Iran raid on S. Korean ship ups tensions - Stripes Lite
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021
Iran raid on S. Korean ship ups tensions
Associated Press peared aimed at pressuring the U.S. in the fi- said.
SEOUL — Armed Iranian Revolutionary nal days of President Donald Trump’s ad- The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet
Guard troops stormed a South Korean tank- ministration, which unilaterally withdrew routinely patrols the area along with an
er and forced the ship to change course and from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world pow- American-led coalition monitoring the
travel to Iran, the vessel’s owner said Tues- ers. Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the
day, the latest maritime seizure by Tehran An official at DM Shipping Co. Ltd. of Bu- Persian Gulf through which 20% of the
amid heightened tensions with the West san, South Korea, who spoke to The Associ- world’s oil passes. A separate European-led
over its nuclear program. ated Press on condition of anonymity as he effort also operates there.
The military raid on Monday on the MT wasn’t authorized to talk to journalists, of- South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said
Hankuk Chemi was at odds with Iranian ex- fered details of the Hankuk Chemi’s seizure. Tuesday it plans to dispatch a delegation of
planations that they stopped the vessel for The vessel had been traveling from Jubail, officials to Iran for talks on securing the
polluting the waters of the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab early release of the ship and its crew mem-
the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, it appeared Emirates when Iranian forces reached the bers. The crew included sailors from Indo-
the Islamic Republic sought to increase its ship and said they would board it. nesia, Myanmar, South Korea and Vietnam,
leverage over Seoul ahead of negotiations Initially, Iranian forces said they wanted according to the Iranian Revolutionary
over billions of dollars in Iranian assets fro- to run an unspecified check on the ship, the Guard. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said
zen in South Korean banks amid a U.S. pres- official said. As the vessel’s captain spoke to it was sending its anti-piracy unit to near the
sure campaign targeting Iran. company security officials back in South Ko- Strait of Hormuz — a 4,400-ton-class de-
An Iranian government spokesman, when rea, armed Iranian troops stormed the tank- stroyer with about 300 troops.
asked on Tuesday about the seizure, offered er as an Iranian helicopter flew overhead, Foreign Ministry spokesman Choi Young-
Tehran’s bluntest acknowledgement yet of a the official said. The troops demanded the sam said Iranian officials have assured
link with the frozen assets. captain sail the tanker into Iranian waters South Korea that the ship’s crew were all
“If anybody is to be called a hostage taker, over an unspecified investigation and re- safe.
it is the South Korean government that has fused to explain themselves, the official add- The U.S. State Department joined South
taken our more than $7 billion hostage under ed. Korea in calling for the tanker’s immediate
a futile pretext,” spokesman Ali Rabiei said. The company has since been unable to re- release, accusing Iran of threatening “navi-
Iran on Monday also began enriching ura- ach the captain, the official said. Security gational rights and freedoms” in the Persian
nium up to 20%, a small technical step away cameras installed on the ship that initially Gulf in order to “extort the international
from weapons-grade levels of 90%, at its un- relayed footage of the scene on the deck to community into relieving the pressure of
derground Fordo facility. That move ap- the company are now turned off, the official sanctions.”
Yokosuka Naval Hospital in next phase of vaccinations
BY CAITLIN DOORNBOS Six U.S. installations in Japan, including and Drug Administration for emergency
Stars and Stripes Yokosuka, received about 8,000 doses of the use.
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Moderna vaccine Dec. 26 and began vacci- The Defense Department prioritized its
The naval hospital at the home of the 7th nating phase 1a personnel: health care pro- vaccine distribution according to a phased
Fleet began the next phase of coronavirus viders, first responders and security forces. sequence set out by the U.S. Centers for Dis-
inoculations on Tuesday by vaccinating a Yokosuka was the only one of the six to ease Control and Prevention. After phase 1a
group it designated “highest priority fleet report moving past the first phase of inoc- comes phase 1b, a three-part category that
personnel.” ulations. Spokespeople at Camp Zama, Na- covers “other essential workers.”
The move indicates progress toward vac- val Hospital Okinawa, Misawa Air Base and That includes personnel involved with
cinating everyone at Yokosuka Naval Base Yokota Air Base said Tuesday they have not “critical national capabilities,” followed by
against COVID-19, the respiratory disease yet moved into phase 1b. personnel preparing to deploy outside the
caused by the coronavirus. A representative for Kadena Air Base on continental U.S. and, finally, “other critical
“While vaccine remains in extremely Okinawa could not be reached Tuesday. and essential support personnel.”
limited supply, we are excited to transition Tuesday marked the first day that sailors The remaining population of service
to [phase] 1b and begin administering vac- and civilians outside frontline roles were el- members, civilian workers and families are
cine to the highest priority fleet personnel igible for the vaccine at Yokosuka. Subjects the end of the line, although those with a
today!” the Yokosuka Naval Hospital wrote must volunteer to be inoculated because the heightened risk for coronavirus are ahead
on its Facebook page Tuesday. Moderna vaccine was approved by the Food of those deemed healthy.PAGE 2 • STRIPES LITE • Tuesday, January 5, 2021
US cavalry unit begins Lithuania mission
Stars and Stripes vydas Anusauskas, who, along with U.S. tasks,” he said at the time.
