You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.
By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Please enter a valid email address.
A Montana law banning transgender surgeries for minors will remain temporarily blocked following a state Supreme Court ruling that a Republican lawmaker is calling an “egregious example of hyperpartisanship.”
The justices sided with a lower court judge who found that the law — which sought to prohibit the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria — likely violates Montana’s constitutional right to privacy.
Advertisement
Republican Sen. John Fuller, who sponsored the bill before it was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in April 2023, told The Associated Press that the decision on Wednesday “is an egregious example of the hyperpartisanship of the Montana Supreme Court.”
He criticized the courts for upholding the “ability to sterilize and mutilate children” and denying protection to children “from unscientific and experimental drugs and operations that have grown increasingly evident as a danger to children.”
SUPREME COURT TO WEIGH STATE BAN ON TRANSGENDER ‘MEDICAL TREATMENTS’ FOR MINORS
Transgender rights activists hold signs as they march through the University of Montana campus in May 2023 in Missoula, Montana.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The ruling came on the same day the United Kingdom announced that “existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones will be made indefinite, following official advice from medical experts.”
Advertisement
“Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert Commission on Human Medicines found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people,” Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement.
In Montana’s case, transgender youth argued the law would ban them from continuing to receive gender-affirming medical care, violating their constitutional rights to equal protection, the right to seek health care and the right to dignity. The state Supreme Court upheld the injunction based on the right to privacy, which court rulings have said includes the right to make personal medical decisions free from government interference.
Montana is one of at least 26 states that have passed bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and most face lawsuits. Some bans have been temporarily blocked by courts, while others have been allowed to take effect. Fifteen states have enacted protections for gender-affirming medical care for minors.
“Today’s ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of relief,” Akilah Deernose, the executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement. “But the fight for trans rights is far from over. We will continue to push for the right of all Montanans, including those who are transgender, to be themselves and live their lives free of intrusive government interference.”
INCOMING REPUBLICAN SENATOR REVEALS HOW HE WILL ‘STRAP ROCKET-BOOSTERS’ TO TRUMP’S AGENDA IN NEW CONGRESS
Advertisement
Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana, in March 2021.(Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP, File)
The case against the Montana law now goes to trial before District Court Judge Jason Marks, with the state attorney general’s office telling the AP it looks forward to defending the law.
“In upholding the district court’s flawed decision to temporarily block a duly enacted law, the Supreme Court put the wellbeing of children — who have yet to reach puberty — at risk by allowing experimental treatments that could leave them to deal with serious and irreversible consequences for the rest of their lives to continue,” spokesperson Chase Scheuer said to the news agency.
In a majority opinion, Justice Beth Baker wrote that the law, titled Senate Bill 99, blocks “lawful medications and procedures administered by competent and licensed health care providers,” according to The Washington Examiner.
Demonstrators hold a sign that reads “Democracy Dies Here,” on the steps of the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana, in April 2023.(Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP)
Advertisement
“SB 99 affords no room for decision-making by a patient in consultation with their doctors and parents,” she reportedly added. “The statute is a complete ban, prohibiting individualized care tailored to the needs of each patient based on the exercise of professional medical judgment and informed consent.”
An adolescent owl that was found stuck in a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah is finally on the mend, flying free and maybe a bit wiser from the ordeal.
The great horned owl somehow made his way into the truck-mounted mixer in late October and was discovered by workers pouring concrete at a resort construction site.
Lucky for him, a series of people gave a hoot about his predicament. Workers hosed the bird down before it was wrapped in a towel.
A great horned owl wakes from anesthesia in an aviary at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, May 1, 2026. Best Friends Animal Society via AP
It took days for employees at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab to pick the concrete from the bird’s face, chest and right wing, using forceps to carefully crack the dried debris and cleaning the feathers with toothbrushes and dish soap.
Advertisement
The owl started its long recovery at an aviary run by the organization, and employees anxiously waited for it to grow new feathers. But the bird didn’t molt as predicted.
