West
Washington school board begs state to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports after girls were affected
A public school board in Washington state passed a resolution on Tuesday urging its athletic conference to reconsider its current policies that allow trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
The Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) over the issues after much debate at a school board meeting.
The resolution, titled “Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports,” claims that the entire board is comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics.
One of those women, an unidentified current cross country runner, shared her experience of having to compete against one of those athletes during the hearing.
“When I ran cross country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls’ team,” she said. “While I respect everyone’s right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology.”
Still, some speakers expressed opposition to the bill.
One speaker, a parent named Dr. Pam Kohlmeier, shared her experience of losing a child to suicide amid opposition to trans inclusion.
“It was two years ago to the date when i addressed this board, but than it was an anti-trans policy about bathrooms, and I shared at that time don’t know how many of you were here at that time. My Katie died by suicide that fall. This is a real issue. It is hurting real people every single time it is debated,” Kohlmeier said.
But ultimately, the board ruled in favor of the resolution.
The board passed its resolution and by doing so sent an official letter to the WIAA and Washington state legislators.
“Students born male, including transgender girls or non-binary boys, have a biological advantage over students born female. Therefore, unless a sport category is deemed co-ed, those born male should continue to be welcome to enjoy fair play within male sport categories,” the resolution reads.
“As our legislators, we respectfully urge you to address current inequalities and safety concerns effecting girls’ and women’s sports before further injury or loss of opportunities occur.”
Washington, as a long-time deep-blue Democrat stronghold, has state laws in place to protect trans inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports.
The WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs “consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed,” and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ and women’s sports have been introduced but not passed.
Washington’s west coast relatives, Oregon and California, as well as Nevada, all have similar laws.
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In the U.S., 23 states have laws in place to restrict or prevent transgender inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports. However, federal interference by the Biden-Harris administration and multiple federal judges who were appointed by Obama have allowed it to happen anyway.
In April, the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on “sex” discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and “pregnancy or related conditions.”
And while the administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women’s sports.
Democrats have tried to push forward the Equality Act, which was proposed in 2019 and has had revisions that “would force public schools to allow biologically male athletes who identify as transgender on girls sports teams.” In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution “recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights.”
Multiple U.S. states have their own laws to restrict or prevent transgender inclusion in women’s sports. However, even some of the states with those laws have had incidents where transgender inclusion in girls’ sports was enabled via the ruling of a federal judge.
Students hold flags as they protest against Katy ISD’s new transgender policy outside the school district’s educational support complex on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 in Katy, Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Judges Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virginia, both of whom were appointed during the Obama administration, each issued rulings this year that enabled biological males to play on high school girls soccer and tennis teams. McCafferty issued an order that allowed two transgender athletes to compete in New Hampshire, while Lauck ruled that an 11-year-old transgender tennis player was allowed to compete against girls the same age in Virginia.
However, it’s an issue that has recently divided the Democratic Party amid the recent red wave election results. Many in the party who have signed the bills that would allow trans inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports at a federal level have backpedaled in their stance and even denounced the idea in recent months. These include Texas Rep. Colin Allred and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton.
And now, citizens in West Coast blue strongholds like Washington and California are standing up to it.
Over the weekend, Stone Ridge Christian High School, located in Merced, California, forfeited its state playoff match because its opponent “has a male athlete playing for their team,” the school said.
Now the Central Valley School Board has continued that trend.
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West
Washington officials blast conservatives for Minnesota-style day care fraud claims in new state
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A top blue-state governor slammed conservatives for inflicting “deep damage” on the Somali–American community, while the state’s top prosecutor warned of potential charges after citizen journalists filmed encounters with alleged Minneapolis-like day care addresses and streamed them online.
Citizen journalists have raised public visibility of rampant fraud allegations in Minnesota, with a large part of the allegations stemming from within the Somali community there. Weeks after Gov. Tim Walz came under fire, other bloggers traveled to Seattle and King County, Washington, to visit what they claimed were similarly fraudulent day care sites — drawing Olympia’s ire.
