A cruise ship emerges from a fog bank Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Juneau. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
NOTN- As Alaska wraps up another strong cruise season with over 3 million visitors to the state, Juneau Sen. Jesse Kiehl says work is ongoing to reduce environmental impacts from visiting ships, including discussions about transitioning to cleaner fuels.
Kiehl said Juneau’s port saw about 1.7 million cruise visitors this year, a slight increase from 2024, according to industry data presented at the Alaska Travel Industry Association conference.
Kiehl, who has long advocated for environmental safety in the visitor industry, said he’s in talks about transitioning from scrubber systems, which trap air pollutants but can discharge waste into the ocean, to cleaner-burning fuels.
“It’s got a price tag, and some of the lines are talking to me about what that costs and what the impact would be, and some are keeping that a trade secret, which makes it a little harder to make a good, rational policy decision.” Said Kiehl.
Kiehl said he has no new policies, proposals or bills to announce, but attended a panel hosted by the Southeast Conservation Council, and says, “The best outcome, is to have a visitor industry that’s good for the economy but doesn’t have those impacts on the environment. We’re trying to find the best pathway to get there.”
According to SEACC, discharge from scrubber systems can be toxic to marine life even at very low concentrations.
Aaron Brakel of SEACC writes, “While scrubbers may seem beneficial — removing pollution from the air — they allow ships to continue burning dirty fuel, transferring those pollutants to the millions of gallons of acidic, polluted wastewater discharged into our living marine waters daily.”
The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in Richmond, Va.CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY
The burying ground looks like an abandoned lot.
Holding the remains of upward of 22,000 enslaved and free people of color, the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in Richmond, Virginia, established in 1816, sits amid highways and surface roads. Above the expanse of unmarked graves loom a deserted auto shop, a power substation, a massive billboard. The bare ground of the cemetery is strewn with weeds.
In contrast, across the way sits Shockoe Hill Cemetery. Established in 1822, it remains a peaceful cemetery with grass, large trees and bright marble headstones. This cemetery was created for white Christians.
I am an archaeologist who studies how the past shapes public life. Several years ago, I wrote with colleagues about the legacies of stolen human remains of African Americans in museums. During this time, I learned more about how African Americans often had to bury their dead in unsanctioned spaces that received few protections.
As I dug into this history, what struck me the most was that the different treatment of African Americans in death paralleled their long mistreatment in life. Places like Shockoe have not been accidentally forgotten.
Although its purpose has endured and graves survive, Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, the largest burial ground for enslaved and free people of color in the United States, has witnessed deliberate acts of violence. As the historian Ryan K. Smith writes, Shockoe “was not, as some would say, abandoned – it was actively destroyed.”
African burying grounds found and lost
This issue of protecting Black cemeteries first came to popular attention in 1991, when the African Burial Ground in downtown New York City was rediscovered and nearly obliterated by a construction project. It was preserved only through the valiant efforts of African American leaders and scientists.
Smith has detailed how, ever since Richmond’s founding in the 1730s, people of European and African descent in the city lived divided lives. By the early 1800s, officials formalized different cemeteries for Richmond’s different ethnic and racial communities.
A 1-acre cemetery for free Black people and another one for enslaved people were situated near the city poorhouse and gunpowder depot. Yet, these grounds were hallowed to the African American community. Burial rituals included long processions, biblical-inflected homilies, spirituals and public displays of grief.
However, the violations of these graves were easy enough. The cemetery was neither fenced nor formally tended. In the 1830s, medical schools began robbing the burying ground for cadavers. At the close of the Civil War, retreating Confederates exploded the gunpowder magazine, reportedly destroying a section of the cemetery.
City officials formally closed the cemetery in 1879, and the site’s systematic destruction began, despite constant objections of Black residents. Road and construction projects cut through the burial grounds. An African American editor at the time denounced the “people who profited by the desecration of the burial ground … when graves were dug into, bones scattered, coffins exposed and the hearts of the surviving families made to bleed by the desecration of the remains of their loved ones.”
