Latest news with #SouthernCalifornia
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US court reinstates former USC coach's college admissions scandal conviction
BOSTON, May 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday reinstated a former University of Southern California water polo coach's bribery conviction arising from his role in the nationwide "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled, opens new tab that a trial judge wrongly overturned a jury's 2022 verdict finding Jovan Vavic guilty of conspiring to commit federal programs bribery by accepting payments to help wealthy parents' children gain admission to USC as fake athletic recruits. The judge had set Vavic's conviction aside and ordered a new trial after concluding the prosecution during closing arguments misstated what it needed legally to prove its case, which arose out of the investigation dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." But U.S. Circuit Judge Julie Rikelman, writing for a three-judge panel, said that while part of Vavic's conviction could no longer stand following an appellate ruling in a different "Varsity Blues" case, the prosecution's closing arguments were not contrary to the judge's jury instructions on the law. The ruling opens the door to Vavic being sentenced three years after the jury's verdict. His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. He was among dozens of people charged in 2019 in the investigation, which exposed how some wealthy parents went to extreme lengths to secure spots for their children at schools like Yale, Georgetown and USC. They did so with the help of William "Rick" Singer, a California college admissions consultant who was sentenced in 2023 to 3-1/2 years in prison after admitting he facilitated college entrance exam cheating and helped bribe coaches to secure his clients' children's admission as phony athletes. More than 50 people, including coaches and parents, pleaded guilty. Prosecutors claimed that in exchange for more than $200,000, Vavic helped mislead USC admissions officials into believing children of Singer's clients belonged on his championship team. While prosecutors said some money that Singer paid went toward Vavic's children's private school tuition, another $100,000 went to a USC account used to fund the water polo team.
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
San Clemente passenger rail to reopen ahead of schedule
Passenger rail service through a popular Southern California route is set to resume after more than a month's worth of repairs. The Orange County Transportation Authority on Friday announced the San Clemente rail will reopen for passenger service on Saturday, June 7. Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner are scheduled to resume full service on that date. Starting on April 28, service was halted in order for crews to conduct emergency reinforcements to sections of the track that were at risk from landslides and coastal erosion. The project will be completed a few days earlier than the estimated six weeks, OCTA says. Construction has been a daily occurrence since the closure. Crews placed riprap, or large boulders, to protect the track in appropriate areas. Remaining work includes demobilizing equipment, clearing out construction areas and conducting inspections. Crews will remain at the track daily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. until June 7, with possible nighttime work if needed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Prep talk: SoCal products begin play in NCAA baseball playoffs
Left-hander Dylan Volantis from Westlake High has 12 saves as a freshman for Texas. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) The NCAA Division I college baseball playoffs begin this week, and there are several graduates from Southern California high schools representing in the college ranks. Freshman Dylan Volantis of Texas, a Westlake High graduate, has had an All-American season, going 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 12 saves as a closer in the SEC. Advertisement Freshman shortstop Nate Castellon, a Calabasas grad, helped Cal Poly win the Big West tournament. He's batting .364. Collin Clarke (Santa Margarita) is 5-2 with a 4.59 ERA for Oregon. Trent Caraway (JSerra) has 33 RBIs for Oregon State. Colin Yeaman (Saugus) is batting .342 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs for UC Irvine. Aiden Taurek (Foothill) is batting .336 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs for St. Mary's. Derek Curiel (Orange Lutheran) is the No. 2 hitter for LSU with a .336 average and 45 RBIs. Aidan Cremarosa, who once played for Burbank Burroughs until enrolling at IMG Academy, is 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA for Fresno State. Dean Curley (Northview) is batting .313 with 12 home runs for Tennessee. Jimmy De Anda (Mater Dei) has a .281 average for Utah Valley. Advertisement For USC, Ethan Hedges (Mater Dei) leads the team with a .343 average and has nine saves. For UCLA, freshman Easton Hawk (Granada Hills) has been a late-season closer with five saves. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Trailer for Taron Egerton's Investigative Arsonist Series SMOKE — GeekTyrant
Apple TV* has released the first trailer for the investigative arsonist series Smoke , which is based on the Firebug podcast about an arsonist in Southern California. It gives off heavy Backdraft vibes. This new series was created by the acclaimed author Dennis Lehane, whose best known for his crime thriller mystery books Mystic River , Gone Baby Gone , and Shutter Island . In the series, Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett 'attempt to get as close to the truth as possible—without getting burned. A police detective and an arson investigator work together to try and stop two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest.' This looks like the kind of show that is going to be filled with all kinds of twists and turns that will keep audiences on the edge of the seats. The full cast also includes John Leguizamo, Rafe Spall, Greg Kinnear, Ntare Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky. Smoke is set to premiere on June 27th, 2025.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
DOJ launches California Title IX investigation over transgender athlete participation in sports
With the national spotlight shining on a transgender athlete in Southern California pursuing a championship, federal prosecutors are putting pressure on the state and a local school district for allowing that chase to happen in the first place. The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into whether a California state law complies with Title IX. In August 2013, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1266 into law. The policy is intended to prevent sex-based discrimination in California's schools, preventing them from excluding gender groups from classes and extracurricular programs. One specific section of the bill, however, is now under fire from the current administration. "A pupil shall be permitted 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," AB 1266 states, requiring schools to adhere to each student's preferred gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth. Now, the DOJ is investigating whether this clause violates Title IX. Title IX, in the words of the DOJ, ensures "equal educational opportunities and prevents discrimination based on sex in federally funded schools and athletic programs." Administration officials claim that allowing transgender girls to compete in girls' athletic competitions undermines the rights of cisgender athletes as an issue of fairness. "Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education. It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies," said Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "This Division will aggressively defend women's hard-fought rights to equal educational opportunities." The announcement cites the ongoing legal battle surrounding two former athletes at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Riverside. One of which alleges she lost a spot on the school's cross-country team to a transgender teammate, violating her Title IX rights as a female athlete. The administration of President Donald Trump made its stance clear on that lawsuit Wednesday and threw its support behind it, sending legal notices of its investigation to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and the California Interscholastic Federation. The DOJ also sent a notice to the Jurupa Unified School District as an openly transgender track and field athlete pursues a state title for one of its schools. AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley competes in the girls high jump during the CIF Southern Section Division 3 Track and Field preliminaries at Nathan Shapell Memorial Stadium at Yorba Linda High School on May 10, 2025 in Yorba Linda, California. Getty Images AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, placed first at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet in both the girls' long and triple jump events. The wins ensure Hernandez a spot at the CIF State Track & Field Championships in Clovis on Saturday and Sunday. In response, the CIF announced Tuesday that it was introducing a pilot program for the 2025 state meet that will create extra spots for cisgender athletes "who would have earned the next qualifying mark" to have an opportunity to compete. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who himself has said it's "deeply unfair" to allow transgender girls to compete, called the program reasonable on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the CIF announced it would reward cisgender triple and long jump athletes "who would have earned a specific placement on the podium" had Hernandez not competed. In other words, if Hernandez places first at the state meet, the results will still credit a cisgender athlete as a state champion. The JUSD said in a statement to CBS News this week that it allowed Hernandez to compete for JVHS as required by state law. Hernandez has been subject to national scrutiny, including from the president himself. Trump took to his Truth Social platform this week to criticize California leadership, including Newsom, for allowing Hernandez to compete on the girls' team. "This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend," Trump wrote. "As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS." Trump also said he was considering to withhold federal funding from the state if Hernandez was allowed to compete at the state finals. While speaking with CBS News, a spokesperson for Hernandez called Trump's lashing out "bullying and discriminatory." "This person was voted into an office to work for all the people, and you're gonna spend your time picking on a child," said Kathie Moehlig, the founder and executive director of Trans Family Support Services As of Wednesday, it's not yet clear if attempts to remove Hernandez from the weekend's state meet will be successful. The CIF told KCAL News that it does not keep track of the number of transgender athletes competing in California high school sports. Austin Turner Austin Turner is a web producer at CBS Los Angeles. An Inland Empire native, Austin earned a degree in journalism from San Jose State University in 2020. Before joining CBS in 2025, he worked at KTLA, the San Jose Mercury News, the Sedona Red Rock News and various freelance outlets as a sports reporter. contributed to this report.
