Year in Review: January - March
Big Stories, Notable Milestones, and Odds & Ends from the first months of the year
JANUARY
The Big Story
Heading into the new year, authorities investigating the murder of four college students in Idaho had not announced any progress in finding a suspect. But in that silence, the FBI coordinated with local law enforcement across the country to get DNA evidence of a top suspect, a criminology student named Bryan Kohberger. They narrowed in on him as a suspect using cell tower location data that put him near the crime scene in the days before and on the night of the murders.
As officials later revealed, local highway patrols stopped Kohberger and his father multiple times as they drove from Idaho to his family home in Pennsylvania. While the officers approached the pair and gave verbal warnings for vague, minor traffic violations, their mission was actually to record bodycam footage of Kohberger’s hands, looking for any cuts or bruises he may have incurred as his alleged victims fought back during the killings.
Around the same time, officials sifted through trash coming out of the family home to match DNA evidence from the refuse with samples collected at the crime scene. These turned out to be a statistically certain match, leading to Kohberger’s arrest. He remains in jail pending a trial start date.
Worth Remembering:
As TESLA stock continues to slide, ELON MUSK becomes the first man to both achieve a net worth over $200 BILLION and lose $200 BILLION in net worth. He previously peaked around $340 BILLION net worth in November 2021.
SAM BANKMAN-FRIED pleads not guilty to fraud and money laundering charges; a few days later he launches a Substack that otherwise sits dormant.
An emergency response helicopter airlifts actor JEREMY RENNER from his Tahoe home after his snow plow runs him over. Renner was reportedly helping a family member get their vehicle out of the snow when the plow started to roll. He attempted to get back inside the cab and got crushed in the process.
Buffalo Bills Safety DAMAR HAMLIN loses consciousness after a rough hit during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. After a few nervewracking days, he regains consciousness and began recovery.
After fifteen rounds of voting, the House of Representatives elects California Rep. KEVIN MCCARTHY as Speaker.
Rocker BILLY IDOL earns a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
PEPSI announces the end of Sierra Mist with the introduction of Starry, which they say has “higher citrus flavors that are true to fruit and more aromatic.”
MILEY CYRUS releases “Flowers,” which would become Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year, racking up 1.6 BILLION plays.
TODD and JULIE CHRISLEY report to prison for fraud and tax crimes. He’s serving 12 years in Florida; she’s serving seven in Kentucky.
TAYLOR SWIFT’s hit “Anti-Hero” spends its eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, beating the seven weeks “Blank Space” spent on top between 2014 and 2015.
PANIC! AT THE DISCO frontman BRENDON URIE announces the band is breaking up after their European Tour as he and his wife prepare to welcome their first child together.
JUSTIN BIEBER sells the publishing and recorded music rights of his catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for more than $200 MILLION.
DUAL EARTHQUAKES: A 4.2 magnitude earthquake rattles southern California, just south of Malibu Beach, with no injuries or deaths reported; on the same day, a 5.9-magnitude quake strikes off the coast of Greece.
People Magazine says actor REGE-JEAN PAGE is scientifically the most handsome man in the world.
COLDPLAY frontman CHRIS MARTIN announces the band only has three albums left, but plans to keep on touring.
RIP: Gangsta Boo, 43; Annie Wersching, 45; Lisa Marie Presley, 54; Adam Rich, 54; Ken Block, 54; Tatjana Patitz, 56; Lisa Loring, 64; Fred White, 67; James “Buster Corley, 72; Tom Verlaine, 73; Cindy Williams, 75; Ben Masters, 75; Jeff Beck, 78; Barrett Strong, 81; Al Brown, 83; Bobby Hull, 84; Carole Cook, 98; Bernard Kalb, 100
HITCHED: Abigail Breslin & Ira Kunyansky; Marc Anthony & Nadia Ferreira; Buzz Aldrin & Dr. Anca Faur; Greg Deichmann & Burckel Gervai; Jennifer Hart & Rob Ricotta
BABY NEWS: Chriss Teigen & John Legend - Esti (girl); Paris Hilton & Carter Reum - Phoenix (boy); Heather Rae & Tarek El Moussa - baby boy; Adam Levine & Behati Prinsloo - baby boy; Casey Wilson - Frances (girl); Shay Mooney & Hannah Billingsley - boy; Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson - Rome (boy)
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