Japan's New Leader A Question Mark Over U.s. Ties

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado sued the Elizabeth School District on Thursday for removing books from school libraries — titles that largely feature people of color or LGBTQ individuals — in an act the organization alleges violated free speech protections. The removed books were voted on by the district’s Board of Education, which the ACLU argued was an injection of the body’s partisan political views into students’ education. “The board’s action is a violation of the students’ constitutional right to receive information, as well as the authors’ right to share their views without undue viewpoint-based discrimination,” said Tim Macdonald, legal director of the ACLU of Colorado, in a news release. “The federal and state constitutions prohibit this kind of politically motivated censorship.” Superintendent Dan Snowberger said in a statement that the Elizabeth School District, located southeast of metro Denver, only learned about the legal claim Thursday afternoon. “We are disappointed that the district is being tied up in a political attack,” he said.

For years, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has trusted his son, Shedeur, with the ball in his hands. Shedeur Sanders is arguably the best quarterback in the country, but the record-breaking Buffaloes star is heading to the NFL after the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec. 28 (5:30 p.m. MT, ABC). Replacing Shedeur won’t be easy, but the QB room for 2025 already looks stacked, with two-year backup Ryan Staub being joined by former Liberty star Kaidon Salter, who is planning to play his final season of college football in Boulder; and five-star incoming freshman Julian “JuJu” Lewis. Related Articles College Sports | Football recruiting: Former Liberty QB Kaidon Salter transferring to CU Buffs College Sports | Colorado State and Utah State suing Mountain West over penalties for exiting league College Sports | CU Buffs’ Deion Sanders: QB commit Julian Lewis has “unbelievable” similarities to son Shedeur Sanders College Sports | Michael Vick talks to Sacramento State and Norfolk State about head coaching jobs College Sports | CU Buffs lose LB Nikhai Hill-Green to portal, add former Alabama DL The battle to start in 2025 will be intriguing, but there’s no question that Deion Sanders and the Buffs are bullish on the long-term future of Lewis, the highest-rated prep quarterback ever signed by the program. “I think smart coaches at this level understand what has worked for them, and they try their best to replicate that,” Coach Prime said of Lewis.

SAN JOSE — Players who get traded from a contender to a rebuilding team often find themselves with a new, better opportunity, but Nikolai Kovalenko may have hit the jackpot. Kovalenko showed plenty of promise in his rookie NHL season, moving around the lineup to fill in where needed for an injury-ravaged club.

Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Chargers in Inglewood, Calif. Live updates Third-quarter updates Fly me to the moon (8 p.m.): I’m just going to guess that moonshot was a throwaway from Bo Nix. — Schubert Fourth-down conversion (7:58 p.m.): Fourth-and-2? No problem. A quick pass to Courtland Sutton.

Three of 19 people detained by Aurora police after a gang-related home invasion and kidnapping at the Edge of Lowry apartments Monday night have been released, police said. The trio was released by Aurora police after they were interviewed and investigators determined they weren’t involved in the Monday night incident, police department spokesperson Joe Moylan said. The 16 other suspects were arrested on immigration violations and remain in federal custody Thursday, according to a U.