West

Championship volleyball game featuring transgender player opens with players kneeling during national anthem

Published

1 year ago

December 2, 2024

Championship volleyball game featuring transgender player opens with players kneeling during national anthem

The Mountain West volleyball tournament final Saturday pits San Jose State and transgender player Blaire Fleming against Colorado State and its star, Malaya Jones.

Fleming has been the subject of controversy, with two lawsuits objecting to Fleming’s presence on the team as a transgender athlete. But Jones and her teammates introduced some controversy of their own.

Jones and teammates Kennedy Stanford and Naeemah Weathers knelt during the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s match for the second night in a row.

The three players also knelt during the national anthem ahead of a semifinal match Friday night.

After Friday’s game, Colorado State head coach Emily Kohan told reporters the players have knelt before games for five seasons.

“They’ve knelt since their freshman year, when the Black Lives Matter movement was going on, and, in this program, we raise critical thinkers to make decisions for what’s important to them,” Kohan said. “And, for those three, they’re Black players, and it’s been important to them for five years. And they’ve stood their ground for saying that this is something that they believe in, and we’ve all supported them.”

Questions arose whether the Spartans would even play Saturday’s match after their semifinal opponent, Boise State, forfeited a playoff match amid the controversy. But Kohan insisted her team would play the game with Fleming on the court.

SJSU TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: TIMELINE OF ALLEGATIONS, POLITICAL IMPACT AND A RAGING CULTURE MOVEMENT

“This has been far from a regular season. We get an opportunity to play for another championship tomorrow, but we also are showing some courage to be the team that says, ‘Hey, we’re going to go out there, and we’re gonna show courage in the way we play and that this can stop with us.’

“We’re not going to pass these difficult conversations on to the NCAA committee or any other team to have those crying conversations in the hotel.”

Colorado State has been the best team in the conference this season, and San Jose State finished second. In their first match of the regular season Oct. 3, Spartans head coach Todd Kress thanked Kohan and her team for simply participating.

At the time, San Jose State had just had three matches wiped off its schedule due to forfeit over the Fleming controversy.

San Jose State University Spartans head coach Todd Kress speaks with reporters after a loss in an NCAA Mountain West women’s volleyball game against the Colorado State University Rams in Fort Collins, Colo., Oct. 3, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

“I walked up to Emily tonight, and I was like, ‘Should I say thank you for playing us?’ I seriously meant that because, of course, we’re disappointed that we’re losing opportunities to play, but it’s not just us that are losing opportunities to play. It’s the people choosing not to play us, and that’s very unfortunate when it comes to these young women that have earned the right to step on the court and play,” Kress said in a postgame press conference Oct. 3.

Fleming’s San Jose State teammate Brooke Slusser is involved in two separate lawsuits, citing her experience with Fleming as a teammate. Slusser has alleged she was made to share living and changing areas with Fleming despite having never been told Fleming is a biological male.

Slusser’s most recent lawsuit against the Mountain West alleges another San Jose State teammate was present for a meeting between Fleming and Jones in which they discussed a plan to throw the Oct. 3 match in favor of the Rams, while also planning to have Slusser spiked in the face by Jones. Those same allegations were included in a Title IX complaint by former Spartans assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose.

The Mountain West has concluded an investigation into the allegations of the Title IX complaint without finding sufficient evidence to support the claims. Slusser’s attorney provided a statement to Fox News Digital questioning the validity of the investigation.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

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Montana

Deadly Crans-Montana fire sends chills through Swiss tourism with safety in spotlight

Published

1 hour ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Deadly Crans-Montana fire sends chills through Swiss tourism with safety in spotlight

VERBIER, Switzerland, Jan 29 (Reuters) – A New Year fire that killed 40 people at a Swiss ski resort bar has shaken a lucrative tourism industry that long had an impeccable reputation and has piled pressure on the country to tighten safety standards.

News that “Le Constellation” bar, in the town of Crans-Montana in Canton Valais, had gone six years without a safety check quickly prompted officials to ban some practices, including the use of sparkling candles blamed for the tragedy.

The stain on Switzerland’s otherwise exemplary safety record was quickly felt as local hoteliers reported cancelled bookings in a canton where the cost of real estate in resorts such as nearby Verbier can fetch prices on a par with Hong Kong.

“There were cancellations, there were reservation postponements to later dates in hotels,” said Bruno Huggler, director of the Crans-Montana tourism office, after the blaze that killed mostly teenagers and injured more than 100 people.

Le Constellation owners Jacques Moretti and his wife are under investigation for negligent homicide and other crimes.

The disaster has ignited a fractious political debate over safety, including calls for harmonised national standards in a country that prizes local autonomy.

It has also sparked alarm in Verbier’s hospitality sector.

BUSINESS FEARS

“We realize this could very well happen right here,” said Lionel Dubois, head of Verbier’s Association of Hoteliers, Cafe Owners and Restaurateurs. “That, I think, is a bit frightening.”

Tourism in Switzerland was worth about $22.17 billion, or 3% of national output in 2021, official data showed.

