Midwest
Kansas judge rules keeping biological sex on IDs does not harm transgender people
A Kansas judge ruled in favor of the state’s conservative attorney general on Monday and determined that prohibiting sex changes on state IDs and driver’s licenses does not violate the rights of individuals who identify as transgender.
In a memorandum, District Judge Teresa Watson kept in place an existing ruling she previously made in July 2023 to prohibit the Department of Revenue from allowing transgender individuals to change their biological sex on ID cards.
Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach first sued Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in 2023 after a law passed by the legislature suspended sex changes on ID cards. Kelly vetoed the bill – SB 180 – sparking the lawsuit. The court then issued a temporary restraining order.
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Tree Crane, 17, poses after a rally where hundreds gathered in support of transgender youth at the Utah state Capitol, Jan. 24, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (Rick Bowmer/AP Images)
“This decision is a victory for the rule of law and common sense,” Kobach said in a statement. “The Legislature wisely stated that state agencies should record biological sex at birth, and today the court held that the meaning of the law is clear.”
Watson permitted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to represent transgender individuals in the case. They argued the law would violate the state’s constitution, which the Supreme Court ruled in 2019 grants a right to bodily autonomy. At the time, the SCOTUS ruling pertained to abortion access.
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A Florida DMV office in Miami and a person holding a transgender flag. Kansas and Florida are the only two states that currently prevent sex changes on state-issued ID cards. (Monique O. Madan/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images/Reuters/Demetrius Freeman)
“Information recorded on a driver’s license does not interfere with transgender persons’ ability to control their own bodies or assert bodily integrity or self-determination,” Watson wrote on Monday. “It does not prevent them from “mak[ing] their own decisions regarding their bodies, their health, their family formation, and their family life.”
Watson wrote in the 31-page memorandum that to apply the SCOTUS ruling to the no-change policy on state-issued IDs would be “an unreasonable stretch.”
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This image from the Kansas Department of Revenue shows a sample driver’s license issued by the state’s Division of Vehicles.
“It did not say Kansans have a fundamental state constitutional right to control what information is displayed on a state-issued driver’s license,” Watson continued. “And the Intervenors’ testimony at the hearing was that producing a driver’s license indicating a sex different than their expressed gender did not result in physical violence, verbal harassment, loss of employment, loss of benefits, refusal of service, or negative interaction with law enforcement. Rather, Intervenors testified about feeling embarrassed, humiliated, or unsafe if someone gave them a puzzled look, hesitated, or questioned their identity when looking at their driver’s license.”
Kansas and Florida are the only two states that currently prevent sex changes on state-issued ID cards.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, ACLU’s LGBTQ+ legal fellow D.C. Hiegert said they were “disappointed” about Monday’s ruling and the decision would lead to transgender “people experiencing harassment, denial of services, or worse.”
“We remain unconvinced that the imaginary injury to the state could ever outweigh the enormous harm our clients and other transgender Kansans have and will continue to experience by being forced to carry,” the statement read.
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Midwest
‘Family Mob’ gang members, associates charged in major Minneapolis fentanyl trafficking case: DOJ
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Five alleged members and associates of the “Family Mob” street gang have been charged in a major fentanyl trafficking case in Minneapolis, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Three indictments and two criminal complaints were unsealed in the District of Minnesota accusing the defendants of distributing fentanyl, crack cocaine and other controlled substances in south Minneapolis.
Authorities allege the group collectively possessed with intent to distribute more than seven kilograms of fentanyl since July 2025 and operated a de facto open-air drug market near Lake Street and Park Avenue, using force to push out other dealers.
Those charged include Silk Lamond Davis, 48, of Minneapolis; Alexisus Jarmon Mosby, 44, of Bloomington; Kiron Jamoll Williams, 43, of Minneapolis; Rashshon Jamahl Taggett, 44, of Minneapolis; and Lakendrick Darnell Gilliam, 38, of St. Paul.
Seized narcotics are displayed as authorities announce the preliminary results of a large-scale investigation involving local and federal agencies on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
The charges range from possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine to distribution of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Law enforcement agencies executed multiple arrest and search warrants Wednesday morning targeting the gang and its members, officials said.
If convicted, the defendants face penalties of up to life in prison on the most serious drug trafficking charges.
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Federal and local law enforcement announced that they seized 3.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (KMSP)
“Our investigation shows that combined, those charged were responsible for the distribution of enough fentanyl for more than 3.5 million lethal doses in the last seven months,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen at a press briefing.
He told reporters that seven others were also taken into custody on related state charges, bringing the total number arrested to 12.
Rick Evanchec, interim special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office, said the coordinated operation to dismantle the “Family Mob” gang involved a sweeping, multi-agency effort across the metropolitan area.
Before dawn, eight SWAT teams and law enforcement personnel from the FBI, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed 14 search warrants targeting narcotics, firearms and other evidence tied to the alleged criminal enterprise.
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Seized narcotics are displayed as authorities announce the preliminary results of a large-scale investigation involving local and federal agencies on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
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Evanchec said the gang has operated since the 1990s, distributing narcotics and using violence to control territory in Minneapolis neighborhoods.
“The Family Mob Gang ruled by intimidation and violence, and wrongly assumed they could operate with impunity,” DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said in a statement. “Today, the combined efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement imparted a significant blow to the drug trafficking efforts of a gang that has spread poison through a beloved Minneapolis community.”
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Detroit, MI
Preview: February 28 vs. Detroit | Carolina Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes will try to extend their point streak to a dozen games on Saturday, when they go head-to-head with the Detroit Red Wings.
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When: Saturday, February 28
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network App | Learn More
Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App
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Canes Record: 37-15-6 (80 Points, 1st – Metropolitan Division)
Canes Last Game: 5-4 Win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Feb. 26
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Red Wings Record: 34-19-6 (74 Points, T-2nd – Atlantic Division)
Red Wings Last Game: 2-1 Win (OT) over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Feb. 26
Milwaukee, WI
Landmark Credit Union Live officially opens in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE – Landmark Credit Union Live, Milwaukee’s newest concert venue, opened its doors on Friday. And with the Bucks playing next door at the same time, the whole area was hopping.
What they’re saying:
Fans flocked to Fiserv Forum to watch the team play the New York Knicks, and music lovers stood in line to see Rainbow Kitten Surprise on the opening night of Landmark Credit Union Live.
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“Very busy, very crowded the bars and restaurants,” said Ashley Evans. “That’d be great to add to the city again, to continue to bring more tourists out.”
“This is going to be amazing. I’ve been wanting to see them for a very long time, so I’m very excited,” said Rachel Lococo.
Fans line up for the official opening of Landmark Credit Union Live
Landmark Credit Union Live can host up to 4,500 people. Friday night’s show was sold out, drawing fans from places like Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa and elsewhere.
“Some people have driven from Indiana, so there’s a lot of people coming out tonight,” said Kade McCane, who came from Madison. “Honestly, really exciting to be among the first people who get to be there, and for RKS to be among the first people who will ever perform here, I hope this venue gets huge and big and becomes very popular.”
The excitement was felt all around Milwaukee. Even the competition rolled out the welcome mat.
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“Our goal to grow as a city means that a lot of things have to happen. This is the very, tiny, small work that has to happen,” said Gary Witt, president and CEO of The Pabst Theater Group, which runs six nearby venues.
“The introduction of any new business in the city, especially one that pays attention to the fact that we have spent 24 years growing the live culture economy in the city of Milwaukee, says to me that we’ve done our job.”
Witt said live entertainment is an industry Milwaukee’s economy has been dependent on coming from visitors like those who turned out Friday.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed the people in this story and referenced prior coverage related to the opening of Landmark Credit Union Live.
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