West
California 'Teacher of the Year' sentenced to 30 years for sexual abuse of students
A former California “Teacher of the Year” was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing two of her sixth-grade students.
Jacqueline Ma, 36, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, one count of lewd acts on a child and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
“This defendant violated the trust she had with her students in the most extreme and traumatic way possible and her actions are despicable,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Her victims will have to deal with a lifetime of negative effects and her 30-year sentence is appropriate.”
Ma taught at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City and was the former San Diego County “Teacher of the Year” for the 2022-2023 school year.
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Jacqueline Ma, a “Teacher of the Year” in California, was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to sexually assaulting two of her students. (LinkedIn)
Ma was allowed to address the public before the judge handed down her sentence, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
“I abused my authority, I exerted my power and control over them, and I deceived them,” Ma said while handcuffed and crying in court. “Boys this age should be playing outside, feeling carefree … I ripped away their childhood.”
Ma apologized to the victims and their families, calling her crimes selfish and that she had “disgraced the teaching profession.”
“I lied to their faces while secretly abusing their sons,” Ma said. “I just pray for extra protection and strength for all those (affected).”
Ma was arrested in March 2023 after the parents of a 12-year-old boy found inappropriate messages on a family tablet between their son and the teacher, prosecutors said.
Ma had groomed young boys with “gifts, food and special attention and even completed their homework for them,” the district attorney’s office said.
Ma was arrested in March 2023 after prosecutors said the parents of a 12-year-old boy discovered inappropriate messages on a family tablet between their son and Ma.
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Despite the boy’s parents not allowing him to have social media or his own electronics, Ma was able to communicate with him through an unsanctioned after-school program and through a school chat application, the district attorney’s office said.
Ma groomed the boy for over a year before she sexually assaulted him in her classroom over a period of three months while his parents believed he was participating in an after-school basketball program, prosecutors said.
Ma sexually assaulted a 12-year-old boy in her classroom at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City over a period of three months, prosecutors said. (Google Street View)
Further investigation into Ma revealed that she had targeted and sexually assaulted a second victim, an 11-year-old boy, in 2020, according to the district attorney’s office.
“No child deserves what this defendant did and I hope this sentence brings a measure of justice to the victims, their families and the community that was left reeling from this defendant’s crimes,” Stephan said.
Ma must serve the full 30 years before she is eligible for parole, the Union-Tribune reported.
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Alaska
Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10
The 2026 Alaska high school girls basketball state championships begin this week, and High School On SI has brackets for all four classifications.
The brackets will be updated with scores and matchups throughout the week.
All four classifications will play their state championship games at Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
The 1A and 2A championships run March 11-14. Classes 3A and 4A play the following week, March 18-21.
Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 State Championship Brackets, Matchups, Schedule – March 10
3/11 – Shaktoolik (1) vs. Arlicaq (16)
3/11 – Kake (8) vs. Tri-Valley (9)
3/11 – Fort Yukon (4) vs. Andreafski (13)
3/11 – Sand Point (5) vs. Napaaqutgmiut (12)
3/11 – Scammon Bay (2) vs. Nunamiut (15)
3/11 – Akiuk Memorial (7) vs. Newhalen (10)
3/11 – Davis-Romoth (3) vs. Cook Inlet Academy (14)
3/11 – Hoonah (6) vs. Shishmaref (11)
3/12 – Seward (1) vs. Chevak (8)
3/12 – Metlakatla (4) vs. Cordova (5)
3/12 – Craig (2) vs. Susitna Valley (7)
3/12 – Glennallen (3) vs. Degnan (6)
3/18 – Barrow (1) vs. Kotzebue (8)
3/18 – Grace Christian (4) vs. Galena (5)
3/18 – Monroe Catholic (2) vs. Delta (7)
3/18 – Mt. Edgecumbe (3) vs. Kenai Central (6)
3/18 – Mountain City Christian Academy (1) vs. North Pole (8)
3/18 – Colony (4) vs. West (5)
3/18 – Bartlett (2) vs. Juneau-Douglas (7)
3/18 – Wasilla (3) vs. Service (6)
More Coverage from High School On SI
Arizona
WATCH: How Helping One Woman provides hope and support with ‘Girl’s Night Out’
PEORIA, AZ — What if a simple dinner could help someone rebuild their life? In Peoria, a local chapter of Helping One Woman is doing just that by gathering once a month for a “Girls Night Out” with a powerful purpose.
Each month, women in the community nominate someone facing an unimaginable challenge: the loss of a spouse or child, a cancer diagnosis, or another life-altering hardship. That woman becomes the evening’s honoree.
At the dinner, attendees each contribute at least $10 and take part in raffles supported by local businesses. By the end of the night, the funds raised are gifted directly to the recipient to help with expenses during a difficult time.
But organizers say the money is only part of the impact. The room full of encouragement, hugs, and shared support can be just as powerful.
ABC15’s Cameron Polom talked with the Peoria chapter president and two women whose lives were changed thanks to the group’s generosity. See the full Uplifting Arizona story in the video player above.
See more from Uplifting Arizona:
Colorado
Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says
Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.
“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.
The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.
Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.
Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.
In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.
Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.
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