In early May, he underwent a procedure called imping, which uses adhesive to graft donor feathers onto existing shafts.
“The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly,” said Bart Richwalski, a supervisor at the sanctuary.
Great horned owls typically have tufting on the edges of some of their feathers that allows them to fly quietly as they hunt.
But the concrete frayed the rescued owl’s feathers and caused it to make a whooshing sound while flying.
Advertisement
Veterinary staff perform surgery on the great horned owl at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s clinic. Best Friends Animal Society via AP
To prepare for the imping procedure, sanctuary staff examined the owl’s feather patterns every few weeks and snipped damaged shafts in advance.
The owl was anesthetized and the donor feathers from a similarly sized owl that had died were laid out nearby to replicate each wing.
The staff then cut the feathers to the necessary length, lined them up and adhered them to the bird.
By the end of the 90-minute procedure, the owl had 10 new primary feathers and a secondary feather on his right wing. But then came the real test: could he fly silently?
The great horned owl flies to freedom after surgery at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Best Friends Animal Society via AP
The bird was placed in a large aviary to recover from the anesthesia and quickly took flight after awakening.
Advertisement
Richwalski used a decibel meter to measure the sound of the owl’s wingbeat and determined its flight was quiet enough for it to safely be released.
The owl hovered for a moment while the aviary roof was retracted, gained speed and then flew out into the wild.
“It feels so, so good. I think my heart finally started beating again. The nervousness was starting to overtake the excitement, but once I saw him fly out that opening in the roof, it just was, it was a sight to see. It was so fun,” said Richwalski, who has cared for the owl since picking him up at the construction site.
Karla Bloem, executive director of the Minnesota-based International Owl Center, said imping has been practiced by falconers “for eons” and is a very effective treatment.
“I’ve never heard of it not lasting, because you use some pretty good stuff when you’re doing imping,” said Bloem, who has studied great horned owls for nearly three decades.
Advertisement
She added that it would be OK if a couple of the grafted feathers fell out. The bulk of them just need to stay put until the owl can grow new ones in the coming summer months.
“And now it just needs to figure out, ‘whoa, I’m back in the big world again, hunting,’” she said. “Find a territory … you know, find one of the opposite sex and settle down and have kids.”
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Washington Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Washington Lottery’s regional offices.
To claim by mail, complete a winner claim form and the information on the back of the ticket, making sure you have signed it, and mail it to:
Washington Lottery Headquarters
PO Box 43050
Advertisement
Olympia, WA 98504-3050
For in-person claims, visit a Washington Lottery regional office and bring a winning ticket, photo ID, Social Security card and a voided check (optional).
Olympia Headquarters
Everett Regional Office
Federal Way Office
Advertisement
Spokane Department of Imagination
Vancouver Office
Tri-Cities Regional Office
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Washington Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Washington Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 7:59 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 8 p.m. PT Tuesday and Friday.
Cash Pop: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Pick 3: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Match 4: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Hit 5: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Daily Keno: 8 p.m. PT daily.
Lotto: 8 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 8:30 p.m. PT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Washington editor. You can send feedback using this form.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Colorado man is dead after a crash near Cheyenne, on South Greeley Highway/U.S. Highway 85 by milepost 2.5.
A preliminary report by the Wyoming Highway Patrol says that 48-year-old Shaun Hafley was driving a Ford truck north on U.S. 85 while a Kia Soul was traveling south.
The two vehicles collided in a glancing head-on manner. After the collision, the Kia left the road to the right, entering the right-side borrow ditch and coming to an uncontrolled rest facing northwest. The Ford came to an uncontrolled rest in the southbound lane, facing northwest.
There were no possible contributing factors listed in the report, though it was noted that while weather conditions were clear, road conditions featured ice/frost and slush.
Advertisement
Hafley was not using a seat belt, the report states.
The driver of the other vehicle was injured in the crash. The status of their injuries was not reported.
This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