Former White House Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk highlighted media posted by Kristen Magnuson, who, along with Cam Higby — an independent journalist recently connected with Charlie Kirk’s conservative Turning Point USA organization — and podcaster Jonathan Choe, sounded the alarm about alleged Minneapolis-style situations cropping up in the Pacific Northwest.
“They are fraud-maxxing this exploit,” Musk claimed in response to a post by Magnuson that included a video scrolling a list of up to 539 daycare centers in Washington state that she said allegedly listed Somali as the primary language.
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Meanwhile, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, took to X to post several photos of himself meeting with what he said were Somali community leaders.
In those meetings, Ferguson said he “discuss(ed) the deep damage inflicted by Donald Trump’s harmful rhetoric and reckless deportations. Here in Washington state, we recognize that diversity is a strength.”
Democrats have claimed such “damage” as an uptick in anti-Somali rhetoric and some liberals have condemned citizen journalists taking it upon themselves to visit alleged day care sites.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks at a podium in Seattle. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
When Fox News Digital attempted to recreate the 539 day care center list Wednesday from the official Department of Child and Youth Services website, the option to select Somali as a primary language had either been removed or was not there. Magnuson said several of the day cares lacked addresses or other standard identifying information.
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Choe replied to Washington Gov. Ferguson on X, warning that he has a “serious Somali fraud problem in (his) state,” particularly in King County, Washington, which Choe alleged was “especially out of control.”
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“Hey Bob, can you explain this for us?” Higby replied to Ferguson on X, while including a video of him reportedly approaching an address in Federal Way, Washington, that he alleged received more than $200,000 in subsidies.
In the video, a man who accompanied Higby approached the door of the apparent residence and asked if the building was “Dhagash Family Child Care” — as a female voice responded, “no,” and Higby said “rustling” could be heard as his partner approached a home security camera.
In another video, Higby alleged he went to an address listed for a day care that allegedly received $800,000 in subsidies in the town of Kent, Washington, but found “no daycare here” when he approached what appeared to be a residential address.
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“Records show massive subsidy payments following inspections reflecting risk of death to children,” Higby wrote.
“There are 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language. Most don’t even give a street address. I don’t know how many of these are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I have a strong hunch the number is not zero,” read a separate statement from Magnuson.
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told Fox News Digital that the agency “appreciate(s) our licensed child care providers and the important work they do to care for and educate our youngest learners.”
“We take fraud seriously. Washington state utilizes a variety of measures to minimize fraud. For example, DCYF conducts unannounced site visits at every licensed childcare provider at least once per year,” the agency said.
DCYF also randomly audits its rolls to confirm the accuracy of disbursements to the day care providers, the agency said, verifying attendance and matching families authorized to receive such benefits. The agency said it tallied 1,440 audits in 2024.
Of the lack of addresses found by Magnuson, DCYF said the state has addresses for every provider listed even if the public-facing website lacks full data, and that about 5,500 providers or 2.6% statewide do list Somali as their “language spoken.”
DCYF told Fox News Digital that anyone suspecting fraud should contact the state’s hotline directly at 1‐800‐562‐6906.
FEDS LAUNCH ‘MASSIVE OPERATION’ IN MINNESOTA AMID FRAUD SCANDAL
Washington state government reporter Carleen Johnson also replied to Ferguson’s tweet saying she visited several “Somali-run home daycare centers” in Federal Way, Washington, comparing her visits to those of YouTuber Nick Shirley in Minneapolis.
“There were no children and no one willing to chat with this reporter,” she said. “They threatened me with police.”
Amid the videos dropping, Washington Democratic Attorney General Nicholas Brown said his office received complaints from Somali residents “after reports of home-based daycare providers being harassed and accused of fraud with little to no fact-checking.”
“We are in touch with the state Department of Children Youth and Families regarding the claims being pushed online and the harassment reported by daycare providers,” Brown said, adding that showing up on a person’s porch and “threatening or harassing them is not an investigation; neither is filming minors who may be in the home.”
SENATE PRESSURE MOUNTS AS MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL CONTINUES TO UNFOLD
Brown urged anyone subjected to that treatment to contact police or his office’s hate crimes and bias hotline.
