Black History Month 100th Celebration
Tatum Trammell
Feb. 2026 marks the 100th annual Black History Month celebration. Created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, Black History Month is a designated time for the celebration of African American success, culture and excellence. What started off as Negro History Week turned into a full month celebration in 1976. Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements from Woodward’s Black Student Union (BSU) about how the Upper School will celebrate the month.
Federal Agents who Fatally Shot Alex Pretti Identified
By Daniela Palatchi
On Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, ProPublica, the nonprofit newsroom, identified the two federal agents who fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday, Jan. 24. According to government records, the shooters were identified as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, both of whom are from South Texas, and were deployed to Minneapolis as a part of Operation Metro Surge.
Georgia Officials Seek Return of Election Records Seized by FBI
By Riley Jones
Officials for Fulton County, Georgia, have requested a federal court to return ballots seized by the FBI on Jan. 28. The FBI searched a warehouse storing election records and seized almost 700 boxes of election documentation. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the agents confiscated copies of all physical ballots (in-person and absentee), as well as tabulator tapes for every voting machine used in the county.
Prior to the search, President Donald Trump alleged that fraud cost him the 2020 election, claims which Georgia officials have discredited. The President also demanded retribution for the fraud that he claims took place. Georgia officials have continued to defend against claims of voter fraud and some officials have criticized the President’s actions as attempting to interfere in midterms. Former Georgia Lt Gov. Geoff Duncan has even asserted that “[t]his raid that’s coming into play this past week has nothing to do with the 2020 election and has everything to do with casting doubts, sowing seeds of doubt for the 2026 midterms.”
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, has also received criticism for her presence at the search. Representatives, including Joaquin Castra (D-Texas), have called her presence at a domestic operation unusual, considering her position as the Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard has replied that her presence was requested at the scene by President Trump.
The actions come in the wake of an escalating voting battle as Trump states that he wishes to “take over” elections from Democratic run areas. New congressional maps, such as California’s Democratic-friendly district map, have been cleared by the Supreme Court. In Dec. the court also cleared Texas’ new map, which was favorable to Republicans, and rejected the lower federal court ruling that the map separates voters based on race.
Groundhog Day
By Shaw Gordon
Groundhog Day is an annual holiday that takes place on Feb. 2 every year. This year, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow bringing bad news for the United States. On Feb. 2 of this year, Phil made his prediction. Phil saw his own shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Though Groundhog Day is a fun annual tradition, Phil is not always right. So, despite the winter storms, spring could still come early.
ICE’s New Office Based In College Park
By Trey Voegtlin
On Jan. 27, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the rumors surrounding a new ICE office in College Park, Georgia. The exact location of the office is still unconfirmed. There is no information regarding when ICE may begin operating there. The College Park Mayor, Bianca Motley Broo,m referred to the office as a chance to achieve a larger mass of ICE operations in the U.S., a part of a larger ICE initiative. College Park also noted that they have had zero contact with Federal Immigration Agencies about ICE presence in the community.
New Names Released in the Epstein Files
By Kaden Bruton
On Jan. 29, 2026, the Department of Justice released over 3 million more pages of the Epstein files. The files contain the names of powerful individuals, most of them having denied any involvement in the sexual abuse of adults and children. Some of these names include Elon Musk, Sarah Ferguson and Bill Clinton.
Partial Government Shutdown Results in ICE Reform Debate in Congress
By Akiva Bryant
From Jan. 31 until Feb. 3, 2026, the government partially shut down after Congress proved unable to reach a funding deal with the budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the flashpoint. Following the recent shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Democrats in Congress blocked a funding bill, which included a $64.4 billion grant for DHS, which is in charge of ICE. The Democrats said that they would not continue to fund the department if DHS does not conform to 10 demands. These reforms include, among other things, stipulations that ICE agents have to obtain warrants before entering private property (in line with the 4th Amendment), agents cannot wear face masks when engaged in their enforcement capacities, agents must use body cams and ICE must change its use-of-force policies. Democrats and Republicans in Congress were unable to come to an agreement before the weekend. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a different funding bill, which passed the Senate in a 217-214 vote and ended the shutdown. The bill provided funding for impacted portions of the federal government, except DHS, until the end of Sept. DHS received only a two week extension on its deadline, giving Congress until Feb. 13 to come to an agreement on reforms for ICE.
Trump-Kennedy Center Closing
By Joy Ferguson
On Feb. 1, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that the Trump-Kennedy Center Memorial Center for the Performing Arts will be closing down on Jul. 4 for up to two years for a complete remodeling of the building. Trump said the reasons for the renovations are because it’s the “fastest way to bring The Trump Kennedy Center to the highest level of Success, Beauty, and Grandeur.” Trump said the renovations should cost roughly $200 million or possibly more. Trump changed the name of the center on Dec. 18, 2025, which was previously called “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” because he wanted to rebrand the venue as the programming was too “woke.” Trump took over management of the center by firing the center’s board members and replacing them. In 2025, Trump was elected the chairman of the center.
Vintage T-Shirt Sale
By Brett Schlossberg
This week, Woodward Academy held a vintage t-shirt sale. Members of the Woodward Academy community had the opportunity to buy vintage t-shirts on Tues., Wed. and Thurs. this week. Coach Chris Myers, the director of student activities, shared more information as to why they do this sale.
“We pull all these old, leftover excess t-shirts from the closet,” Coach Myers said. “It works out now, especially with Spirit Fridays, any of these shirts would apply and could be worn on those Fridays… So people like seeing them. They’re super cheap. They’re only two for five [dollars] or five or 10 [dollars].”
Coach Myers went on to mention that he feels it is nice that many of these shirts are older than the students themselves.
