There’s a reason the Presidential Edition God Bless the USA Bible costs nearly $100. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Month: February 2026
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We have shocking news to report out of Ohio today.
Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old teacher and mother of two was shot and killed in the town of Tipp City, roughly 16 miles north of Dayton.
Now, her husband, Caleb Flynn, has been arrested for her murder.
Caleb’s name might be familiar to fans of American Idol, as he auditioned for the show back in 2013.
He did not make it to the second stage of the competition, but his audition was featured on the show, along with a sit-down interview with producers.
He was apprehended on Thursday by the Tipp City PD in Ohio and booked into the county jail for murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
Flynn posed for a mug shot in which there is no discernible expression on his face.
He was arraigned on Friday morning and pleaded not guilty.
Flynn’s bond was set at $2 million, and he’s due back in court for a preliminary hearing on February 26.
In documents obtained by Fox News, prosecutors allege that “Caleb Flynn murdered his wife [redacted] in the morning hours of February 16, 2026.”
In a 911 call obtained by the outlet, Flynn told the dispatcher that he had just arrived home to find his wife murdered.
“Oh my god, somebody broke into my home, somebody’s broken into my home and shot my wife,” he said on the call.
The couple’s two children were in the home at the time of the shooting.
They were reportedly asleep and in a different part of the house and were unharmed.
“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head, there’s blood everywhere. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
After an investigation that unfolded over several days, Flynn was taken into police custody, where he remains.
“The Tipp City Police Department appreciates the community’s patience and support while this collaborative investigative team worked diligently on this complex case,” Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins said in a statement issued Friday.
“She was known for her beautiful smile, warmth, kindness, and the positive impact she had on so many—both in and out of the classroom and on the court,” the school district that Ashley Flynn worked for wrote in a Facebook post.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Caleb Flynn: Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant Arrested For Wife’s … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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The tragic passing of Eric Dane at 53 was a shock to many.
Even those who knew that the end was near are expressing heartbreak in their tributes to the late actor.
Patrick Dempsey was with his late co-star just days before his passing.
But he prefers to focus upon their best memories.
He saw him just last week
On Friday morning, Patrick Dempsey spoke as a guest on Virgin Radio.
There, he acknowledged the tragic passing of Dane mere hours after it became news.
“I just woke up this morning,” he began, “and it was very sad to read the news.”
Dempsey admitted: “It’s hard to put into words.”
He then expressed: “I feel really so sad for his children.”
Dempsey shed light on how much Dane’s health had deteriorated towards the end.
“I was corresponding with him, we were texting,” he revealed.
“So I spoke to him about a week ago,” Dempsey continued, “and some friends of ours went in to see him.”
Grimly, he shared: “And he was really starting to lose his ability to speak.”
Dempsey assessed: “He was bedridden and it was very hard for him to swallow so the quality of his life was deteriorating so rapidly.”
Still, he prefers to discuss who he was in happier times
“He was the funniest man,” Dempsey praised.
“He was such a joy to work with,” he gushed.
“And,” Dempsey affirmed, “I want to just remember him in that spirit.”
He explained: “Because any time he was on set, he brought so much fun to it.
Dempsey then recalled specific moments that he found indelible.
“He had a great sense of humor,” Dempsey shared.
The actor recalled: “He was easy to work with, we got along instantly.”
Many still remember Dane for his first moment on Grey’s Anatomy. That moment was indelible for Dempsey, as well.
“First scene was him, you know, in all his glory, coming out of the bathroom with the towel on looking amazing,” he raved.
Dempsey described Dane in that moment as “making you feel completely out of shape and insignificant.” Still, he emphasized that the men were friends, in part, because they were never in competition.
He has an inspirational takeaway and piece of advice
“There was just this wonderful mutual respect,” Dempsey described.
“He’s wickedly intelligent and I’m always going to remember those moments of fun that we had together,” he affirmed.
“And,” Dempsey continued, “celebrate the joy that he did bring to people’s lives and the real loss is for us who don’t have them anymore.”
Dempsey spoke of Dane’s ALS advocacy, saying: “He did an incredible job at bringing awareness to this horrible disease and those remaining days.”
He opined: “And it just reminds us that we all have to celebrate every day like it’s our last day.”
“It’s something that we have to remember and certainly in a world where there is just so much crisis and there is so much tragedy that we really need to be grateful for every moment that we have,” Dempsey expressed.
“Spend time with our families, do things that are better, that benefit of other people to be of service to be kind, to be loving … these values,” he listed.
“With our leadership unfortunately that we’re seeing around the world and certainly in America,” Dempsey grimly acknowledged, “with this horrible, corrupt government that is currently running America.”
He emphasized: “We have to remember to treat our neighbors and our friends with the right values.”
That is sound advice — and a worthy tribute to a dearly departed friend.
Patrick Dempsey Says Eric Dane Lost Ability to Speak Toward End of Life was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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AP-Thousands of Black soldiers performed the backbreaking work of transforming rough-hewn wilderness in extreme weather swings during World War II to help build the first road link between Alaska and the Lower 48.
The work of the segregated Black soldiers is credited with bringing changes to military discrimination policies. The state of Alaska honored them by naming a bridge for them near the end point of the famed Alaska Highway.
Now, eight decades later, the aging bridge needs to be replaced. Instead of tearing it down, the state of Alaska intends to keep two of the bridge’s nine trestles in place as a refashioned memorial. The others will be given away.
Two spans will become the memorial
The state of Alaska will replace the 1,885-foot (575-meter) bridge that spans the Gerstle River near Delta Junction, the end point of the Alaska Highway about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Fairbanks.
Seven of the bridge’s trestles are being offered for free to states, local governments or private entities who will maintain them for their historical features and public use.
