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Calling off the search

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·6 min read

Officials are calling off the search for survivors with dozens still missing after a boat capsized off the Florida coast. Reopening schools isn't enough. Kids need mental health help, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. And Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is hanging up his cleats after 18 years.

🙌 Touchdown! Laura here, spiking you Thursday's biggest news.

But first, my sweet tooth is tingling. 🍦 It's not a cavity, it's like Spidey-sense. Because I just heard that Little Debbie ice cream is coming to Walmart in seven flavors, including Nutty Bars and Cosmic Brownie.

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Hope fades off the Florida coast

A sad update. Four more bodies were found after a suspected human smuggling boat capsized off the Florida coast five days ago, leaving 34 people missing in the vast waters of the Atlantic, authorities said Thursday. Coast Guard teams have found five bodies since they began searching a swath of ocean the size of Massachusetts after the lone known survivor was plucked from atop the hull of the overturned boat Tuesday by crew members aboard a passing towboat. "I have made the very difficult decision ... that at sunset this evening, we will suspend active searching," Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian said. The survivor, who was hospitalized for treatment of dehydration and sun exposure, told authorities the boat sailed from Bimini in the Bahamas on Saturday with 40 people aboard and no life jackets. The boat soon encountered rough seas and capsized.

U.S. Coast Guard crew members work on a cutter at the Miami sector base on Jan. 26 in Florida.
U.S. Coast Guard crew members work on a cutter at the Miami sector base on Jan. 26 in Florida.

Biden reiterates vow to name first Black woman to Supreme Court

President Joe Biden on Thursday formally announced the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, praising the liberal jurist as a "model public servant" and vowing to move swiftly to name his successor. Biden, who pledged to name a Black woman to the high court, said he planned to name his nominee by the end of February. At 83, Breyer is the second-most senior associate justice, and his retirement was encouraged by liberals who wanted to ensure Biden's nominee would benefit from a Senate controlled by Democrats. The president said he would seek out advice from both parties and leading scholars, meet with potential candidates and carefully study their former cases before making his decision over the next month. He vowed to name a "historic candidate" who is "worthy of Justice Breyer's legacy."

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, and President Joe Biden has said he would nominate the first Black woman in U.S. history to the Supreme Court bench.
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, and President Joe Biden has said he would nominate the first Black woman in U.S. history to the Supreme Court bench.

What everyone's talking about

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The kids aren't alright

Reopening schools is a start, but every student in America should have access to mental health professionals after two years of grappling with the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday. Cardona said school districts should use American Rescue Plan funding to hire mental health staff. One of President Joe Biden's campaign promises was to double the number of school counselors, social workers and mental health professionals in schools. Cardona's speech was light on details of how schools are to ramp up mental health support and personnel amid the national staffing crisis. American Rescue Plan funding, critics suggested, isn't enough.

Cameron West, 9, receives a COVID-19 vaccination at Englewood Health in New Jersey. Health officials hailed shots for kids ages 5 to 11 as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.
Cameron West, 9, receives a COVID-19 vaccination at Englewood Health in New Jersey. Health officials hailed shots for kids ages 5 to 11 as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger retires after 18 seasons

Nearly two weeks after a season-ending loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs, Ben Roethlisberger confirmed what he'd basically said was coming for some time: His NFL playing career is over. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback officially announced his retirement Thursday in a social media post, bringing to an end an 18-year career – the longest of any quarterback who played with only one team – that included two Super Bowl titles and six Pro Bowl selections. Roethlisberger had made no secret of his plans, saying in the lead-up to a Week 17 matchup with the Cleveland Browns that the game was probably his last at Heinz Field. Steelers fans rained down chants of "Let's go, Ben" and "Thank you, Ben" from pregame until well after the 26-14 victory, after which he took a lap to thank those in the crowd who had stayed. "I retire from football a truly grateful man," Roethlisberger said in the post.

Fans cheer Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 3 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 26-14. Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Jan. 27, saying it was "time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats" after 18 years, two Super Bowls, team records and a spot in the Hall of Fame all but secure.

Real quick

✨ Something 'spooky' discovered amongst the stars

Who goes there? A team of astronomers discovered "something unusual" while mapping out the universe – a mysterious object sending bursts of energy every 20 minutes. The object is about 4,000 light-years away, but its energy bursts were so big that it was one of the largest radio sources in the sky. The burst happened for one minute, every 20 minutes before it disappeared for a few hours, then repeated the cycle, according to a study published in the journal Nature. "This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations," said Natasha Hurley-Walker, astrophysicist and lead author of the study. "It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that." Researchers aren't sure what it is, but Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, said there's no need to worry about aliens, because although it's definitely an unusual discovery, it is "obviously nature." Well, that's comforting. I think.

An artist’s impression of what the object might look like if it’s a magnetar. Magnetars are incredibly magnetic neutron stars, some of which sometimes produce radio emission. Known magnetars rotate every few seconds, but theoretically, “ultra-long period magnetars” could rotate much more slowly.
An artist’s impression of what the object might look like if it’s a magnetar. Magnetars are incredibly magnetic neutron stars, some of which sometimes produce radio emission. Known magnetars rotate every few seconds, but theoretically, “ultra-long period magnetars” could rotate much more slowly.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Search for capsized boat survivors over, Biden's SCOTUS pick, Ben Roethlisberger, COVID-19 and kids. It's Thursday's news.