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Minnesota attorney general says trans athletes in girls sports ‘doesn’t harm anyone’ despite complaints

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Minnesota attorney general says trans athletes in girls sports ‘doesn’t harm anyone’ despite complaints

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded to dozens of school board members who are urging the state to keep biological males out of girls sports by saying the issue “doesn’t harm anyone.”

A letter penned by more than 40 school board members expressing support for policy revisions to enforce Title IX and protect girls sports prompted the response from Ellison this week. 

“Letting the very small number of transgender students in Minnesota play on their school sports teams doesn’t harm anyone, but segregating them does,” part of Ellison’s statement read. 

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Ellison said this despite the fact that multiple girls high school athletes in his state have spoken out about how the experience of facing trans athletes has impacted them, and some have even filed a lawsuit over the issue. 

Three anonymous Minnesota high school girls filed a lawsuit against the state’s education agencies in the spring after having to compete against a transgender softball pitcher. 

One of the plaintiffs previously told Fox News Digital about what it was like playing against the trans pitcher.

“This issue has affected me in ways that I never imagined. It’s simply unfair, and I hate that nothing is happening to change that. Boys should not be able to take girls’ spots on teams just because they are capable of doing so. I hope that more girls affected by this issue will stand up against this.” the player said. 

Another anonymous player directly called out Ellison for supporting the policies that have allowed the trans pitcher to play against females.

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INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM’S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS

Champlin Park and Eagan players shake hands after the quarterfinals round of the Minnesota Girls Softball State Tournament. (Amber Harding/OutKick)

“It’s really upsetting to know that [Ellison] isn’t taking rights of girls and women seriously. He is allowing boys to compete with girls, and it is not safe and completely unfair. To know that AG Ellison is in complete support of letting boys and men take advantage of females in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong,” one anonymous player previously told Fox News Digital. 

Former White Bear Lake High School softball player Kendall Kotzmacher previously told Fox News Digital that losing to a trans pitcher in the state tournament left her in tears.

“How do you acknowledge that you lost to a biological male? How do you process those events that happened? And that was something that entire night, I still couldn’t do it. … We lost to a biological male in a female state tournament,” Kotzmacher said. 

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Minnesota’s education agencies face a deadline Friday from the U.S. Department of Education to change their trans athlete policies. President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order in February, but Minnesota was one of the first states to openly defy the order.

Ellison then filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Department of Justice over the executive order and appears staunchly opposed to complying with the DOE’s Friday deadline. 

Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

“Exclusion is a violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which has protected the rights of trans kids to participate in all extracurricular activities for decades,” Ellison’s statement continued. 

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“I too am concerned about the Trump Administration’s threats to cut education funding for kids across Minnesota, but this matter is before the court right now. The federal government’s threats violate the U.S. Constitution, Minnesota law, and Title IX itself. I’m fighting to prevent these harmful cuts, stop the Administration’s bullying of transgender kids who just want to live their lives in peace, and protect the rights and freedoms of all our students in Minnesota.”

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Illinois

Four-Star Forward Quinton Kitt Commits to Illinois: How He Fits

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Four-Star Forward Quinton Kitt Commits to Illinois: How He Fits


Illinois scored a major early win in the 2027 recruiting cycle on Thanksgiving, securing a commitment from East Peoria native Quinton Kitt, a 6-foot-6 forward ranked No. 114 nationally by 247Sports.

Kitt becomes the Illini’s first pledge in the class and continues a trend that has become increasingly familiar under head coach Brad Underwood – top in-state talent choosing to stay home. His decision is another reminder that Illinois basketball is no longer simply competing on the national stage. It is becoming a program that players want to be part of.

Kitt’s commitment also reinforces the momentum Illinois has built over the past several seasons. Since Underwood’s arrival, he has resurrected the program and turned it from a middling Big Ten team into one of the most consistent winners in college basketball. The Illini have pulled top recruits, landed marquee transfers, developed NBA talent and built an identity centered around toughness and modern offensive spacing. When a top prospect commits this early, it signals more than momentum – it shows Illinois is becoming the type of powerhouse that can reload year after year with players who believe in what Underwood is building.

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The centerpiece of Kitt’s game is his premier skill: high-level spot-up shooting. At 6-foot-6, he possesses clean mechanics, fluid footwork and a natural rhythm that makes him one of the best floor spacers in the Midwest for his age. Underwood has made three-point shooting a priority in roster construction, and Kitt fits that philosophy seamlessly. He projects as an immediate shooting threat who can open the floor for Illinois’ guards and bigs, whether stationed in the corners, popping off screens or trailing in transition.