A Fort Hood, Texas-based cavalry offi- Ambassador to Lithuania Robert Gilchrist, The Army has, since 2019, been sending
cially began an eight-month mission in attended the ceremony Monday in Pa- a battalion-sized element to Lithuania for
Lithuania, focused on deterring Russian brade, around 30 miles northeast of Vilnius most of their nine-month deployments,
aggression in the region, as it uncased its and six miles from the border with Bela- adding firepower near the heavily militar-
colors at a ceremony this week, Lithuanian rus. ized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which
and U.S. officials said. When the unit arrived in Lithuania on is wedged between Lithuania and its south-
The 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment Dec. 4, Anusauskas said Lithuania would ern neighbor, Poland.
took up position in Lithuania along with its welcome a permanent U.S. military pres- The 2nd Battalion is part of the 1st Ar-
heavy weaponry, including Abrams tanks ence on its soil, saying it would strengthen mored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry
and Bradley fighting vehicles. “the security of the entire eastern flank of Division rotation in Europe, which is ex-
Having a U.S. military presence in the NATO.” pected to last through the summer. The
region was key to deterring Russian ag- “We are prepared to host U.S. forces and majority of the regiment’s force is an-
gression against the former Soviet Repub- provide all conditions they need to carry on chored in Poland, but smaller elements are
lic, said Lithuanian Defense Minister Ar- with training cycles and completion of spread out along NATO’s eastern flank.
Air Force moves drones, airmen to Army drill
Romania to boost Black Sea efforts sergeant dies
BY JOHN VANDIVER sailors captive.
Stars and Stripes
STUTTGART, Germany — The Air Force
The MQ-9s also will “fly freedom of maneu-
ver missions and integrate with joint and coa-
after being shot
has moved 90 airmen and an unspecified
number of MQ-9 Reaper drones to Campia
lition forces in the region,” USAFE said. For-
mer Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Au- on interstate
Turzii Air Base in Romania, boosting military gust said he envisioned a larger force in Ro- USA Today
capabilities in a region where allies have ex- mania and that more deployments there were Authorities in Texas are investigating the
pressed concern about Russia’s military likely. Last year, USAFE sent MQ-9 Reaper death of Staff Sgt. Jessica Mitchell, found fa-
might. drones based in Poland on a temporary rota- tally shot on a San Antonio interstate on New
“The forward and ready positioning of our tion to the Turzii site. Air Force fighter jets al- Year’s Day.
MQ-9s at this key strategic location reassures so have made rotations to Campia Turzii. Police officers responding to a call of a
our allies and partners, while also sending a The Pentagon has spent millions of dollars stranded vehicle in the left lane on Interstate
message to our adversaries, that we can in recent years to upgrade the Cold War-era 10 shortly after 2 a.m. local time found a
quickly respond to any emergent threat,” base in central Romania and enable larger white Dodge Challenger with multiple bul-
Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Eu- missions, and the National Defense Autho- let holes to the driver’s side door and win-
rope and Air Forces Africa commander, said rization Act for 2021 includes $130.5 million to dow, San Antonio police said in a statement.
in a statement Monday. renovate Campia Turzii, in what would be the “Officers opened the vehicle door and
The MQ-9s will operate under the 31st Ex- biggest overseas military construction pro- checked for a pulse on the victim (who) ap-
peditionary Operations Group, Detachment ject under the Pentagon’s European Deter- peared to have been struck multiple times,”
1, until the squadron is fully operational, the rence Initiative. police said.
statement said. The units are subordinate to That initiative was launched shortly after Mitchell was transported by ambulance to
the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base in Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region and University Hospital where she was pro-
Italy. instigated conflict eastern Ukraine in 2014, to nounced dead. The investigation is ongoing.
The Reapers will boost surveillance and re- reassure allies of a continued U.S. commit- Joint Base San Antonio issued a statement
connaissance capabilities in the Black Sea re- ment to their security. saying Mitchell’s death is being investigated
gion, where the U.S. has regularly accused The funds are intended for upgrades in- by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Divi-
Russia of dangerous intercepts of aircraft, cluding dangerous cargo landing pads, more sion.
and other incidents have caused tensions to parking aprons for tactical fighter aircraft Mitchell, 30, was on holiday leave from
flare. In 2008, Russia fought a brief war in the squadron rotations, fuel storage and a depot to her assignment as a dental specialist and
region with the Republic of Georgia, and still support a deployable air base system. drill sergeant at Army Medical Center of
has troops in that country’s breakaway re- Campia Turzii currently hosts two squad- Excellence on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.
gions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In 2018, rons of Romanian-built LanceR-C intercep- Mitchell had a 10-year-old son, according
Russia opened fire on Ukrainian vessels in the tors, a modernized version of the MiG-21, and to Francesca Toby, Mitchell’s childhood
Black Sea’s Kerch Strait and took Ukrainian two Puma helicopter squadrons. friend.
Stars and Stripes digest is produced by the news desk at our central office in Washington, D.C. The internet address is: http://slite.dma.mil. You may contact us by calling
(202) 886-0003 or by sending an email to SSCcopydesk@stripes.osd.mil. Visit Stars and Stripes online at stripes.com.Tuesday, January 5, 2021 • S T R I P E S L I T E • PAGE 3
Trump: I’ll ‘fight like hell’ to keep job
Associated Press sists he won “by a lot.” tioning the results has passed.”
