Blotter #15: Short Edition!

The Berkeley Carroll Blotter is proud to present its 15th weekly newsletter of the 2025-2026 school year–short edition! This edition features the standard “5 in News” by Rory O’Connor (‘26) and a 5 point sports recap by Genevieve Eisner (‘26). At the end, we have included an editor’s song suggestion list. Photos from BC photographers are throughout. As always, we thank you for interacting with The Blotter.

Happy reading!

• Genevieve Eisner and Cleo Logan, co-editors

Rory O’Connor (‘26)

1. On Saturday morning, Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol Agent in Minneapolis. Pretti was pinned to the ground, and was shot ten times on the street. Members of the Trump Administration stated that the agent who shot him was acting in self defense, but their version was contradicted by videos taken at the scene. There has been an outcry and calls for an independent investigation by Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans, including Senator Bill Cassidy.

2. The protests in Iran have largely subsided after the brutal crackdown by the Iranian regime. International observers estimate that thousands of protestors have been detained. Efforts are now underway to get an accurate casualty count. Estimates of the dead range from 14,000 to 30,000.

3. Two transgender athletes, Lindsay Hecox, a college senior in Idaho, and Becky Pepper-Jackson, a high-school sophomore in West Virginia, were denied the ability to participate in their schools’ cross-country and track teams. Afterwards, both students challenged broader laws for transgender people, asking for more rights. In January 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in both cases. The Court’s conservative majority signals that it may uphold the state bans, though no final decision has been announced yet.

4. As the Jeffrey Epstein investigations continue, James R. Comer of Kentucky strongly urged Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton to testify to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the couple responded, in a lengthy letter to Comer, that “every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences. For us, now is that time.”

5. Highly influential and admired civil rights activist Claudette Colvin died on January 13th, 2026. In 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Colvin refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, mere months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. According to Michael Carlson, Colvin “never received the full recognition she deserved for her courageous and groundbreaking protest against segregation.”

Genevieve Eisner (‘26)

1. On Monday, January 19th, undefeated Indiana University defeated the University of Miami (27-21) to win the College Football Playoff (CFP). Before Monday night, Indiana had never reached the championship, let alone won. Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza had a spectacular fourth-down touchdown run to seal the win for the Indiana Hoosiers.

2. On Sunday, January 25th, the four remaining teams of the NFL playoffs played in the conference championships to determine who would go to the Super Bowl. First, the New England Patriots beat the Denver Broncos 10-7. The Bronco’s quarterback, Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury during overtime of their game against the Buffalo Bills, and therefore couldn’t play in the divisional championship. Later, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-27. The Patriots and Seahawks will face off in the Super Bowl on February 8th.

3. The 30th WNBA season is set to begin on May 8th, 2026. Teams are scheduled to play 44 games with a 17-day break for the FIBA World Cup in September. This season, they have also added two new teams: the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. The administration hopes to continue this expansion in the future, with teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Although the WNBA has announced the schedule, the season beginning is contingent on the league and the player’s union coming to an agreement on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). After a long stalemate where neither party reached an agreement, they agreed to a moratorium.

4. The Australian Open (January 12th-February 1st) is well underway, with a few players standing out. Novak Djokovic “cruised” into the third round, with a few easy wins. He is one Grand Slam match win away from becoming the first player in history to to reach 400, and is continuing his quest to reach his 25th major. Another player making waves in this tournament is Naomi Osaka who, on January 22nd, won a “frosty” match against Sorona Cirstea. After the match, the two shared a tense moment where Cirstea barely looked in Osaka’s direction. Afterward, Osaka shared in an on-court interview that Cirstea was upset with her loud expressions during the game. She ended by saying, “Sorry she was mad about it.”

5. The 2026 NBA All Star rosters were recently released. For the first time in 21 consecutive years, Lebron James was not included in the starting lineup. The rosters were voted on by fans, the NBA players themselves, and a media panel. After many complaints about last year’s game and how unexciting it was, the administration has changed the game to take on a “USA vs. World” format. This means that instead of the traditional conference-based game consisting of three teams in a round-robin tournament, there will be two teams of American players and one team of international players. These will be 12 minute games.

   

Baby Grand by Billy Joel and Ray Charles (Genevieve)

Bad Fish by Sublime (Dylan)

Don’t Think Twice, it’s Alright by Bob Dylan (Rory)

California Stars by Wilco (Cleo)

Miss You by The Rolling Stones (Mikaela)

In the Room by Forrest Frank (Zofie)

Monday:

• Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. Collegiate (Away)

  • 5:30PM, Collegiate

• Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. Collegiate (Away)

  • 3:45 PM, Collegiate

• Basketball Girls and NB (JV) vs. Dwight (Home)

  • 4:00 PM, Athletic Center

• Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. Dwight (Home)

  • 5:30 PM, Athletic Center

Tuesday:

• Swimming (Varsity) vs. ACIS (Away)

  • 3:00 PM, LIU Brooklyn SENIOR NIGHT

Wednesday:

• Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. Leman (Home)

  • 4:00 PM, Athletic Center

• Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. Leman (Home)

  • 5:30 PM, Athletic Center

• Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. Leman (Away)

  • 4:00 PM, Leman

Friday:

• Basketball Boys and NB (Varsity) vs. Staten Island Academy (Away)

  • 4:00 PM, Staten Island Academy

• Basketball Boys and NB (JV) vs. Staten Island Academy (Away)

  • 5:30 PM, Staten Island Academy

• Basketball Girls and NB (JV) vs. Rudolf Steiner School (Away)

  • 4:00 PM, Rudolf Steiner

• Basketball Girls and NB (Varsity) vs. Staten Island Academy (Home)

  • 4:00 PM, Athletic Center

Monday: Co-Curriculars

Tuesday: Affinity Groups

Wednesday: G Block

Thursday: Morning Meeting

Friday: Senior Speakers

Rosie Chaplin

Kira Pau

Robin Mayers

Rachel Alao