The two remaining spans from the old bridge, renamed the Black Veterans Memorial Bridge in 1993, will honor the 4,000 or so Black soldiers who built the first wooden bridge over the river while completing the Alaska Highway.
These two sections, the first trestles on either end, will retain the name of the memorial bridge. The new Gerstle River Bridge will unofficially carry the memorial name unless the Legislature also makes it official. The old bridge will remain in place until the new one opens in 2031.
Former mayor wants proper memorial
Mary Leith, a former Delta Junction mayor and member of the historical society, said she’s pleased some of the history will be saved, but she wants the state to have proper signage and a highway pullout area near the historic bridge to allow people to walk on it.
“I would hope that if they’re going to save it, then they save it properly,” she said.
The Black Veterans Memorial Bridge sign will remain and the two sections will be visible from the new bridge, but both will be blocked off to prevent people from climbing or vandalizing them, said Angelica Stabs, a spokesperson for the state transportation department. No pullout is planned.
The new bridge will parallel the existing bridge to the east, leaving about 50 feet of space between it and the old bridge’s location, Stab said.
Soldiers’ work helped integrate the U.S. Army
The project to build a supply route between Alaska and Canada used 11,000 troops from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers divided by race, working under a backdrop of segregation and discrimination. Besides transforming the rugged terrain, the soldiers had to deal with mosquitoes, boggy land, permafrost and temperatures ranging from 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) to minus 70 F (minus 56 C).
“Though conditions were harsh for all, they were nearly unbearable for black soldiers. From the Deep South, most of these soldiers had never encountered anything approaching the severe conditions of the far north. Moreover, since black troops were not typically permitted to use heavy machinery, they made do with picks, shovels, and axes. In addition, they were prohibited from entering towns and were confined to wilderness assignments,” according to a historical account by the National Park Service.
It took Black soldiers working from the north just over eight months to meet up with white soldiers coming from the south to connect the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) gravel road, then called the Alcan Highway, from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction Oct. 25, 1942.
“In light of their impressive performance, many of the black soldiers who worked on the Alcan were subsequently decorated and sometimes deployed in combat. Indeed, the U.S. Army eventually became the first government agency to integrate in 1948, a move that is largely credited in part to the laudable work of the soldiers who built the Alcan,” the National Park Service says.
Road expedited after Japanese attacks
Alaska was still a territory, and officials long wanted such a road to the Lower 48. However, battles over routes and its necessity led to delays.
Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Dutch Harbor in Alaska, along with the Japanese invasions of the Alaska islands Kiska and Attu signaled urgency for the road since the ocean shipping lanes to the West Coast could be vulnerable.
Black soldiers working near Delta Junction built a temporary bridge over the Gerstle River in 1942. Contractors finished the steel structure two years later.
Free bridge comes with caveats
The Alaska transportation department is accepting proposals until March 6 for the seven trestles, but you don’t have to take them all. The state will consider all proposals, even those seeking one or two trestles for uses such as a walkway over a creek in a public park.
Winners will have to abide by certain restrictions including not allowing vehicular traffic, paying for removal, transportation and lead abatement, and maintaining the features that make the bridge historically significant.
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By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Department of Corrections spent over $24 million more than the budget approved by the Legislature last year, with a large portion for staff overtime, raising alarm from lawmakers.
DOC officials submitted their additional budget request to the Legislature earlier this month, part of a routine budget process to account for state spending over the past year — but this year’s price tag for the state’s prison system is at a historic high.
The department requested an additional $20 million for staffing and overtime for last year at the state’s 13 prison and jail facilities.
According to department data provided to the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, there were 15 correctional staff that earned over $100,000 each in overtime pay last year, on top of salary and benefits.
Two correctional officers at the Anchorage Correctional Complex worked over 2,000 hours in overtime last year — one officer topped the list working 2,770 hours of overtime, to earn a total of over $225,000 last year.
DOC officials did not respond to questions about the department’s policies around overtime and mandatory overtime on Thursday, but a spokesperson said the department’s current vacancy rate is 11.5% statewide. In budget documents, DOC officials noted the additional funding was needed for minimal staffing requirements for “24/7 operational readiness.”
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka and co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said while the rising costs in DOC are well-known, going millions over budget is a problem as lawmakers grapple with declining state oil revenues and a growing list of state funding needs this year.
“Their budget has been growing exponentially,” he said Thursday. “It’s not fair, because those funds that are being channeled in that direction could go elsewhere.”
DOC’s budget has seen increases year-over-year throughout Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s term, unlike other agencies who have sustained cutbacks. Since 2019, the state budget for DOC has increased 46% to over $437 million last year, according to state data.
The $24 million in additional funds the agency requested also included $1.1 million for community residential treatment centers, or halfway houses, and $2.95 million in health care costs last year.
Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, also serves on the Senate Finance Committee and expressed surprise and concern at the overtime hours presented to the committee on Thursday.
“That’s literally 100 hours a week. All year long,” he said, and questioned if people were running up overtime for a short time in order to retire or leave the department. “So it’s very concerning. You know, obviously I don’t blame anybody for it, but we have to figure out why this is happening, and we just have to do better. We have to be more efficient and make sure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to keep costs down.”
Stedman questioned the state’s contracts with the union representing correctional officers, the Alaska Correctional Officers Association, in accounting for the extensive overtime.
“My concern is maybe they ought to haggle a little bit better when they do their labor agreements, because this is definitely not appropriate for the public treasury to put up with, and it’s got to get corrected,” he said.
Representatives with the union did not immediately respond to emailed questions about lawmakers’ concerns on Thursday.
Last year, over 9,800 people entered DOC custody in institutions or on supervised release on probation or parole, according to state data.
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