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By Greg Knight, News of the North
The 2025 U.S. Coast Guard Buoy Tender Round-Up Olympics was held in Juneau Wednesday, August 20 at the Coast Guard Station in downtown.
The BTR Olympics is an annual event that gives participants an opportunity to receive specialized training, discuss ways of enhancing effectiveness, and test the seamanship skills that enable crews to excel at Aids to Navigation missions in the Arctic.
Events included the chain pull, line toss, boom spot, tug-o-war, and heat-and-beat events.
Crew members from the vessels Kukui, Cypress, Fir, Aspen, Anthony Petite, and Elderberry took part.
Lieutenant Megan Grimes is the Coast Guard’s spokesperson for the event in Juneau. Aboard the Kukui, she told News of the North about the value events like the Olympics have in day-to-day operations in Alaska.
“The Olympics are very important because it’s essentially a skills competition,” Lt. Grimes said. “These are skills that the units employ underway during normal operations, and it’s a way to showcase the that proficiency, and with some friendly competition, rile each other up, see who does it best, and also learn from each other and learn from each other’s best practices.”
Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Shane Wood of the Cutter Cypress said unit cohesion among Alaskan units grows thanks to events like this one.
“The big thing that we do here is the networking, everybody comes together in one centralized area, which is uncommon,” BM2 Wood said. “So, unit to unit, we can help each other, as well as [help] within our own unit. We learn how to work together, through these events and the trainings we attend.”
The heat-and-beat competition, which involves heating a shackle pin with a torch until it’s glowing orange, and then using sledgehammers to drive the pin into place and secure a new chain link for a buoy, featured Rear Admiral Bob Little and Ensign Camden Martin on a team.
BM2 Wood said is was great to see a senior officer like Admiral Little, who is commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, take part in the event.
“You get to see their appreciation for what we do, and the lower ranks, they can see that they they actually care about the job and what we do,” Wood added. “It’s super cool to see them out here doing heat and beats and doing the work.”
Crews aboard Coast Guard buoy tenders in Alaska service more than 1,300 navigational aids along 33,000 miles of coastline, as well as conduct search and rescue, environmental protection and law enforcement missions.
NOTN- The Glory Hall shelter says it will stop offering dayroom services to non-residents later this month, citing worsening safety conditions around the facility.
The Glory Hall, which offers food, shelter and daytime support at its Teal Street location, plans to end its day services on Aug. 26.
Going forward, only individuals staying overnight at the shelter will have access to the dayroom. Others will be allowed inside only when meeting with a case manager, clinician, or outreach worker.
“The Teal Street area is probably the most major area of JPD patrol right now. There’s a lot of extra patrol that goes on over there.” Said Deputy City Manager Robert Barr.
Barr said the city will continue discussions with shelter staff, police and service providers in the coming weeks as the shift takes effect.
The Glory Hall has served Juneau’s unhoused community for decades. Its decision to adjust services comes amid continued assaults, criminal activity, and “general chaos” near the Teal Street site, including sales of illegal drugs and stolen goods.
Despite more than a year of meetings with residents and city officials, the board says the environment is no longer tenable.
By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
The Alaska State Legislature gaveled in and out Tuesday as a technical step in running down the clock on a special session, slated to end Aug. 31.
Legislative leaders say they’ve already accomplished their priorities — successfully overriding two vetoes by Gov. Mike Dunleavy — and have no interest in taking up further business this month. Dunleavy had called the special session and asked lawmakers to work on education and agriculture measures.
The House and Senate presiding officers — House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, and Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak — were both on a morning flight that was delayed due to Juneau fog, pushing back the planned floor sessions for more than an hour. But within minutes, they adjourned both the House and Senate until another session at 10 a.m. Aug 31. That’s also expected to be a brief formality, known as a “technical” session.
“We’re going to stand our ground,” Edgmon said in an interview afterward. “And if he wants to call us back in,” he said referring to the chance of the governor calling another special session, “‘second verse same as the first,’ you know. The results are going to be ‘second verse same as the first,’ too.”
Edgmon and Stevens both confirmed that the governor’s education policy priorities would be considered by a new joint education funding task force, which is scheduled to meet Aug. 25, and in the regular session in January.
