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Christian girls' basketball team to face trans athlete in playoff game as California defies Trump's order
As California continues to defy President Donald Trump’s recent executive order forbidding trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports, the state’s residents will see the ramifications of that decision play out on a basketball court this week.
An upcoming high school girls’ basketball playoff game will feature an openly transgender athlete playing for San Francisco Waldorf against Cornerstone Christian on Saturday. The same trans athlete played for Waldorf’s girls’ volleyball team this past fall, prompting Stone Ridge Christian to forfeit a playoff match on Nov. 16.
However, Cornerstone Christian currently intends to play its upcoming game against the trans athlete.
“As long as the parents are on board with playing the game, we will support the girls’ hard work this season and play the game,” Cornerstone Christian athletic director Madison Alexander told Fox News Digital.
The team came to this decision after a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is currently under investigation by Trump’s Department of Education (DOE) and Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for its defiance in following the president’s executive order as it continues to instruct schools to allow trans athletes to compete as women.
The DOE’s deputy general counsel, Candice Jackson, told Fox News Digital that the department will be monitoring the state’s girls’ basketball playoffs as it conducts its investigation.
“CIF sets the parameters under which schools compete in these playoffs, and they have responsibility as recipients of federal funds to comply with Title IX. OCR’s investigation into CIF is continuing as it appears that CIF’s disregard for Title IX is continuing,” Jackson said.
The CIF has not responded to a request for comment on the situation involving the upcoming playoff game. The CIF previously told Fox News Digital that it will continue to follow state legislation on the issue of trans athletes that has been in effect since 2014.
“The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records,” the statement reads.
TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND
A law called AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014 and gives California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
Many California residents have protested and threatened lawsuits against the state for its refusal to comply with Trump’s order.
On Friday, California lawmakers introduced three bills in the state legislature aimed to combat trans inclusion. One bill, which was introduced by Assemblymember Bill Essayli, focused specifically on sports. His bill would require that students use all school facilities to only play on sports teams based on their biological sex and not their gender identity, reversing AB 1266.
“We know the state of California is going to do everything it can to resist and avoid compliance with federal law, so it’s our role to try to force change at the state and local level,” Essayli said at a press conference outside the state Capitol building in Sacramento on Friday.
California State Assembly member Kate Sanchez previously announced on Jan. 7 that she is introducing her own bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
California’s enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has resulted in multiple controversies over the last year alone, as one lawsuit has already been filed against California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Parents at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, expanded their lawsuit to include Bonta after a girls’ cross-country runner lost her varsity spot to a trans athlete, and then the school administrators allegedly compared the girls’ “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirts to swastikas.
In San Diego, a middle school was recently thrust into local controversy because of a transgender student using the girls’ locker room. San Elijo Middle School provided a statement to Fox News Digital, crediting its enabling of the transgender student to access the girls’ locker room to the school’s obligation of following state law.
San Francisco Waldorf found itself in a national controversy over the subject after the volleyball playoffs back in November when Stone Ridge Christian forfeited. Former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines then honored Stone Ridge Christian for its decision to forfeit with a ceremony at their high school in early December.
Trump’s executive order vows to cut federal funding for any institution that enables trans athletes to compete against girls and women. According to USA Facts, California public schools receive about $16.8 billion per year, which is 13.9% or one in every seven dollars of public school funding, which is well above the national average.
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The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has reached new heights, becoming the largest cargo hub in the U.S. last year.
It may be a first for the Anchorage airport, based on historical data from the Airports Council International.
The ascendance is based partly on the airport’s steady growth in cargo volume landed there in recent years, according to figures from the group.
It came even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs upended global trade patterns, the group’s latest rankings show.
A key part of the rise? The state’s strategic perch near much of the industrialized world.
But perhaps more important in the latest figures was the large decline in cargo volume at the Memphis International Airport last year.
The FedEx superhub has long been the dominant cargo airport in the U.S., and sometimes the world. But FedEx has restructured its operations, contributing to the airport’s drop in cargo volume.
That helped the Anchorage airport leapfrog past Memphis last year.
With 3.9 million tons of cargo landed, Anchorage was behind only the Hong Kong and Shanghai airports, globally.
In recent years in particular, the Anchorage airport has become a critical crossroads for aviation shippers, in part due to the increase in e-commerce packages moving between Asia and the U.S.
Carriers often drop into Anchorage to refuel, allowing them to haul more of their valuable payload, and less fuel traveling between continents.
“Aircraft can reach 90% of the industrialized world within 9 1/2 hours from the airport,” said Teri Lindseth, the airport’s development manager, in an interview Friday.
