Second Venezuela Boat Struck
By Riley Jones
On Sept. 15, 2025, President Trump announced a strike was carried out by the military on a second Venezuelan boat, killing 3. The President claimed the boats were carrying illegal narcotics and housed narcoterrorists. He has also stated the U.S. has “recorded proof” of the boat’s connection to narcoterrorism; however, specific evidence has not been provided.
This strike follows another on Sept. 2 that destroyed a Venezuelan boat and killed 11. The President claimed the boat contained drugs and members of the Tren De Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. Tensions have increased between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments following these strikes, with Venezuela flying two F-16 fighter jets over a Navy Destroyer two days after the Sept. 2 strike.
Venezuelan Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, has said that none of the boat crew members were part of Tren De Agua nor were they drug traffickers. Both political parties are also raising questions about whether the President’s military strikes were an overreach of executive power.
Backpack Drive
By Brett Schlossberg
This week, Woodward Academy partnered with Blessings in a Backpack for two service hour opportunities. The first was on Wednesday, Sept 17, during lunch, in which students could pack lunches for children in need. The second opportunity was Friday, Sept. 19. Students could bring one used backpack in exchange for a service hour, up to 3 hours. All the products from Wednesday and Friday will go to Blessings in a Backpack. Blessings in a Backpack is a non-profit organization focused on providing resources such as food for children in need. According to Blessings in a Backpack, 13.8 million children suffer from food insecurity, or 1 in 5 children. According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, 1 in 8 adults in Georgia suffer from food insecurity.
Canelo vs Alvarez Fight
By Tatum Trammell
This past weekend, Terrence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez met in the ring for one of the biggest matches in boxing history, drawing over 40 million viewers. The match between the two headlined on Sept. 13 at The Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. Crawford and Canelo used their skills to clash for the undisputed super middleweight championship of the world. In order for this fight to happen, Terrence Crawford moved up two weight classes to face Canelo Alvarez. The match ended up with Crawford named as the undisputed champ, making it the biggest win of his career. He won by a unanimous decision and made history as the first boxer to be the undisputed champ in three weight classes. The fight streamed worldwide and is now available on Netflix.
Charlie Kirk’s Assassin Faces Hearing
By Akiva Bryant
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Tyler Robinson, the man who fatally shot Charlie Kirk while he was speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, was charged by Utah County prosecutors such as attorney Jeff Gray, on counts of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Robinson currently faces the death penalty, and will enter his plea at a later court date. Key evidence for Robinson’s prosecution include texts and notes to his roommate admitting to the crime, his position on security footage before and after the shooting, Robinson’s DNA found on the suspected rifle used to commit the crime and recognition from friends and family.
2025 Emmy Awards
By Trey Voegtlin
Sunday night, Sept. 14, the annual Emmy Awards took place and broke several records. Owen Cooper is officially the youngest winner at 15 years old. He won the award for best supporting actor, for his outstanding performance in Netflix’s “Adolescence.” Following that, Seth Rogans, “The Studio,” has set a record for the most wins for a comedy series with a single season. But surprisingly, one of the biggest shocks of the night to viewers wasn’t just the outstanding record breakings, but rather Sofia Vergara‘s absence. Vergara was set to present the award for best lead actor in a limited series, anthology series, or movie category, but instead, we saw Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman from “The Hunting Wives” present the award. This was due to an eye allergy Vergara suffered before the awards leading to her overall absence from the show.
Falcons First win
By Shaw Gordon
The Falcons started the season 0-1 after losing their first game against the Buccaneers 23-20. Falcons fans were disappointed in their kicker, Younghoe Koo. The energy shifted on Sunday night when the Falcons faced the Vikings at US Bank Stadium. The Falcons started hot and never looked back during their 22-6 win. The Falcons’ defensive rookies shined in their win. Both of their first-round picks, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., had 1.5 sacks combined. Billy Bowman Jr. and Xavier Watts, their rookie safeties, had a pick each. Bijan Robinson added on in the win with 143 rushing yards. Following this game, the Falcons’ record is 1-1. The next Falcons game is on Sept. 21, at 1:00 P.M. against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Firearms in Florida
By Alex Piazza
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, a Florida court of appeals ruled that the 1987 open-carry ban in Florida was declared unconstitutional. Unbanning the law means that cops can not arrest individuals for having a firearm on their person that is “visible to others.” Attorney General James Uthmeier said that overturning the open-carry law will have no effect on other legislatures regarding firearms.
