that are not actively working in the movie business.
My thoughts: It great to diversify the membership to reflect what America looks like.
I also think there should be some kind of verification that when nominee selections are made that the movies were actually watched. I’m sure if more Academy members had actually watched “Straight Outta Compton”, it might have been the ninth movie nominated this year for Best Picture!
A few more notes about the Oscars: There are currently 6,261 members — mostly men and mostly white. The show will be seen by about 40 million people and commercials are bringing in $2.2 million for each 30 second spot.
FOR THE LOVE OF HILLARY!
I just finished reading Hillary Clinton’s incredible 2003 autobiography, “Living History” and I love the woman even more.
In the book, she details her life from Chicago and Park Ridge, Illinois, to college and law school on the East Coast, to Little Rock, Arkansas, to becoming First Lady of the United States, and to winning the New York Senate race in November 2000.
The book ends with her and President Bill Clinton leaving the White House in January 2001.
The book details many of the personal and political attacks she’s endured in her years in the public limelight. But, it was a quote on page 42 that jumped out and stuck with me throughout the 528 pages.
It shows that behind the exterior people see (good or bad), she’s human!
“I have never been as good as or as bad as my most fervid supporters and opponents claimed.”
#ImWithHer
TAYLOR SWIFT SUPPORTS KESHA
Kesha has topped the Hot 100 chart four times including two solo #1s “Tik Tok”in 2009 and “We R Who We R” in 2010. Last Friday, she lost a major court battle.
A New York judge ruled that Kesha would not be released from her contract with Dr. Luke to record new music without him. (Back in 2014 lawsuit, Kesha claims Dr. Luke “sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused” her for nearly 10 years, starting at age 18.)
Now, it appears that Sony (her record company) says she can record with other producers (Zedd has offered his services), but she can’t get out of her contract.
However, Kesha picked up big support from Taylor Swift, who donated $250,000 toward her legal fund.
Many stars, including Lady Gaga, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Zedd, and Lorde have tweeted their support of Kesha.
I posted this blog in early 2013 about Kesha’s phenomenal album, “Warrior”, which was her last full length CD.
This movie is stunningly beautiful, but eerie and scary at the same time.
It’s a true story movie about a 1996 Mount Everest expedition that stranded and killed several climbers when they were caught in a “rogue storm”.
The movie features an all-star cast including Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sam Worthington, and Keira Knightley.
There were many WTF moments during the movie and several times I asked, “are these people crazy?” to want to do this.
GRADE: B+
GOP DROP OUT!
I’m sure that many of you probably haven’t heard of comedian Randy Rainbow.
His latest parody of “Grease” and the GOP presidential candidates is cracking me up. You’ll have to look up the one about Carly Fiorina. It’s funny to me, but I didn’t want to offend those easily offended by posting it.
Here’s his goodbye to Jeb Bush — you know the former Florida governor and son and brother to the former president and two-time president. What happened to Jeb chances? Maybe Barbara would have had a better chance?
“OUR BRAND IS CRISIS”
Since it is political season in America, this movie starring Oscar winner Sandra Bullock is timely.
Bullock plays a political strategist with the nickname, “Calamity Jane”. She’s hired to turn around a presidential campaign in Bolivia where her client is down by 30 points just months before the election.
There’s a lot at stake here. If her candidate wins, will the people of Bolivia win, too?
Sadly, after waiting months to see this movie, it was mostly disappointing.
However, there was one really rewarding scene near the end of the movie with her adversary, played by Billy Bob Thornton. It involves a quote he steals from her (or did she feed it to him?).
GRADE: C
“THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE”
We just finished the 10-episode first season of Amazon Prime’s series, “The Man in the High Castle” and it was fantastic.
After the way episode nine ended, the last scenes of the season didn’t shock me. I’m definitely looking forward to the second season later in 2016, but I definitely don’t want the show to become another “Fringe”, even though it was a great five-season Fox series.
PICK HIT
I know it’s already one of the ten most played songs in America this week, but I’m really taking a shine to Selena Gomez’s latest, “Hands To Myself”.
It’s the third release and third Top Ten Hot 100 hit from her second album, last fall’s “Revival”. Both of her albums have debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart.
