West
Who is Alexa Anderson? Division I athlete leading legal battle for free speech
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University of South Alabama freshman Alexa Anderson was a top recruit nationally in the women’s track and field pole vault this past year and still found time to take on the establishment.
Anderson filed a lawsuit against the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) over the summer after she stepped down from a medal podium to protest a transgender athlete. Anderson’s lawsuit alleges she was told to get out of the medalist photo shoot and wasn’t given her third-place medal.
The lawsuit aims to ensure that high school athletes in Oregon are allowed to express their First Amendment right to free speech without fear of retaliation from officials. The lawsuit has already cleared one of the OSAA’s motions to strike.
Anderson comes from a family of Democrats but came to admire Charlie Kirk
Anderson told Fox News Digital in a June interview she comes from a family of Oregon Democrats. However, she said they also firmly agreed with her stance on protecting women’s sports from male trans athletes. But she had her own approach.
“I think whoever I vote for would be whoever aligns most with my personal values, whether that’s a Democrat or Republican,” she said.
Then, in September, she witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“I followed that very closely,” she said. “I think it is so incredibly horrible that a young man was taken from his family, taken from his children, just for standing up for what he believed in.”
Anderson became inspired by Kirk after seeing him lead discussions with women’s sports activist Riley Gaines.
“It was really great to see people with such influence supporting this issue, knowing people like that are standing up with us,” Anderson said.
“I would hope that he would be proud of what we’re doing, that we’re standing up for what we believe in, because everything I’ve seen from Charlie Kirk, that was his message. He always wanted to stand up for what he believes in and spread that to other people and educate them.”
OREGON GIRLS WHO PROTESTED TRANS ATHLETE AT TRACK AND FIELD MEDAL PODIUM SCORE LEGAL WIN IN LAWSUIT
Growing up, Anderson ‘idolized’ Simone Biles. Now it’s complicated
Before she did the high jump and pole vault, Anderson was a gymnast as a child, and she had the same hero as so many young gymnasts across the U.S. — Simone Biles.
“I was a gymnast for nine years. I idolized her, ever since 2012, when she really started becoming the greatest of all time,” Anderson said.
When asked how Anderson feels about Biles now, she referenced the legendary gymnast’s online feud with Gaines.
“I think she is an amazing athlete, but I don’t agree with how she handled that situation. I think it was hateful and hurtful and not a good thing for all the girls who look up to her to be seeing,” Anderson said.
What bothered Anderson most was when Biles appeared to “body-shame” Gaines, when the Olympic legend wrote, “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”
“When I saw a tweet of her, kind of body-shaming Riley and saying ‘pick on someone your own size,’ that really hurt,” Anderson said of Biles.
OREGON ATHLETES WIN ‘MOST VALUABLE PATRIOT’ AWARD AFTER REFUSING TO SHARE PODIUM WITH TRANS COMPETITOR
She found refuge in South Alabama after enduring an online hate campaign
Anderson became an overnight sensation in Save Women’s Sports circles on social media after she and fellow Oregon female athlete Reese Eckard stepped down from their third- and fourth-place spots on a medal podium to protest a trans athlete who finished fifth.
Then came the DMs.
Some were nice and supportive. But others weren’t. And she even responded to some of those.
“When I received one of my first hate comments, I kind of just brushed it off. I said, ‘Thank you for sharing your opinion. I respect your opinion. This is mine and this is what I stood for,’” Anderson said in June. “I have responded to some.”
Anderson had just committed to the University of South Alabama in January and was coming up on graduation. And when she made the decision to use her platform to protest a trans athlete, she was a 2023 pole vault state champion, national All-American, an under-20 sixth-place finisher and ranked eighth in the nation in the high school girls pole vault in the class of 2025.
She later revealed the negative comments escalated to the point of death threats and alleged calls to her school with demands to expel her before graduation as her story gained momentum.
“There were people who were calling my school asking for me to be expelled, not being allowed to walk at graduation,” Anderson alleged. “There were people messaging me personally, just saying horrible things, death threats even.”
“I hope you die” was one of the messages she received, she said. Another said, “Your parents are definitely embarrassed of you.”
“It definitely hurt,” she said.
A Tigard High School spokesperson declined to elaborate on the situation to Fox News Digital, writing, “We don’t have a comment to share.”
Anderson’s commitment to South Alabama earlier this year put her in a setting where she feels safe and accepted.
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“A lot of people have [seen the viral video of the protest], especially on my track team. A lot of people all know what happened, and they’ve all been very supportive and kind,” Anderson said.
South Alabama’s track and field season begins in late January, and Anderson will take on Sun Belt Conference competition while advancing her lawsuit.
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San Francisco, CA
Discovery Bay driver arrested for San Francisco fatal vehicle collision | Contra Costa Herald
Killed pedestrian, struck 3 more people
By San Francisco Police Department
On May 25, 2026, at approximately 12:13 am, San Francisco Police officers responded to the area of 16th and Mission Streets regarding a vehicle collision.
Officers were advised that a collision occurred between a vehicle and a pedestrian.
Officers arrived on scene and located a pedestrian victim being treated by paramedics for life threatening injuries. Paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital.
Despite lifesaving efforts of medical staff, the victim was later declared deceased at the hospital.
A preliminary investigation revealed that a vehicle collided with a pedestrian and struck three additional victims.
The three victims were medically assessed on scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
Through the course of the investigation, officers located the suspect vehicle and detained the occupant of the vehicle.
The Traffic Collision Investigations Unit (TCIU) responded to scene and conducted their investigation.
Through the course of the investigation, TCIU investigators developed probable cause to arrest the driver identified as 57-year-old Samuel Powell of Discovery Bay on June 30, 2026.
Powell was arrested and charged for vehicular Manslaughter 192(c)(2) PC and the driver’s responsibility to exercise due care for the safety of any pedestrian within the roadway 21955(b)(3) CVC.
Although an arrest has been made, this remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.
Denver, CO
Nuggets Sign Marvin Bagley to 1-Year Deal: What It Means
After an extended wait of no activity from the Denver Nuggets in this year’s free agency period, the team has finally made its first new signing.
That signing just so happens to be the No. 2 pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, Marvin Bagley III.
According to ESPN‘s Shams Charania, the Nuggets and Bagley have agreed to a one-year, veteran minimum deal for the 2026-27 season, effectively providing some solid depth in the frontcourt.
Free agent center Marvin Bagley III has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. A critical frontcourt addition for the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/enHBVxgfYl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2026
With Denver’s first free agency signing now officially in the books, here’s what the move to bring in Bagley might mean for the Nuggets moving forward into free agency and this offseason, as well as entering next season.
Marvin Bagley Brings Frontcourt Depth to Denver’s Lineup
Bagley split his time between the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks this past season to put together one of his better years of production in recent memory.
In the 60 combined games he played, Watson averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting a career-high 61.8% from the field and 46.2% from three on a little less than one attempt per game.
Bagley’s a big who’s game centers more around his offensive skillset. He spent most of his time shooting last season at the rim or in the mid-range, shooting a stout 64.1% on two-pointers last season that can bring a bit of an interior presence into Denver’s frontcourt.
Defensively, he leaves a little bit more to be desired. And he’s still not quite the most impressive three-point shooter, even coming off his most efficient season from deep.
But for the cost of a veteran minimum contract, he acts as a nice budget-friendly addition who can shoulder some of the load offensively, and has shown value as an offensive rebounder as well. It’s tough to find much better for the price Denver’s paying.
While entering the league slotted in primarily as a power forward, it’s been in the past few seasons that Bagley’s settled in more as a full-time five; having spent 95% of his minutes during the 2025-26 campaign playing at the five.
That might give you a bit of a hint as to how the Nuggets plan to use him this next season, though they might also have some stretches where he’s placed alongside Nikola Jokic at the four for a bit of a larger frontcourt lineup.
The Writing’s On the Wall for Jonas Valanciunas
Looking at what Bagley’s addition might mean for the Nuggets’ current roster, no one in the picture gets more impacted by Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas was Denver’s primary backup behind Jokic at the five last season following his trade from the Sacramento Kings, and entered this offseason with an uncertain future because of his contract situation.
The veteran big man has an expiring $10 million contract heading into the 2026-27 season, but one that’s not fully guaranteed, giving the Nuggets the opportunity to release him and save $8 million, while incurring a dead cap hit of $2 million that can be stretched over multiple years.
Such a move can give the Nuggets further cap flexibility that they’ll need this offseason to re-sign key pieces like Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, which to this point haven’t been done, but becomes a bit easier now that Denver can take that next step in pivoting off of Valanciunas.
Perhaps Denver might also look deeper into a trade involving Zeke Nnaji, now that they’ve got a cheaper option in Bagley that might even sit ahead of him on the initial depth chart. However, it remains to be seen if the Nuggets have any takers on the two years remaining on his contract. To this point, they haven’t found anyone to bite.
When factoring in Valanciunas and Nnaji though, Bagley’s addition now brings the Nuggets to a total of 10 players signed onto traditional contracts for the 2026-27 season.
That leaves them with four open spots left to utilize in the days and weeks ahead. How they decide to use that space remains to be seen, but at the very least, the Nuggets’ long-awaited first offseason signing has now officially come to light.
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Seattle, WA
FOURTH OF JULY 2026: Here’s where Seattle Parks will leave the lights on longer
(2024 reader photo of fireworks damage on Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex turf)
Here’s the annual announcement from Seattle Parks – we’ve excised the non-local parks:
Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 9 PM.
The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including soccer, football, baseball, ultimate frisbee and lacrosse.
The fields will be monitored from 9 PM to 3 AM
Lights at the following synthetic fields will be turned off at 3 AM on July 3 and 4:
Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
South Park Playfield, 8319 8th Ave S
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SWLights will be turned off at the following grass fields at 11 PM on July 3 and 4:
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW
Comparing this to last year’s announcement, the lights will be on longer the night before the 4th, and the “monitoring” will be an hour later.
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