While bookings at Crans-Montana’s roughly 1,300 hotel rooms have suffered, the overall picture is stable, as chalet and apartment rentals cover most stays, tourism boss Huggler said.

Young people have been shaken, though, and while some restaurants are returning to life, bars remain quieter, said Cedric Berger, head of the Association of Apartment and Chalet Owners of the Crans-Montana Upper Plateau.

Some local accommodation providers have seen cancellations in short-term vacation rentals.

“January is a month to forget, a lost month for everyone,” said Berger.

Survivors of the fire, which also killed French and Italian citizens, are still hospitalised around Europe.

Crans-Montana apartment owners from Italy and France are angry, said Berger, who is also a lawyer.

“People go to Valais not because it’s the ‘best party’, but because it’s Switzerland, and you think it’s safe. If that quality disappears, then Switzerland’s ‘fortress’ is a bit shaken,” he added.

Anxiety about the fallout is palpable in Verbier, where Reuters contacted 37 hospitality venues.

Most declined to speak or did not reply, though the 12 who did said checks were conducted properly. But all agreed that rules must be reinforced to guarantee regular inspections, limit numbers at venues and provide fire-safety training to staff.

In four of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, including Valais, building insurance is not mandatory – potentially increasing risks for owners hit by fire, as well as weakening controls.

The Swiss Insurance Association said over 90% of buildings in Switzerland are insured according to market estimates, adding it does not keep precise figures on how many are not. Reuters could not establish if Le Constellation had building insurance.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

The fire delivered the biggest hit to Switzerland’s reputation since the 2023 collapse of Credit Suisse bank, said Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland, the foreign ministry unit that promotes the country’s image abroad.

As media reports about Switzerland jumped to 25 times more than average in early January, a crisis room was established to support people abroad following the fire, said Edelmann.

Lawmaker Jacqueline de Quattro, head of the lower house of parliament security committee, said the fire had exposed potential shortcomings in Switzerland’s federal system, which allows cantons to set their own rules.

“We believed we had strict rules and that Switzerland was well‑prepared,” said de Quattro. “But then we were brutally confronted with reality.”

Proposing a national review to harmonise standards backed by an events industry group, she voiced concerns over event professionals’ reports of sloppy work stemming from inadequate training, cost pressures and irregular inspections.

But the head of Verbier’s Val de Bagnes municipality, Fabien Sauthier, said inspections need resources and that, while regular checks occur, it was tough to inspect some 400 public buildings annually with just four full-time safety officials.

And any push towards greater federal oversight could face resistance.

“I’m a Swiss person, so I think the canton should decide what it wants to do,” said Willy Schranz, head of the municipal council in Adelboden in Canton Bern. “If you take responsibility, then it’s a very good system.”

($1 = 0.7667 Swiss francs)

Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin
Editing by Dave Graham and Gareth Jones

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

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Nevada

Wednesday’s high school scores, top performances

Published

1 hour ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Top performances

Girls basketball

– Sakaara Ashton, Las Vegas: The freshman nailed three 3-pointers while racking up 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Wildcats’ 75-54 win over Tech.

– Jaslyn Jefferson, Shadow Ridge: The senior compiled 40 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Mustangs’ 86-5 victory over Desert Pines.

– Jasmine Ponce, Cimarron-Memorial: The junior collected 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks to lead the Spartans past Doral Academy 60-30.

– Jordynn Riggins, Losee: The freshman scored 22 points to help the Lions cruise to a 75-3 win over Rancho.

– Delyla Ross, Sunrise Mountain: The senior had 23 points as the Miners rolled to a 56-14 victory over Chaparral.

— Morgan White, Del Sol: The senior posted 17 points to lead the Dragons past Green Valley 67-32.

– Caylyn Young, Faith Lutheran: The sophomore scored 17 points as the Crusaders defeated Legacy 62-32.

Flag football

– Carly Martell, Sky Pointe: The sophomore carried 15 times for 117 yards to help the Eagles down Cheyenne 21-0.

– Andrea Mitchell, Centennial: The junior had 10 solo tackles to lead the defense in the Bulldogs’ 6-0 victory over Canyon Springs.

– Patricia Monacelli, Cadence: The junior caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, and nabbed two interceptions on defense to help lift the Cougars over Boulder City 6-0.

– Danielle Morales, Arbor View: The junior had 69 rushing yards for a touchdown and 38 receiving yards for another score in the Aggies’ 38-13 win over Coronado.

– Charlice Weingarten, Bishop Gorman: The sophomore logged three sacks and two more tackles to help the Gaels beat Foothill 38-18.

Scores

Boys basketball

Beaver Dam 47, Adelson School 32

Boulder City 63, Coral Academy 19

Girls basketball

Basic 47, Sloan Canyon 10

Beaver Dam d. Adelson, forfeit

Bishop Gorman 73, Coronado 29

Cimarron-Memorial 60, Doral Academy 30

Clark 55, Spring Valley 37

Coral Academy 47, Boulder City 45