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Pro-police coffee shop owner wins $4 million in free speech suit against university officials

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Pro-police coffee shop owner wins  million in free speech suit against university officials

Boise State University administrators owe a coffee shop owner $4 million after a jury unanimously ruled the school officials violated the woman’s First Amendment rights in a conflict over her public support of law enforcement.

The jury awarded Big City Coffee owner Sarah Fendley $3 million for lost business, reputational damage, mental and emotional distress and personal humiliation, in a decision reached Sept. 13. Jurors awarded her an additional $1 million in punitive damages from the school’s former vice president of student affairs.

Fendley originally sued the university for $10 million after she closed her campus shop in October 2020, according to local reports, arguing administrators conspired to retaliate against her for expressing pro-police views on social media.

BLUE LINE GETTING THINNER IN WEST COAST STATES AS POLICE TAKE REFUGE IN IDAHO

The thin blue line flag, used to show support for law enforcement, gained popularity as police reform protests swept the nation in the wake of George Floyd’s death in May 2020. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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A lawyer for the administrators denied any retaliation, and accused Fendley herself of trying to get the university to infringe on students’ speech rights.

Big City opened an on-campus location in September 2020, on the heels of the nationwide police reform protests that followed George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis. Fendley’s support for law enforcement — she displayed a thin blue line sticker near the door of the shop’s downtown Boise location — immediately stoked anger among student activists, according to the suit.

“I hope y’all don’t go there if you truly support your bipoc peers and other students, staff and faculty,” one student posted on Snapchat after the shop opened. The acronym BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color.

A screenshot of the post was shared with Fendley, who responded to it with her own public Facebook and Instagram posts explaining her support for police, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. At the time, she was engaged to a former Boise police officer who had been paralyzed in a gunfight with a fugitive.

University administrators hastily called a meeting with Fendley, worried about the social media “firestorm” her post had created, according to the suit. Defendant Alicia Estey secretly recorded much of the meeting, the Statesman reported, but the recording cut off before the conversation ended, and both sides disputed the outcome.

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THIS RED STATE IS BECOMING AN ‘EXPAT’ COMMUNITY FOR FAMILIES FLEEING WESTERN LIBERAL BASTIONS

An aerial view of Albertsons Stadium on the Boise State University campus. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

Fendley claimed the university terminated her contract because of her support for police, a move her lawyer said clearly violated her free speech rights. Hours before the meeting started, administrators were working on a press release about the business leaving campus, Fendley’s attorney Michael Roe said, making it clear they had a single outcome in mind.

“Senior administration at BSU caved to a very small number of student activists,” Roe told Fox News Digital.

Big City’s campus shop closed four days after the meeting, the Statesman reported.

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But Estey, who took the stand as the last witness before closing arguments, told jurors, “We didn’t retaliate against [Fendley] at all.”

“She made a choice to leave, which was her choice to make, there was no retaliation,” Estey said, according to a KTVB report.

HARVARD, COLUMBIA RANK LAST IN NONPROFIT’S 2025 COLLEGE FREE SPEECH SCORECARD

Boise State’s attorney Keely Duke argued Fendley was actually the one seeking to suppress speech. Fendley wanted administrators to use the student code of conduct to punish students for expressing views she disagreed with, Duke argued, adding that administrators remained neutral throughout the conflict.

“The First Amendment protects everyone,” Duke said in court. “It protects Fendley’s right to express her support for the thin blue line. It also supports, though, anyone’s right to not support Big City Coffee.”

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Jurors deliberated for about three hours before unanimously siding with Fendley.