DALTON, Ga. — With mounting desper- Earlier, in Washington, he pressed Re- It’s unclear the extent to which GOP lead-
ation, Donald Trump declared he would publican lawmakers to formally object ers in Congress will be able to control
“fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency Wednesday at a joint session of Congress Wednesday’s joint session, which could
and appealed to Republican lawmakers to that is to confirm Biden’s victory in the drag into the night, though the challenges to
reverse his election loss to Joe Biden when Electoral College, itself a confirmation of the election are all but certain to fail. Trump
they convene this week to confirm the Elec- Biden’s nationwide victory Nov. 3. himself is whipping up crowds for a
toral College vote. Though he got nothing but cheers Mon- Wednesday rally near the White House.
Electoral voters won by President-elect day night, Trump’s attempt to overturn the Vice President Mike Pence, who is under
Biden are “not gonna take this White presidential election is splitting the Repub- pressure to tip the results for Trump, will be
House!” he shouted as supporters cheered lican Party. Some GOP lawmakers backing closely watched as he presides in a ceremo-
at an outdoor rally Monday night in Geor- him are rushing ahead, despite an outpour- nial role over Wednesday’s joint session.
gia. Trump’s announced purpose for the ing of condemnation from current and for- “I promise you this: On Wednesday, we’ll
trip was to boost Republican Senate candi- mer party officials warning that the effort is have our day in Congress,” Pence said while
dates in Tuesday’s runoff election, but he undermining Americans’ faith in democra- himself campaigning in Georgia ahead of
spent much of his speech complaining bit- cy. All 10 living former defense secretaries Tuesday’s runoff elections that will deter-
terly about his election loss — which he in- wrote in an op-ed that “the time for ques- mine control of the Senate.
CIA’s new recruitment website aims to diversify agency
Associated Press the federal workforce in minority repre- the “dynamic environment that awaits
WASHINGTON — Wanted: Spies from sentation. With thousands of job appli- them here.”
all backgrounds and walks of life. cants annually, the CIA wants to do more Haspel has made recruitment a priority
Striving to further diversify its ranks, to ensure its workforce reflects national since she became the first female director
the CIA launched a new website Monday demographics. in May 2018. Since then, the CIA has
to find top-tier candidates who will bring The revamped website has links for started advertising on streaming services,
a broader range of life experiences to the browsing CIA jobs complete with starting launched an Instagram account and an
nation’s premier intelligence agency salaries and requirements, sections on online “onion site,” a feature that makes
The days of all American spies being working at the agency, and a streamlined both the information provider and the
white male graduates from Ivy League application process. person accessing information more diffi-
schools are long gone. The CIA director is “We’ve come a long way since I applied cult to trace.
a woman and women head all five of the by simply mailing a letter marked ‘CIA, Last year, the CIA designated its first
agency’s branches, including the directo- Washington, D.C.,’” said CIA Director Gi- executive for Hispanic engagement, Ilka
rates of science and technology, oper- na Haspel, who joined the agency in 1985. Rodriguez-Diaz, a veteran of more than
ations and digital innovation. She said in a statement that she hopes the three decades with the agency. She first
But while the CIA has been diversifying new website piques the interest of talent- joined after attending a CIA job fair in
for years, intelligence agencies still lag ed Americans and gives them a sense of New Jersey.
Proud Boys leader arrested, accused of burning banner
Associated Press warrant was issued for his arrest for de- two historic Black churches and set the
WASHINGTON — Police in the nation’s struction of property, police said. He was banner ablaze.
capital on Monday arrested the leader of also facing weapons charges after officers Video posted online showed people
the Proud Boys, who is accused of burning found him with two high-capacity firearm pouring an accelerant on a Black Lives
a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn magazines when he was arrested, a police Matter banner near the Asbury United
down from a historic Black church in spokesman said. Methodist Church and setting it ablaze
Washington last month. A pro-Trump rally in December ended last month. One of the videos showed
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, was arrest- in violence as hundreds of Trump sup- someone walking up about a minute later
ed by Metropolitan Police Department of- porters, some wearing the signature black and using a fire extinguisher to put out the
ficers after he arrived in Washington and yellow of the Proud Boys, sought out flames.
ahead of protests planned by supporters of confrontations with activists and counter- Tarrio told The Washington Post he had
President Donald Trump to coincide with protesters attempting to bar them from participated in the burning of the Black
the congressional vote expected Wednes- Black Lives Matter Plaza, near the White Lives Matter banner and said he would
day to affirm Joe Biden’s election victory. House. By nightfall, vandals tore down a plead guilty to destruction of property and
Tarrio was taken into custody after a Black Lives Matter banner and sign from pay the church the cost of the banner.PAGE 4 • STRIPES LITE • Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Pharmacist thought virus vaccine was unsafe
Associated Press In a statement, Granger’s office said the learning. Students in K-8 have the option
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin pharma- 77-year-old Republican is asymptomatic Feb. 1. A date for high school students hasn’t
cist convinced the world was “crashing and “feeling great!” It was unclear how she been set.
down” told police he tried to ruin hundreds contracted the virus, but Granger, a ranking The Chicago Teachers Union opposed the
of doses of the coronavirus vaccine because member of the House Appropriations Com- plan over safety. Dozens of aldermen also
he believed the shots would mutate people’s mittee, had received the first dose of the CO- objected with concerns over health and ra-
DNA, according to court documents re- VID-19 vaccine in December. cial equity. District data show that roughly
leased Monday. She had been scheduled to receive the sec- 37% of eligible students planned to return, a
Police in Grafton, about 20 miles north of ond dose Wednesday but will now wait until number that was disproportionately white.
Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora she is through quarantining, said Michelle CPS officials said the plan is as safe for
Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg Koepp, a spokeswoman for Granger. People teachers as it is for principals, custodians
last week following an investigation into the are expected to get some level of protection and others who’ve worked through the pan-
57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine, within a couple of weeks after the first shot, demic.
which officials say contained enough doses but full protection may not happen until a Roughly 5,800 teachers and staff were ex-
to inoculate more than 500 people. Charges couple of weeks after the second shot. pected in classrooms Monday, according to
are pending. Texas has set new highs for hospitalized The Chicago Tribune. It wasn’t clear how
“He’d formed this belief they were un- COVID-19 patients seven times in the past many showed.
safe,” Ozaukee County District Attorney eight days. Nearly 16,000 new cases were re-
Adam Gerol said during a virtual hearing. ported Monday, and along the U.S- Mexico Louisiana
He added that Brandenburg was upset be- border, the small Texas city of Roma an- BATON ROUGE — Louisiana pharmacy
cause he and his wife are divorcing, and an nounced that longtime Police Chief Jose phone lines and websites were inundated
Aurora employee said Brandenburg had Garcia had died after contracting CO- Monday with people seeking the coronavi-
taken a gun to work twice. VID-19. He had led the department for more rus vaccine, after the state unveiled the list
A detective wrote in a probable cause than 27 years. of 107 pharmacies that will begin offering
statement that Brandenburg, 46, is an ad- immunizations this week for people 70 and
mitted conspiracy theorist and that he told Iowa older.
investigators he intentionally tried to ruin DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Rey- With demand certain to outstrip limited
the vaccine because it could hurt people by nolds appears to be prepared to push schools supplies and interest running so high, the
changing their DNA. to return students to classrooms this month, state website crashed within minutes of the
reinforcing her plans to prioritize in-person information’s release. The Louisiana De-
New York learning even when a local school board be- partment of Health quickly reworked the
ALBANY — In an effort to speed up what lieves it’s too risky. website to get the list back online.
has been a sluggish rollout of the coronavi- In November, the state approved requests Hoping to avoid long lines seen in other
rus vaccine, New York’s governor threat- for 90 school districts or buildings to go to on- states with people awaiting vaccination, the
ened Monday to fine hospitals up to $100,000 line learning as virus cases escalated, caus- health department stressed that appoint-
if they don’t finish their first round of inoc- ing many schools to run short of staff mem- ments for the immunizations are required.
ulations by the end of the week. bers as they tested positive or had to quaran- Still, people started showing up at their local
Hospitals have been receiving vaccines tine due to exposure. Student absenteeism pharmacies and calling them days ahead of
over the past three weeks as part of a pro- also surged at many schools. the expanded eligibility, seeking vaccines
gram prioritizing frontline medical work- Eleven districts had been approved dur- for themselves or elderly family. Monday’s
ers. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that as of ing December, but the Des Moines school release of the specific pharmacies offering
early Monday, hospitals had only adminis- district’s request on Dec. 28 was the first to the vaccine only heightened interest.
tered the first dose of 46% of their allocated be rejected since August.
vaccines. Virus conditions deteriorated in Iowa in Alabama
That amounts to roughly 300,000 out of November with a spike in hospitalizations BIRMINGHAM — The mayor of Bir-
roughly 650,000 allocated doses so far, ac- and deaths. Trends appeared to improve in mingham has been hospitalized with CO-
cording to Cuomo. early December, although the positivity rate VID-19 pneumonia, five days after announc-
The Democrat blamed bureaucracy as in Iowa has started to tick back up again in ing he tested positive for the coronavirus, of-
the chief reason for delays, at public hospi- recent weeks. ficials said.
tals in particular. Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin
Illinois was admitted to the hospital Monday night
Texas CHICAGO — Some Chicago Public “to address symptoms connected to COVID
AUSTIN — Texas was on the brink Mon- Schools teachers expected to report to the pneumonia,” according to his doctor, the
day of surpassing a record 13,000 patients classroom ahead of preschool students’ an- City of Birmingham tweeted.
hospitalized with COVID-19 as the number ticipated return next week stayed home The tweet said Woodfin remained “in
of new cases after the Christmas holiday Monday over coronavirus concerns. good spirits and thanks everyone for their
continued surging, including Rep. Kay The nation’s third-largest district plans to well wishes.”