In the years that followed, a railroad track and an elevated highway were built on portions of the cemetery. In 1960, Richmond city officials sold a portion of the burying ground to Shell, and a gas station was built atop the remains of human beings.
The struggle to preserve Shockoe
In 2011, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources conducted a survey to determine the eligibility of the deserted auto shop for the National Register of Historic Places. It did not even consider the history of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground beneath and around the building as part of the site’s evaluation.
Six years later, McQueen learned that her ancestor was interred at the burying ground. Horrified by the cemetery’s state of disarray, she became its leading advocate. Eventually, McQueen put together a team of scholars and preservationists to pursue their own study of the site’s eligibility for the national register. They found the cultural landscape – the traces of human activity that give a place its history and meaning – to be highly significant.
Additionally, the site’s history of destruction was a vital record of the unequal treatment shown toward Black burying grounds in the U.S. The team formally pursued its own nomination to the National Register of Historic places.
Even with this success, the threats continue. Being listed on the national register provides prestige, grant opportunities and reviews for federal projects, but few guaranteed protections. In the same year Shockoe was listed on the national register, utility lines were installed in the area without consulting heritage officials.
A high-speed rail project, if implemented as planned, could violate the cemetery’s historical landscape. Designs for a memorial, while well intentioned, might further harm the site and threaten its national register status if it is not treated as a cemetery with graves.
What the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground reveals is the need for the U.S. to provide dignity to all its citizens, in life and in death. A cemetery does not need famous inhabitants or marble tombstones to be significant.
As McQueen has said of her ancestor’s eternal resting ground, “Burial spaces are sacred.”
I have sat in on some meetings about the burial ground’s preservation as a heritage expert, at the request of the descendant Lenora McQueen.
The singer-songwriter has been open about his newfound passion for diet and exercise, and fans have been cheering him on as he transforms his life and physique.
But the amount of weight that Jelly Roll has lost in just a matter of months has left some fans worried about his health.
Jelly Roll performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Slimmed-down Jelly Roll creates concern among fans
Jelly Roll — whose real name is Jason Bradley Deford — revealed in April that he had dropped from 540 pounds to 357 pounds
Now, new photos of Deford seem to indicate that he’s shed even more pounds — and the situation has left fans concerned.
His current weight is unknown, but Page Six has obtained photos of Deford on his current tour in Australia.
And the country-crossover musician is nearly unrecognizable in his slender new form.
Jelly Roll performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Jelly Roll shares milestones along weight loss journey
Deford tells fans that he “started fighting to save [his] own life” in 2016.
“I’ve been obese since I was a small child,” he wrote online at the time. “All I’ve ever known was being fat, and I’m f–king miserable.”
Since then, he’s been working with a nutritionist and a trainer, both of whom follow him on tour.
The weight loss was gradual at first, but beginning in 2023, fans began to notice that Jelly Roll was rapidly dropping sizes.
Jelly Roll performs on stage during “Lainey Wilson: Whirlwind World Tour” at Bridgestone Arena on October 02, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Some fans have gone so far as to suggest that Deford has developed an unhealthy fixation with weight loss.
“I’m gonna lose another 100 pounds and go skydiving with my wife in Sweden, baby!” he said during a recent episode of Pat McAfee’s podcast.
“I wanna be on the cover of Men’s Health by March of 2026… I want to have one of the biggest transformations.”
But for all of the fears about his health, it seems that Jelly Roll is happier than ever.
“I can fit in Louis Vuitton now. Pray for my bank account,” he recently wrote on Instagram.
We applaud his progress — but we hope Jelly Roll is keeping his health and overall well-being in mind.
But, at times, Jill has seemed to get more heat from her family than her disgraced brother Josh.
Now, she reveals, she’s in a “rebuilding phase” with her relatives. Is that for the best?