Stevens also pointed to the next session for considering a new Alaska Department of Agriculture, as the Legislature has rejected Dunleavy’s executive order creating one. Dunleavy had asked the Legislature again to act on the order in August.
“If it’s his executive order, we can’t affect that. We can’t amend it. We can’t change it in any way. And so we much prefer to have a bill,” Stevens said in an interview Tuesday. “The advantage of going through the legislative process is that we take the time to study all the issues. We can hear various legislators’ thoughts on it, we can hear from the public, and it just winds up with a better process.”
Sen. Robert Myers, R-North Pole, said by phone on Tuesday that the Republican-led minority caucus supports Dunleavy’s education policy items and would have liked to see them considered. “It was at least an opportunity for us to try to drill down a little further and take some time on different education policies, rather than just talking about the funding that was vetoed and then moving on,” he said.
Jeff Turner, Dunleavy’s communications director, said by email on Tuesday, “it’s disappointing that the legislature is choosing to kick the can down the road.”
Asked whether Dunleavy plans to call another special session this fall, Turner replied that if the governor chose to do so, it would be announced in a press release.
Myers said he’s not confident there would be any further work or negotiation if the governor called another special session. “Of course, that’s his prerogative, but the way that the majorities are behaving, I don’t see that anything significant is going to change, which is, again, disappointing. You know, we should be focusing on our outcomes for our students, not on playing these kinds of political games.”
Five legislators attended the technical sessions, including Rep. Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, and Edgmon in the House and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, and Stevens in the Senate.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Britney Spears is dealing with a messy situation at home.
But she’s also trying to fix it “like no tomorrow.”
Unlike her recent double-nip-slip video, Britney’s not flashing anyone in this video. Even if her “PJs” are a little unorthodox.
So what has some of her fans in such a panic?
Britney Spears is cleaning her home ‘like no tomorrow’
On Monday, August 18, Britney Spears took to social media to share not one but two videos of herself.
This isn’t one of her tropical vacations. Instead, the beloved singer was at home.
In one video, Britney casually sang Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” from 2006, while adjusting a ring light and fiddling with her clothes.
Britney Spears – Instagram Post (08/18/2025) – Messing around with lighting and cleaning my house like no tomorrow 😳😳😳😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/1GzdAn28q3
— Pokémon Spears (@PokemonSpears) August 18, 2025
“Messing around with lighting and cleaning my house like no tomorrow,” Britney captioned the Instagram video.
Sure enough, it does appear that there’s some light household chaos on the floor behind her.
We don’t know what chores she was working on, specifically, around the house.
But singing (and getting distracted with singing) while tidying up is a nearly universal human experience.
Was she singing off key?
In a follow-up Instagram video, Britney Spears was singing a different song — “Kiss” by the late, great Prince.
“I would say, Julia Roberts singing Prince’s ‘Kiss’ off key a touch, but I sounded really good behind the lens lol,” her caption began.
“PSS Wise asses, I do know who I am !!!” Britney wrote preemptively to critics.
“I have eight different languages written on my neck … these are my pjs, but I put these boots on to play with lighting … not the most elegant look but hey!!”
Some scratched their head at referring to her outfit as pajamas.
A polka dot crop top and low rise shorts make for a jaw-dropping ensemble.
Some would consider the outfit uncomfortable — either too much clothing or too little — to serve as “PJs.”
Why the panic?
As is so often the case any time that Britney Spears posts a video, does not post a video, writes a caption, does not write a caption, or simply breathes, some very vocal people on the internet flew into a panic.
People were wringing their hands elsewhere on social media, suggesting that she needs an “intervention.”
To stop her from, what, singing to herself and wearing boots while doing house chores?
Obviously, if singing and getting distracted while cleaning warranted a conservatorship, none of us would be able to order groceries without permission.
So it’s odd to see such a frenzy over such innocuous posts.
But then, many of the counts drumming up “panic” are content farmers who know that they’ll ignite discourse if they pretend that Britney is having a crisis.
Britney Spears Tackles Messy Situation ‘Like No Tomorrow’ & Alarms Fans … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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We have tragic news to report from the world of social media:
TikTok and Instagram star Yarely Ashley Hermosillo has been shot dead near her home in Arizona.
The content creator — who earned hundreds of thousands of followers with her recipes and food vlogs — was just 27 years old.
