PROTESTERS seeking to force the eastern entrance to the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 in Washington, DC. (Wikipedia).

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists, Attorney General Merrick Garland promised to vigorously pursue prosecution of anyone involved directly – or indirectly – in the event.

“The Justice Department remains committed to holding all Jan. 6 perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law –whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy,” he said Wednesday, according to The New York Times.

Some Democrats feel that former president Donald Trump might be among those legally responsible for the attack in which a violent attempt was made to stop the certification of the Electoral College’s authority electing Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president.

In a speech before the attack, Trump repeated the unsupported claim that the election had been “stolen” and urged his supporters to “fight like hell.”

Chicago fire claims lives of 13 people

A fire in an apartment house in Chicago on Wednesday morning resulted in the death of at least 13 people. Among those who died were seven children, according to the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the death toll could be higher as the structure was searched. Eight people were able to escape and two people were hospitalized.

The fire was reported at 6:40 a.m., according to reports and took an estimated 50 minutes to control the blaze in the three-floor structure, according to USA Today.

Sports: Rodgers vs. sportswriter

AARON RODGERS

An exchange of verbal barbs on the issue of whether Aaron Rodgers deserves to be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for this season has made the news.

Chicago sportswriter Hub Arkush called the Green Bay quarterback a “jerk” and had lied about his vaccination status.

Rodgers fired back that to Arkush, saying, “I think he’s a bum,” saying that his opposition on the MVP issue was based not on performance on the field, but about vaccination.

Weather: Sun to give way to clouds

Sunny skies are forecast for the West Orange County area on Thursday, with a daytime high of 69 and an overnight low of 49. But clouds will be moving in for the next week or so. Daytime highs should range from 60 on Friday to 72 on Monday.

Business: Red ink from investors

The bears took a bite out of Wall Street on Wednesday, as all three major stock exchanges closed with losses, dropping from record highs. The S&P 500 lost 92.96 points to settle at 4,700.58. The Dow plunged 392.54 points to 36,407.11 and Nasdaq was down 522.54 points to end up at 15,100.17.

• Three Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Orange County are slated for closure in 2022. According to USA Today, they are in Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita and Tustin. No closing date information is available.