On the “Shiny Happy People” documentary, Jill Duggar tried to convey the complex emotions that she still feels towards her horrible parents. Husband Derick Dillard was by her side. (Image Credit: Amazon Prime)
How are things for Jill Duggar and her extended family?
“Right now with my family, we’re definitely in a rebuilding phase,” Jill characterized of where things stand today.
“So,” she explained, “we do have stronger relationships with siblings and family and all of that.”
Jill specified that she and Derick and their three children — Israel, Samuel, and Frederick — now receive invitations to some family events.
That may sound normal in most families.
But, for the Dillards, it was not the case for a good while.
On Nightline, Jill Duggar discussed her strict cult upbringing. (Image Credit: ABC News)
‘We needed time’
“When we get together with family, which is not just weddings and funerals for us now,” Jill Duggar revealed.
She shared: “There was a time where we didn’t see a lot of my family except at weddings and funerals.”
This, Jill diplomatically phrased it, was “just because we needed time.”
According to her, there have been stops and starts along the way in the journey to reconciliation.
“It’s like [we] take a couple steps forward and then a step back [in our relationships with them],” Jill explained.
Jill Duggar tells her story during an appearance in a documentary about her family. (Photo Credit: Amazon Studios)
“[We’re] just trying to work through and work out and keeping healthy boundaries in place,” Jill emphasized.
She affirmed that she enforces boundaries “because that’s necessary.”
Jill stressed: “We are protecting our core family as we move forward.”
We know that she has spent time with her mother and many of her sisters.
But Jill is closer to some siblings than to others.
Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard film a confessional segment for her family’s TLC reality show during the early days of their marriage. (Image Credit: TLC)
Some bridges can be rebuilt — but maybe some should stay burned
In their book and on Shiny Happy People, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard exposed many aspects of Jim Bob’s behavior.
Jim Bob also banned Jill from the family compound, claiming that she might be a “bad influence” on her own siblings. Nasty man.
Not too long ago, Jim Bob and Jill seemed to be getting along. But it turned out that he’d ambushed Jill and Derick for a photo op.
It’s great to hear that Jill is building up relationships with many of her siblings again.
But, for her sake and that of her children, we hope that she never feels obligated to speak to Jim Bob again. She deserves better. Doesn’t everyone?
“Fake piercings and fake tatts 4 life,” she wrote in the caption of one post.
(Speaking of written commentary, the comments are off for North’s TikTok posts … which is absolutely right, because she is 12 years old)
However, there has been vocal backlash online.
And while some people are saying truly horrible things about this actual child, most critics are directing their ire at Kim.
Kim Kardashian and North West bond in the kitchen during this Season 4 episode of The Kardashians. (Image Credit: Hulu)
The internet had a lot of opinions (or the same opinion over and over again)
As you can see, a lot of people had some very critical things to say about the new look.
“I see North West is going south,” one reply quipped.
“What happens when you have Kardashian for a mother,” tweeted another.
One truly absurd commenter wrote: “Not even joking, Kim is probably a worse influence on her than Kanye could ever be.”
Just for the record, if you think that any styling choices — Halloween costume or TikTok stunt or otherwise — compare to being a self-proclaimed fan of Adolf Hitler, you have truly lost the plot.
On The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian addresses the confessional camera. (Image Credit: Hulu)
And so many people compared North’s look to beloved former actress Amanda Bynes that the latter’s name was actually trending on what was once Twitter.
“I know she’s a little girl finding her style but it’s giving Amanda Bynes,” tweeted one commenter.
“She Looks like Amanda Bynes,” observed another. “Maybe this is a look for Halloween, I hope so.”
And another asked: “Amanda Bynes cosplay or is it Halloween early?”
Folks, the primary reason for this comparison is just cheek tattoos. Bynes got some ink back in the day. North is wearing fake ones.
While all decked out ahead of her Milan show, Kim Kardashian appeared to be all geared up to fight Thanos and win. (Image Credit: Hulu)
Is there something wrong?
To be clear, what’s ruffling people’s feathers is that North West is experimenting with her look.
She’s 12. There are very few better times in life to be figuring out your personal sense of style. (Which will continue to evolve — she isn’t even a teenager yet!)
Sure, a few overly credulous folks seem to think that North is getting facial tattoos. That’s probably ill-advised for most tweens. But, obviously, that’s not what’s really happening.
Believe it or not, Kim seems to be making a good choice right now.
Kids who don’t ever have any say over their own hair, clothes, and general presentation tend to make the most radical changes the moment that they get the chance as young adults.
Kim is finding that balance better than a lot of parents out there.
With The Chrisleys: Back To Reality, Todd and Julie Chrisley to push their side of the story.
But the Chrisley docuseries held some “inaccurate depictions,” according to one family member.
Lindsie is currently at odds with most of her family.
But she’s promising to counter aspects of their narrative that she says are untrue. And she’s bringing documentation to back it up.
On Fox News, Todd Chrisley describes learning of his pardon while in prison. (Image Credit: Fox News)
Lindsie has some bones to pick with Todd Chrisley and his version of events
After their release from prison, Todd and Julie Chrisley almost immediately began appearing on Lifetime’s The Chrisleys: Back To Reality.
There have been a lot of reactions.
To be blunt, the circumstances of Todd and Julie’s early release and their statements in the aftermath caused a lot of sympathy for the family to evaporate.
On Lifetime, it’s clear that the main Chrisley family has a lot of input on their portrayal.
But daughter Lindsie Landsman, who changed her name from Chrisley to distance herself from her toxic relatives, is calling out what she calls “inaccurate depictions.”
On her now-estranged family’s former show, Lindsie Chrisley wore her version of her family’s big hairstyle. (Image Credit: WEtv)
“I never had any intention of doing this,” Lindsie admitted on her Southern Tea podcast.
“The Lifetime documentary of my family came out,” she acknowledged.
“And,” Lindsie shared, “a lot of the things that were aired were inaccurate depictions of what has transpired.”
She is vowing to expose both the emotional and the psychological toll that the Chrisley family drama has exacted upon her.
“I will share my truth, Lindsie vowed.
Clearly, Todd Chrisley is still unpacking a lot of thoughts and feelings after two years behind bars. (Image Credit: YouTube)
Lindsie is promising more to come
Calling out Todd and Julie Chrisley on Wednesday’s podcast episode was just the beginning, by the way.
Still chatting with podcast partner Kailyn Lowry, she’ll share more on Coffee Convos on October 23.
Patreon subscribers will hear more on October 24.
Not since The CW’s Arrowverse have we had such a crossover event.
This will be more than just opinion, Lindsie promises. She says that she’s backing up her side of the story with previously unseen documentation. That means legal letters, emails, and court filings.
In July 2025, Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley are just two spouses, sitting on a podcast, 5 feet apart for whatever reason. (Image Credit: YouTube)
As you may recall, Lindsie says that she has been a victim of blackmail — blackmail that she accuses her own family of orchestrating.
The goal, she says, was the threaten her into silence.
Years ago, she reportedly contacted authorities — including the FBI — following her disgraced father’s indictment.
She sought a restraining order against Todd. According to Lindsie, he threatened to release a private sex take of hers if she did not perjure herself on his behalf in court.
During their ABC interview, Todd Chrisley spoke about feeling “changed” by prison while seated beside wife Julie Chrisley and daughter Savannah Chrisley. (Image Credit; ABC)
At the end of the day, this is a bitterly painful situation
For reasons known only to them, Lindsie’s own siblings have opted to side with Todd Chrisley — and have publicly disowned Lindsie.
“The prosecutors read the letter Lindsie wrote to the FBI. We’re no longer family,” Savannah Chrisley announced on Lifetime.
Chase Chrisley announced: “If your blood will screw you over, then a stranger definitely will.”
One might suggest that, given her description of events, Lindsie could say the same as Chase did.
And perhaps that would be a good quote for her to read on these podcast episodes. We’ll see what she has to say.
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