Afroman Wins Defamation Trial
By Kaden Bruton
Famous rapper Afroman, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman, has been cleared of his defamation files after his recent trial that occurred on March 16-18. The trial was the result of his “diss track” titled “Lemon Pound Cake” which featured footage and disses on the sheriff department that raided his house in 2022 on suspicion of kidnapping and drug charges. The reason why Afroman made a diss track was to cover the alleged damages caused by the raid, which consisted of damage to his cameras and the loss of $400. He made the diss track and monetized it, along with selling merchandise. This diss track included remarks about the sheriffs department such as “they found no kidnapping victims, just lemon pound cake” and “lemon pound cake, he wants to put down his glock.” During the trial Afroman showed up in a suit with an American flag pattern. He argued that his first amendment rights protect the right to mock the sheriffs and that his lyrics should obviously not be taken as facts, because the statements are clearly over the top.
BTS Releases Newest Studio Album
By Trey Voegtlin
Korean-Pop ensemble, BTS, has returned to the music industry after a hiatus since 2022 due to members having to participate in mandatory South Korean military service. On March 20, 2026, they released their highly anticipated 12-track album, titled “Arirang.” This is their first release since the anthology release of “Proof.” Since its release, “Arirang” has received a variety of reviews, including a score of 5.3 from Pitchfork, a four-star review from “The Guardian,” and many more. On the promotional side, BTS also released a teaser video on their social media, including a depiction of all seven members standing in front of Howard University’s Founders Library, intended to commemorate seven international students who had arrived at Howard in 1897. These international students were known for their mellifluous singing performances on Howard’s campus. Three of these students (Lee Hee-Cheol, Son Rong and Ahn Jeong-Sik) eventually recorded a folk track titled the same as BTS’s record.
College Student Passed Away Over Spring Break Trip
By Joy Ferguson
On March 17, James Gracey, a student at the University of Alabama, was reported missing after not returning to his rental home in Barcelona over his spring break trip. He and his friends travelled to Barcelona, Spain for their spring break and were clubbing at Shoko, a world-famous nightclub, when Gracey departed from his friends while intoxicated. It’s reported he was last seen alive at 3 a.m. Security camera footage around this time showed Gracey walking around outside the club by himself,walking to a dock near the club and then falling in the water. Gracey’s body was found March 19 near the Port Olímpic Marina. All preliminary autopsy reports say the cause of death was an accidental drowning, suspecting no foul play was involved in Gracey’s passing.
Debate Nationals Tournament
By Tatum Trammell
Last weekend, from March 13–March 15, 2026, Woodward Academy hosted the 38th annual “First and Second Year National Debate Tournament,” gathering the best novice level debaters across the country. This debate tournament covered public forum, policy and Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Woodward secured an overall first place spot. Dhanush Paladugu ‘29 and Joy Xuan ‘29 took home a first-place win, while Atas Agrawal ‘29 and Liam Davis ‘29 advanced to the Final Four and twin sisters, Navya Thotakura ‘29 and Nethra Thotakura ‘29, advanced to the Elite Eight. To see more highlights from the tournament and from the past year, visit the WA Debate instagram @woodwarddebate or the WA debate website.
ICE to Act as TSA Amid Government Shutdown
By Alex Piazza
Amid the government shutdown, many homeland security agencies have experienced a loss in workers due to a lack of pay. One of the departments hit the hardest is the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). On Monday, March 23, roughly 3,200 TSA agents were absent from their positions. To supplement the loss, President Trump announced that he would send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to aid in crowd management and security. As of March 23, ICE agents are now present at Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, GA, attempting to remedy hour-long security lines.
LaGuardia Plane Collision
By Harper Scully
On Sunday night, March 22, 2026, an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck while attempting to land at the LaGuardia Airport, the second biggest airport in New York. Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the collision and 41 passengers and crew were taken to the hospital. The two Port Authority police officers, who were responding to an unrelated “odor” on a United Airlines flight were in the truck when the plane hit; they both suffered major injuries but are in otherwise stable condition. LaGuardia Airport had over 600 cancellations and reopened on Thursday, March 26. The crash added to the stress of an already difficult time for airports whose employees have gone months without pay due to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Major League Baseball 2026 Opening Day
By Shaw Gordon
On Wednesday, March 25, the first game of the season was the San Francisco Giants vs. the New York Yankees, taking place at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Yankees won this game 7-0. They dominated the away game even with star player Aaron Judge going 0-5 with four strikeouts. More MLB games continue throughout the weekend. The Atlanta Braves’ first game is Friday against the Kansas City Royals in Truist Park.
Markwayne Mullin New Head of the Department of Homeland Security
By Akiva Bryant
On March 23, the Senate, in a 54-45 vote, voted to have former Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma assume the position of U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after Kristi Noem was dismissed on March 5. Noem, who assumed the position on Jan. 25, 2025, has faced criticism, such as her handling of the immigration crackdown, along with backlash from a $220 million one-minute ad that faces accusations of fraud. She will now hold the position of “Special Envoy for The Shield of the New Americas,” which President Donald Trump has described as the United States’ “new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere” in a TruthSocial post. Mullin, a former plumbing company owner who is known for his fiery responses due to a conflict with a union leader, has represented Oklahoma as a member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for 13 years. While he has been involved in numerous controversies, such as receving $1.8 million from a program designed to keep small businesses open during the Covid-19 pandemic, he has received praise for his strong involvement with Native American communities.
Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Cesar Chavez
By Sabenah Abudu-Abrams
Cesar Chavez, a well-known American activist, has been accused of sexually assaulting several women and girls going all the way back to the 1960s. Among many others, two, at the time, underage girls, Debra Rojas and Ana Murguia, who were 12 and 13, have since come out stating that Chavez had been sexually abusing them for about five years. Additionally, co-union founder Dolores Huerta says she kept silent for 60 years because she feared hurting the movement. Since this news has emerged, the president of the United Farm Workers Foundation, which Chavez co-founded, has denounced him, stating that they do not condone his actions. On Thursday, March 26, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to change Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day in California.
Woodward’s Tennis Team Places at Auburn Tennis Tournament
By Brett Schlossberg
The boys’ and girls’ tennis teams travelled to Auburn, Alabama to play in the Auburn High School Tennis Tournament on March 20 and 21. The boys finished first overall and the girls came in fifth place.
Boys’ tennis assistant coach Michael Farry gave a few words on the tournament.
“Overall, we did very well as a team,” Farry said. “ As a team, I think that we demonstrated a few things: we have depth at both singles and doubles; we love good competition; we will be there for each other.”
