The Bear Necessities Digest – 1/13

Indiana Fans Feeling Peachy after Peach Bowl

The Indiana Hoosiers dominated the Oregon Ducks 56 to 22 in the Peach Bowl located in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 9th. The Hoosiers, playing in the biggest game of program history, took all the momentum on the first play of the game when Deanglo Ponds picked off Dante Moore and took it all the way back for a pick 6. The Hoosiers never looked back as they dominated the whole game. Indiana´s head coach, Curt Cignetti, said before the game, “It’s hard to beat a really good football team twice, and Oregon is a really good football team.”

-Owen Bullington

Maduro Captured

On Jan. 3, the United States carried out a military raid executing the capture, arrest, and ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his home in Caracas to stand trial for Narco-terrorism charges. Around 2 a.m., US Army operatives raided Maduro’s home during the night, killing 70 people of varying nationalities, per CNBC. CNN reports that the operation included an FBI unit in addition to the Army’s Delta Force, over 150 aircrafts, and blackouts across various areas of the nation’s capital, a plan that has been lauded as an unprecedented act of counterterrorism and criticized as an attack on Venezuela’s sovereignty among the United States as well as international entities. Since then, President Trump has made clear that the US intends to “Run the country” until “a safe, proper and judicious transition” can take place.

– Alex Cheam

Protests Escalating Across Iran

Starting December 28, 2025, local shopkeepers began protesting at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over the economic crisis and soaring inflation. Gaining the support of the public, the built-up frustration from the people has led the protesters to call for an end to the rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In response, Iran’s Attorney General stated that anyone protesting would be considered an “enemy of God”, and that would be considered “an offence that carries the death penalty. “ While Khamenei has dismissed demonstrators as a “bunch of vandals.”

Since videos of the protests grew popular online, Iran’s government implemented an internet blackout on January 8. The BBC reports that as of January 12, over 500 protesters, including 8 children, have been killed since the protest started.

– Shea Houston

Bruno Mars’ Return to Glory

Bruno Mars announced his newest solo album, “The Romantic,” on January 7th, 2026. Bruno Mars also released a lead single for the album, “I Just Might,” on January 9th, 2026. A tour was revealed for this year as well, hitting nearby locations as close as Indianapolis. Presale tickets are available January 14th, per Ticketmaster. This is his first solo album since 24K Magic, which was released in 2016, with the preceding albums also being huge hits in the music industry.

– Cody Mashino

Pennsylvania Man Accused of Graverobbing

Last week, a Pennsylvania man was arrested for graverobbing over an estimated 100 pieces of human remains. Johnathan Gurlatch, 34, is said to have over 100 pieces of human remains spread between human skulls, bones, headless torsos, and mummified feet. according to NBC news. With the Delaware district attorney saying, “detectives have recovered an awful lot of bones at this point, and we are still trying to piece together who they are.”

-Kayden Owen

Anthony Edwards becomes the 3rd-youngest player to reach 10,00 points

The Minnesota Timberwolves now have their 3rd player to score 10,000 points for them, and that player’s name is Anthony Edwards. The young star, drafted as the number one overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is now the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points. It happened last night when the Minnesota Timberwolves played the Cleveland Cavaliers at home in their arena, the Target Center. According to NBA.com, “It occurred in the fourth quarter of the game when Ant-Man cashes in a 13-foot fadeaway jumper from the baseline. Edwards is now the eighth player who has hit 10,000 points before age 25, with the following named players, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, Tracy McGrady, and Carmelo Anthony, also in that group.” Edwards was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft and made his debut at age 19. He reached the 10,000-point mark only in 412 games, the 28th-fastest in NBA history and the seventh-fastest among active players. Additionally, the only two other players to score 10,000 points for the Timberwolves are Kevin Garnett and Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT).

– David Fahrner

President Trump Proposes Military Spending Increase

According to PBS and APNews, President Trump has proposed increasing the U.S. military to 1.5 trillion by 2027 seeing what he called troubled and dangerous times. This proposal will come at a current 2026 defense budget stands at $901 billion and the announcement followed recent u.s military actions by the order of Trump including a operation aimed to capture leader Nicholas Maduro and venezuela with the increase of the u.s military presense caribbean. Trump has also suggested possible military to involving Colombia, and has argued that taking control of Greenland would be necessary for national security. Donald Trump claimed that the massive increase in defense spending could be offset by revenue generated from tariffs that are imposed on global trade partners. The supporters ,including some GOP lawmakers and defense experts, argue the spending increase is necessary given rising global threats, while critics question the cost and broader implications.

– Tater Eoff

Miami Hurricanes Make Landfall

Ole Miss Rebels lost to the Miami Hurricanes on January 8th at 7:30 PM in the Fiesta Bowl located in Arizona. Ole Miss took a close loss, which advanced the Miami Hurricanes to the National Championship. Carson Beck, Miami´s quarterback, had a rushing touchdown with 18 seconds left in the game to put Miami up by 4. Ole Miss had a throw to win the game, but ended with a controversial no-call, according to sports.yahoo.com. The final score of the game was 31-27.

– Owen Bullington

New Spongebob Movie Release

The new SpongeBob Movie called Search For Square Pants just hit theaters in the United States on December 19,  2025. And honestly, it’s

everywhere. The coolest part is that Mark Hamill, who, if you didn’t know, is Luke Skywalker, voices the flying Dutchman now. The movie made around $114 million worldwide as of early January 2026. Even though some people at The New York Times complained that the jokes were too inappropriate for kids, most people seem to think it’s just a fun silly time. It’s pretty much the perfect movie to just sit down to watch if you don’t want to think much and have a good time, even with your kids.

-Skiellier Hughes