By The BBK Staff
Cobb County Main Event Shooting
By Akiva Bryant
On Feb. 23, 2025, a shooting took place at the Main Event located in Cobb County by Cumberland Mall around 9 p.m. Two people were injured and taken to the hospital, and the accused suspect was identified as 19-year-old Trevon Clarence Thomas on Feb. 25, 2025. He was arrested that afternoon and is currently being held at the Cobb County Detention Center. According to Fox5atlanta, “[h]e was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.” Although video footage of the situation is available, it is graphic and includes blood. The Cobb County community is worried about the community’s security and future.
Conservatives Make Gains in Germany’s Elections
By Auria Araghi
The conservative Christian Democrats won Germany’s elections on Sunday, Feb. 23 after receiving roughly 28.6% of the final vote. The party’s leader, Friedrich Merz, is expected to establish a coalition government — or an alliance between parties who, together, would share the majority of executive power — by mid-April. In negotiating the possible arrangements, Merz has repeatedly declined to form a coalition with the Alternative for Germany (AFD) party, which finished second in the elections with 20.8% of the vote, the highest for a far-right campaign since World War II. The results mark a rightward shift within Germany’s balance of power: the Social Democrats, a center-left party who previously held the most seats in the Bundestag, German federal parliament, ended behind the AFD with only 16.4% of Sunday’s vote, a decline of about 9% from its showing in 2021.
Controversial Salute by Steve Bannon
By Hannan Zeyde
On Jan. 20, 2025 during President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk made a strange hand gesture, recognized by many spectators as the Nazi salute. Recently, Steve Bannon, who worked as senior counselor and chief White House strategist for Donald Trump during his first term, has been accused of using the same controversial salute during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, which was held from Feb. 19 to Feb. 22, 2025. He started yelling “fight, fight fight” and then followed with the salute on Feb. 20, 2025. Bannon claims it was just a wave. Jordan Bordella, who is a French far-right nationalist, canceled his planned speech at the gathering due to the situation.
Elon Musk Sends All Federal Employees an Email Regarding Their Productivity
By Brett Schlossberg
On Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, Elon Musk sent an email asking all government employees to make a list of five things they accomplished. According to the email, failure to do so would be considered a resignation. Musk claims this order is meant to reduce federal spending. However, there has been backlash from federal agencies such as the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), The Pentagon, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Kash Patel, director of the FBI, and House Representative Gerald Connolly have criticized the action. Questions have been raised regarding the authority of Musk to make such a threat, as all government employees are protected from firing without cause. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management, which leads workforce management for federal agencies, declared responses as not mandatory.
Rock of Ages Smashes the Box Office
By Daniela Palatchi
“Rock of Ages: Youth Edition,” the Upper School Spring Musical, is closed for the year. Rock Of Ages was written by Chris D’Arienzo with arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp. This musical featured many firsts for the Upper School. Firstly, GoFan was used for ticket sales instead of Woodward’s ticketing site. Secondly, with a massive cast of 63, the players were split in two: Cast A and Cast B. Cast A and B featured the same Ensemble and Crew team, but with different leads. 23 Seniors participated in the production as cast or crew. The sets showcased two platforms with detachable stairs, an elaborately decorated bar called “The Bourbon Room” and an elevated stage where a live band composed of Woodward students and faculty played music throughout the show. Mr. Jason Montague played the keyboard, Mr. Lauran Hunt played the electric guitar, Joshua Meredith ‘26 played the drums, Robby Bickerstaff-Davis ‘26 played the bass guitar, and Micah Kennedy ‘26 played the keyboard. The musical featured six shows and ran from Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, to Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. According to Ms. Ciara Auten, the Administrative Assistant for the Performing Arts, and data from GoFan, the shows sold 1,356 tickets. After the last show on Sunday, the cast enjoyed a Waffle House early dinner to celebrate the ending of the musical.
SAG Awards: The Major Wins
By Trey Voegtlin
On Sunday night, Feb. 23, the 31st Annual SAG Awards took place. Also known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the award show has its main goal of awarding outstanding performances of casts, cast members, and ensembles. In the days leading up to the Oscars, which will take place Sunday, Mar. 2, the winners from Sunday night could help critics predict future Oscar winners, in big categories such as Best Leading Actress, Best Leading Actor, or Best Picture. Some of this years recipients include Demi Moore – The Substance (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role), Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role), Zoe Saldana – Emilia Perez (Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role), Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role), and Conclave (Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture). The award-show was hosted by Hollywood legend, Jane Fonda, and she was given the SAG Lifetime Achievement, celebrating her iconic and outstanding career. Overall, the award show delivered comical moments and well deserved awards, making the lead up to the Oscars brighter than ever.
Westminster Teacher Still Missing
By Alex Piazza
Westminster middle school teacher Gary Jones went missing on Feb. 8th, 2025, after being involved in a boating accident with his fiancée Joycelyn Wilson, who was found dead on Feb. 9, the day after the accident. Roughly two hours after checking into their hotel on Lake Oconee, other boaters on the lake alerted investigators to the couple’s empty boat on the lake. The search for Jones is ongoing, with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources joining the operation and releasing a statement on facebook regarding their efforts:
“Game Wardens continue the search for the second victim in a boating incident on Lake Oconee last Saturday,” the post read. “Today, they will be utilizing side scan and sector scan SONAR, aviation, and will also be conducting surface and shoreline sweeps. Additionally, a DNR K-9 team will be searching in the woods and along the shoreline this morning.”
The most recent update has been that search teams believe they’re “getting close to locating” the teacher. They have narrowed down the search to an area that is difficult to navigate, but the search team and the community of Lake Oconee are optimistic in finding closure for the Jones family.
Yosemite Protest
By Sabenah Abudu-Abrams
On Saturday, Feb. 24, protesters hung an American flag upside down in Yosemite National Park, the sixth busiest park in the nation. Protester and Yosemite employee Gavin Carpenter noted as his reason for the protest the downsizing of federal workforces under the Trump’s administration. Since Friday, Feb. 14, there have already been 1,000 National Park employees laid off. The upside down flag also highlights the concern with new Interior Secretary Doug Bergum’s orders to potentially allow mining and drilling to occur in national parks. Burgum appears to be supported in his endeavor by President Trump as Trump stated that “We will drill, baby, drill” shortly after declaring a National Energy Emergency in his inauguration speech. The National Park Service (NPS) responded to the protest by removing the flag and issuing a statement saying that they do “not condone such actions.”