Long Island federal court is preparing to sentence Carmine, the eldest of her three sons.
(He should not be confused with Carmine “The Bull” Agnello, who was his father and who also went to prison.)
In 2024, he pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Carmine admitted to misusing COVID-19 relief loans in total of about $1.1 million.
A substantial portion of the money in those loans went to cryptocurrency.
Surprise! Victoria Gotti shows up on an episode of ‘Mob Wives.’ (Image Credit: VH1)
Prosecutors hope that the court will sentence Carmine to 33 to 41 months behind bars.
They are also seeking restitution to the tune of $1.25 million.
Currently, Carmine is out on bond. But with sentencing swiftly approaching, that could soon change.
Her attorney echoed her sentiments. His suggestion to the court is that Carmine receive probation.
Additionally, her lawyer wrote: “Undergoing this transplant means that custody in the [Bureau of Prisons] is a huge risk.”
This date is not going well! You don’t want to give Victoria Gotti the ick. (Image Credit: A&E)
Kidney donation is noble, but might not be a sentencing factor
Federal prosecutors aren’t exactly in agreement.
“Being a kidney donor does not… constitute extraordinary family circumstances,” one US attorney wrote.
The prosecutorial argument is that the Bureau of Prisons is capable of handling things like Carmine’s transportation and medical needs for a kidney donation.
It is, of course, an inspiring thing for a son to give his mother a life-saving organ donation.
But doing good things cannot always cancel out doing bad things. Being a good son and a good citizen are not synonymous.
A long-awaited playground at the Dzantik’i Heeni campus may teach students about municipal politics and the First Amendment, since a few commemorative bricks sold as fundraisers for the project are engraved with messages criticizing Juneau Assembly and school board members.
The messages are from Emil Mackey, a former Juneau Board of Education member, who said in an interview Wednesday he made the donations for the bricks — after his departure from office last fall — to criticize local leaders’ reluctance to fully fund the playground.
“When they chose not to fully fund it, but instead to rely on fundraising, I exercised my First Amendment right to merely point out, using these bricks, that other priorities were chosen over the park to be funded by the Assembly,” he said.
Mackey said the Assembly in the past has promised to fund a park at the site, but instead has withheld some money while spending on other projects including a downtown park, moving City Hall and the gondola at Eaglecrest Ski Ara.
Messages on four bricks purchased by Mackey for $250 each raised concerns among officials: “The City Prioritized A New City Hall Over a New Playground,” “The City Funded a Gondola Over Fully Funding this Project,” “The Assembly Fully Funded the Downtown Park. Not this one,” and “Jenny Thomas voted against funding this park on 1-15-2026.” He also purchased additional bricks with the name of his business and family members.
District and city officials say while they consider the statements inappropriate — and not entirely accurate — the bricks will likely be part of the playground since Mackey could challenge their exclusion on free speech grounds.
“I can’t believe that we are forced to place these bricks at a playground, but that’s where we’re at,” Elizabeth Siddon, the board’s vice president, said in an interview Wednesday.
Thomas, a school board member elected last October, said the brick describing her vote isn’t fully accurate and in context, but she’s not particularly concerned.
“It’s not the first time he’s publicly attacked me,” she said. “I’m sure it’s not going to be the last.”
Mayor Beth Weldon, in a text message to the Independent on Wednesday, stated “It shows poor character to make a playground fundraiser a political platform.”
“We will not try and halt it,” she wrote. “As Emil is no longer on the board I don’t think we will react in any way other than to possibly call him out.”
Municipal Attorney Emily Wright, in an email to the Juneau Independent on Wednesday, stated that general guidance offered to the school board “advised that any response must be consistent with the US and Alaska Constitution as well as JSD School Board policies.”
“We noted that courts have allowed schools to limit speech that is threatening, lewd, vulgar, promotes drug use, is obscene, or is speech that causes ‘substantial disruption,’” she wrote. “However, statements that are passive, non-disruptive, and political speech generally cannot be limited. The First Amendment does not require statements to be true in order to be protected.”
Deciding what to do is ultimately up to the school board, according to Wright. But Mackey said he will indeed challenge a decision that excludes only his bricks.
“If I am approached with legal action or if the bricks are not put down I plan to defend myself and to assert my First Amendment rights,” he said.
