Latest news with #Brace
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Channel Seven stars Amelia Brace, Bill Hogan and Denham Hitchcock leave to start new roles with Network 10
The Seven Network has lost three well-known reporters to Channel 10 after the trio were reportedly head-hunted to start work on a new investigative program. Former foreign correspondent Amelia Brace, senior Sydney news reporter Bill Hogan and Spotlight's Denham Hitchcock each resigned from Seven last week to head over to the rival network, The Australian's Media Diary has revealed. The publication reports Brace and Hitchcock swiftly departed Seven "within hours of quitting", and both started their new roles at Channel 10 on Monday. Hogan on the other hand will need to work for three more weeks until he heads over to the Paramount Global-owned broadcaster. Brace, a former political reporter in Canberra's Press Gallery, was reportedly offered a $50,000 bump on her $220,000 salary to join Network 10. The Walkley-winning journalist shared the news of her departure in a rather cryptic message to colleagues last Friday. "It feels off to not have an official 'last day' to say goodbye, but it's best for me to just fade away for now," Brace wrote, according to the Media Diary. "Stand up for yourselves, and each other … and think of me every time you have to find a case study." For Hitchcock, the opportunity to host the new program was "too good to pass up", according to the publication. All three journalists were reportedly tapped on the shoulder by Channel 10 boss Martin White to join the broadcaster's new investigative unit, although little is known about the upcoming show. The development comes less than four months after Hitchcock announced his return to Channel Seven's Spotlight program. Hitchcock stepped away from the network in January 2023 to spend more time sailing with his family and focus on freelance work. Upon revealing his return earlier this year, the presenter said it was time for him to "wash some of the salt out" and get back to what he does best. "Back in 2019 the network asked me to start what would eventually become the Spotlight program with one producer and one cameraman - and as the limited shows proved successful - the team quickly grew and it would turn into the networks flagship program," Hitchcock's post read, accompanied by a selfie. "I stepped away for a few years to go sailing with the family - and have returned to find a new EP, a new team, new reporters, a fresh energy, an abundance of stories, and some genuine excitement about the year ahead." At the time, Hitchcock and his family had recently moved back to Sydney after living life at sea on a catamaran. has contacted Channel Seven and Network 10 for comment.
CBS News
05-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Division grows over transgender students playing female sports in California
The ongoing debate over transgender students competing in female sports is intensifying in California, and around the country. Earlier this week, a California State Assembly committee killed two bills that would have restricted transgender athletes from playing on girls' sports teams. Governor Gavin Newsom recently received backlash after voicing concerns over the fairness of the issue. Speaking on his podcast, Newsom remarked, "It's deeply unfair," sparking further discussions among both lawmakers and the public. In Oakland on Friday, a group of parents and students called for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to change its policy. One person who agrees with the governor is Sacramento-area high school junior Jordan Brace. She has been competing in track and field and cross country since 8th grade. Brace, who considers track her outlet and a way to manage stress, shared her perspective at the meeting. "It's about fairness and, most importantly, it's about safety. There have been multiple injuries caused by a female competing against a biological male," said Brace. " And a male, regardless of puberty blockers or anything, is always, always going to be stronger and have a larger muscle mass and be faster than me." Brace views sports as a critical aspect of her high school experience. She emphasized the importance of maintaining fair competition for female athletes. She and around 20 other parents and grandparents voiced their concerns at the CIF meeting, urging the organization to reconsider its policy. The CIF, which governs high school sports in California, has allowed transgender athletes to compete on teams that align with their gender identity for over a decade. Concerned East Bay resident Elizabeth Kenney shared a troubling account of her granddaughter's experience. Kenney recalled a conversation in which her granddaughter expressed discomfort after encountering a transgender student in the girls' locker room. "She said there was a naked boy in her locker room, and that she had to get dressed in the shower stall. When I called the principal, he said there was nothing that they could do," Kenney said. As a result, Kenney said her granddaughter left her volleyball team. "Sad. She was robbed of playing sports," Kenney lamented. Julie Lane, a former NCAA athlete and lesbian activist, also attended the meeting and emphasized that her concern is not about excluding transgender students from sports. "We want everybody to be able to play sports. It's not about keeping boys out of sports," Lane said. "If they think they're a girl, that's fine for them. But they have to play in a male category." Despite listening to the concerns of parents and grandparents, CIF officials did not take immediate action at their spring meeting that was held at the downtown Marriott hotel. They declined an on-camera interview, but issued a statement saying they are simply adhering to California law, which allows students to participate in school programs consistent with their gender identity. Supporters of the CIF policy, such as Equality California , argue that the rights of transgender students are being attacked by political figures who wish to marginalize them. "Transgender youth, their families, their doctors and their teachers are facing unprecedented attacks from extremist politicians who want to erase their civil rights and erase them from public life," said Equality California Communications Director Jorge Reyes Salinas. Reyes Salinas also pointed to studies suggesting that transgender athletes do not have inherent physical advantages over their peers. "This is part of their playbook to make parents upset, to make them fear transgender youth, to make them fear that their children's safety is at stake," he said. Despite these differing views, Brace insists that her concern isn't about politics or alienating any group, but rather ensuring fair competition for all athletes. "I plan on competing in track and field and cross country in college, too. And this might be an issue that I might have to face when I'm older," she added. The Trump administration had previously called on California and the CIF to change their policy regarding transgender student-athletes. However, the CIF stood firm in its position and refused to alter its stance. It remains unclear whether the organization will revisit this contentious issue in the near future.
Fox News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
California high schooler begs state officials to ban trans athletes from girls sports at contentious meeting
As California continues to defy President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from girls sports, residents across the state are standing up to pressure officials to comply. The California Interscholastic Federation, which is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education over potential Title IX violations, had its meeting Thursday crashed by protesters advocating for the protection of girls and women in sports. Multiple protesters spoke to CIF officials at the meeting, pleading with them to ban trans athletes from girls sports, citing their own experiences. One of those speakers was St. Francis High School track and cross-country student-athlete Jordan Brace, who fears potential injuries from competing against a biological male. "Allowing a biological male to compete against a female athlete that does not have the same kind of build or physical abilities is completely unfair and unsafe for women, and that can lead to so, so, so many injuries," Brace said. "How many more injuries, which are sometimes permanent, will it take for everyone to realize how important it is for women to feel safe and for young girls to feel like they have fair competition." Former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb is a female athlete who says she sustained permanent injuries from a trans opponent. McNabb says she sustained long-term physical and mental injuries in 2022 when she was spiked in the face by a transgender athlete allowed to compete on a girls team because of a policy put in place by North Carolina's high school athletic association. The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of victories because they have been defeated by transgender athletes. The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30, 2024. "I want to know that I'm facing … someone who's the same gender as me," Brace said. "That I'm not being beat by someone in a race that has more physical capabilities than me, that's naturally going to be faster than me, more muscular. I don't think that anyone, anywhere, any young women, should have to deal with that, should have to fear that they aren't safe or that they are being discriminated against in their sport. "This is a matter of women's safety." California mother Riece Morris, who has five children who compete for schools in the state, implored CIF officials to "do the right thing," while expressing her belief the officials have "good intentions." "Good intentions do not make good policy. Good intentions do not absolve you from being complicit in robbing the girls of California of fair competition and single-sex privacy," Morris said. "Sacrificing girls sports by admitting boys was never a good idea. It was never going to last. So, I'm asking you to read the room, read the data and do the right thing. Do not let your legacy be that you had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do the right thing for girls after everyone else. Please stand up now and do the right thing." California has allowed trans athletes to compete in girls' sports since 2014, and the policy has resulted in multiple controversies over the last year alone. Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is embroiled in one of the most contentious disputes on the issue. A Dec. 19 Riverside Unified School District meeting included a parade of parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the Martin Luther King girls cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team alleges their "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts in protest of that player were compared to swastikas. The father of a girl who lost her varsity spot to the trans athlete previously told Fox News Digital his daughter and other girls at the school were told "transgenders have more rights than cisgender[s]" by school administrators when they protested the athlete's participation. Stone Ridge Christian High School's girls volleyball team was scheduled to face San Francisco Waldorf in the Northern California Division 6 tournament but forfeited just before the match over the presence of a trans athlete on the team. A transgender volleyball player was allegedly booed and harassed at an Oct. 12 match between Notre Dame Belmont in Belmont, California, against Half Moon Bay High School, according to ABC 7. Half Moon Bay rostered the transgender athlete. The state continues to allow transgender athletes in girls sports at the risk of losing federal funding by defying Trump's executive order, and Gov. Gavin Newsom recently admitted trans athletes competing with girls is "deeply unfair." But Newsom also won't take a decisive stand opposing transgender inclusion, arguing transgender people are "poor people" who are "more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression." California state lawmakers have introduced two bills to block trans athletes from competing in girls sports. California Assemblyman Bill Essayli introduced one such bill Feb. 14, while fellow Assembly member Kate Sanchez announced Jan. 7 she is introducing a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls and women's sports. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
The Independent
09-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
England v Italy referee: Who is Six Nations official Andrew Brace?
Andrew Brace is the referee for England vs Italy at Twickenham in round four of the 2025 Six Nations. Born in Cardiff, Brace represents the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) after a childhood spent between Wales and Ireland. A former community rugby officer for Munster, the 36-year-old represented Belgium during a brief international playing career, qualifying for the country via his father's family. He made his debut in the then-Pro 14, now known as the United Rugby Championship, in 2015, and has since officiated more than 100 games in the competition. A Test debut arrived in 2017, while three years later, he oversaw both the Pro 14 final and the Autumn Nations Cup decider between England and France at Twickenham. An assistant in 2019, Brace made his World Cup debut with the whistle at the tournament in 2023, taking charge of three pool fixtures as the sole IRFU referee in France. It is a cosmopolitan officiating team for the final fixture of the penultimate weekend, with Welsh, French, South African and Scottish representation alongside the man in the middle. Match officials for England vs Italy Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire) Asisstant Referees: Craig Evans (Wal) & Luc Ramos (Fra) Television Match Official: Marius Jonker (SA)
