Welcome 2023 — A New Month And A New Year
By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Jan. 1 marks the beginning of both a new month and a new year.
The January birthstone is garnet. The official flowers of January are the Carnation and the Snowdrop.
Zodiac signs are Capricorn (Dec. 22 through Jan. 19) and Aquarius (Jan. 20 through Feb. 18).
The most popular New Year’s resolutions are:
- Exercise more
- Lose weight
- Get organized
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Live life to the fullest
- Save more money/spend less money
- Quit smoking
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Travel more
- Read more
HOLIDAYS:
- Jan. 1 — New Year’s Day
- Jan. 17 — Martin Luther King Day
THIS MONTH IN MUSIC:
- Jan.16, 1996 — Jamaican authorities open fire on a seaplane carrying Jimmy Buffet and Bono, after mistaking the aircraft for a drug trafficker’s plane. No injuries are reported.
- Jan. 27, 1984 — Michael Jackson suffers second and third degree burns to his head and neck after his hair catches fire from sparks from pyrotechnic effects during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.
- Jan. 11, 1964 — Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” becomes the first country album to top the U.S. pop album chart.
THIS MONTH IN SPORTS:
Jan. 6, 1994 — Behind the glamour of figure skating, there’s a cutthroat world. U.S. national champion figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, found out the hard way after a practice for the Olympic Trials in Detroit after a man struck her with a collapsible metal baton, bruising her right knee so severely she was forced to withdraw from the Trials.
The police ultimately arrested Jeff Gillooly, the former husband of Kerrigan rival Tonya Harding, and Harding’s bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt, for hatching the plot. Shane Stant was arrested as the assailant and his uncle, Derrick Smith, as the driver of the getaway car.
Gillooly and Eckardt told authorities that Harding had been an active participant in the plot. Harding claimed that she only knew about the attack after it been carried out. After the Olympics, where she finished eighth, she pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution of a case. She was put on three years probation, ordered to perform 500 hours of community service and fined $100,000.
Kerrigan finished second at the Olympics.
Jan. 5, 1988 — Pete Maravich, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, died playing the game he loved. After a pickup game in Pasadena, Maravich told another player, “I need to do this more often. I’m really feeling good.” Turning to walk away, Maravich fell to the floor. He never regained consciousness and efforts to revive him were futile.
Maravich’s trademark was a pair of sloppy gray socks that fell around his ankles during a game. At age 3, he could dribble. At 8, he could spin the ball on one finger. At LSU, he scored 3,667 points in his three seasons, averaging 44.2. In 10 seasons in the NBA, he averaged 24.2 points and was named to five All-Star teams.
He was one of basketball’s great showmen, dribbling between his legs and behind his back and throwing passes from all angles, often surprising his teammates. Maravich died of a heart attack at age 40.
EVENTS:
- Jan. 5 — Family Fun Night, 6-7 p.m., Nappanee Public Library, Nappanee.
- Jan. 14 — Mental Health Matters – Get Moving, 10-10:30 a.m., North Webster Community Center, North Webster.
- Jan. 28 — 2023 Winter Wonderland, 10 a.m., 207 N. Huntington St., Syracuse.
