TENNESSEE State Capitol in Nashville (Wikipedia).

The Tennessee Legislature voted Thursday to expel two Democratic representatives over their protest calling for gun control in the state.

According to the Associated Press, the two removed were both Black while a colleague who also protested was not expelled, leading to accusations of racism.

Precipitating the unusual resort to expulsion was a loud demonstration by three lawmakers calling for stronger gun control in Tennessee after the shootings at the Covenant Private School where six people (including three children) were killed.

According to The New York Times, those vacant seats may soon be filled by those same people, as state law allows county commissions to select replacements until a special election can be called. 

Biden’s plans on trans athletes

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

Schools will be allowed to keep some transgender athletes from playing sports that line up with their “gender identities” under a new policy proposed by the Biden Administration’s Education Department.

However, according to The New York Times, schools would not be allowed to declare blanket bans on trans athletes. A factor in making decisions on these issues is whether trans athletes – for example, a person born male who identifies as female – might have a physiological advantage over female-born competitors.

These policies generally apply to schools that receive federal funds.

Also in the news … A report by the Maryland Attorney General released on Wednesday accused the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore of harboring over 150 priests and other clergy members who sexually abused at least 600 children between the 1940s and 2022, according to USA Today.

Sports: Dodgers win, Kings lose

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2  Thursday night to improve their record to 5-2 and open up a 1.5-game lead in the National League West over the second place San Francisco Giants (3-3).

Dustin May (1-0) pitched six strong innings for the Blue Crew, giving up just two hits and one earned run while striking out five batters. Freddie Freeman went 2-for-5. He homered and doubled, driving in one run and scoring two. His batting average is now .385 in the young season.

The Dodgers will hope to feast on the D-backs again on Friday when they send Clayton Kershaw (1-0) to the mound.

The Los Angeles Kings lost 5-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in Sin City. The home team built up a 5-0 lead before the Kings could rally for second quarter goals by Anze Kopitar (27th goal of the season) and Vladislav Gavrikov (fifth) could make the score respectable.

Now 45-24-10 and in third place in the NHL Pacific Division with 100 points, they’ll next be in action on Saturday at home hosting the Colorado Avalanche.

The Los Angeles Angels (4-2) are idle and have their home opener on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays (4-3).s

Weather: Partly cloudy for a while

If you can put up with partly cloudy skies for a while, you’ll get the benefit of warm weather for the next few days in the West Orange County area. The forecast for Friday is for a daytime high of 71 with an overnight low of 52. Saturday will be slightly cooler at 70 (51). Sunday warm up to 78 (55) and Monday brings back sunny skies and a high of 80 (56).

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