Monthly News: The Most Attention Grabbing Headlines of February
Editor Zach Myers writes "On the last day of February, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the University of Maine Farmington won the North Atlantic Conference championship titles," (Jadyn Jacobs).
March 23, 2026
Zachary Myers, Editor
I have somewhat sworn off televised news. I always see hints that newscasters are biased in their reporting, especially when it comes to politics. While there is nothing wrong with a newscaster having an opinion about a politician or issue they do not like, they need to can those thoughts in the aim of neutrality and objectivity in reporting. This is what I attempt to do through this news column. I will share the biggest news stories as objectively as I can given the facts, and then give my personal breakdown of the incident.
February 1st - February 7th:
We start off February with one of the most tragic and strangest stories in a while. Eighty four year old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of popular TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, was kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona home.Police are now offering a $50,000 dollar reward for her return. Savannah and her siblings have taken to social media with pleas for her return and that they were willing to work with her kidnapper. Sheriff Chris Nanos of Pima County, the lead investigator, has admitted missteps in the investigation, such as not calling in more agencies to help or closing off Nancy’s home too early. While there have been some ransom notes, police have debunked them and continue to search for her kidnapper.
This is a very unique case. I have not heard of a kidnapping like this since the kidnapping of legendary MLB star Cal Ripken Jr's mom in 2012. One must wonder the motive of this individual to kidnap the mother of a popular TV host. To me, it is attention seeking. This person is obviously familiar with Savannah Guthrie, considering he knew to go after her mother. They are also likely severely mentally ill to think that the best way to reach Guthrie was to kidnap her mother. A silver lining is hopefully Nancy Guthrie remains unharmed despite the situation.. Hopefully this person comes to their senses, returns Nancy and the Guthries' lives can return to normal.
Savannah Guthrie mom still missing as police vet new ransom
February 8th - February 14th:
Only a little over a month into 2026, and we already have a deadly school shooting to talk about. On Tuesday the 9th, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and step brother at their home in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada before killing six at a school in the same town. The victims included five children under the age of 13 and a teacher. The police have not revealed a motive for Rootsleaar committing the mass shooting, though it has been revealed that police have visited her home on multiple occasions due to concerns over their mental health, with the most recent visit last spring concerning self harm. It has been revealed that Rootselaar identified as transgender but there is no confirmation that any of her mental struggles had to do with her gender identity. Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil in Tumbler Ridge, holding candles and laying flowers.
Mass shootings are a problem that need to be nipped in the bud and fast. While this problem has sadly gone on for several decades across the world, nothing has been done about it by any government. There are going to be reports regarding the connection between the shooting and the suspects gender identity, and those reports should not be taken seriously. The media overblows the mental anguish connected to transitioning, and immediately points to it as the root cause of shooting, which is wholly untrue. The true motive of this massacre will hopefully come out, and justice will be served to the families of the deceased.
February 15th - February 21st:
(*note: this section will be a combination of my opinion and facts, not the usual structure)
The Winter Olympics in Milan have wrapped up, so it feels like a good time to talk about some of the highlights of it. Alysa Liu of the US won gold in women’s figure skating, the first gold for the US since 2002 in this competition. This was cool to hear about because of both her harsh training as a child by her father, and the fact a lot of the female figure skaters had injuries or fell short of gold. Both hockey teams for the US also showed out, the female team having one of the most dominant runs in Olympic history en route to beating Canada for the gold medal. The men’s team also had a special gold medal run, beating Canada in overtime to win the US’s first gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 miracle win against the Soviet Union (fun fact: the Canada game occurred on the 46th anniversary of the Soviet Union game).
There were also some tragic moments in these games. Lindsey Vonn, one of the most decorated winter Olympians in US history, announced she would compete in the downhill ski on a torn ACL. While this was inspiring for all, her Olympic journey would end in an instant as she broke her left tibia after her pole hit a gate. Also, bronze medalist in the biathlon Sturla Holm Laegreid announced he cheated on his girlfriend on live TV as he was being interviewed. Danika Mason, a reporter from Australia, was seen slurring her words and later apologized for drinking on the job. Overall, while I did not pay a lot of attention to the games, it seemed like a successful event for all involved, and I am happy for the US hockey teams taking home the gold in the main event of the games.
Winners and Losers of the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano Cortina
February 22nd - February 28th:
This news story will not be nationally known, but will stay in the hearts of the local readers of this paper. On the last day of February, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the University of Maine Farmington won the North Atlantic Conference championship titles. It was the boys first NAC title since 2010, and the first NAC title for the girls since 2007. The boys team won against the University of Maine at Presque Isle 84-58, and the girls won against Maine Maritime Academy 70-58. Zach McLaughlin won the NAC playoff MVP for the boys, and Jessica Dow won the NAC playoff MVP for the girls. Both teams will now move on to play in the NCAA national division three tournament against other conference winners.
I went to the boys game because it was in Farmington, and let me tell you, the experience there is nothing like anything I have ever been in. I was standing up the entire game, cheering with other students, and anytime the boys scored or did something insane, the crowd would go wild for it. There is such a sense of community among the students at UMF, and whether we succeed or fail we have each other's backs. I especially felt this when we went on the court to celebrate after the win, where everyone was through the roof with excitement, high fiving and hugging everyone. It was probably the best experience I have ever had at UMF, and I hope that we can run it back next year.