“If you think fraud is happening, there are appropriate measures to report and investigate,” Brown said in a statement. Where “fraud is substantiated and verified by law enforcement and regulatory agencies, people should be held accountable.”
Higby responded to Brown appearing to reference his work, tweeting that “journalists showing up to daycares and asking for applications is not harassment or threatening — unless of course, it’s a fraudulent daycare, then it may be threatening to the fraud ring.”
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The FAA issued a ground stop for the Seattle airport. (Reuters/Chris Helgren)
Neither Brown’s nor Ferguson’s office responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by press time.
According to Newsweek, Magnuson filtered her searches for Somali as the primary language of a day care, and added a filter for Washington “Early Achievers” program beneficiaries, which “entitles them to state funding. That second filter cut the number of centers returned to 274,” according to the outlet.
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A parcel tax plan to rescue Muni would charge most homeowners at least $129 annually if voters approve the policy in November.
The finalized tax scheme, which updates a version presented Dec. 8, comes after weeks of negotiations between city officials and transit advocates.
The plan lowers the levels previously proposed for owners of apartment and condo buildings. They would still pay a $249 base tax up to 5,000 square feet of property, but additional square footage would be taxed at 19.5 cents, versus the previous 30 cents. The tax would be capped at $50,000.
The plan also adds provisions limiting how much of the tax can be passed through to tenants in rent-controlled buildings. Owners of rent-controlled properties would be able to pass through up to 50% of the parcel tax on a unit, with a cap of $65 a year.
These changes bring the total estimated annual tax revenue from $187 million to $183 million and earmark 10% for expanding transit service.
What you pay depends on what kind of property you or your landlord owns. There are three tiers: single-family homes, apartment and condo buildings, and commercial properties.
Owners of single-family homes smaller than 3,000 square feet would pay the base tax of $129 per year. Homes between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet would pay the base tax plus an additional 42 cents per square foot, and any home above 5,000 square feet would be taxed at an added $1.99 per square foot.
Commercial landlords would face a $799 base tax for buildings up to 5,000 square feet, with per-square-foot rates that scale with the property size, up to a maximum of $400,000.
The finalized plan was presented by Julie Kirschbaum, director of transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, at a board meeting Tuesday.
The plan proposed in December was criticized for failing to set aside funds to increase transit service and not including pass-through restrictions for tenants.
The tax is meant to close SFMTA’s $307 million budget gap, which stems from lagging ridership post-pandemic and the expiration of emergency federal funding. Without additional funding, the agency would be forced to drastically cut service. The parcel tax, a regional sales tax measure, and cost-cutting, would all be needed to close the fiscal gap.
The next steps for the parcel tax are creating draft legislation and launching a signature-gathering campaign to place the measure on the ballot.
Any measure would need review by the city attorney’s office. But all stakeholders have agreed on the tax structure presented Tuesday, according to Emma Hare, an aide to Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose office led negotiations over the tax between advocates and City Hall.
“It’s final,” Hare said. “We just need to write it down.”
Denver police are searching for suspects in a Saturday night parking lot shooting that killed a 16-year-old and wounded three men, at least one of whom is not expected to survive, according to the agency.
Officers responded to the shooting in the 10100 block of East Hampden Avenue about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, near where East Hampden intersects South Galena Street, according to an alert from the Denver Police Department.
Police said a group of people had gathered in a parking lot on the edge of the city’s Kennedy neighborhood to celebrate the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro when the shooting happened.
Paramedics took one victim to a hospital, and two others were taken to the hospital in private vehicles, police said. A fourth victim, identified by police as 16-year-old William Rodriguez Salas, was dropped off near Iliff Avenue and South Havana Street, where he died from his wounds.
At least one of the three victims taken to hospitals — a 26-year-old man, a 29-year-old man and a 33-year-old man — is not expected to survive, police said Tuesday. One man was in critical condition Sunday night, one was in serious condition and one was treated for a graze wound and released.
No suspects had been identified publicly or arrested as of Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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