Granger, who said she tested positive upon bring students back in phases. Starting next Alabama on Monday hit a new high for the
returning to Washington for the new Con- week, preschool and some special education number of COVID-19 patients in state hospi-
gress. students can return or continue remote tals with more than 3,000 hospitalized.Tuesday, January 5, 2021 • S T R I P E S L I T E • PAGE 5
AMERICAN ROUNDUP
Person hit by car while helping Wars building in Gulfport, where she has our investigation and is currently in the
worked for the last decade. Someone took care of a local medical facility.” He said
crash victims, then warned her purse and the ashes that were in it his department was working with the Mu-
from her vehicle parked outside the VFW. nicipal Law Director on charges following
CT WESTPORT — A pedestrian
was struck by a vehicle on a
Connecticut highway while helping vic-
“I’m absolutely gutted right now,” she
told the newspaper. The veterans helped
her release.
tims of a previous car accident, state po- search the area. Recovering officer gets police
lice said. escort back home
The person was hit in Westport and tak- Vets fix owl's wing, release it
en to a hospital with minor injuries,
Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
back to wild after recuperation MI MIDLAND — A police officer
who was injured in a Christmas
State police said a driver from Buffalo,
N.Y., tried to avoid the earlier crash in the LA BATON ROUGE — Staff and
students at the Louisiana State
University School of Veterinary Medicine
Eve fire was escorted home from the hos-
pital by his fellow officers.
A line of 10 cars with Midland police and
center lane, veered into the right lane and
struck the pedestrian, a 45-year-old who nursed an injured owl back to health over sheriff’s deputies led Tyler Hollingsworth
was trying to help the accident victims. the last two months and then released the to his home, the Midland Daily News re-
The person who was hit was given a ver- recovered bird back into the wild. ported.
bal warning for “reckless use of the high- WBRZ reported that the barred owl flew Hollingsworth and another officer were
way by a pedestrian,” state police said. back into the wild after convalescing for injured while trying to save a 49-year-old
two months from a severely broken wing. man who had doused himself with fuel on
Senior rescued from storm “It’s just awesome. It feels awesome ev- Dec. 24.
ery time we release one. It’s such a great Fire broke out in the Midland garage,
drain after its grate gave way feeling to send them back where they be- and the man died.
NY ISLIP — A man in his 90s was
rescued after falling about 10
feet down a storm drain on Long Island,
long,” said vet student Amy Crumlich.
The school performed surgery, and then
Crumlich took care of the owl while it re-
New game: Pinball Pete’s fans
N.Y., firefighters said. covered inside a special flight cage.
rally to help arcade
Fire officials said it appears a storm
drain grate gave way when the man
stepped on it in Central Islip. He was
Boy found safe in cemetery, is MI EAST LANSING — Arcade fans
are responding with more than
just quarters to keep the doors open at
found by a neighbor who heard him moan-
then reunited with father, dog Pinball Pete’s in two Michigan college
ing for help, authorities said. It took first
responders about 45 minutes to get the
man out, said Central Islip Fire Chief
OH HINCKLEY — An Ohio police
chief said a young boy found in
a cemetery two days before Christmas has
towns.
The owners were reluctant to pass the
hat with an online fundraiser. But more
Christopher Portelli. been placed in the care of his father and than $87,000 was raised on GoFundMe.
reunited with his dog. Many donors are former students from
Father’s ashes stolen with Chief David Centner of the Hinckley po- Michigan State University and the Uni-
lice department said in a Facebook post versity of Michigan with fond memories of
woman’s purse after wedding that Tony’s father had expressed his ap- playing pinball, PAC-MAN, Skee-Ball and
MS GULFPORT — A Mississippi
woman is looking for an urn
carrying her father’s ashes that was stolen
preciation for the public’s generosity and
said the child is “doing very well.”
Centner stressed that the father was “in
other games. Some who grew up in East
Lansing recall going to Pinball Pete’s as
teenagers.
along with her purse while she was cele- no way involved” with the incident and “It was sort of like the melting pot of the
brating her wedding. has been “extremely cooperative” with of- community,” said Marya Peters, 45, who
The Sun Herald reported that Jen Mul- ficials. donated $100.
laney Jones had the ashes in a black and Police were called to Hope Memorial “We could go down there and play video
gold urn inside her purse when she got Gardens Cemetery where a witness re- games and casually hang out and meet
married on New Year’s Day at the beach- ported seeing a car speeding away and a kids from other schools.”
front Jones Park in Gulfport. After the little boy “running after the car followed Both locations in East Lansing and Ann
wedding, she and her groom, Daniel by a dog.” Arbor were open recently.
Jones, went to the Veterans of Foreign Centner said a woman was “the focus of — From wire reportsPAGE 6 • STRIPES LITE • Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Alabama, Ohio State faced hurdles
Associated Press “We’ve been through a lot. I mean, we Buckeyes.
Alabama breezed through the regular fought to just play, and just to be able to get “Right now I’m not really worried about
season and college football’s semifinals, the job done, to make it to this level, it just the Heisman Trophy,” he said.
surviving a solitary scare in the Southeast- means a lot to us.” Monday’s game is a rematch of a semifi-
ern Conference championship game to re- The Tide (12-0) advanced with a 31-14 vic- nal game in the first College Football Play-
ach its expected destination. tory over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, offs six years ago. Ohio State (7-0) won that
Ohio State wasn’t exactly a shoo-in with played in Arlington, Texas, rather than meeting en route to the national title.
its abbreviated schedule but resoundingly southern California in yet another example There were questions whether this Buck-
proved it belonged in the College Football of just how different this season has been. eyes team deserved to be in CFP, but Ohio
Playoffs with a semifinal thrashing of Clem- Before that Alabama navigated 11 consec- State routed favored Clemson, erasing sen-
son. utive SEC games, including victories over timents by doubters that another Tigers-
The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide traveled three teams currently ranked among the top Crimson Tide title showdown was all but in-
different paths to get to Monday’s title game 11 before facing Notre Dame. evitable.
at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, but The Tide also won the Iron Bowl against If Smith shared those expectations, the
both had to navigate the challenges of a pan- Auburn with offensive coordinator Steve Alabama wide receiver kept them to him-
demic-altered season Sarkisian — who takes over the Texas Long- self.
“I know this has been a little bit of a trying horns program following the game — run- “I mean, I’m not part of the committee, so
year for a lot of folks,” Nick Saban, the coach ning the show while Saban was sidelined by I have no say-so in who they put in and who
of the top-ranked Crimson Tide, said Mon- COVID-19. they wanted to put in,” Smith said. “At the
day. In addition to Sarkisian’s imminent de- end of the day, we just show up here, prac-
It’s not a finale that could be taken for parture, Alabama has to take care of some tice, and get ready for whoever the next op-
granted. Heisman Trophy business while preparing ponent is.”
No. 3 Ohio State’s odyssey included an ab- for the matchup with Ohio State. Both wide The big question for Ohio State on Mon-
breviated Big Ten season with three games receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback day was the health of quarterback Justin
canceled because of COVID-19 issues, in- Mac Jones are among the four Heisman fi- Fields, who took a vicious shot to the side in
cluding an outbreak among the Buckeyes. nalists, along with quarterbacks Trevor the first half against Clemson.
“This team, this program, we persevered Lawrence of Clemson and Kyle Trask of “Oh, yeah, I definitely expect him to play,
through so much,” Ohio State running back Florida. but we don't get into specifics on injuries,”
Trey Sermon said Monday. Smith isn’t interested in talking about the Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We give
“To have the opportunity to play on such a award being handed out virtually on Tues- our availability report at the end of the
big stage, it means a lot to us. day, saying his focus is on preparing for the week. That's always been our policy.”
Stefanski positive for COVID, will miss playoff game
Associated Press Mike Priefer will be the acting The Oilers confirmed Muck- on the same day the Brooklyn
head coach Sunday. ler’s death Monday night. No Nets ruled All-Star forward Ke-
CLEVELAND — The Cleve- Bitonio and Hodge played in cause was given. vin Durant out for Tuesday’s
land Browns will play their first Sunday’s win over the Steelers, Muckler was part of the staff game against Utah in accord-
playoff game since 2002 with- who rested quarterback Ben that put together the Oilers dy- ance with the league’s health
out first-year coach Kevin Ste- Roethlisberger and several nasty of the 1980s. He joined and safety protocols for dealing
fanski, who tested positive for other top players to be fresh for Edmonton in 1982 as an assist- with coronavirus.
COVID-19 just two days after the playoffs. ant coach under Glen Sather Among the new rules, which
leading the team back to the In other NFL news: and won five Stanley Cups with take effect Tuesday: Players
postseason. ■ Carolina Panthers offen- the organization from 1984-90. who are dressed for games and
The team announced Stefan- sive coordinator Joe Brady is eligible to participate must
ski’s positive result on Tuesday becoming a popular name for
NBA adopts tougher wear a face mask until they en-
— 18 years to the day since the NFL teams looking to fill head mask policy on benches ter the game, all players and
Browns’ last postseason game. coaching vacancies. The NBA is adopting a tough- coaches must wear face masks
Also, Pro Bowl left guard Joel er policy regarding masks, tell- when outside the team environ-
Bitonio and wide receiver Kha-
Muckler, who won 5 ment if they are around other
ing teams Monday that players
Darel Hodge also tested posi- Stanley Cups, dies on the active roster will have to players and coaches, and play-
tive along with two staff mem- John Muckler, who coached wear the face coverings in the ers must report the names of
bers — tight ends coach Drew four NHL teams and won five bench area until they enter any private trainer, therapist,
Petzing and defensive backs Stanley Cup championships games. chiropractor or other specialist
coach Jeff Howard. with the Edmonton Oilers, has That memo, obtained by The who they work with outside of
Special teams coordinator died. He was 86. Associated Press, was released the team facility.Tuesday, January 5, 2021 • S T R I P E S L I T E • PAGE 7
Tatum helps Celtics overtake Raptors
Associated Press tokounmpo scored 43 points and host Mil- The Sixers swept the two-game set neces-
waukee defeated Detroit and moved above sitated on the schedule this season because
TAMPA, Fla. — Jayson Tatum scored 40 the .500 mark for the first time this season. of the pandemic and beat the Hornets for
points and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 126- The reigning two-time MVP scored 30 the 13th straight time. Philadelphia has not
114 win over the Toronto Raptors on Mon- points by halftime, shot 17-for-24 from the lost to Charlotte since Nov. 2, 2016.
day night. floor overall and finished with nine re- Magic 103, Cavaliers 83: Aaron Gordon
Playing without three of their top guards, bounds. broke out of a shooting slump with 6-for-9
the Celtics shook off a slow start to lead by as The Bucks (4-3) have won their last eight sniping from three-point range and scored a
many as 26 points in the second half. They regular-season meetings with the Pistons, season-high 24 points, leading Orlando over
shot 48.8% overall. which represents the longest streak for ei- visiting Cleveland.
