Local- A winner has been confirmed. WJ Ninja Tag for upperclassmen concluded this week with the announcement of the winner: Senior Matthew Skay. After about three weeks of paranoia and scheming, around 150  junior and senior ninjas were reduced to one winner. The rules were basically as follows: participants were each given a target, which they had to “tag” within one week. “Tagging” meant saying the words “Hasta la vista” to said target with no witnesses in earshot–but if the target discovered who was tracking them and said “Sayonara,” the hunter became the hunted and was excommunicated. There was some controversy regarding the last three participants, as a deal between two contestants surfaced, which came into question later on; but in the end, all was resolved.

US- On Tuesday, a masked gunman went on what would have been a killing spree in an Oregon mall. Two people were killed and one was injured in the course of the incident, and while the shooter’s weapon was supposedly jammed somewhere in the course of the attack, he managed to fix it and resumed shooting. The killer was  recently identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts, age 22. Allan Fonseca, an employee at Macy’s,  is credited with being the hero of this attack helping people flee the building through exits he says he was familiar with. Fonseca worked in the lower floor of the department store, but re-entered the building to help those on the floor of the store where the shootings were going on. The shooter killed himself after killing Steven Mathew Forsyth, age 45, and Cindy Ann Yuille, 54, and wounding Kristina Shevchenko, 15.

Source: ABC News;  NBC

Global- North Korea’s rocket launch Wednesday, Dec. 12 received international condemnation, and sparked controversy both from its closest ally, China, and from the US, among other nations. This was North Korea’s first successful launch of a three-part rocket. Tommy Vietor, US National Security Council spokesman, cited the incident as a “threat to regional security,” and Japan even called an emergency meeting in light of the recent event. Although North Korea claims to have been launching a satellite, both the US and Japan suspect they were attempting to cover up a ballistic missile test launch–which would be illegal under UN regulations banning them from the testing of ballistic missiles.

Source: BBC