Until “Hands To Myself”, my favorite Selena Gomez song was her hit with Zedd last year, “I Want You To Know”.
THAT’S IT
I hope you enjoyed my random thoughts. Feel free to share your thoughts about them with me.
I hope you enjoyed the week and are ready for the weekend.
It’s been an interesting week since my last “Random Friday Thoughts” — Valentine’s Day, a snowstorm for Iowa and Illinois, the return of “The Walking Dead”, and warmer temperatures!
Have a fun weekend and thank you for checking out my thoughts today.
YOUR COMPASSION IS HEARTWARMING
Last Friday, I shared with you a vile response to a blog I posted on why I support Hillary Clinton for president. It was one of my most viewed blogs on the day it was posted since I started writing my blog four years ago.
The feedback and compassion you extended to me was incredible and greatly appreciated. I know there are so many more great people in this world than the jerks — they just spew their hate openly and loudly.
As I told many of you in my responses, rude comments like that tick me off. However, it doesn’t hurt my feelings because being in the public eye, I’ve developed a tough skin.
Something it proves is that as much progress as we’ve made in this country, there’s still so much more work to be done before we reach equality — not just for the LGBT community, but for women, race, pay, and the list goes on and on.
Again, thank you!
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE DEAD
Speaking of equality, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a man that made a career of voting against it, died at a Texas resort last weekend at the age of 79.
Since I was just talking about compassion, I’ll just say that I feel for his wife and their nine children.
Since the word “hate” is such a vile word, I didn’t “hate” Scalia, but I disliked him with strong convictions because of his long history of being anti-gay in his court decisions.
NATALIE COLE’S FAMILY UPSET ABOUT THE GRAMMYS
The family of singer Natalie Cole, who died on December 31, 2015, at the age of 65, is upset with the “shameless” tribute she received at Monday night’s Grammys compared to other musicians that were memorialized.
Cole’s son, Robert Adam Yancy told “Entertainment Weekly”, “Here is a woman who has been in the business for four decades, had 21 Grammy nominations and won nine Grammys. She deserves more than a minute-and-a-half tribute.”
Cole was remembered in a photo montage, while Lady Gaga performed a seven-minute musical tribute to David Bowie, who won two Grammys in his career. (I’m torn writing this because Gaga was incredible. It’s the principle I’m addressing here!)
There were also tributes to Maurice White (of Earth, Wind, & Fire), winner of seven Grammys, Glenn Frey of the Eagles (six Grammys) and Lemmy Kilmister (of Motorhead) with only one Grammy win.
One one other music tribute was to a musician who won more Grammys than Cole, B. B. King (15 Grammys).
So, there’s my tribute video to Cole and not the others!
OKAY, I COULDN’T RESIST
Here’s Lady Gaga’s amazing tribute to David Bowie from the Grammys.
STARS READING “MEAN TWEETS”
These always crack me up because the entertainers make the best of a bad situation. On the other hand, mean people really do suck!
What troopers — to read what idiots say about them!
“THE PEOPLE VS. O.J. SIMPSON”
We all know the story — a savage double murder in the posh Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1994 involving the wife of a famed football star.
A botched (?) criminal case that allowed a murderer (?) to walk free!
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (“American Horror Story”) are behind the new Fox series “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” (notice the similar title).
This 10-episode series event is going behind the story to share details that we may not remember from the headlines or the circus that was the murder trail against Simpson.
After watching the first two episodes, I’m intrigued with the detailed story telling and the acting of Sarah Paulson (Marcia Clark), John Travolta (Robert Shapiro), and Courtney B. Vance (Johnnie Cochran).
However, Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson is a hard sell for me. One, Gooding doesn’t remind me that much of Simpson and, two, the constant whining and ranting is annoying. I’m totally not buying him as O.J.!
Overall, a great show and it hasn’t even gotten to the trail yet!
YES, BEYONCE IS BLACK!
I’m sure you already know that Beyonce is black. If not, she is! And, remember that expression from the 1960s that “Black is Beautiful” and Bey is definitely beautiful.
The most recent controversy with Beyonce started on February 6th when she released the “Formation” video, which features references to New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina black culture, racism, and police.