Tatum turned the game around with 21 ther team in the history of the series. The Magic snapped a two-game losing
points in the second quarter. He hit five Detroit (1-6) played without two of its top streak that had followed four straight victo-
three-pointers and converted all 13 free three scorers in Blake Griffin and Josh ries to open the season. They made a season-
throws,, finishing one point short of his ca- Jackson. high 15 three-pointers, easily surpassing
reer high set against New Orleans last Janu- Jerami Grant and Derrick Rose led the their previous season high of 11.
ary. Pistons with 24 points each. Pacers 118, Pelicans 116 (OT): Malcolm
Rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 23 Knicks 113, Hawks 108: Julius Randle Brogdon capped a 21-point, 11-assist per-
points and eight assists for Boston (5-3), and scored 28 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, formance by bouncing in a driving, one-
Jaylen Brown scored 19. Robert Williams Austin Rivers hit a huge three-pointer and handed floater with 1.7 seconds left in over-
III came off the bench to contribute 11 New York rallied to beat Atlanta. time, and Indiana won at New Orleans.
points and 15 rebounds. Taking their second straight home loss af- Victor Oladipo scored 25 points for the
Fred VanVleet led the Raptors (1-5) with ter a 4-1 start to the season, the Hawks Pacers, hitting a 29-foot three-pointer and
35 points and eight rebounds. squandered a 13-point lead early in the sec- following that up with a steal from Lonzo
Mavericks 113, Rockets 100: Luka ond half and faded in the the closing min- Ball to spark a six-point comeback in the fi-
Doncic had 33 points, 16 rebounds and 11 as- utes. nal 20 seconds of regulation.
sists, and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 30 off Heat 118, Thunder 90: Kelly Olynyk Warriors 137, Kings 106: Stephen Curry
the bench as Dallas used a big fourth quar- made five three-pointers on his way to 19 followed up his career-high 62 points a night
ter run to win at Houston. points, Bam Adebayo led all scorers with 20 earlier with another 30 points, nine re-
The Mavericks were on top by three with on 9-for-10 shooting and host Miami beat bounds and eight assists to lead suddenly
about seven minutes remaining before us- Oklahoma City. clicking Golden State past visiting Sacra-
ing a 14-3 spurt, with seven points from Har- The Heat have played six games, alter- mento.
daway, to extend the lead to 106-92 with nating losses then wins in all six, and have At 92 points over the past two nights, Cur-
about 2½ minutes remaining. The Rockets used a different starting five every time. ry posted his third-highest point total over a
couldn’t get anything going as Dallas took 76ers 118, Hornets 101: Joel Embiid two-game span, according to the Elias
over. Houston missed five shots and had two had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Har- Sports Bureau. He scored 97 combined on
turnovers in that span. ris scored 22 points and host Philadelphia Feb. 25 and 27, 2016, and 93 on Feb. 24-25,
Bucks 125, Pistons 115: Giannis Ante- beat Charlotte for its fourth straight win. ’16.
This season, teams will see the same refs more often
Associated Press and never left L.A. Consider the case of Utah’s Jordan Clar-
There are nine people who have been on That simply would have never happened kson. He gave referee Karl Lane a bit of a
the court to start four different games at in past years, when the policy typically was shove — it didn’t appear to be premediated
Staples Center so far this season. that officials would go at least 13 days be- or violent — in a game against the Clippers
Only eight of them are players. tween working games in the same city and on Thursday, earning a technical foul. The
The other is referee Scott Foster. six days between seeing the same team af- next night, the Jazz were back on their
There might be no better way to explain ter reffing one of its games. Those rules will home floor, with Lane part of the officiating
how and why the NBA has changed the trav- almost certainly come back when the world crew again and after Clarkson got fined
el rules for officials this year than Foster’s returns to normal, but for now, in the inter- $25,000 for the shove. If there were any
work schedule to this point. He was sched- est of safety — and common sense — teams hard feelings from the night before, none
uled to work a game in Houston on Dec. 23, are seeing referees more often than usual. showed.
only to see the matchup called off when the “It changes things a little bit,” Milwaukee Clarkson got called for only one foul in the
Rockets didn’t have enough people availa- coach Mike Budenholzer said. “But obvi- Friday game, a charge. Lane was the official
ble to play in accordance with the league’s ously, for safety and our health and the who made that call, which in fairness was an
health and safety protocols regarding the health of the officials, it makes all the sense easy one. “Great way to start to 2021 ! a team
coronavirus. From there, Foster flew to Los in the world.” win and $25k lighter!” Clarkson wrote on
Angeles. He worked four games in six days, It can lead to some awkward moments. Instagram.PAGE 8 • STRIPES LITE • Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Men’s March Madness will be all in Indiana
Associated Press ment on Saturn or in Indianapolis,” Louis- know it was the right thing to do, but it was a
ville coach Chris Mack said. “Hopefully, painful thing to do. So we want to deliver
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA is giving we’re a part of it and we do our part to get this year on the promise of March Madness.