Although shooting is the headliner, Kitt isn’t a one-dimensional piece. He’s not the twitchiest athlete in the class, but he gets to the rim with efficiency, using size, stride length and composure to finish through contact. He has the IQ to make the right reads – finding cutters, swinging the ball to shooters and delivering simple but effective passes that keep an offense flowing. That feel for the game elevates his value well beyond spot-up scenarios.

All of this makes Kitt a classic Underwood-style Swiss Army Knife. He can dribble, pass, shoot and play multiple spots without needing plays run for him. He enhances spacing, connects actions and fits into virtually any lineup construction Illinois might throw onto the floor. For a program that has thrived with multipositional, high-IQ wings, Kitt checks every box.

Landing Kitt sets a strong tone for the 2027 class – and again shows that Illinois doesn’t have to leave the state to find talent that fits its growing powerhouse identity.





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Indiana

County-by-County: Snow forecast for Central Indiana

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County-by-County: Snow forecast for Central Indiana


It’s Thanksgiving weekend and the WRTV weather team has broken down, by county, what to watch for as snow is set to hit several parts of Central Indiana. We likely start out Saturday dry then snow fills in around midday. Temperatures will be close to the freezing mark, so it is likely we switch over to a rain snow mix. Most in Central Indiana will pick up a few inches of snow with higher totals north and more of a rain/snow mix south. It will be a heavy wet snow so it will compact as it falls

HEADLINES

  • Winter Storm Watch from I-70 north
  • Main impacts Saturday afternoon and evening
  • Changes to rain for most late Saturday/Early Sunday

BOONE
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 3 to 6 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

HAMILTON
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 2 to 5 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

HANCOCK
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 2 to 4 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

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HENDRICKS
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 2 to 4 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

HOWARD
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 3 to 7 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

JOHNSON
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 1 to 3 inches before changing to rain
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

MARION
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 1 to 4 inches
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

MONROE
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 1 to 3 inches before changing to rain
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

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MORGAN
Winter Storm Watch
Main impact: Saturday afternoon and evening
Snowfall: 1 to 3 inches before changing to rain
Winds: Gusts up to 25 mph

To see more counties, click here to be taken to our Weather Alerts page.





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Iowa

Iowa wrestling transfer eyes national title after Division III success

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Iowa wrestling transfer eyes national title after Division III success


IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa wrestling is hoping to break through and win a national title, as they want to every year.

In the 197-pound weight class, there’s one former Wartburg competitor that might be able to contribute towards that. Massoma Endene is now a Hawkeye, coming to the black-and-gold following a national champion three-peat in Division III at Wartburg.

He’s reached one of the pinnacle programs of college wrestling, and has the same thing on his mind.

“My goal is to be a National Champion again,” Endene said.

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Stepping up to Division I competition

Head coach Tom Brands knows it’s a tougher test.

“This is big boy now. Not saying that his accomplishments are little boy. But he has, you alluded to his skill level. He’s tremendously athletic and gifted. There’s a lot of things that he does very well on the mat. I think that he knows that he has to up it,” Brands said.

Endene might be able to improve quickly just like he’s done his whole wrestling career.

He didn’t start the sport until high school, and might never have if he was a bit better on the pitch.

“I wasn’t the greatest at soccer. I had to switch to a different sport. My brothers were really good and they kind of told me like, ‘Hey it’s probably not the sport for you,’” Endene said.

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Making up for lost time

What the transfer lacks in experience, he gains in the determination to catch up to more veteran wrestlers.

“They’ve been wrestling their whole lives, but I think the fact that we’re here at the same level, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve put the same amount of time, if not more. I believe I put in more time than most of these guys. To me, that’s not really a barrier, it’s just another thing I want to achieve,” Endene said.

Even if there was a barrier, he’s blasted through it.

His last second comeback against an All-American last week proved it.

Unexpected opportunity

But all this almost never happened.

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Endene competed at the junior college level that used to cost a year of eligibility.

He was surprised this offseason, when he found out that was no longer the case and he had another shot.

“Then I learned about the year that I actually do have. So then I was like, ‘Well college for another year isn’t too bad.’ So I just did that for one more year, and ended up at the best college,” Endene said.

Endene will look to once again be the nation’s best at 197 pounds.

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