She performed the song the next day at “Super Bowl 50” and more controversy ensued from conservatives thinking she was promoting too much black — power, the Black Panthers, and Black Lives Matter.
Former New York City Major Rudy Giuliani vented, “This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive.”
While “Formation” won’t have the same radio success as “Crazy in Love”, “Irreplaceable”, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, pop and R&B/Hip Hop stations are already playing it!
For the record, Beyonce has had huge success on the pop chart (Billboard Hot 100) with 26 hits, fifteen of which hit the Top Ten, and five of those went all the way to #1.
However, she’s had more success on the R&B/Hip Hop charts — 38 hits, 23 of which made the Top Ten, and 8 topped the chart.
And, this is not even counting her hits with Destiny’s Child!
“SNL” NAILS IT AGAIN!
“ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY” IS BECOMING GREEDY
I’m a huge fan of “Entertainment Weekly” and I look forward to my magazine each week even though I can find much of the same information online from their website and tweets.
It used to be that they’d have a feature series with several cover photos and present them all in the issue. You’d just flip the cover and there’d be the next one.
That would have been perfect for this week’s “The Walking Dead” feature with six different collector edition covers. However, they randomly picked which cover you’d get. But, you could purchase the other five covers!
Seriously?
While I wanted Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), I got Daryl Dixon. As much as I love the show, there’s no way I’d buy the other five!
Greedy!
29 AND ANCHORING IN NEW YORK CITY? NO WAY!
If you’re familiar with how the television news business works, you know you start out at small market stations and work there for a couple of years before moving on to a larger market.
You work there for a couple of years and then move on again. You continue this process until you get to the big markets (New York City is the largest TV market followed by Los Angeles and Chicago).
If you’re very talented and you luck out, you might skip one of these ladder jumping moves. Or, maybe there’s other factors.
I’m not saying that 29-year-old Stefan Holt, the son of “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, isn’t talented, but…
The younger Holt graduated college and interned at KABC in Los Angeles and with NBC News in London before joining the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida, as a reporter and fill-in anchor. This is market #38 out of 210 (the smallest). It’s unusual to get your first job in a market that size.
After just two years there, he moved on to NBC5 in Chicago (market #3) as a reporter and weekend morning anchor. Holt was promoted to weekday mornings just months later where he worked for five years.
Again, 29 and anchoring in the biggest television market in the country! What’s next? Filling in for his dad on “NBC Nightly News”?
JUSTIN BIEBER
Okay, first things first about Justin Bieber.
I bought his “Purpose” album last fall and it’s a great album and has already produced four huge hits, including three #1s, “What Do You Mean”, “Sorry”, and “Love Yourself”, and my favorite 2015 Bieber hit, the Grammy Award-winning “Where Are U Now” with Skrillex and Diplo.
And, if you haven’t noticed, Justin is gorgeous and I feel more comfortable saying that now that he’s a man — over 18 years old!
However, I was a little freaked out by music executive and producer L.A.Reid’s description of Bieber in his new book, “Sing To Me”.
Reid says, “this kid was beautiful, like a woman can be beautiful and men rarely are, and he turned it on as soon as he stepped into the room.”.
This one sounds more innocent and I totally agree, “Justin was simply beautiful. His superpower was his face.”
PICK HIT
Zayn Malik, another sexy and beautiful man, who left the boy band One Direction for a solo career, is off to a great start.
“Pillowtalk” debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and is burning up the radio airwaves. It’s already on the short list of my favorite songs of 2016. I know, it’s only February!
The video is pretty erotic and steamy, too!
Malik’s debut album, “Mind of Mine”, comes out March 25, 2016.
“THE MARTIAN”
I finally got around to see this $614.2 million dollar blockbuster that’s nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor for star, Matt Damon.
Everyone (and their mother) has already seen this, so I won’t write a long review. I loved this movie much better than “Gravity”, which I didn’t like, and I haven’t seen “Interstellar”.
Damon does a great job in the role, but Oscar winning-worthy? No.
My biggest complaint — the 2 hour, 21 minute running time was excessive and I think the movie could have been just as entertaining 30 minutes shorter.
GRADE: A-
“THE OVERNIGHT”
In stark contrast to “The Martian” in running time, “The Overnight” is one hour, 18 minutes long and it works in a lot in that short time.
