This is the weekly roundup of news for the week of January 29th.
Kiribati Ferry Search
Two weeks after the Kiribati Ferry sank in route from Nonouti Island (near New Zealand), the government has called off the international search. The boat – a wooden catamaran – vanished after is set sail on January 18th, but not reported missing until two days later. 88 people were on board, including 23 elementary and high school students. Last weekend, seven survivors were found clinging to a dinghy. Four search planes from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand assisted in the two week search. While the international effort has been called off, Kiribati – an independent nation between Australia and Hawaii – will continue to have vessels patrol the waters in search of survivors or signs of the wreckage. On Thursday, Radio Kiribati read the passenger manifesto on air. Many of the students on board were headed to the capital for the new school year’s start. A government inquiry into the sinking – which may have been preventable – is expected in the coming month.
Los Angeles Shooting
On Thursday morning, a 12-year-old girl was taken into custody for “negligent discharge of a firearm” at Sal Castro Middle School in Los Angeles. Authorities do not believe the shooting was intentional, instead suggesting it was an isolated incident that resulted in the injuries of four students and a staff member. Police responded to the scene shortly before nine on Thursday morning. Middle School parents and surrounding residents rushed to the scene, waiting to hear news. A 15-year-old boy, found by authorities with a gunshot wound to the head, is expected to recover, the bullet failing to cause major damage. Police recovered a semi-automatic handgun from the classroom, and the suspected shooter has been taken to a LA Central’s Juvenile Hall.
Cleveland Indians
This week, the Cleveland Indians announced they would stop using the Chief Wahoo logo and mascot on their uniforms next year. This decision to retire the offensive Native American image has rubbed some fans the wrong way, many who say the team’s symbols honor indigenous heritage or that they are attached to them. Chief Wahoo going by the wayside is considered a major step in removing offensive, stereotypical, and appropriated imagery of Native Americans. However, larger questions about the persistence of these images in college and minor league sports have been raised and are demanding answers.
Natalie Wood’s Drowning Death
Forty years since Natalie Wood drowned, the case is being re-examined as a “suspicious death”, with her former husband named a person of interest. Wood, best known for her roles in “West Side Story” and “Rebel Without a Cause”, drowned in 1981 at the age of 43. After spending a night of drinking on a yacht with her husband Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken, and the captain, her body was found floating in the water of Catalina Island, California. After years of a witness saying they overheard a fight between Wood and Wagner the night before she drowned, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department now believes there is enough evidence to reinvestigate Wagner.