Ten former San Jose State athletes have filed tort claims with the California State University system as part of an expanding sexual abuse case involving a trainer and school officials’ handling of the allegations. The claimants, whose names were redacted in the documents obtained Thursday by this news organization, allege they were victims of sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination. They filed the torts on Monday, a day before former deputy athletic director Steve O’Brien filed a wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleging he was fired for trying to preserve the integrity of the internal investigation into the women’s claims of sexual abuse. The tort claims have come in the aftermath of the school’s response to sexual abuse charges by fo

A Los Angeles city-run vaccination site will open at the University of Southern California starting Tuesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday, March 4. The University Park campus site is expected to be able to administer thousands of vaccinations per day once it’s fully operational, Garcetti said. “This number will be initially limited due to supply constraints but ready to jump into action and grow as those doses are delivered in the coming weeks,” Garcetti said. He thanked USC President Carol Folt for her work to open the campus up to the public for vaccinations. In addition to the new vaccination site, Garcetti announced Thursday that the city is partnering with the rideshare app Uber to help people in South Los Angeles get inoculated at USC. Uber is providing 15,000 free rides to

A person was struck by a Metra train March 4, 2021, near Lake Bluff. | Sun-Times file photoThe person was struck by the train just before 7:50 p.m. near milepost 29 between the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff stations, a Metra spokesperson said. A person was struck by a Metra train Thursday near Lake Bluff, halting all service on the UP-N line. The person was struck by the train just before 7:50 p.m. near milepost 29 between the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff stations, Metra spokesperson Meg Riley said. A coroner was called to the scene, Riley said, and the collision was likely fatal. Metra Alert UP-N - Inbound and outbound train movement has been halted near Lake Bluff due to train #355 striking a pedestrian— Metra UP-N (@metraUPN) March 5, 2021 All UP-N service has been halted until furth...

Summary List PlacementPotomac Economics, an independent market monitor for Texas' Public Utility Commission said that the state's power-grid operator massively overcharged residents as the state was rocked by a deep freeze and power grid failures in late February. The overcharges came in at a total of $16 billion, according to the filing. The report recommended that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) take measures to reverse the charges. In its report, the monitor determined that as Texas was gripped by multiple snowstorms, prices were inflated for 33 hours longer than necessary.  "Therefore, the [independent market monitor] recommends that the Commission direct ERCOT to correct the real-time prices from 0:00 February 18, 2021, to 09:00 February 19, 2021, to remove the i...

DePaul University expects to have students back on campus for in-person learning this fall. | Rich Hein/Sun-TimesSome universities, including DePaul and Marquette, are planning to reopen campuses this fall, giving students better on-hands learning experiences while also providing much-needed financial relief for the institutions after college enrollment plummeted. Colleges and universities around the midwest are predicting the campus experience will be closer to normal this fall, with reopened residence halls, increased student activities and even face-to-face instruction for most classes after a year of largely remote learning. DePaul University says it plans to offer a “full complement of in-person courses” after adopting a hybrid approach of mainly remote classes over the last several m

LOS ANGELES — Homelessness advocates on Thursday, March 4, gathered outside Mayor Eric Garcetti’s official residence in Windsor Square to urge him to commandeer hotels, and to ask why the city hasn’t yet requested federal reimbursement for Project Roomkey, an initiative to shelter the city’s unhoused population in hotels and motels. Supporters of Ktown For All, a volunteer homeless outreach and advocacy organization, and Kenneth Mejia, who is running for L.A. controller in 2022, brought an “infinity” check to the Getty House, located at 605 S. Irving Blvd., to represent the federal government’s promise to fully reimburse the city’s Project Roomkey costs. The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that the city has not requested reimbursement for portions of the $59 million it has spent on Pr

Rep. Robin Kelly, the new chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. | Lynn Sweet/Sun-TimesKelly was elected to only fill the remaining year in Mike Madigan’s term as chair. There will be another election for chair after the March, 2022, primary. WASHINGTON — With a high-stakes head fake, Rep. Robin Kelly won the 10-day campaign to replace scandalized Mike Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, the first new leader in 23 years. Kelly beat Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) 51.7% to 48.3% in the Wednesday night balloting among the 36-members of the party’s state central committee. This first-in-generations power change in th

Brooks’ Chaz Harvey (0) drives the ball past Bogan’s Tarel Harding (23). | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-TimesPublic League games don’t have any spectators this season due to COVID-19. It makes all the sounds on the court more noticeable. At most games that has mainly consisted of the mask-muffled yelling of coaches. But not at Brooks. The Eagles have a special team this year, that was obvious during the first few moments of their 66-60 win against visiting Bogan on Thursday. There was chatter coming from all of the Brooks players on defense. The zone moved quickly and all five guys were clearly locked in from the start. “The talking helps way more than actually perceived,” Brooks senior Joseph Porter said. “We talk a lot during practice. And that just that just feeds into the game. When

GLENDALE, Ariz. — This probably wasn’t Chris Taylor’s dream job. At the University of Virginia, he was a shortstop. As he came up through the Seattle Mariners’ system, he was still a shortstop (with occasional visits to second base mixed in). When he made the majors with the Mariners briefly in 2014-16, 70 of his first 72 starts were at shortstop. Then he was traded to the Dodgers – a felony-class steal as it turns out (first-round bust Zach Lee went to Seattle) – and Taylor’s world expanded. He started playing more second base and a smattering of third base. In spring 2017, he was asked to learn to play the outfield, a locale he had only passing acquaintance with previously in his playing career. Now Taylor is entering his fifth full season with the Dodgers having started games at six dif

LeBron James has faced Giannis Antetokounmpo as an opponent in the last three All-Star Games. The Los Angeles Lakers’ star got him as a teammate this year. James used the No. 1 overall pick on Antetokounmpo — the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP from Milwaukee — in the draft for Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta. Kevin Durant, who will not play in the All-Star Game because of injury but still is the captain for Team Durant, took Brooklyn teammate Kyrie Irving with his first pick. The other starters for Team LeBron will be Stephen Curry of Golden State, Luka Doncic of Dallas and Nikola Jokic of Denver. The other starters for Team Durant will be Joel Embiid of Philadelphia, 2020 All-Star MVP Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Bradley Beal of Washington and Jayson Tatum of Boston. This is

NEW YORK — San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon. Related Articles Avalanche Podcast: Jan Hejda shares thoughts on the Avs, his fighting career and more from Marty Richardson of Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation Nathan MacKinnon’s status unclear after absorbing hit to head near end of win that saw Avs’ top line dominate WATCH: Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon leaves game after illegal hit Nathan MacKinnon suffers injury late in Avalanche’s 4-0 victory at San Jose Two 6-2 losses in less than a week has the Avalanche setting off an alarm ...

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority on Thursday, March 4, released a list of recommendations to strengthen the region’s response to the homelessness and housing crisis. “Governance reforms could clear hurdles to house thousands of people faster,” said Sarah Dusseault, chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance, which issued the report. “We need to transform our system to look more like our early COVID response, when we sheltered thousands of Angelenos in a number of weeks,” she said. “It’s time to update the Joint Powers Agreement to reflect the current reality. Clear lines of responsibility, more involvement of people with lived experience and partnership across jurisdictions work fast and work well.” The report recommends that LAHSA: Strengthen its operational effectiveness, in