Duke did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but local outlets reported the administrators plan to appeal the verdict to the Idaho Supreme Court.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for July 8, 2026

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing

12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing

17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing

03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing

06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23

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Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing

08-16-17-22-27

Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing

16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Nevada

Odd and beguiling ‘Rose of Nevada’ will haunt viewers

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Odd and beguiling ‘Rose of Nevada’ will haunt viewers


The dilapidated fishing vessel from which “Rose of Nevada” takes its name disappeared into the sea off the coast of Cornwall, England, in 1993, bringing with it two members of a shorthanded crew. A young fisherman who had called out sick that day later died by suicide; some speculate because of survivor’s guilt. There’s a lot of speculation about that old boat. It was the kind of tragedy from which a tight-knit community never really recovers, and this quaint Cornish fishing village has since been stricken by decades of poverty and rot. Now, 33 years later, the Rose has mysteriously returned. It just showed up, ship-shape and empty, sitting there in the harbor one misty Monday morning. All she needs now is another crew.

How and why the boat returned is not for me to say, nor are such matters of much concern to writer-director Mark Jenkin. A time travel adventure with the cadence of a ghost story, “Rose of Nevada” haunts the viewer like the sound of a faint, distant horn on a foggy night. George MacKay stars as Nick, a loving husband and doting dad who has been out of work for some time now. He’s also a bit of a dummy, caving in their apartment’s roof while trying to patch a leak during a rainstorm. Nick finds himself crewing the Rose out of financial necessity — he’s literally trying to put a roof over his family’s heads — while Callum Turner’s gruff drifter Liam comes aboard seemingly because he’s got nothing better to do.

George MacKay (left) and Callum Turner in writer-director Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada.” (Courtesy Ian Kingsnorth/Bosena)

Any other movie would probably try to explain exactly how these boys return from their maiden voyage with a robust catch to find themselves transported back to 1993. They discover their little town thriving and keep running into younger, happier versions of characters we’ve met in the miserable present. Everyone seems to know who Nick and Liam are, but they’re calling them different names. It’s as if the two have somehow stepped into the shoes of those doomed crewmembers from 33 years ago, brought back here by the Rose either to fix history or repeat it.

Part of what makes the movie so mesmerizing is Jenkin’s artisanal approach. He shoots on an ancient, hand-cranked 16mm Bolex camera — a model slightly less advanced than what my film school class was using three decades ago. Jenkin leans into the grainy imperfections of the image, keeping in all the scratches and light leaks that professional labs and technicians typically scrub out. It’s impossible to capture synchronized sound with this equipment, so background noises and the necessarily sparse dialogue are added later in post-production, lending an eerie, uncanny quality to the proceedings.

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The set of self-imposed limitations creates its own aesthetic. Jenkin’s hand-cranked camera won’t run for more than 28 seconds at a time, forcing him to tell the story in a series of punchy, discrete images. Instead of wide establishing shots, he favors tight closeups made even more claustrophobic by 16mm’s boxy 1.33 aspect ratio. Our brains assemble the scenes almost like a mental jigsaw puzzle, getting a full sense of the boat without ever getting a complete look at it. Same goes for the town. It’s amazing how many gaps your mind fills in for you when prompted properly.

Jenkin takes a similar approach to the screenplay, allowing rhyming images and visual cues to provide most of the exposition. I went back and watched the movie a second time to try and understand how I always felt like I knew what was happening, even though I couldn’t possibly explain what was going on. The rhythms of the picture feel almost like a dream, obeying their own strict logic that locks in perfectly at the end. Jenkin’s previous picture, the cryptic Cornish island folk tale “Enys Men,” tried similar tactics, but with annoying, off-putting results. Two of the reasons this film connects so much better are the appealing lead performances by MacKay and Turner, a couple of genuine movie stars with whom we are happy to get lost at sea.

From left, Callum Turner and George MacKay in writer-director Mark Jenkin's
From left, Callum Turner and George MacKay in writer-director Mark Jenkin’s “Rose of Nevada.” (Courtesy Steve Tanner/1-2 Special)

MacKay made no impression at all in the insipid, Oscar-winning World War I gimmick film “1917,” but has since revealed himself to be one of our most adventurous young actors. He was electrifying as a bi-curious, homophobic hooligan in the 2024 Boston Underground Film Festival favorite “Femme,” and nailed multiple roles from swoon-worthy stud to psychopathic incel stalker in Bertrand Bonello’s brain-melting “The Beast.” There’s a performative aspect when most actors play dumb, a theatricality that reminds the audience they’re actually smarter than the character. As our stranded family man Nick, MacKay offers no such condescension. He’s a dim bulb with a big heart in an unfathomable situation; his eyes sometimes touchingly, hilariously blank. So much is already beyond Nick, and then all this happens.

