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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A team that previously boycotted at least one match against the San Jose State women's volleyball program will again be faced with the decision whether to play the school , this time in the Mountain West Conference semifinals with a shot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. Five schools forfeited matches in the regular season against San Jose State, which carried a No. 2 seed into the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Among those schools: No. 3 Utah State and No. 6 Boise State, who will face off Wednesday with the winner scheduled to play the Spartans in the semifinals on Friday. Wyoming, Nevada and Southern Utah — which is not a Mountain West member — also canceled regular-season matches, all without explicitly saying why they were forfeiting. Nevada players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason to boycott their match, while political figures from Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada suggested the cancellations center around protecting women’s sports. In a lawsuit filed against the NCAA , plaintiffs cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity and through school officials has declined an interview request. A judge on Monday rejected a request made by nine current conference players to block the San Jose State player from competing in the tournament on grounds that she is transgender. That ruling was upheld Tuesday by an appeals court. “The team looks forward to starting Mountain West Conference tournament competition on Friday,” San Jose State said in a statement issued after the appeals court decision. “The university maintains an unwavering commitment to the participation, safety and privacy of all students at San Jose State and ensuring they are able to compete in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment.” Boise State did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. “Utah State is reviewing the court’s order," Doug Hoffman, Aggies associate athletic director for communications, said in an email. "Right now, our women’s volleyball program is focused on the game this Wednesday, and we’ll be cheering them on.” San Jose State, which had a first-round bye, would be sent directly to the conference title game if Utah State or Boise State were to forfeit again. If the Spartans make the title game, it's likely the opponent would not forfeit. They would face top-seeded Colorado State, No. 4 Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State — all teams that played the Spartans this season. The conference champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Number of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record highAndrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said. The businessman – known only as H6 – lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. H6 was described as a “close confidante” of The Duke. Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”. They also said that H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, 64, represented a threat to national security. A statement from Andrew’s office said: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. “The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. “He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.” At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020. A letter referencing the birthday party from the adviser, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021. In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon, dismissed the challenge.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A team that previously boycotted at least one match against the San Jose State women's volleyball program will again be faced with the decision whether to play the school , this time in the Mountain West Conference semifinals with a shot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. Five schools forfeited matches in the regular season against San Jose State, which carried a No. 2 seed into the conference tournament in Las Vegas. Among those schools: No. 3 Utah State and No. 6 Boise State, who will face off Wednesday with the winner scheduled to play the Spartans in the semifinals on Friday. Wyoming, Nevada and Southern Utah — which is not a Mountain West member — also canceled regular-season matches, all without explicitly saying why they were forfeiting. Nevada players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason to boycott their match, while political figures from Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Nevada suggested the cancellations center around protecting women’s sports. In a lawsuit filed against the NCAA , plaintiffs cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity and through school officials has declined an interview request. A judge on Monday rejected a request made by nine current conference players to block the San Jose State player from competing in the tournament on grounds that she is transgender. That ruling was upheld Tuesday by an appeals court. “The team looks forward to starting Mountain West Conference tournament competition on Friday,” San Jose State said in a statement issued after the appeals court decision. “The university maintains an unwavering commitment to the participation, safety and privacy of all students at San Jose State and ensuring they are able to compete in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment.” Boise State did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. “Utah State is reviewing the court’s order," Doug Hoffman, Aggies associate athletic director for communications, said in an email. "Right now, our women’s volleyball program is focused on the game this Wednesday, and we’ll be cheering them on.” San Jose State, which had a first-round bye, would be sent directly to the conference title game if Utah State or Boise State were to forfeit again. If the Spartans make the title game, it's likely the opponent would not forfeit. They would face top-seeded Colorado State, No. 4 Fresno State or No. 5 San Diego State — all teams that played the Spartans this season. The conference champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sportsWell-known thinker and cartoonist Manohar Sapre, 92, passes away