Yarely Ashley Hermosillo died after being struck by stray bullet
According to a report from police in Glendale, Arizona, Hermosillo was struck by a stray bullet during a road rage incident in which she was not involved.
Yarely was rushed to the hospital by her boyfriend, where she died shortly after being shot.
Her mother and young son were also in the car at the time of the incident.
Glendale police have arrested Jesus Preciado Dousten as the alleged shooter. According to Us Weekly, homicide detectives used video from multiple cameras to identify Dousten as the owner of the vehicle from which the shots were fired.
News of Hermosillo’s passing was confirmed by People magazine and other outlets.
Family of Yarely Ashley Hermosillo pays tribute
Hermosillo’s family has posted a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $12,000 for her funeral and other expenses.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the tragic and unexpected passing of our beloved Yarely. At just 27 years old, Yarely’s life was taken far too soon in a senseless act of violence. She was an innocent victim caught in the middle of a road rage incident between others, leaving her family and friends devastated,” the page reads.
Yarely was a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a beautiful soul whose light touched everyone who knew her. She leaves behind her husband and their 4-year-old son, who now face an unimaginable loss. Yarely’s greatest joy in life was being a mother, and she poured her heart into caring for her little boy.”
The fundraiser concludes with a statement of gratitude to everyone who has offered their support thus far:
“We are forever grateful for every prayer, share, and donation made in Yarely’s honor. Thank you for helping us celebrate her life, carry on her memory, and surround her husband, son, siblings and mother with love during this devastating time,” the family wrote, adding:
“May her soul rest in peace, and may her memory live on through the love she gave so freely.”
Our thoughts go out to Yarely Ashley Hermosillo’s loved ones during this enormously difficult time.
Yarely Ashley Hermosillo: Popular Influencer Shot Dead at 27 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Meri Brown appears to be going through it at the moment.
But at least she isn’t going through it alone.
On August 18, the long-time Sister Wives cast member gave thanks for those around her… while also hinting at some recent trouble in her life.
She didn’t delve into many details, however.
“When the storm rolls in, you find out real quick who your warriors are,” Meri wrote as a caption to her posing with three friends (one of whom is best pal Jenn Sullivan) in matching shirts.
She added:
“This week has been a straight up shit show! You know the weeks, the ones that come at you from every angle…. accusations, heartbreak, frustration, mistakes, and chaos that just won’t quit. The kind of week that thinks it’s going to break you.”
Accusations? Heartbreak?!?
How interesting, right? As far as we know, Meri hasn’t been able to find and/or keep a boyfriend since walking away from Kody Brown, so it’s unclear just what she’s referring to here.
In this latest post, Meri emphasized that the aforementioned events did NOT break her.
“This group here, this little group of fierce and unapologetic women, we’re not about to let that happen,” she wrote of her friends.
“These are my people. My ride or die people. We laugh together and cry together. We have each others backs and will stand shoulder to shoulder when the world tries to knock us down. We’ll ride at dawn for each other without hesitation because showing up for each other is just what we do!”
It’s worth noting, we suppose, that Meri doesn’t include any of her former sister wives (Janelle, Robyn or Christine) in this group.
But that shouldn’t come as any surprise to TLC viewers.
Meri isn’t close to any of those women.
“These women aren’t just friends, they’re warriors. They’re therapists, truth tellers, soul healers, and solution strategists,” the reality star went on.
“They’re partners in crime who don’t flinch at the mess or run from the storm. They lean in. They show up. They lock arms and remind me, and each other, who the hell we are what the hell we’re capable of.
“I am beyond blessed, beyond grateful, and beyond words. When the world feels like it’s on fire, these are the kind of women you want in your corner.
“I’m so glad they’re in mine.”
What a nice sentiment and message, don’t you think?
Meri has been on her own for over three years now.
She, Janelle and Christine all made the right decision awhile back to leave relationships that were entirely one-sided.
Meri has made it clear of late that she’s not getting back together with Kody, and also that the last couple years have taught her some essential life lessons.
“I’m learning about myself while I do it, and learning about what I do and don’t want, [and] what I will [and] I won’t tolerate,” the reality star previously told Parade, adding of the challenges of dating:
“I would love to meet somebody just organically out in public, but I just don’t know how to do that. It’s really hard.”
Meri Brown Hints at “Accusations, Heartbreak” in Cryptic Instagram Post was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip