Bad Bunny’s Performance at the Super Bowl and Kid Rock’s Alternative
By Trey Voegtlin
On Sunday, Feb. 4, the 2026 Super Bowl’s halftime show featured Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. In his performance, Bad Bunny celebrated his Puerto Rican culture by including elements of his homeland, such as food stands selling popular Puerto Rican foods, like coconuts and shaved ice, sugarcane fields, false power lines and a set representing a “casita,” which served as a representation of home and family life in Puerto Rico. His set also included a display of waving flags from nearly all American countries, which was meant to represent Bad Bunny’s “together we are America” theme.
Simultaneously, Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, held its own halftime show that streamed on YouTube due to controversy regarding Bad Bunny’s nationality. Bad Bunny received criticism as the official Super Bowl halftime performer due to him being from Puerto Rico, with some Americans believing he is not actually American and therefore shouldn’t perform.
Despite not being a U.S. state, Puerto Rico has been declared a U.S. territory since the U.S. invaded the island from Spain in 1898. The Jones Act of 1917, signed by President Woodrow Wilson, granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans.
Kid Rock, who performed for the Turning Point show, took the stage with his “All-American” halftime show. However, the performance faced numerous issues, as Kid Rock struggled to “sync” with the music, and according to him, the production crew was not familiar with his track, “Bawitdaba,” enough to keep up with his pace.
The official NFL’s YouTube upload of the halftime show, with 35 million views, currently surpasses Turning Point USA’s stream, with the latter stream sitting at 20 million views.
Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee High School shooter, trial begins
By Kaden Bruton
Colin Gray, the father of Colt Gray, who killed four people and injured nine others in the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting, is going on trial for murder and manslaughter charges. The gun Colt Gray used in the shooting was an AR-15 like assault rifle that his dad gave him as a gift for Christmas the year before. Prosecutors say that he gave his son an assault style weapon despite multiple warnings regarding his son’s mental health and his obsession with violence. For example, Colin Gray was aware that his son had a shrine in his bedroom dedicated to the Parkland High School shooter. Some of the charges are as follows: child cruelty, involuntary manslaughter, second degree murder, etc.
DHS Buys Facility in Social Circle, Georgia, to Be Used As an ICE Detention Center
By Akiva Bryant
On Feb. 4, 2026, officials in Social Circle, Georgia, were told that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bought a warehouse in the city to establish a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. This location for the facility, which sits at 1365 Hightower Trail, was chosen because “certain operational metrics aligned,” according to city officials on a Feb. 4 Facebook post. However, the representative of the city, Mike Collins, along with other Social Circle officials, believe that the city’s infrastructure can’t handle the facility in addition to the number of people who will be detained there, which is estimated to be 10,000 individuals. Additionally, city officials claim that they have not been included in the evaluation or planning process of the facility, and have for engineering evaluations and economic impact reports to be shared with them.
In response to the purchase, Social Circle residents and officials have tried contacting the state and federal government, to no avail, along with organizing town hall meetings, where 1 in 50 residents attended in the latest meeting. The purchase places a strain on the city’s economy, according to Shane Short, the President and CEO of the Walton County Development Authority. Social Circle recently bonded $60 million in infrastructure upgrades in order to sell these services to private industries, and Short is concerned that the purchase will affect the city’s ability to repay the bond. Tammie Prieto, a real estate broker who works in the city, said that the facility could greatly affect the housing market, as more people would be housed in the facility compared to the number of permanent residents, which is slightly under 5,000.
Monks Arrive in Washington, D.C
By Tatum Trammell
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Buddhist monks arrived in Washington, D.C after walking across the southern United States since Oct. 26, 2025. The monks’ 108-day “Walk for Peace” began at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas and ran throughout the southern states all the way to the capital. The monks walked to encourage peace and unity to the jaded American citizens. They walked through a variety of conditions—barefoot, snow and rain— to make this statement. This 4-month movement caught the eyes of many, as people awaited them and offered support for their walk through the streets of their cities.
