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Massachusetts drops controversial gender ideology mandate for licensing foster care parents

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Massachusetts drops controversial gender ideology mandate for licensing foster care parents

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Massachusetts officials have removed language from foster care licensing rules requiring parents to support and “affirm” the LGBTQIA+ identity of children in their care, after the requirement drew a warning from the Trump administration and a separate religious liberty lawsuit.

The gender identity mandate was challenged on First Amendment grounds in a federal lawsuit by conservative legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). In September, federal regulators at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent a letter to Massachusetts’ Department of Children and Families saying the policy violated constitutional protections, and they would be investigating. 

According to a Wednesday press release from ADF, the Massachusetts agency adopted an amended policy on Friday which removes the gender identity language from its licensing agreement. 

The updated policy, effective immediately, now requires foster parent applicants to support the “individual identity and needs” of a child rather than their “sexual orientation and gender identity.” 

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Massachusetts drops its gender identity mandate for foster care parents after a federal warning and a religious liberty lawsuit. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

MASSACHUSETTS FOSTER PARENTS STRIPPED OF LICENSE FOR REFUSING TO SIGN TRANSGENDER POLICY

“The Department of Children and Families’ top priority is providing a safe and supportive home for all children in foster care,” DCF Commissioner Staverne Miller told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We are also committed to ensuring that no one is prevented from applying or reapplying to be a foster parent because of their religious beliefs.”

According to the legal document shared by ADF, the DCF said its decision was based on communication from the Administration for Children and Families saying the state policy violated the constitutional rights of applicants.

“DCF is promulgating this amendment on an emergency basis in order to preempt any potential escalation by ACF,” the document reads.”These amendments address ACF’s concerns, while continuing to meet DCF’s needs for foster homes that support the identity and needs of the children in its custody,” it adds.

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ADF attorneys challenged the policy on behalf of two religious foster families, Greg and Marianelly Schrock and Nick and Audrey Jones, who foster young children and refused to sign the gender contract. The Schrocks had their license revoked in June.

Nick and Audrey Jones are two foster parents who sued Massachusetts over its “gender-affirming” policy for foster care licensing. (Alliance Defending Freedom; Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

PARENTS SUE AFTER 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL FORCED TO SHARE BED WITH TRANSGENDER STUDENT ON SCHOOL TRIP

“Massachusetts has told us that this new regulation will no longer exclude Christian and other religious families from foster care because of their commonly held beliefs that boys are boys and girls are girls,” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse said in the Wednesday announcement.

“Our clients—loving, caring foster families who have welcomed vulnerable children into their homes—as well as many other families affected by this policy, are eager to reapply for their licenses,” he added. “This amendment is a step in the right direction, and we commend Massachusetts officials for changing course. But this case will not end until we are positive that Massachusetts is committed to respecting religious persons and ideological diversity among foster parents.”

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Another foster care couple in the blue state that was not involved in the federal lawsuit told Fox News Digital in November that they too had their licenses stripped over the previous gender identity policy.

Lydia and Heath Marvin, who had fostered eight children under age four since 2020, lost their licenses in April after unsuccessfully lobbying the state agency for religious accommodation.

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“We would absolutely love, care for, and support any child in our home, but this was asking us to go against our Christian faith,” Lydia Marvin previously told Fox News Digital.

Alex J. Adams, Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families at the HHS, sent the following statement to Fox News Digital:

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“On the surface, Massachusetts’ action is a good first step, and we appreciate states undertaking efforts to increase their ratio of foster homes relative to the number of foster kids,” he said. “However, it remains to be seen if this language shift will actually change state practice around how foster families are licensed. ACF looks forward to diligent follow-up to ensure the red carpet is rolled out to all foster families.”

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Northeast

Brown University shooting reveals major gap in Providence’s $1M ‘real time crime center’

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Brown University shooting reveals major gap in Providence’s M ‘real time crime center’

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The shooting at Brown University exposed a major gap for a recently opened “real time crime center” in Providence that costs over $1 million, but didn’t include surveillance video from the college campus.

Two people were killed and nine others were injured during a shooting at Brown University at around 4 p.m. Saturday at the Barus and Holley engineering building. Officials said a person of interest was initially taken into custody, but was later released after evidence didn’t indicate he was involved.

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook were killed in Saturday’s shooting. Cook, 19, was the vice president of the Brown University College Republicans.

In August, the City of Providence, where Brown University is located, announced it had launched a “real time crime center” that has access to hundreds of surveillance cameras — but none at the Ivy League institution.

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PERSON OF INTEREST IN CUSTODY FOLLOWING DEADLY SHOOTING AT BROWN UNIVERSITY

This combo image made with photos provided by the FBI and the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department shows a person of interest in the shooting that occurred at Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI/Providence Police Department via AP)

“Since my first year as Mayor, elevating public safety in every neighborhood has been my top priority. This investment in Providence’s Real Time Crime Center strengthens our ability to protect neighborhoods and improve quality-of-life for everyone in Providence,” Mayor Brett Smiley said when he announced the center’s launch.

The “real time crime center” was funded with a $1 million grant from the federal government. Providence also agreed to pay Axon Fusus $750,000 to run the system through 2028, which could be extended, according to the Rhode Island Current.

Providence Police Department Detective Maj. David Lapatin told the Providence Journal that the newly built center didn’t include any video feeds at Brown University when the shooting took place.

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BROWN UNIVERSITY WAS ‘SOFT TARGET’ FOR SHOOTER WHO REMAINS AT LARGE, CRIMINAL PROFILER SAYS

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island, during the shooting investigation. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Police gather outside an entrance to Brown University on Saturday, during the investigation of the shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Additionally, Lapatin said the crime center didn’t have access to any camera feeds from homes located close to the shooting.

Eric O’Neill, a cybersecurity expert and former FBI operative, told Fox News Digital it would have been helpful if Brown University allowed the crime center to use their security camera feeds.

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A police vehicle rests at an intersection near crime scene tape at Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island, following the shooting at the university. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“It certainly would have been nice if Brown had subscribed to the data center because my understanding is that there’s real-time monitoring, which would have meant that someone would have seen the activity on the cameras and perhaps law enforcement could have been alerted earlier,” O’Neill said.

Police have released several videos and images of a person of interest, but haven’t yet identified or arrested the individual.

Fox News Digital reached out to Brown University and the City of Providence for comment.

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Boston, MA

Red Sox’s Veteran Leader Gets Alarming Projection For Upcoming Season

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Red Sox’s Veteran Leader Gets Alarming Projection For Upcoming Season


Somehow, in the midst of all the injuries the Boston Red Sox dealt with last season, shortstop Trevor Story stayed healthy.

Story played 163 games in his first three years as a Red Sox, then played 157 this past year. He led the team in home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases. His defense tailed off in September, but he was also leading the charge on offense by the time the Sox got to the playoffs.

Entering his age-33 season, Story has been vehemently endorsed as the starting shortstop by the Red Sox organization, specifically chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Are the Red Sox counting too heavily on the veteran repeating his production from a year ago?

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Story coming back to earth this season?

On Thursday, MLB.com published a “snapshot” of the Red Sox’s Fangraphs projections for this season, and the No. 1 thing that stood out from the list was Story and the Boston shortstop group being projected for 2.0 WAR, which ranked 27th out of the 30 teams in baseball.

“This projection and ranking might be a bit surprising, considering that Trevor Story had a resurgent 2025 season with a .741 OPS, 25 home runs, and 31 stolen bases and finished with 3.0 WAR,18th-best among shortstops,” wrote MLB.com’s Brent Maguire.

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“Projection systems, however, are notoriously conservative and are looking beyond just the previous season. Story was oft-injured and unproductive during his first three years with the Red Sox before 2025 and with him entering his age-33 season, there are still some questions about his production in 2026.”

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Certainly, one projection does not mean Story is doomed to have a bad year, and if anything, he might have a better defensive season if he stays healthy, because he’ll be better conditioned for those final weeks of the year.

However, this underscores the need for the Red Sox to land another big bat, and ideally, two. The odds that Story leads the team in all of those offensive categories again feel slim, and even if he does, that likely means Boston’s offense was fairly pedestrian.

More MLB: Red Sox’s Former No. 5 Prospect Breaks Silence On ‘Surprise’ Trade



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Pittsburg, PA

2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say

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2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say



Two men were killed in a shooting along Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Thursday, authorities said. 

The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of Linnview Avenue, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson.

Two men are dead after a shooting on Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Dec. 18, 2025. 

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(Photo: KDKA)


When first responders arrived at the scene, they found two men with multiple gunshot wounds on the sidewalk about 10 feet apart. Both men were taken to local hospitals in grave condition, but they were pronounced dead when they arrived, Pittsburgh Public Safety’s spokesperson said. The victims were 23 and 27 years old. However, the victims have not been identified as of Thursday night.

Officials said the suspect fled on foot down Nobles Lane. No other information was released about the suspect. No arrests have been made as of Thursday night.

Neighbors told KDKA they heard at least six gunshots. Investigators at the scene recovered two firearms, the spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Police are investigating. 

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“At one point, I heard what sounded like fireworks,” one neighbor said. 



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