Panthers, this week was almost the first full week of the semester, except for the water main break Thursday giving us an impromptu day off. While you’re sitting at home hoping for another break, read these KICSs. This week we have comedian Bob Saget passing away, the Georgia Bulldogs winning a national championship, a Fayetteville restaurant owner getting assaulted, a man arrested for distribution of marijuana, and the vaccine or test mandate being blocked. 

January 10 – Stand-up comedian Bob Saget found dead at 65

Bob Saget, who played Danny Tanner in the hit ‘90s show “Full House” and in the spin off ”Fuller House,” has died. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Florida on January 9.

Saget was on tour prior to his death, and performed Saturday night at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Ponte Vedra, Florida. The next day, his death was confirmed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was also confirmed there was no drug use or foul play, yet the cause of death is still unknown.

Saget was also a host on “America’s Funniest Videos” and the comedy show “Father and Scout.” He married Sherry Kramer in 1982, had three girls, then married Kelly Rizzo in 2018. Saget’s children, wife, and co-workers mourn his death.

January 11 – Georgia Bulldogs win national championship  

The Georgia Bulldogs are celebrating the school’s first national championship win in four decades. The Bulldogs beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 on Monday night in Indianapolis. 

The victory also ended Georgia’s seven-game losing streak to Alabama. Fans admit they can always count on Georgia and Alabama to come very close when playing in the National Championship. 

Walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett was named MVP. On Monday night the Bulldogs proved how much they have learned from their mistakes from past games.  

January 12 – Fayetteville restaurant owner assaulted by girlfriend

On New Year’s Eve, Angelica Marie Rios attacked her boyfriend at the Olde Courthouse Tavern in Fayetteville. The reason for this is unknown, but she was intoxicated, which could be a factor.

The Peachtree City woman attacked her boyfriend with a bottle, a knife, and a fork. Employees detained her and police were called due to her aggression. She was arrested and charged with simple assault.

The employees suffered minor injuries but did not press charges. Rios was held in Fayette County Jail.

January 13 – Man arrested for accidental distribution of marijuana to senior citizens

 A South Dakota man, Michael James Koranda, was arrested after his mother unknowingly served his marijuana brownies at a senior center. Police were in an investigation of “possible poisonings,” and took Koranda into custody on January 5.

Koranda’s mother saw that Micheal “baked a pan of brownies and she took them to the Community Center card game.” Upon further background, police learned that Koranda had been in Colorado the previous week, where recreational marijuana is legal for those 21 and up. 

At first, Koranda refused to comment on his arrest. He then confessed to having a pound of THC butter from Colorado, with half still at his house. Everything was returned to law enforcement and Koranda was released on a $3,000 bond.

January 14 – Vaccine-or-test mandate blocked by Supreme Court

While debates about the vaccine continue to divide Americans, President Biden’s vaccine-or-test mandate in private institutions was denied by the Supreme Court. A 6-3 ruling denied the mandate saying that the “Occupational Safety and Health Administration had exceeded its authority.”

The voting was parallel to the political standing of the Justices on the court. Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, three of the most liberal justices on the bench, were the three to vote with the mandate. Breyer said that the decision showed the serious misapplication of the legal system. “And in so doing, it stymies the Federal Government’s ability to counter the unparalleled threat that COVID–19 poses to our Nation’s workers,” Breyer said. 

This decision would have affected 84 million people working in the private business sector of the United States. Though this mandate was denied, the Supreme Court stands with the decision to mandate vaccinations of all people who work at federally funded medical centers.