Indiana an exclusive ticket to showcase there. And wherever they put it, they put it.” They deserve it.”
March Madness and the basketball-crazed Logistically, Indy made sense, too. Some things aren’t expected to change.
state can’t wait to take center stage this Dozens of restaurants of hotels are within Selection Sunday is still set for March 14,
spring. walking distance of Lucas Oil Stadium, the tourney field is expected to remain at 68
The NCAA announced Monday that its home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, and and the Final Four games are still sched-
showcase event — the Division I men’s bas- Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the uled for April 3 with the title game two days
ketball tournament, all 67 games of it — will NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana later. CBS Sports and Turner Sports will
be played entirely in or near Indianapolis. Fever. Many of those businesses and ven- continue to televise and stream the games.
The hope is to limit the possibility that the ues are connected by skywalks that allow But this tourney will have dramatically a
coronavirus pandemic cancels the wildly players, coaches or fans to stay indoors. different atmosphere.
popular and lucrative tournament for a sec- Hinkle Fieldhouse, the historic home of Two courts will be constructed inside ca-
ond consecutive season. the Butler Bulldogs, and the Indiana Farm- vernous Lucas Oil Stadium, though only one
“There are a number of world-class facil- ers Coliseum, where the IUPUI Jaguars game will be played at a time because of po-
ities in a close location and that was critical play, are just short drives from the down-
tential distractions from whistles and horns
because you have to run a large number of town area. Mackey Arena at Purdue and As-
going off. NCAA vice president of basket-
games simultaneously that you can manage sembly Hall at Indiana also are about an
ball Dan Gavitt said fewer games may be
and control,” NCAA President Mark Em- hour’s drive from downtown.
played each day because of longer breaks
mert said. “There were a number of cities All of those venues are slated to host
needed to properly clean the facilities. Pre-
that were very interested in hosting this games.
liminary round dates have not yet been set.
event, but the immediate opportunity to do Playing in a state where the sport is re-
“If we’re going to be able to do it, it’s got to
this in Indianapolis was pretty self-evident vered and basketball stars are considered
for several reasons. For one, we were al- royalty doesn’t hurt, either. Oscar Robert- be done safely,” Creighton coach Greg
ready going to be there.” son, Larry Bird, Rick Mount, Damon Bailey McDermott said. “The more you can limit
Indy was already scheduled to host the Fi- and the late John Wooden were all stars travel the better. To do it in the middle of the
nal Four and it didn’t take long for the city to here at one level or another. Bob Knight, country makes it easier for everybody. ...
emerge as the favorite. Gene Keady and the late Tony Hinkle, orig- You want to be there, you want to be part of
The original plan was for the 67 games to inator of the orange basketball, all coached it. It’s going to be an historic event.”
be played at 13 sites across the country, in the state, which for decades had a single- Fewer fans are expected, too.
starting with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. class state tournament won famously in NCAA officials said a limited number of
Regional sites were set for Minneapolis, 1954 by Milan High, the inspiration for Hol- family members of players and coaches can
Denver, New York City and Memphis, lywood’s “Hoosiers.” attend games, but they will consult local and
Tenn. So perhaps bringing March Madness state public health officials to determine fi-
Instead, the buzzer beaters and jaw-drop- back home to Indiana, home of the NCAA’s nal attendance.
ping performances will all take place in a headquarters, was the natural choice. COVID-19 testing will be conducted be-
state known perhaps more than any other “Last year, we had to rip March Madness fore each game and each team will be as-
for its love of basketball. away from all the teams and all the fans at signed its own floor and its own meeting
“I really don’t care if they play the tourna- the very last minute,” Emmert said. “We spaces inside its hotel.
Siena finally starts season 298 days after last game
Associated Press group,” Siena coach Carmen Maciariello personnel and was the last MAAC team to
said. “We talk about coming together during get underway. It was the latest season-open-
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — The reigning adverse times and growing our together- er in program history, which dates to 1938.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s ness and our bond, and I think we did that. No. 14 West Virginia 87, Oklahoma
basketball champions are back on the court We found a way to win.” State 84: Derek Culver had 22 points and
at long last — after a 298-day hiatus. The Saints, who had to cancel December 19 rebounds to help the Mountaineers rally
After three pauses in team activities since games against Drexel and Towson, hadn’t
from 19 down in the second half to beat the
November due to several positive CO- played since beating Manhattan in the
host Cowboys.
VID-19 tests, the Siena Saints returned to MAAC Tournament quarterfinals on
action with a two-game series at home March 11, the longest period of time be- Miles McBride scored 19 of his 21 points
against Monmouth (3-4) and won both — 78- tween games since the program paused ac- after halftime for West Virginia (9-3, 2-2 Big
77 in Sunday’s opener and 76-62 on Monday tivities from 1943-46 while the country was 12), including 14 in the final four minutes.
night — to run their winning streak to 12 at war. Siena experienced the pauses fol- Freshman star Cade Cunningham had 25
games dating to last season. lowing multiple positive COVID-19 test re- points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma
“Super proud of this group. Resilient sults stemming from the program’s Tier 1 State (7-3, 1-3).You can also read