A couple with a small son move from Seattle to Los Angeles where they meet another father and son playing in the park one day. Since they don’t know anyone and the boys get along, they’re invited to a pizza party.
At the party, after much alcohol and the boys go to bed, the foursome talk about everything, including sex. Inhibitions are lowered and tempers flare when insecurities surface.
The question becomes will they or won’t they and how will that change the course of the relationships — between each couple and the two couples’ friendship.
GRADE: B
“FREEHELD”
This movie is an expansion of the Oscar-winning “Best Short Documentary” in 2007 with the same name.
This 2015 film stars Oscar winner Julianne Moore as Laurel Hester, a 23-year veteran of the police force in Orange County, New Jersey.
She sues after finding out she has lung cancer and her request to have her domestic partner receive her benefits is denied. Oscar nominee Ellen Page (“Juno”) plays her love interest, Stacie.
The acting is superb not only from the female leads, but also from Michael Shannon, Hester’s partner on the police force, and Luke Grimes, a closeted police colleague.
However, watching the movie, it did feel like a Lifetime movie. And, that’s not a bad thing.
This is based on a true story.
GRADE: B
“TRUTH”
This movie focuses on the authenticity of documents reported by “60 Minutes” on CBS from iconic news anchor Dan Rather during George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential re-election campaign.
The controversy called into question if Bush received preferential treatment while he served in the Texas Air National Guard in the early-1970s.
Robert Redford stars as Rather in the last days of his career at CBS, but the focus of the movie is on Mary Mapes, Rather’s producer on the investigative piece.
Mapes is played by two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. As expected, she is flawless. Yet, even she couldn’t save this movie and make it a thriller.
GRADE: C
THAT’S IT
I think that’s enough thoughts for one week. As always, thank you for taking the time to check out my randomness! Feel free to share your thoughts with me — as long as you’re diplomatic.
When you think of Canadian county music stars, I’m sure Shania Twain, Terri Clark, and Anne Murray come to mind.
However, the only Canadian male country singer I can think of off the top of my head is Paul Brandt. I love his voice and have some of his earlier American releases.
Recently, I saw the nominations for the Juno Awards and Brett Kissel caught my eye –he’s up against Brandt this year.
So, I went to YouTube and started watching his videos and before I knew it, I bought his fall 2015 release, “Pick Me Up”.
It’s crazy how he’s already had seven Top Ten country hits on the Canadian chart, but is still an unknown here in America. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, so I hope his American radio debut is coming soon.
“Pick Me Up” is a great country album with a slightly different feel than today’s American hit makers. It’s a real feel that I think is missing from the current bro-country sounds you hear overplayed on U.S. country stations.
The album features the two Canadian hits, “Airwaves” (#1) and the title track (#6), which are both great country songs. My other upbeat favorites are “I Hope It’s Me”, “Cool With That”, and “I Can Play Guitar” (with Hunter Hayes).
If you love ballads, “Why Won’t You” is amazing and “Feet Back on the Ground” is a beautiful tribute to those of us that love our mamas, even if they’re no longer with us!
After buying and loving “Pick Me Up”, I’ll now have to get Kissel’s 2013 album, “Started With a Song”.
Here’s hoping American audiences will get to hear Brett on the radio in 2016!
UPDATED POST: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016, 6:07 p.m.
Final official snow total in the Quad Cities: 4.6″ in Moline.
Sterling, Illinois, picked up 5″.
Anthony
UPDATED POST: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016, 2:05 p.m.
It’s still snowing rather nicely in the Quad Cities. We have about two more hours to go before it diminishes to light snow or flurries.
Here are a few updated snow totals: 4.1″ Colona (IL); 3.0″ Moline (IL); 3.0″ Iowa City (IA) and 2.5″ Fort Madison (IA).
Anthony
ORIGINAL POST: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016, 7:00 a.m.
I hope you all have a great Sunday and Valentine’s Day. Enjoy your day whatever it is you choose to do.
Some light snow fell late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. That was from the leading edge of warmer air gliding into the area aloft.
Officially, in the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois, we picked up 0.4″ from midnight to 6 a.m. Around 2″ accumulated around Burlington, Iowa.