Also important is the “targeted effort by the airport development team and the (Alaska) Department of Transportation to expand Anchorage’s cargo presence and overall airport development,” she said. “We’ve focused on supporting our existing partners at the airlines, creating opportunities for growth, and we’re seeing that strategy pay off.”
Over 30 cargo carriers using the airport have helped boost those numbers, Lindseth said.
Some of the carriers have significantly increased their cargo landings in Anchorage last year, she said, including China Airlines and Taiwan-based EVA Air Cargo, and Kalitta Air and Atlas Air, based in the U.S., she said.
Greg Wolf, head of the Alaska International Business Center, said that the airport has done a good job marketing the benefits of the Alaska route to cargo carriers.
The extra cargo each jet can carry as it lands in Anchorage helps give extra oomph to the numbers, compared to other airports, he said.
The Anchorage airport’s rise to first place came as Alaska reached its highest-ever volume in foreign exports, at $6.7 billion, Wolf said.
Some of that product moved by air, adding to the airport’s cargo numbers, he said.
And while Trump has slapped extra-high tariffs on China, Alaska exports still traveled there, apparently after first reaching other Asian countries with lower tariffs before making their way to China, Wolf said.
Alaska’s export value to China fell to fourth last year — behind Korea, Australia and Japan — though it’s typically been the state’s top export partner.
“I’ve talked to businesses, not just from Alaska, but other American businesses, and they’ve done their best to work around the tariffs,” he said.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Warmer weather is in store for Mother’s Day weekend in the Valley, with temperatures jumping 10 to 15 degrees above average.
We have issued First Alert Weather Days for Saturday and Sunday with high temps expected near 104-105. A heads-up in case you’re planning any Mother’s Day activities, because you may want to take part in outdoor events in the morning or move those activities indoors.
And high temperatures could get even warmer by next week. Right now, models are hinting at temps near 107 Monday and 106 Tuesday. These above-average temperatures are due to a ridge of high pressure building from the west.
For the weekend, a widespread Moderate Heat Risk is expected. What that means is that the weather will affect those who are sensitive to heat, especially those without cooling/hydration, and some health systems and industries.
Right now, there are no Extreme Heat Watches or Warnings in effect from the National Weather Service, but we will keep you posted.
By the end of next week, an incoming weather system could lead to slightly cooler temperatures, but temps should still stay above average.
We’re not tracking any chances for rain in the Valley for the next five to seven days.
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Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
Five favorite walkable, bikable cities in America
USA TODAY 10Best readers voted these five cities as the most walkable in the nation. Check out the full list of 10 Most Walkable Cities on 10Best.com.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
A lifestyle television network recently released a list on its website of the hottest suburbs in the city, with two in California
Home and Garden Television, or HGTV as it’s most commonly known, released its list of the 20 hottest suburbs in the country for those hoping to escape city life.
HGTV partnered with Suburban Jungle, a website that advises people move from cities to suburbs, to create the list.
The channel’s website cited entertainment, seasonal festivals and local theater programs as just a few perks to suburban living.
So, what are the best suburbs according to HGTV?
What are the best suburbs in the U.S.?
Among the list of the 20 hottest suburbs around the U.S., two California towns near San Francisco made the cut.
Mill Valley, a small town in Marin County, has an estimated population of about 13,904 as of 2024.
The city is just outside San Francisco and is known for its Mill Valley Film Festival amd live performances at Sweetwater Music Hall or Throckmorton Theater are available to residents.
“Mill Valley has a one-of-a-kind natural environment and access to nature: It borders Muir Woods National Monument, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Tamalpais State Park and the San Francisco Bay,” said Pam Goldman, head Bay Area strategist for Suburban Jungle to HGTV.
Redwood City was the second California town among the hottest suburbs in the country. It is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and about 27 miles from San Francisco, HGTV says.
The city has an estimated population of 82,982 as of 2024 and several tech companies. Despite the tech presence, the town maintains a close-knit feel and has several year-round community events on Broadway, as well as seasonal events such as Oktoberfest and Music on the Square, the home and garden website said.
“Redwood City has lots of energy and youthful vibes, and it’s also right between San Francisco and San Jose,” Goodman said.
Top 20 hottest suburbs, according to HGTV:
- Chappaqua, New York
- Larchmont, New York
- Summit, New Jersey
- Port Washington, New York
- Greenwich, Connecticut
- Westport, Connecticut
- Glencoe, Illinois
- La Grange, Illinois
- Needham, Massachusetts
- Winchester, Massachusetts
- Lafayette, Colorado
- Littleton, Colorado
- Bethesda, Maryland
- Fairfax, Virginia
- Boca Raton, Florida
- Wesley Chapel, Florida
- Mill Valley, California
- Redwood City, California
- Dunwoody, Georgia
- Milton, Georgia
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
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