Most readers probably know Turner as Mr. Dua Lipa. For those who have trouble keeping track of their cute British boys, he’s the jug-eared, scruffy one who isn’t Josh O’Connor. I’ve never understood the hubbub about this guy, but he won me over here. It’s tough to recall a character in a science-fiction story quite like Liam, who, when experiencing something as foundation-shattering as time travel, figures, “Sure, why not?” and rolls with it. MacKay has some hilarious reaction shots to his screen partner’s blithe acceptance of their new reality. Though I suppose it helps that in this alternate 1993 timeline, Liam winds up with a beautiful wife and daughter, while Nick just gets stuck with overbearing parents.

I’ve been turning over the movie’s ending in my mind for a couple of weeks. “Rose of Nevada” comes to a conclusion both hopeful and bittersweet, depending on how you want to read it. This is an odd, beguiling film that doesn’t look or sound like anything else you’ll see in theaters this year. The raggedly beautiful imagery is a feast of rust and decay, the film itself dinged up like it’s followed the boat here from a distant, mysterious time.


“Rose of Nevada” opens at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Friday, July 10.

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New Mexico

Wild rat in New Mexico tests positive for the plague after 4 confirmed cases in dogs

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Wild rat in New Mexico tests positive for the plague after 4 confirmed cases in dogs


A wild rat in New Mexico tested positive for the plague after four dogs were diagnosed with the troubling disease earlier this year, according to authorities.

A homeowner discovered the plague-ridden rodent dead on a private property in Santa Fe County and submitted it for testing, according to the New Mexico Health Department.

A wild rat tested positive for the plague after four dogs were diagnosed with the disease earlier this year. Carlos Aranguiz – stock.adobe.com

It is the first confirmed wild animal in Santa Fe County to test positive for the illness caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria in 2026, the health department said.

The case follows four other confirmed plague cases in dogs this year — including three pooches in Santa Fe County and one in Bernalillo County.

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“While this is an animal case of plague, it’s important to remember humans can get plague from flea bites or direct contact with infected animals, including rodents, wildlife and even pets,” Dr. Chad Smelser, deputy state epidemiologist for NMDOH, said in a statement.

“Pets can be infected with plague if they eat an infected animal or are bitten by infected fleas,” Smelser said.

People and pets can get the plague after being bitten by infected fleas or after direct contact with infected animals. Tomasz – stock.adobe.com

Although human cases of the plague are rare, roughly half of all cases in the US each year occur in New Mexico, according to the health department.

The disease can be life-threatening without proper treatment, but if it’s caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics, officials added.

Symptoms in humans include sudden high fever, chills, headache, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes.

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Infected pets similarly suffer from fever, low energy, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes, experts added.

The New Mexico Health Department cautioned residents to take several steps to prevent themselves and their pets from contracting the plague, including cleaning up areas near homes where rodents could live. Bruce – stock.adobe.com

The New Mexico Health Department cautioned residents to take several steps to prevent themselves and their contracting the plague — including cleaning up areas near homes such as woodpiles, brush piles, junk and abandoned vehicles, where rodents could live.

Pet food and water should be kept away from where rodents and wildlife can get to them, and people should stay away from sick or dead rodents and rabbits.

Pets should use veterinarian-approved flea control products and be promptly taken to a veterinarian if they are sick.

Last year, a man in Arizona and a domestic cat in Colorado died of the bubonic plague.

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A 43-year-old man from Valencia County in New Mexico was also hospitalized with the disease in 2025.



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