“[As] of last week, open carry is the law of the state,” Uthmeier stated on X.
Luigi Mangione Charges Dropped
By Joy Ferguson
Luigi Mangione recently had two charges dropped after his first court appearance. On Dec. 4 2024, Mangione was accused of shooting Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, outside of a hotel in Manhattan, New York. Mangione’s charges of first degree murder and state-level terrorsim were dropped on Tuesday, Sept. 16 by a New York judge. However, the judge decided to keep Mangione’s second degree murder charge for allegedly shooting and killing Thompson on-site with a handgun. Mangione pleaded not guilty for all of his charges, and still pleads not guilty for second degree murder. Though these two charges were dropped, he is still eligible for the death penalty through federal court. His next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2025, just days before his next appearance in federal court.
The New York Times Lawsuit
By Harper Scully
On Sept. 15th, President Donald Trump filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times for $15 billion. The lawsuit included several prominent New York Times reporters due to their books and articles about Trump. “the Times is a full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party,” according to Trump and on Tuesday Sept. 16, the Times spokesperson responded by saying his lawsuit was meritless. Trump is working with the same team of attorneys he did in his other lawsuits of major media companies including ABC, CBS, and Wall Street. None of President Trump’s previous lawsuit cases have been through the judicial system, as they agreed to settle.
Senate Re-elections
By Sabenah Abudu-Abrams
Although the Georgia Senate elections are more than a year away, candidates are already off to a quick start as they campaign for the position. One Senate seat is free for taking, which is currently held by Senator Jon Ossoff, as many candidates race for it. Candidates began entering their Federal Election Commission reports, which clarify where the money behind campaigns originates, as early as June, yet many will enter their reports as late as Oct. 5. Compared to Republican candidates, Ossoff’s reports have proven his substantial lead in fundraising, giving him a step up in the race. Ossoff plans to run for re-election, but the Republican party is set on pushing multiple of their own candidates forward. The confirmed runners include U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, former University of Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley, and Reagan Box, who has emphasized fiscal conservatism.
Trump says that Russia sending drones into Poland was a “mistake”
By Kaden Bruton
On Sept. 9 2025, 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Polish and Dutch fighter jets shot down 16 fragments of the Russian drones, which were found in eastern Poland. This caused Poland to invoke Article 4 of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also known as NATO. Article 4 states NATO members can bring any issue of concern to the table, especially related to the security of a member country, so they can discuss this issue with NATO allies. However, President Donald Trump says these Russian drones were a “mistake.” Cezary Tomczyk, Poland’s secretary of state, responded with “I think this is a message that should reach President Trump today: there’s no question of a mistake, this was a deliberate Russian attack.”
U.N. General Assembly Votes for Two-State Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict
By Daniela Palatchi
On Friday, Sept. 13, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly voted to support the “New York Declaration,” a resolution to the Israel-Palestine Conflict involving a two-state solution which urges Israel to commit to a Palestinian state. The resolution is a result of the month-long U.N. conference in July hosted by Saudi Arabia and France to solve the nearly 80 year-old conflict. The vote was 142-12 with 10 abstentions. Israel and its close ally, the United States, voted no on the resolution. The resolution condemns Hamas’ attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and also condemns Israel’s attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Gaza. The resolution seeks for the Palestinian Authority to govern all Palestinian territory and to end Hamas’ rule in Gaza. The declaration notes that the transition of government control is crucial to reaching a ceasefire and ending the war in Gaza.
