Pioneering TV Journalist Barbara Walters Dies at 93

Pioneering television journalist Barbara Walters died Friday at 93. Walters' history in media largely coincided with women's involvement in the industry, with Walters breaking many of the barriers female journalists faced.

Walters was born September 25, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Sarah Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in English in 1951. 

Walters began working in advertising before landing a job at NBC's New York affiliate WNBT-TV (now WNBC), where she wrote press releases. 

She joined NBC's The Today Show in 1961, first as a writer before appearing as a 'Today Girl,' where she presented news pieces that were seen as lighter topics. She began doing more serious pieces, and though she was famously prohibited from asking questions to guests until her male cohosts asked their questions, she was finally made cohost of the show in 1974. 

In 1976, she moved to ABC, where she cohosted ABC Evening News until 1978. In 1976, she moderated the final presidential debate between incumbent Gerald Ford and eventual winner Jimmy Carter.

Walter was known for conducting interviews with notable figures including Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, Jiang Zemin, and Monica Lewinsky. 

In 1997, she co-created The View on ABC, and served as co-host until 2014. 

She had her final ABC appearance in 2015 with an interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Her last public appearance was in 2016. 

She died at home in Manhattan on December 30, 2022. 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Dies at 95

Pope Benedict XVI, who was the first pope to resign the position in centuries and took the title 'pope emeritus,' died Saturday at 95. 

Benedict, who was born Joseph Ratzinger in Bavaria, Germany, on April 16, 1927, wished to become a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church since age 12. His life took a detour in childhood, when he was forced into Hitler Youth during Hitler's rule. Never an enthusiastic member of the organization, he was later drafted into the German military and was trained in the infantry. He managed to desert the army just prior to Allied victory, and was held as a prisoner of war until the war's end. 

Ratzinger entered seminary after the war, and he was ordained in 1951. Over the next few decades, he established himself as an intellectual force in the Catholic Church, seen as a leading liberal prior to 1968, supporting the reforms of the Vatican II conference. After 1968, he shifted to a more conservative point of view, for which he would be well known in his later years as cardinal and as pope. 

In 1977, Pope Paul VI elevated Ratzinger to cardinal shortly after Ratzinger becoming Archbishop of Freising and Munich. In 1981, Pope John Paul II made Ratzinger Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he became an influential voice in the Vatican under John Paul II's papacy.

In 2005, he was elected pope following the death of John Paul II. His papacy was noted for a staunch adherence to conservative theology and tradition. 

Benedict's papacy also was marked by an increased effort to tackle sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, though he was criticized for the slow pace of progress on that front. 

Benedict also made headlines in December 2012 when he joined Twitter under the handle @Pontifex.

In February 2013, he announced his resignation as pope, the first to do so completely voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294. He would take the title 'pope emeritus,' and his successor, Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio, was elected in March 2013. Bergoglio, who would take the regnal name 'Francis,' was the second place finished in the 2005 papal conclave which elected Benedict.

Benedict lived a quiet life between 2013 and 2022, remaining in the Vatican. He became the longest living pope (former or reigning) in 2020, and he celebrated his 70th anniversary as a priest in 2021.

Pope Francis had requested prayers for Benedict on December 28, 2022, announcing the former pontiff was in poor health. Benedict died three days later on December 31. 

Winter Storm Leaves 91 Dead, Leads to Travel Mayhem

 Last week’s Christmas winter storm has left at least 91 dead, with over 2.5 million left without power for at least some period of time.

Many of the US deaths were caused by cold exposure, some of whom were pedestrians who became disoriented when walking outside in blizzard conditions. Some became trapped in their cars and were unable to get to warm shelter. Traffic accidents also claimed several victims.

In Synder, New York, near Buffalo, 56.5 inches of snow fell.

The cold temperatures from the storm spread across the US. Even in Houston, temperatures dropped so low that bats lost their grip on the bridges where they make homes. Volunteers managed to gather the affected bats so they could warm them sufficiently, and afterwards they released the bats back to their bridges.

Millions lost power during the storm. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began rolling blackouts to prevent more widespread power outages. In Texas, power outages were much more limited than what was seen in the February 2021 winter storm.

The storm also led to mass cancellations of flights, leading to travel mayhem as travelers were stranded in airports trying to get to their destinations before Christmas day. Southwest Airlines was the hardest hit, with the airline experiencing a meltdown of their planning software. Employees were left to manually schedule crews for flights, and customers were forced to spend several hours on hold with customer service agents in attempts to rebook their flights. The US Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into the cancellations.

Soccer Legend Pelé Dies at 82

Pelé, considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time, died Thursday at 82 in São Paulo. His cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by colon cancer.

The Brazilian’s 22-year career helped lead to three World Cup victories for Brazil and established the nation as a powerhouse in the sport.

Pelé, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was born in 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil. His father was also a footballer (soccer player), though his family was impoverished. His family’s economic condition did not stop him from learning the sport and training further, and at 17, he made his World Cup debut in 1958, in which Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 in the final.

In 1969, he scored his 1000th career goal, making Pelé the first to achieve the feat.

He later played for the New York Cosmos, helping revive the sport’s popularity in the US.

Pelé appeared at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, in which the Brazil was handed host responsibilities for the 2016 Olympics.

His death comes in the same month that Argentina, another South American country, won the World Cup. 

 

Suspect Arrested in Idaho College Murders

Authorities in Pennsylvania have made an arrest in the case of four University of Idaho students murdered in Moscow, Idaho. The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger.  He was arrested on a warrant for first-degree murder.

The four victims, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were murdered by stabbing at an off-campus house on November 13.

Kohberger is a graduate student in criminology and criminal justice at nearby Washington State University.