06-12-2025  12:39 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

NORTHWEST NEWS

Juneteenth 2025 Celebrations in Portland and Seattle

Juneteenth is a young federal holiday, but the Black day of independence has been observed since June 19, 1865.

City Council Approves and Increases Central Albina Settlement

Black residents who were forcibly relocated for Emanuel Hospital expansion that never happened, and their descendants, sued over loss of property, wealth and community.

VanPort Mosaic Festival Fights Cultural Amnesia

Two-week event honors survivors of VanPort flood, their descendants and survivors of Japanese Internment in annual festival.

Prosper Portland Fights For Continued City Funding

Two city councilors suggest ending city’s funding to wide-reaching economic development agency. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Oregon in Multi-State Legal Fight to Protect Genetic Information in 23andMe Bankruptcy Case

AG Rayfield: People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would be sold off to the highest...

Volunteers Needed: “Beautifying MLK” Black-Led Community Clean-Up Day of Service Set for This Saturday

Led by: The Coalition of Black Men in partnership with Soul District Business Association and fueled by Reimagine Oregon grant funds...

Parklane Park Grand Reopening Event On June 12 - Free for Everyone

Food, face painting, basketball, arts activities, music, and more ...

Class of 2025: Panthers Star Headed to University After Back-to-Back Titles

Hillsboro’s Edy Essien was on PCC’s men’s basketball team that repeated as NWAC regional basketball titles and excelled in...

WA Launches Police Use-of-Force Database

The exchange is a publicly available, cloud-based platform to help the public see and analyze police use-of-force data. ...

OPINION

Policymakers Should Support Patients With Chronic Conditions

As it exists today, 340B too often serves institutional financial gain rather than directly benefiting patients, leaving patients to ask “What about me?” ...

The Skanner News: Half a Century of Reporting on How Black Lives Matter

Publishing in one of the whitest cities in America – long before George Floyd ...

Cuts to Minority Business Development Agency Leaves 3 Staff

6B CDFI affordable capital for local investment also at risk ...

The Courage of Rep. Al Green: A Mandate for the People, Not the Powerful

If his colleagues truly believed in the cause, they would have risen in protest beside him, marched out of that chamber arm in arm with him, and defended him from censure rather than allowing Republicans to frame the narrative. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Pauline Kim CNN

(CNN) -- Massachusetts is appealing a federal judge's ruling that the state must pay for the sex-change surgery of a transsexual prison inmate.

"Following a thorough review of the decision, we believe the court failed to give due deference to the fact that the Department (of Correction) has and continues to provide adequate medical treatment to address inmate Kosilek's gender identity disorder," said Diane Wiffin, public affairs director for the Massachusetts Department of Correction, in a statement Wednesday.

In an unprecedented court order earlier this month, U. S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf determined that sex-reassignment surgery was the "only adequate treatment" for Michelle Kosilek, who was previously known as Robert. Kosilek has been incarcerated in an all-male prison, serving a life sentence without parole for murdering his wife in 1990.

Wolf ruled "that there is no less intrusive means to correct the prolonged violation of Kosilek's Eighth Amendment right to adequate medical care."

Kosilek's attorney's office declined to comment Thursday, citing the pending appeal.

The ruling September 6 sparked some heated reaction.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, said the court's decision was "an outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars."

State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr commended the Department of Correction in a statement Wednesday "for standing up and opposing this outrageous request and for taking the necessary action to prevent it from being legitimized by a legal decision."

There was no immediate reaction from the office of Gov. Deval Patrick.

Many from the transgender community say the ruling should stand.

"Prisoners have a right to necessary medical care, and this is indisputably medical care, as the very strong district court decision established. There really is no legal ground for this appeal," Jennifer Levi, the director of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders' transgender rights project, said in a statement released Wednesday with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.

"Care that is medically necessary for prisoners cannot be denied based on public opinion," said Gunner Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition.

It wasn't until 1999, when Kosilek first filed suit after repeatedly asking the prison for treatment for her disorder, that the court recognized her medical needs, according to Frances Cohen, one of Kosilek's lawyers.

In 2002, the court found that the Department of Correction had refused to provide Kosilek with the proper medical treatment she needed, as had been prescribed by the department's doctors.

That year, Kosilek began to receive psychotherapy and hormone treatments.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, with all operations, therapy, hormone injections and electrolysis, the cost of sex reassignment surgery can range from $30,000 to $80,000.

Court documents show Kosilek attempted to castrate herself and tried to commit suicide twice while incarcerated in an all-male prison in Norfolk. The court ruling left it up to the Department of Correction to decide where Kosilek will be incarcerated after the surgery.

 

theskanner50yrs 250x300