News Brief: 9/19/2025

International

Cheaters at the World Stone Skimming Championships held in the small Scottish island of Easdale have finally been caught and retroactively removed from the rankings.

The contest is traditionally held on Easdale, a car-free island off the coast of Scotland boasting around 26 acres of land, a single pub, and around 60 permanent residents.

Every year, 400 contestants line up to skip stones as far as possible across a 207-foot-long quarry. To qualify, each throw must skip at least twice and remain in its lane.

Each stone must be naturally formed on Easdale and fit through “the ring of truth,” a piece of metal used by organizers to ensure they are less than three inches across.

After the contest, competitors and spectators reached out to Kyle Mathews, an event organizer and the official “Toss Master” responsible for commentary during throws, with concerns that a few participants had modified their stones.

“It only shows how keen people are to win this trophy. In many ways, it’s flattering,” Mathews said in an interview with The New York Times.

Mathews watched every one of the over1,200 throws during the contest.

“Unfortunately, these couple slipped through my hawklike vision,” he said.

When contacted about their suspicious stones, all of the cheaters immediately confessed and agreed to be removed from the rankings.

Jon Jennings, the first American to win the contest, offered his perspective on their actions.

“Some people see glory as a different thing,” he said. “I see it as following the rules, doing what I’m supposed to and winning in true fashion. Some people see glory as winning at all costs.”

National

Vigils drew mourners across the United States last weekend to honor the assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and to call for an end to political violence.

A Monday night vigil at the University of South Carolina filled a lecture to capacity, forcing organizers to turn latecomers away.

“We are experiencing an incredibly dark time in this nation, and there are no words to express how lost we have become,” organizers from the Turning Point USA chapter said in a post about the event. “Charlie Kirk was a man who gave a microphone to people who hated him, a man who invited those who disagreed to come and express their views, a man so strong in his faith — assassinated at 31 years old.”

In New York City’s Washington Square Park, a few hundred people attended a vigil where they gathered around images of Kirk with candles and other tributes in his honor.

“People from different political backgrounds come together because we all agree on this one thing: political violence has no place in this republic,” an organizer told the crowd, according to Fox News. “Liberty and the pursuit of happiness are still sacred values in this land.”

Dozens of other vigils took place the same weekend at colleges and public spaces across the United States.

In the wake of the fatal shooting that claimed Kirk’s life, people from every state and all backgrounds and political views stood united at these events to not only mourn his loss, but to make a stand against political violence.

Local

This Sunday is the last chance for visitors to see the Oklahoma State Fair before the event packs up for the year.

The fair opens daily at 10 a.m. for guests to enjoy a variety of activities ranging from nightly concerts at 7:30 p.m. to food trucks, vendors, and carnival rides.

“The Oklahoma State Fair is a must-do (and must-eat) event,” an article from Visit OKC’s website reads. “From family entertainment, horse shows and educational exhibits to all the delicious fried treats in between, enjoy this ‘best of the best’ showcase of our state’s agriculture, manufacturing and commerce at OKC Fair Park.”

This year’s theme is “Eat. Ride. Repeat.” According to Scott Munz, an Oklahoma State Fair spokesperson interviewed by the Oklahoma City Free Press, it is based on the idea that “you can’t possibly do it all in one day, and that’s the point. We want you to come back again and again and again.”

Tickets are purchased at the gate with the different prices for each age group: