The largest Olive Garden in the country is a sight to see: three stories tall, with around 500 seats, you can expect to wait for hours in this iconic location.
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Month: January 2026
The iFork aimed to elevate cutlery literally with a nub that keeps utensils from touching potentially dirty surfaces. But did this company miss the mark?
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Categories
9 Things Costco Employees Can’t Stand
Working at Costco has its ups and downs, but these are the specific things that Costco employees get annoyed by the most, from abandoned carts to litter.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
Reading Time: 4 minutes
She’s done it again!
Jennette McCurdy shocked the world with her debut book, I’m Glad My Mom Died.
The former child actress is now tapping into a different vein of rage in a new novel.
In Half His Age, she’s clearly bringing her own anger at having once dated a “f–king loser” man in his mid-30s when she was in her teens.
This is not her first book, but it is her first novel
Half His Age is out!
Jennette was never comfortable as a child actress because it was never her choice. She is much happier as an author — a successful one, at that.
Half His Age, she told ABC News, is a novel about an 18-year-old girl who is “ravenous.”
Jennette explained that the story is a way for her to “channel my own anger.”
Writing, she said, is “a way of channeling that anger in a healthy way.” The rage is, simply put, part of the healing process.
If you’re wondering why this author had so much rage to fuel her writing, she explained that.
Earlier this month, Jennette sat down on the Call Her Daddy podcast where she very directly discussed being “17 or 18” when a man in his mid-30s befriended her and then initiated a relationship with her.
In her interview, she freely acknowledged how her childhood of emotional and sexual abuse set the stage for a man twice her age to become her boyfriend.
Jennette recalled being a teen and “thinking that I was mature, thinking that I was so smart that this could happen.”
She continued: “I remember thinking like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s just something about me that’s a little different. Like, I’m special.’”
Red flags, red flags
“That’s what it felt like for me,” Jennette continued. “‘I’m special, I can connect with older people, younger people aren’t on my wavelength.’”
This wasn’t just in her own head. She said that the older man reinforced these messages.
“It was, you know, ‘You’re so mature. I can’t talk to anyone this way. I can’t believe how smart you are,’” Jennette described.
“Like, are you kidding me? I was such an idiot. I’m so embarrassed,” she expressed. She is, of course, not to blame.
In contrast, Jennette recalled the man’s male friends being friendly and cordial but feeling a distance from the women in those men’s lives. As an adult, she now sees that those women didn’t hate her — but were judging the man for dating a girl, well, half of his age.
As the interview emphasized, the power imbalance is inherent to age gap relationships to this degree. Even if they had not worked together, having twice someone’s life experience (the younger party being a teenager) is just going to put them on uneven footing.
“That it was ultimately my choice. That it was ultimately up to me. That ultimately, I was the one in charge,” she recalled believing.
“And I think if you feel really powerless, you’ll take that bait,” she explained.
Jennette described: “You know, you’ll take that, and you’ll go, ‘Okay, I really want that feeling of power even though my gut kind of knows this isn’t that, I’ll take what you’re saying, and I’ll try to run with it, and I’ll try to make it into some semblance of power.’”
She reasoned: “If you’re that desperate for it, you will take the bait. And I think I did.”
Certain types of older men tend to zero in on teens who are least prepared to see them coming
It is important to emphasize two things.
The first is that Jennette is not accusing this man of anything illegal. He only joined the show when she was about 18, and had been living in an apartment for 2 months before he (drunkenly) showed up to express his feelings and then cheat on his girlfriend with her. (She did not know this)
Being a “loser,” as she now accurately calls him, is not a crime.
The second is that the years of emotional and sexual abuse from her mother that she described in I’m Glad My Mom Died absolutely set the stage for this.
Jennette spent her childhood feeling powerless, being powerless. Convincing herself that she was choosing this for herself — not to mention that she likely felt that he created a buffer of safety against her mother — made her feel in control.
Combined with her Mormon upbringing, her homeschooling, and more, she had even less preparation than an average 18-year-old might have had within that dynamic.
Jennette McCurdy ‘Half His Age’ Book Channels Rage After Dating a Man Twice … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Nigella Lawson knows how to take a plain Jane dish and make it something really special, so we’re not surprised her Mexican scrambled eggs are divine.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
If you love seafood, especially fresh fish that comes straight off the boat, then you need to head to this small unincorporated Florida fishing village.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
If a restaurant menu says, “local catch,” it might sound self-explanatory, but you could be getting deceived. Here’s everything you need to know.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Erika Kirk wants justice to be done in the case of Charlie Kirk’s murder. And she wants it to happen soon.
As you’re probably aware, a 22-year-old Utah native named Tyler Robinson has been arrested and charged with Charlie’s assassination.
Now, Erika is standing up for her rights as a victim.
According to paperwork filed by her attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, Erika is pushing back against delay tactics from Robinson’s legal team and invoking her right to a speedy trial.
“The Utah Code affords victims of a crime ‘the right to a speedy disposition of the charges free from unwarranted delay caused by or at the behest of the defendant,’” Neiman wrote, according to Yahoo! News.
“This Court is tasked with the critically important function of ensuring the Defendant has a fair trial, but this Court must also do so while balancing Mrs. Kirk’s right to a speedy trial and therefore this Notice invokes Mrs. Kirk’s rights under applicable Utah Code.”
Robinson appeared in court on Friday, but he did not enter a plea.
During his most recent hearing, prosecutors said that they’d completed about 90 percent of the discovery process — meaning they’re just about ready to go to trial.
Robinson, however, hasn’t even faced a preliminary hearing.
Many were disappointed when he once again remained silent in court.
Kirk has mostly remained silent on the subject of Robinson, and this is the first time that she has taken any legal action with regard to his case.
She created minor controversy at a memorial event when she stated that she had already forgiven Charlie Kirk’s killer.
In the months since, countless conspiracy theories have emerged from media figures and social media users who believe either that Robinson did not act alone, or that he’s being scapegoated.
Erika has asked the rumor merchants to stop spreading misinformation, but other than that, she’s remained silent regarding the details of the case.
Stepping into a new role as CEO of Turning Point USA, Erika has been everywhere in recent months, hosting rallies, visiting the White House, and sitting for countless interviews.
Some say she’s exploiting her husband’s death. Others say she’s honoring his memory.
Whatever the case, she’ll likely be even more visible when Robinson’s trial eventually gets underway.
Erika Kirk Blasts Delays In Tyler Robinson Case, Demands Speedy Trial was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
NOTN- Lawmakers, their families and members of the public are invited to gather today at Centennial Hall for the annual legislative welcome, marking the opening day of the Alaska Legislature.
The reception is hosted by the Alaska Committee with support from Travel Juneau, the City and Borough of Juneau and dozens of local businesses. Organizers say the event has been held for nearly three decades and is intended to offer a bipartisan welcome to legislators arriving in the state’s capital for the session.
“The Alaska committee was formed in 1995 and we’ve been doing the reception just about since the very beginning.” Said Wayne Jensen from the Alaska Committee, ”We want all the local community members to come and say hi and welcome to the Capital City. It’s their Capital City.”
According to Jensen, being the Capital City is both a privilege and a responsibility.
“’That responsibility is to be as friendly as we can, and as hospitable as we can and make everything work well for the legislators and the State government.” Said Jensen.
Travel Juneau, the city’s marketing organization, assists with coordination for the event, including catering and use of Centennial Hall, according to Liz Perry of Travel Juneau.
“What we do is, we’re your front and center alongside the Alaska committee, to help make those invitations for people to come down and visit the Capitol, take a look at the building itself. The building is historic, and have a chance to talk with their legislators, if they have not had the opportunity to do so in their hometowns, and promote this as a great Capital City.” Perry said.
Organizers said the welcome also serves as an opportunity to promote in-state travel, noting that many Alaskans from other regions, even Anchorage and Fairbanks, have never visited Southeast Alaska or the Capitol.
Local businesses and organizations will contribute food, gift bags and promotional items for legislators and staff. The city also participates by providing passes to local amenities such as Eaglecrest Ski Area, city pools and public transit.
“We prepare a bag for each one of the offices, and it’s just a way to say welcome to Juneau.” Perry said, “So it can be anything from artwork to books to candy, or an offer of some kind. And we look forward just to saying thank you to our legislators.”
The event is free and open to the public.
By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
Alaska schools, students and education funding will continue to be in focus in the 2026 legislative session set to begin on Jan. 20, but early signs show they are unlikely to be at the center of the political spotlight as they were last year.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy will not be pursuing education policy changes this year, according to a spokesperson with his office on Friday. Instead, he will focus on a state fiscal plan and the proposed development of the Alaska LNG gas pipeline, his office said.
Those policy changes were at the heart of Dunleavy’s objection to increased education funding last year, and he said they were essential to boosting student achievement. He called a special session in August for lawmakers to address his policy items, but legislators took no action other than overriding two of his vetoes.
One of those veto overrides was an historic win for education advocates: it restored a $700 increase to per student funding, known as the base student allocation, adding $50.6 million in education funding to the state’s budget.
Yet many Alaska school districts continue to face steep budget deficits, and struggle to address the rising cost of operations, school maintenance, teacher retention and lost of federal funding. The Anchorage School District — the state’s largest district — is grappling with an $80 million shortfall, however the district and the union representing teachers reached a tentative agreement over the weekend on a new three-year contract. There may also be changes on the federal level because the Trump administration has promised to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, and chair of the Senate Education Committee, said it is still unclear whether lawmakers will again take action this year to increase education funding through the base student allocation. Tobin also co-chairs the special task force on education funding created this year.
“It is difficult to know what the body is willing to do at this point in time,” Tobin said, as lawmakers are in transit back to Juneau this week, and caucuses are meeting to discuss policy priorities.
But Tobin said she anticipates some kind of funding increase to help districts keep up with inflation. “Inflation continues to be a pressing issue in the state, and we don’t want the gains we made by increasing the basic allocation by $700 this last budget cycle to diminish because of inflation,” she said.
Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau is co-chair of the House Education Committee and agreed an inflation adjustment is a major priority. “We don’t want to lose any ground,” she said in an interview Friday, pointing out the increase to the BSA only added $20 per student more than the year before.
Dunleavy told reporters in December he hoped the legislature would pass a bill to launch a pilot program for schools run by Alaska Native tribes, known as tribal compacting, introduced last year. Tobin said the initiative is a priority, and said she supports tribal compacting statewide and wants to see greater tribal consultation and engagement throughout all districts.
She said increasing funding for school maintenance will also be a major priority, as many rural districts grapple with deteriorating facilities and an estimated $800 million in deferred maintenance.
Tobin said members of the task force recently made a visit to a school in Fairbanks with one of three boilers working — in subzero temperatures — and a plan to evacuate students if the last one failed. “That’s 726 students that will be displaced. It will be a huge hit to the Fairbanks education community,” she said. “It has the potential to really harm our students’ learning and what we need to do in Juneau, during this 34th legislature, to set us up for a long term solution on rebuilding our schools, is very much at the forefront of my mind.”
Tobin co-chairs the task force on education funding, which was established this spring to conduct an 18-month study and create policy recommendations for how the state funds schools. Members have expressed interest in a wide variety of policy initiatives: from revisiting the school funding formula, to investigating chronic absenteeism, to student performance and accountability measures, and policy changes sought by the governor like open enrollment and reading incentive programs. They are slated to deliver their recommendations at the start of the next legislative session in 2027.
Tobin said task force members have made visits to schools in Fairbanks, the Matanuska-Susitna, Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula boroughs, and have plans to visit Skagway, Juneau, Bethel and Western Alaska.
Republican leaders of the Senate and House minority caucuses did not respond to interview requests on their priorities for education.
Veto override for additional education funding still in question
Lawmakers could also take up another veto override vote within the first five days of the session. Last year, lawmakers passed a corporate tax bill tied to online sales in Alaska that could generate up to $65 million in revenue that would go to fund career and technical education and K-12 reading improvement programs. Dunleavy vetoed it in September.
Whether lawmakers will take up the override vote next week is unclear. At least 40 of 60 legislators are needed to override the governor’s veto within the first five days of the legislative session.
In August, lawmakers narrowly overrode the governor’s budget veto of last year’s education funding increase by a vote of 45 to 14.
Tobin and Story, as education committee chairs, said the override vote and restoring additional education dollars is essential, especially for reading, and funding programs instituted by the Alaska Reads Act.
House Speaker Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, said via text that the Majority caucus is meeting to discuss legislative priorities this weekend. “Protecting education and public safety items in the budget along with other core services will be a priority in an environment that will be fiscally constrained,” he said.
Edgmon did not confirm whether an override vote would take place, as of Thursday.