Here’s where our heavier snow for today was located around daybreak.
Light to moderate snow will fall from this morning to early afternoon and begin to wind down as flurries tonight.
In addition to the falling snow, winds will be rather brisk causing blowing and drifting snow.
I’m still thinking we’ll see anywhere from 3-5″ of snow, which I’ve been saying for days now.
The only real change is that it’ll be our southern hometowns that might be the big winners when the final totals come in. Some locations may see isolated 6″ totals.
A couple of days ago and even early yesterday, it looked like northern hometowns may see the most. Now, 4″ there might be the high end of the forecast.
Be safe!
I’ll see you bright and early Monday for “Local 4 News This Morning” from 5-7 a.m.
UPDATED POST: Saturday, February 13, 2015, 4:25 p.m.
While on the chilly side, it wasn’t a bad Saturday with morning sunshine giving way to clouds.
If you’re going out for dinner Saturday, go for it. The evening hours look snow free.
The rest of the blog is in good shape — from the timing (later tonight and Sunday) and the amounts (generally 3-5″ of wind-blown snow).
After a quiet Presidents’ Day Monday, more light snow will fall Tuesday. We could have some accumulation then, but warmer weather arrives by the end of next week!
Anthony
ORIGINAL POST: Saturday, February 13, 2015, 7:48 a.m.
It’s going to be a decent, but cold, Saturday with highs only in the teens.
After that, we focus our attention this Valentine’s Day weekend to a clipper system late Saturday night and Sunday that will bring a blanket of snow and plenty of wind.
A “Winter Weather Advisory” goes into effect from 9 p.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Sunday for all of eastern Iowa and for much of northwestern and west-central Illinois. (The “Advisory” starts at 3 a.m. for Knox and Stark counties in Illinois.)
Light snow will spread across Iowa later today and it’ll reach parts of eastern Iowa by late evening. If you have dinner plans Saturday evening, I think you’re in good shape.
For the Quad Cities area, our snow really doesn’t kick in until the overnight hours of Saturday night with most of our accumulating snow falling Sunday.
From the morning through the afternoon hours, the snow will be light to moderate. In addition to that, gusty winds will cause considerable blowing and drifting snow and reduced visibilities.
The snow will begin winding down by evening and end as flurries Sunday night.
My snow forecast is pretty much the same as what I shared Friday evening, 3-5″, with a little more to the north and a little less to the south. The final snowfall amounts will likely be on the heavy side of the ranges I’m showing here.
With the wind, the cold (highs in the 20s Sunday) and the snow, it’s going to be slippery and wintry Sunday, Sunday night, and early Monday.
For those wanting snow, this is perfect for you. If you’re not a fan and are ready for spring, I have good news for you. Highs will go above freezing Monday and Tuesday and the snow will start melting away.
By the end of next week, we could have highs approaching 50 degrees!
Happy Friday! It’s finally here and the bright sunshine looks great out there if it wasn’t for the howling winds.
Bitterly cold temperatures are coming in tonight and when you wake up Saturday morning, lows will be around -2° in the Quad Cities and even colder to the north.
However, once you factor in the wind, most of us will have wind chills in the -15° to -25° range.
Morning sunshine Saturday will give way to cloudy skies by afternoon and light snow will break out Saturday night.
The heaviest of the snow with the storm will fall Sunday.
For several days now, I’ve been telling you that this storm would be bringing in several inches of snow and for the past two days on “Local 4 News This Morning”, I called for 3″+ of snow.
This was the timeline I gave Friday morning for the storm.
Well, now that we’re just a day or so away from the start of the snow, the data is newer and the snowfall amounts can be more specific than 3″+.
After conferring with my colleague Andy McCray, we’re thinking 3-5″ of snow for much of the area late Saturday night through Sunday night.
Slightly higher amounts are expected across the far north and lesser amounts across the far south.
I’m actually buying into this snow being on the “high end” of those ranges. So, several 5″ totals are pretty realistic at this point.
It’ll be rather windy, so there’ll be a lot of blowing and drifting of snow Sunday into Monday
I’ll have another update Saturday morning to let you know if anything changes overnight. Make sure to keep up on the latest forecast.
Except for the bitter cold, Saturday will be a great day to run errands. That way, you can enjoy Valentine’s Day and the snow Sunday!
I can’t tell you how happy I am to be sharing my “Random Friday Thoughts” with you again on a regular basis and the feedback has been great. Thank you for not only reading to see what I’m thinking about, but also commenting.
As always, you don’t have to agree with me, but be diplomatic about it if you disagree.
WARNING — THIS IS NOT DIPLOMATIC!!!
This is the response I got earlier this week to last week’s blog explaining why I support Hillary Clinton for president, which featured a photo of my beautiful family.
Pathetic! But, we know there are many people out there like this! Putting ignorance aside, let’s move on…
Candy is always nice and flowers are beautiful, but here’s how I plan on spending Valentine’s Day — a little snow storm, a few glasses of wine by the fireplace with Ray, and the return of the sixth season of “The Walking Dead” Sunday night!
SNOWY VALENTINE’S DAY
If you live in the Midwest, especially across eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, snow is in the forecast late Saturday night and Sunday.
In the Quad Cities, I’m still expecting 3″ or so of snow that’ll fall mostly on Valentine’s Day.
The snow diminishes to flurries Sunday night and Monday.
CHARLIE SHEEN’S SCARY DR. SAM
There are medications now to make living with HIV more manageable and it’s no longer a death sentence. However, unless someone is hiding information from me and the 37 million people living with HIV and AIDS across the world, there is no (realistic) cure.
In my opinion, actor Charlie Sheen is a poor spokesperson for those living with HIV, even though the high visibility is a good thing. Sheen’s antics since going public with his HIV-positive status has made me shake my head in surprise or shock more than once.
Now, the story is even more insane and bizarre when you find out that he’s associated with an Australian doctor who claims he injected himself with Sheen’s tainted blood and cured the infection with goat milk! Goat milk???
This is how Dr. Sam Chachoua describes himself on Twitter!
I’m not buying into any “effective way to treat” cancer or AIDS. If it was that easy, he’d be winning every award there is for humanity and wouldn’t have to make his claim to fame through the troubled Sheen!
Sad!
ABC NEWS — BLATANTLY SEXIST MOVE
ABC News made a big blunder last Saturday night when hosting a New Hampshire presidential debate by not allowing candidate Carly Fiorina to participate.
While I’m not a fan of Fiorina and I can’t say she wasn’t invited because she is a woman, she had every right to be there.
In the Iowa Caucus last week, she beat Chris Christie in both votes and delegates and got just as many votes and delegates as John Kasich and had the same number of delegates as Jeb Bush.
So, it makes no sense that she wasn’t invited. Jim Gilmore wasn’t invited either, but rightfully so. He picked up only 12 votes in the Iowa Caucus last week and is polling at 0%!
After the New Hampshire Primary Tuesday, both Christie and Fiorina dropped out of the presidential race. Dr. Ben Carson, we’re waiting on you (and Gilmore) next.
TRAIN WRECK INTRODUCTION OF CANDIDATES
Maybe it’s a good thing that Fiorina wasn’t there. The introduction to the ABC News debate looked more like a skit from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”.
This is hilarious — just as funny as seeing Marco Rubio falling on his face and getting agitated by Christie!
GLENDA JACKSON
Two-time Best Actress Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, now 79, was last seen in a Hollywood movie 24 years ago, but she’s been very busy. She was a member of Parliament from 1992 through March 2015.
She’s gained a new fan in me with her openness. Here are some of the things she recently told “Entertainment Weekly”.
On “12 Years a Slave” winning the Best Picture Oscar and social change: “But how can you say that 12 Years a Slave or Selma has caused a fundamental cultural shift? And then you have these black guys being shot by policemen. Would that the Oscars could change the world but, I’m sorry, it just ain’t true.”
On the media making Donald Trump a viable Republican presidential candidate: “It’s going to come down to what people are prepared to back with their votes, in terms of the status quo, and whether they’ll still go with that nutcase with the worst hair in the world. All that money and you think he could buy himself a decent wig.”
On her Oscar-nominated role in the bisexual love story, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, in which she played a businesswoman in love with an artist (Murray Head), who loves a doctor (Peter Finch). “Best film script I’d ever read.”
“It was about relationships between people who wanted more than they could furnish. And, of course, United Artists was scared to death of it and didn’t know how to sell it. Apologies to Uncle Sam, but in America, they think homosexual affairs are about sex. But they are about love.”
“AMERICAN CRIME”
The first season of ABC’s Emmy-winning series “American Crime” was great and featured a college actor friend of mine, W. Earl Brown, in a major recurring role.
The second season of the drama, airing now, is phenomenal.
Felicity Huffman and Lili Taylor are both superb in their roles as the principal of an elite private school that’s facing a student sex scandal and as the mother of the young man that’s the victim in that scandal, respectively.
However, the standout this season is 21-year-old Canadian actor Connor Jessup. Every moment he’s on camera trying to hold it together and make it through the day, your heart breaks for Taylor.
We’re a little past midway through the ten episode season, so it’s not too late to get caught up. And, since season two is not a continuation of season one, you don’t have to know anything about the first season.
“BURNT”
Bradley Cooper stars in this movie as an acclaimed chef that lost everything because of a drug addiction.
He tries to make a comeback in London, but the road to redemption is not a smooth one.
The foodie in me loved the food porn.
But, while watching the movie, I was also hoping that my chef friend, Monika Sudakov, and the chef I most admire, Grant Achatz, are not like Cooper’s character, Adam Jones, when they’re in a high pressure kitchen making their culinary creations!
GRADE: B
BRETT KISSEL
When you think of Canadian county music stars, I’m sure Shania Twain, Terri Clark, and Anne Murray come to mind. However, the only Canadian male country singer I can think of off the top of my head is Paul Brandt. I love his voice and have some of his earlier American releases.
Recently, I saw the nominations for the Juno Awards and Brett Kissel caught my eye –he’s up against Brandt this year.
So, I went to YouTube and started watching his videos and before I knew it, I bought his fall 2015 release, “Pick Me Up”.
It’s crazy how he’s already had seven Top Ten country hits on the Canadian chart, but is still an unknown here in America. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, so I hope his American radio debut is coming soon.
“Pick Me Up” is a great country album with a slightly different feel than today’s American hit makers. It’s a real feel that I think is missing from the current bro-country sounds you hear overplayed on U.S. country stations.
The album features the two Canadian hits, “Airwaves” (#1) and the title track (#6), which are both great country songs. My other upbeat favorites are “I Hope It’s Me”, “Cool With That”, and “I Can Play Guitar” (with Hunter Hayes).
If you love ballads, “Why Won’t You” is amazing and “Feet Back on the Ground” is a beautiful tribute to those of us that love our mamas, even if they’re no longer with us!
After buying and loving “Pick Me Up”, I’ll now have to get Kissel’s 2013 album, “Started With a Song”.
Here’s hoping American audiences will get to hear Brett on the radio in 2016!
GRADE: A-
“THE RIVER LIVE TOUR”
In his long career, Bruce Springsteen has done it all and he’s still doing it. There’s a reason he’s called “The Boss”!
His current 42-show concert tour will play America through April and then Europe and Israel this May, June, and July.
It’s called “The River Live Tour” and it’s exactly that — his entire 1980 20-song double album, “The River”, played in sequential order! In addition to that, he also does other songs — about 30 in all in a concert that runs about 3 1/2 hours! The man must be a machine!
Here I’m featuring the first release from “The River” and my favorite Springsteen song, “Hungry Heart”. It was his third Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and his first Top Ten. It peaked at #5.
So, think about it. If any of your favorite artists would perform a full-length album in addition to other hits, who would it be and what album?
Mine would be “Rumor Has It” (1990), “For My Broken Heart” (1991), and “Starting Over” (1995) by Reba McEntire, Madonna and her 1983 self-titled debut, and Toni Braxton’s 1993 self-titled debut.
MORE GLENDA JACKSON IN “ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY”
On her disdain of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher when South African President Nelson Mandela visited Parliament in 1996: “I stood to watch Mandela and there was bloody Margaret Thatcher, the woman who had called him a terrorist, sitting in the front row in this big f*cking hat, obstructing the view. Acting like she was doing everybody a f*cking favor by coming there.”
On Hillary Clinton and her presidential run: “I would like to see her become the first female president… the Republicans don’t have anybody who can take her on politically. So it’ll be very ugly.”
THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK
I hope you enjoyed the read. Please share your thoughts with me and have a great weekend.
Florida Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio saw a surge in his political profile after last Monday’s Iowa Caucus.
He finished third, but it was a major boost to the candidate that had taken a back seat to blowhards Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the campaign.
However, now that the spotlight is on the rising young star, he might be cracking a bit under the pressure. In a debate Saturday night before the upcoming New Hampshire Primary, Rubio got frustrated over badgering from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
It prompted Christie to comment, “he gets very unruly when he gets off his talking points.”
Christie is on to something here and Rubio will be the first to tell you that he gets agitated easily and when confronted, he loses it. He confessed that, as much, in his book, “An American Son”.
I just read it and I enjoyed it. I’ll have more on that book and the introduction to his family, but first I want to focus on why I think Rubio is not right for America. Actually, why he scares me and should scare you.
WHY RUBIO SCARES ME…
There are reasons more than being anti-gay.
Overall, I enjoyed getting to know Rubio over 307 pages. However, I have a couple of issues with his own trustworthiness.
In a recent Republican debate, in his commercials, and in his speech last week after the Iowa Caucus, Rubio bashed Hillary Clinton over honesty.
Yet, nowhere in the book did he mention that he was arrested in a Florida park after hours in 1990 on a misdemeanor charge, yet he shared getting sick on vodka shots on a plane and vomiting on a high-ranking person in the Republican party, talked about going to “foam party” in clubs, and other things he did when he was younger. Yet, no mention of the arrest?
And, then there’s the issue that his parents were Cuban exiles that immigrated to the United States in 1956 instead of 1959, when the guerrilla war reached its peak and Fidel Castro took office as prime minister.
He only “learned” of this when newspapers reported the inaccuracies??? As detailed as the book was, I find it hard to believe this only surfaced once it went public!
So, who has trust issues, Mr. Rubio?
In a recent blog, in an effort be more diversified, I crossed the aisle and read Mike Huckabee’s “Do The Right Thing”. After the Prologue, his close-mindedness bored me.
I also said “Move on Mike. Your 2016 presidential run is DOA and Iowa doesn’t love you like it did in 2008. Go home to your family and retire.” While I can’t take credit for it, his abysmal showing in the Iowa Caucus earlier this week prompted him to suspend his run for president that never really a “run”. It was more like a limp.
Now about Rubio’s “An American Son”.
It was a much better book and story than Huckabee’s. In an alternate universe (where Rubio liked gay families and didn’t use the word “conservative” like it was dirty), I could see liking the man.
Just based on the book, I would love to sit down and have dinner with him and his wife Jeanette to show them that I pray to God every night and I’m a kind and loving person that just happens not to fit into the “conservative values” circle.
I enjoyed hearing about his wonderful parents and their struggles leaving Cuba and working all their lives to give their kids a life they didn’t have.
Rubio told a very touching story about a struggling woman looking into the eyes of her newborn child, just your parents did to you. His “people” (inner political handlers) didn’t want him to tell the story even though it was very heartfelt. The reason? It’d make sound like a Democrat! If human = Democrat, I have two things going for me.
By the way, his wife, Jeanette was touched by it and wanted him to tell that story. That’s another reason I think I’d like her.
Rubio also spoke about the 2008 election when Barack Obama won. He became teary-eyed because of the significance of an African American being elected to the highest office in the most powerful country in the world. That night he “was so proud to be an American”. He knew he’d have plenty of time to fight the president to turn the country around because it was heading in the “wrong direction”.
I disagree with Rubio on his anti-Jimmy Carter sentiments he learned his grandfather. Jimmy Carter is still my favorite president that was dealt a bad hand while in office.
Also, we’re at odds when he stated that the way Bill Clinton’s administration handled the Elian Gonzales case “arguably, it cost Al Gore the election” in 2000.
Arguably is right. We know how that election was lost — Republican shadiness in Florida — “arguably”!
So, the bottom line is, I really want to like Rubio. But, I’m not willing to give back the rights and happiness I’ve been given over the past few years as an American.
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 