Nancy Guthrie Kidnapping
By Joy Ferguson
Nancy Guthrie, who is the mother of the daily news broadcast, “Today” host, Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1. She was last seen Jan. 31 after being dropped off at her home by family after a family gathering. At approximately 1:47 a.m., Guthrie’s doorbell camera was disconnected. 25 minutes later, her pacemaker showed the device was disconnected from her phone. Hours later, at 11:56 a.m., Guthrie’s family realized she was missing after trying to check on her at home. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office arrived at her house at 12:15 p.m. and found blood on her front porch. It was later confirmed to be Guthrie’s blood. After searching for Guthrie for three days on Feb. 4, media outlets received many ransom letters, with one having two deadlines of Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. and Feb. 9. The letter demanded millions of dollars in bitcoin for Guthrie’s safe return. On Feb. 10, the FBI released photos of a masked individual before Guthrie’s doorbell camera went off. Videos were also released of the individual walking up to the house, noticing the camera and tearing grass from the ground to cover the camera up. The FBI is saying the suspect was armed and is on the lookout for him. They are offering $100,00 as a reward for any information on the case. The FBI has gotten around 18,000 tips regarding the case. Guthrie’s family believes she is still alive, and Savannah Guthrie asked on her Facebook for the kidnapper to bring her home.
Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn Crashes on First Run
By Alex Piazza
On Feb. 8, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn wiped out on the Olympic downhill skiing course, 12 seconds into her first Olympics since she announced her retirement in 2019. Vonn’s decision to compete in the Olympics was controversial, as she tore her ACL nine days prior to competing. While many non-olympians called for her not to compete, the skiing community disagreed even after her crash, as skiers explained that her accident had nothing to do with her injury. Moments after her crash, Lindsey Vonn was airlifted off the mountain by a helicopter. She has since made a statement on Instagram regarding her injury, a severely broken leg, saying that she does not regret her accident.
Superbowl 60
By Shaw Gordon
Super LX took place on Feb. 8, featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The Seattle Seahawks won the game 29-13 as they dominated throughout the game, leading at half 9-0. Kenneth Walker, Seahawks running back, won MVP with 135 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving. With this win, the Seahawks have secured their second overall Super Bowl win.
Swim and Dive State Meet
By Brett Schlossberg
On Feb. 3-5 and 6-7, the Woodward Academy Swimming and Diving team competed in the Georgia High School Association state championship. Swimming events were held at the McAuley Aquatic Center at Georgia Tech and diving at The Marist School.
The Woodward team had many competitors in the meet, all on the boys’ team. The Woodward boys team had a relay team in the 200m medley relay, made up of Alejandro Guerra ‘26, Matthew Hughes ‘28, Jack Emslie ‘26 and Harrison Deidrich ‘27, finishing 13th overall in the finals. Matthew Hughes competed in the 50Y free, and Alejandro in the 100 fly and back. Woodward also had a team in the 200 free relay, made up of Matthew, Harrison, Evan Zoumas ‘26 and Euan Mainwaring ‘27. They competed in the 400 free relay, with a team of Alejandro, Evan, Euan and Matthew.
Washington Post Journalists Experience Massive Layoffs
By Harper Scully
The Washington Post’s publisher and chief executive, Will Lewis, stepped down on Saturday evening after just two years at the paper “in order to ensure the sustainable future of the Post,” he said in an email. The rest of the email was kept short, only thanking Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Post, without providing any other information. Prior to Lewis’s resignation, there were massive layoffs that cut off a third of their staff, which was more than 300 journalists. The layoffs decimated the Post’s local, international and sports coverage. Jeff Bezos issued his own statement earlier that week, in his first time addressing the public since the layoffs. “Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus.”
Woodward Wrestling Goes to State
By Riley Jones
Wrestlers going to state is always a hot topic, and Woodward’s wrestling team has brought their own pins to the discussion. This past Wednesday, the boys’ wrestling team competed in the GHSA state championship. Five players qualified including Emory Hill ‘26, Eitan Villalba ‘26, Cullen Applegate ‘27, Chandler Bell ‘27, Luke Hutchinson ‘27 and Jake Kerstann ‘27.
Eitan Villalba ‘26 and Cullen Applegate ‘27 made it to the finals, finishing in second place for their respective weight classes.
The girls’ wrestling team has begun state competition this Friday and will continue competing through Saturday. Five players from the girls team have qualified for state: Daniela Palatchi ‘26, Audrey Zents ‘26, Lillian Stokes ‘26, Nina Hylton ‘27 and Violet Webb ‘28.
Students can track the teams’ progress on the track wrestling website by searching for the GHSA girls state competition and the GHSA state competition.
Good luck and congratulations to all our wrestlers! Go Eagles!