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A four-goal second period provided enough offensive momentum to propel the Danbury Hat Tricks to a 6-1 victory over the Johnstown Tomahawks at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial Saturday night. The Hat Tricks tallied four markers in a span of 7:11, giving Danbury an insurmountable lead and earning the series split with the Tomahawks in front of 2,089 fans. “That was definitely the difference in the game,” Johnstown coach Jared Kersner said. “I don’t attribute it to a lack of energy or effort. We just had seven bad minutes when we let those goals up, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t stop the bleeding. It’s very hard to come back from being down four.” Danbury was able to capitalize on two costly turnovers by Johnstown to jump in front. Isaac Mitchell swiped the puck in the Tomahawks zone before firing a shot that hit the left post and went into the net for the Hat Tricks’ first tally, just 42 seconds into the second period. Danbury then recorded a takeaway behind the Tomahawks net, as Kai Elkie finished off a one-time pass from Niko Tournas at 2:14. “Those were big turnovers that led to their goals,” Kersner said. “We’ve got to be stronger on the way out. I thought we broke the puck out well over the weekend, but turnovers are dangerous.” Ameen Ghosheh and Alexis Billequey each scored to increase Danbury’s lead to 4-0 at 7:53, which led to an early exit for Tomahawks goaltender Zack Ferris. Hank Reed got the Tomahawks on the board with his fourth goal of the season at 14:48 of the second. Johnstown outshot Danbury 8-4 in the first period, but was doubled up by the Hat Tricks 16-8 in the second. Danbury set the final with a pair of goals in the third frame, as Ryan Lukko and Luke Golisano both tallied markers, with Lukko’s coming on an empty net. Nick Avakyan stopped 18 of 19 Hat Tricks shots after entering for Ferris. Danbury goaltender Tyler Spokane made 27 saves on 28 Johnstown shot attempts. “Credit goes to their goalie,” Kersner said. “He made a lot of big saves at key times, especially when we were trying to push to get back into the game. Sometimes the game just doesn’t go your way, and that’s what happened tonight.” Despite the loss, Johnstown (15-14-2) still holds the fifth-place spot in the East Division standings, five points behind Maine for fourth. The Tomahawks host Northeast next for a pair of games Dec. 30 and 31. “I’m very proud of this group and how they got to this point, now being more than halfway through the season, from where they started,” Kersner said. “We’ve played ourselves into a good position. The guys can enjoy the break and get back to work. This division is tight, so every game is important going forward.” (c)2024 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) Visit The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) at www.tribune-democrat.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.UN climate talks in limboPremier Doug Ford announced Thursday that the provincial government would be giving back $2.5 billion aimed at easing the burdens of doing business in Ontario. The four major components of the initiative include the distribution of a $2-billion surplus rebate from the Workers Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) back to eligible businesses, a reduction in the board’s premiums to reportedly historic lows, a $400-million investment in worker health, and the removal of certification exam fees for skilled workers. “Today I am thrilled to announce that our government is giving back to workers and businesses another $2.5 billion — that’s billion with a ‘B’ — through fee reductions and WSIB rebates,” the premier said during a speech before the province’s chamber of commerce on Thursday morning. https://www.youtube.com/live/WqebFJrKH6E The news was hailed by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB), which thanked Ford and Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini “for listening and acting on our recommendations to deliver another Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) surplus rebate to Ontario’s small business owners and reduce the average premium rate.” “The announced WSIB measures won’t cost taxpayers a nickel, or jeopardize the board’s strong financial health. They will allow Ontario’s small business owners to invest in their employees, their operations, and stronger and safer workplaces,” the association’s director of provincial affairs, Julie Kwiecinksi, said in a public statement . “The Ontario government is doing the right thing, putting more surplus funds back in the hands of businesses where they belong.” WSIB chair Jeffrey Lang — himself, a former WSIB customer when he was an executive overseeing a manufacturing company several years ago — spoke of the personal benefits such disbursements entail. “I know what it was like to do business with us (WSIB) and today is a different day. That $2 billion, for my business — which was roughly 50 employees — we’d get like fifty or sixty thousand dollars back. That’s a lot of money for a small business. That would allow me to either hire people or invest in better health and safety, better technology.” Under Premier @fordnation ’s leadership, we’re returning over $2.5 Billion to workers and safe employers through WSIB rebates, lower premiums, and health & safety investments. More jobs, bigger paycheques, and safer workplaces - this is how we’re building a brighter future for all... The board has moved from strength to strength, Lang said, and the recent announcement by Ford is further proof of that. “It’s really the new WSIB, which is our approach to running it more like a business, where our primary service is making sure we can take care of working Ontarians if they become ill or injured, or worse, a fatality. We’re just doing a much better job of that and, as a result, our costs are coming down,” Lang told the National Post. The Ford government pursued a similar course of action in April 2022 when it disbursed over $1 billion to Schedule 1 businesses, essentially workplaces that have not been convicted of violating either the Workplace Safety and Insurance Ac t or an Occupational Health and Safety Act. Ontario’s official opposition, the New Democratic Party, said the reimbursement may help employers, but it does nothing for injured employees. “Since 2019 this government has gifted billions in WSIB premiums back to employers, and you know what didn’t change? The misery of tens of thousands of injured workers in this province. They were still left in poverty,” Lise Vaugeois, the party’s official opposition critic for WSIB and injured workers, told the Post in a written statement. “This is pre-election gift giving to employers no matter their safety records. It is a kick in the teeth to injured workers. Instead of restoring decades of cuts to injured workers, the conservatives are handing 2.5 Billion dollars to some of the very employers who have left workers injured, ill, and poor.” Vaugeois said that instead of pursuing the Ford plan, the NDP vision would focus on “restoring benefits to injured workers; end the practice of deeming (pretending an injured worker has a job that they cannot get and cutting their benefits) and overhauling the adjudication process.” Piccini said the initiative is rooted in “a very simple belief: money is best spent in the pockets of everyday Ontarians.” “One of the reasons we don’t have the labour workforce we need is because the previous Liberal Government created a complex web that included punishing costs on the trades,” the Peterborough-based Conservative MPP said in a written statement. “Today’s savings for businesses and workers combined with our historic investments in workers’ occupational and mental health are making Ontario the most competitive climate for both workers andemployers to succeed. We’ve done it all without raising a single tax — and we never will.” Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
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