A playground at Dzantik’i Heeni has been a priority of many local officials who say Lemon Creek is a neglected neighborhood for public recreational facilities, and the campus is the only one in Juneau with elementary students that lacks a proper playground.
The Assembly on Monday approved $493,000 for the project, bringing total funding from all sources to about $1.3 million — short of a higher total project cost Mackey said he expected city leaders to provide. Among the other major sources of existing funds is a $250,000 matching grant from the Benito and Frances C. Gaguine Foundation, with the “Buy a Brick” campaign raising more than $70,000 and the school board agreeing to provide up to $180,000 to secure the rest of matching funds.
The fundraising website for the brick campaign is no longer active, which Siddon said she believes is due to concerns resulting from the bricks purchased by Mackey.
“There’s no reason we couldn’t still be fundraising to offset the cost of that playground,” she said.
Concern about public reaction to the bricks if they are installed at the playground has been expressed at recent school board meetings.
“Since this is a school playground it needs to be an environment that is safe and welcoming to all of our students,” Melissa Cullum, another board member elected last fall, said during a Feb. 10 meeting. “And I just wonder, if you call it a First Amendment speech issue, where that line is to where we’re keeping our kids safe from these kinds of adult pettiness in a space that’s supposed to be really safe and welcoming.”
Siddon, who during a board meeting Tuesday night said “I just want to make sure the public knows we are aware there are four bricks with disparaging comments on them,” expressed concern Wednesday the bricks will be quickly vandalized. Mackey said he expects if that happens they will be repaired or replaced as any other bricks would be.
When asked about concerns about unfavorable reactions to the messages on his bricks Mackey said “my purpose wasn’t to gain a reaction or to get revenge or anything like that.”
“We have a problem here where people don’t listen to traditional media,” he said. “They don’t even know how their schools are funded. They don’t listen to traditional media. And a lot of politicians are let off the hook — and when I say politicians, I mean good politicians and bad politicians — and not held accountable for their votes and prioritizations. I wanted to leave a record since they were allowing us to leave a record, a memoiral of how this park was happening by buying a brick.”
Wright stated that while similar brick fundraisers have occurred in Juneau, “we are not aware of an issue such as this coming up before.” Siddon said future campaigns will have “more guardrails” defining what type of language donors can use, since a lack of such guidelines is largely responsible for the current situation.
Mackey said he has his own thoughts about what officials should learn from the incident.
“The lesson is if you don’t want to empower people to use their voice don’t privatize what should be a publicly funded project through First Amendment brick sales,” he said.
Lainey Wilson is back with a high-energy new track that dives straight into the restless, rebellious spirit of life. Out today via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, “Can’t Sit Still” offers fans a front-row seat to her unfiltered thoughts and emotions, showcasing a wilder, untamed side of the 16x ACM, 12x CMA, and Grammy Award-winner.
The new song, co-written by Wilson with Trannie Anderson, Aslan Freeman, and Dallas Wilson, pairs the country star’s signature country grit with a driving, upbeat production that matches the song’s untamed energy. “Can’t Sit Still” captures the feeling of someone who is unable to sit still, refuses to be held back, and is living life on their own terms.
Wilson notes how even when she was a little kid in school, she had to sit on her hands to keep herself from getting up and dancing. Further honing in on her wild side, she describes herself as being “an outside dog on an inside leash” and “a raindrop running down a cracked windshield.”
Lainey Wilson – Can’t Sit Still
“I ain’t caught my breath/ Since I took my first/ So I guess I’ll rest/ When I’m in the dirt/ It’s a sweet relief It’s a bitter pill/ I’m an addict It’s a habit I can’t kill/ I can’t sit still/ I can’t sit still,” she sings on the chorus, with vocals as bold as the song itself.
Her signature tone offers both confidence and vulnerability while conveying the restless energy and defiant spirit that lives within her. Every note of the track features a driving beat that never slows down, drawing listeners into her whirlwind of emotions.
Along with the song, the “Somewhere Over Laredo” singer also introduced an edgy new look, which finds her dressed in a series of all-black leather ensembles in the accompanying music video.
“Can’t Sit Still” perfectly mirrors Lainey Wilson’s own momentum in life right now. Just like the song’s restless energy, she’s constantly on the move. She recently made her film acting debut in Universal’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him and is the subject of a new in-depth documentary titled, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool, which is set to arrive April 22 on Netflix.
Fans can also catch Wilson taking the stage at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, where she is nominated for Country Artist of the Year and Favorite Tour Tradition.
Her busy schedule doesn’t stop there. The Louisiana native also just wrapped up the final leg of her Whirlwind World Tour and will continue to tour through this summer. She is set to deliver headline sets at Stagecoach, JazzFest and Windy City Smokeout as well as select stadium dates with Chris Stapleton.
A complete list of Lainey Wilson’s 2026 tour dates can be found on her official website.
The Haines Glacier Bears scored from every nook and cranny of Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center in their opening 68-34 win over the Tikigaq Harpooners in the March Madness Alaska 2A Basketball State Championships on Thursday.
“Man, we have been sitting for six days, wasn’t quite sure how we would come out,” Haines coach Bryan Combs said. “Four days in Anchorage sitting in hotel rooms, minimal gym time. Man…Big stage that none of us on this squad are used to. So it was a big question mark how we would come out. We started a little bit slow and not taking care of the ball, and we woke up on the defensive end and made it real tough for that team. They didn’t make shots and I think we caused part of that.”
The #3 seeded Glacier Bears never trailed from the start over #6 seed Tikigaq as senior James Stickler hit his patented up-and-under inside basket for an opening sign of things to come.
Tikigaq senior Jacob Lane would tie the game on a drive, but the Harpooners would be chasing the Glacier Bears the entire game.
Haines would take a 9-2 lead on a free throw by junior Brody Ferrin, a Stickler outback, a steal and full court layup by senior Colton Combs, and then a Combs assist to Stickler.
Tikigaq battled back to trail 9-7 behind two Lane jumpers, one from past the arc, but Haines’ Combs drove in through traffic again for an 11-7 lead.
Tikigaq junior Samuel Jackson scored as the quarter ended for 11-9 and it would be the closest the Harpooners would get to the Glacier Bears again.
Combs would score 10 points and Stickler six in the second quarter. Sophomore Isaac Jones came off the bench to add five points in the stanza, and senior John Davis and junior Wade Lloyd hit a basket as well.
As the first half came to a close Combs hit from the arc and on the Glacier Bears’ next possession he fed Stickler who scored inside at the buzzer for a 36-18 lead.
Haines’ inside-outside duo of Combs and Stickler would prove to be too much for Tikigaq as they scored a game-high 26 and 20 points, respectively.
“Those two kids have grown up together,” Haines coach Combs said. “They have been best friends since they were in diapers. They have hunted together, trapped together, fished together, wrestled together, play basketball together…They are just two Southeast boys just like every other community that have grown up being around each other…Man, what better combo than a nice smooth guard and a big meathead. It is a beautiful thing.”
Haines opened the second half outscoring Tikigaq 18-6 and led 54-24 heading into the final stanza. Tikigaq senior Jacob Lane hit two shots past the arc in the fourth quarter but the Harpooners were still outscored 14-10 in the stanza.
“Three or four minutes of game time we played not real good basketball,” Haines coach Combs said of the game. “But we pulled through before the end of the first quarter. To be on this stage that they have never been on before and to be able to respond to not playing well for four minutes was a real eye opener.”
Combs had two made shots past the arc, eight closer in, and four free throws to total his 26 points. Stickler had 10 shots in the paint for his 20 points. Davis added seven points, Jones and Ferrin five apiece, Lloyd four and junior Kyran Sweet one. The Glacier Bears totaled four made shots past the arc, 25 closer in and hit 6-10 at the free throw line. Haines will play a semifinal at 7:45 p.m. Friday against the winner of #2 Unalakleet and #7 Tok.
Lane led Tikigaq with 19 points on three shots past the arc and 10 inside, Jackson added six points, junior Justin Attungana and sophomore Jacob Lane IV three apiece, freshman Caleb Logan Lane two and senior Luther Lane one. The Harpooners made five shots past the arc, eight closer in and hit 3-6 from the line. Tikigaq plays a consolation semifinal at 12:30 p.m. Friday against the Unalakleet/Tok loser.
Metlakatla junior Gianni Scudero-Hayward is fouled by a Su Valley player during the Chiefs’ 50-39 win over the Rams in their opening game at the 2026 ASAA March Madness Alaska 2A Basketball State Championships on Thursday, March 12, in Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)
2A Boys – METLAKATLA 50, SU VALLEY 39
The Metlakatla Chiefs, seeded fourth heading into the state tournament, showed the state their ranking was a little soft as they methodically dismantled the No. 5 seed Su Valley Rams 50-39 on Thursday to open their March Madness Alaska 2A Basketball State Championships in Anchorage.
Su Valley had trapped in the half and full court early through the first quarter, forcing some Metlakatla turnovers and earning transition baskets for a 12-5 lead behind the leadership of senior Austin Barnard. The Chiefs’ Rocco Lindsey scored two shots off the glass and Gianni Scudero-Hayward hit a free throw to close to 12-10.
The Chiefs had faced the Rams earlier in the season, beating the Rams 45-37 on Jan. 9.
“We knew about Austin Barnard, he is just a really incredible athlete,” Metlakatla coach TJ Scott said. “A great player. He can shoot from the perimeter and, as you saw, if we let him get out in transition he is putting two-hand dunks down and getting the crowd revved up.”
Su Valley’s Barnard got the crowd revved up on the first play of the second quarter. With a 12-10 lead, he threw down a dunk that started an 8-0 run and put the Rams up 20-10.
A time out by coach Scott settled the Chiefs and Rocco Lindsey put a shot in off glass, and junior Cruz Lindsey buried a shot past the arc. Su Valley’s Barnard answered with scores in between. But Metlakatla knew then they belonged on the court and finished the quarter on a 10-0 run to lead 25-24 at the half. The scoring splurge included a rebound cutback by C. Lindsey, shots from the arc by senior Sebastian Martinez and junior Gianni Scudero-Hayward, and a drive by Martinez.
“We kind of played into their game in the first half,” Scott said. “It is all about ball control for us and getting into the half-court, and stops on defense…Cruz Lindsey hit a corner three that kind of stopped the bleeding, but that corner three made us all take a deep breath, relax and then we got back. From that moment on we played our game at our speed, took care of the ball, got great looks which was what we needed to do.”
The Metlakatla defense clamped down on Su Valley in the third quarter, holding the Rams to just two points while the Chiefs methodically ran their offense to find three-point shots from Scudero-Hayward and C. Lindsey and two driving shots by senior Bryce Olin and Martinez for a 35-26 lead.
“We did a really good job of taking number 12 (Barnard) away in that quarter,” Scott said. “We talked about it at half, about how we would play him off the screen and just make him take tough shots. If he wants to take a 25-footer going to his left we will allow that, but we’re not going to let him get to the rim.”
Su Valley started to throw the ball away and feel the pressure and trailed 40-33 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Metlakatla heeded the words of Scott.
“I told them it may seem like there was an endless amount of time on the clock, but it’s not,” Scott said. “It is just four minutes to go. We are up seven. If we don’t give up seven points we are going to win. So if you don’t have turnovers and get back in the half-court and make them take one shot and block out and get the rebound, they are not going to score seven points, therefore, we are going to win this game. About the second or third timeout they started to believe me.”
Su Valley would not score seven points and Metlakatla’s Scudero-Hayward orchestrated a half-court offense that had the Rams chasing and the Chiefs scoring. Scudero-Hayward assisted on baskets by R. Lindsey and C. Lindsey for a 42-33 lead.
Two scores by Su Valley cut the lead to 42-37 Martinez answered on a pull-up jumper and then double-teamed the inbounds pass with R. Lindsey to force a turnover and Lindsey would score for a 46-37 lead.
Su Valley was forced to foul down the stretch and, despite hitting just 4-10, Metlakatla’s defense allowed just one basket by the Rams to take the win 50-39.
“I was out this year for five weeks with back surgery,” Scott said. “I was away from this group. My assistants Julian (Russell) and Danny (Marsden) did a great job with these kids. But we had a rough go. We lost some games we shouldn’t have, kids had to make some hard adjustments. Literally we had to hit a three to send our regions to overtime against Petersburg and needed double overtime or we are not here. Southeast was really good this year. And where we have come in the last six weeks is remarkable. This team six weeks ago, we get beat by 25 tonight. So really proud of the kids, really proud of the coaching staff getting them ready. And they believe now. We face Nilnilchik. We’ll have something good for them but they are a really good team.”
Scott grew emotional talking about Metlakatla.
“We had a senior girl pass away,” Scott said. “We still don’t know a lot about what happened and…you know…there have been a lot of tragedies in the last 15 years I have been there. It is just tough. The kids are kind of rallying together but some of them were related or some of them were friends and..it is just tough.”
Scott said basketball is crucial for the town.
“It is a huge thing in Met, they love their basketball,” Scott said. “But also it is a way…to..get away from it. Get away from all the problems and all the things that aren’t going right. The tragedies and stuff. Just focus on basketball and also for the kids to deliver a good product that they can be proud of. And, win or lose tomorrow, all these fans should be proud of these kids from where they have come from the beginning of the year until now. I have never coached a team that has come that far in one season. Super proud of them.”
C. Lindsey scored 14 points to lead the Chiefs, Martinez added 13, Scudero-Hayward 11, R. Lindsey 10 and Olin two. Metlakatla hit six shots past the arc, 13 closer in and shot 6-17 from the line. They will face No. 1 seed Ninilchik, a 52-25 winner over eight seed Cordova, at 6:15 p.m. Friday.
Barnard led Su Valley with 13 points, junior Douglas Drover added 12, junior Peter Jokey and sophomore Sawyer Larrabee five apiece, and seniors Gideon Bedingfield and Earl Davidson two apiece. The Rams hit four shots past the arc, 13 closer in and went 1-5 at the line. Su Valley faces Cordova in a consolation semifinal at 11 a.m. Friday.
Klawock freshman Quintin Bagby, junior Raymond Fairbanks (24) and sophomore Dahani Peel (23) defend Eek senior George Dylan Hoffman (15) during the Chieftains’ 67-42 win over the Cougars in a consolation quarterfinal at the 2026 ASAA March Madness Alaska 1A Basketball State Championships on Thursday, March 12, in Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)
1A Boys – KLAWOCK 67, EEK 42
The Klawock Chieftains may not have a state championship to contend for anymore, but they kept their state goals alive with a 67-42 win over the Eek Cougars on Thursday in the consolation quarterfinals of the March Madness Alaska 1A Basketball State Championships in Anchorage.
Klawock went into the state tournament with goals to finish in the top 10, play four games and win state. Wednesday’s 64-60 loss to Shishmaref diminished the state title hope but not the state experiences as the Chieftains showed the caliber of play they can bring to the court on Thursday.
“One game at a time,” Yockey said. “Just the opportunity to play again. I think the boys showed how well they can play together. Eek is a competitive team that can play with a chip on their shoulder and we picked ourselves up after last night and really came together as a team.”
The Chieftains opened the game on a 22-0 run behind nine points from senior Tristin Ryno, eight from senior Conny Magby and five from junior Paul Lingley before Eek Cougars sophomore Caleb White found the basket.
Klawock led 28-4 after eight minutes and with liberal substitutions took a 36-13 advantage at the half and led 56-23 after three quarters.
Ryno and Lingley led the Chieftains with 18 points apiece, senior Connor Bagby had 14, junior Raymond Fairbanks nine, freshman Quinton Bagby four, and junior CJ Vasquez and eighth grader Charlie Roberts two apiece. The Chieftains made six three-point shots, 22 closer in and were 5-13 at the free throw line. Klawock advances to a consolation semifinal at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Eek senior George Dylan Hoffman led the Cougars with 11 points, senior John Friendly, junior Kenneth Mark and White had nine each, and junior Richard Mark four. The Cougars made three shots past the arc, 15 closer in and hit 3-5 at the line. Eek has been eliminated from the state tournament.
1A Boys – SKAGWAY 99, NUNAMIUT 41
The Skagway boys will continue on in the consolation bracket with a 99-41 win over the Nunamiut Amaguqs to play in the consolation semifinals at 8 a.m. Friday.
Skagway led 23-9 after eight minutes, 56-16 at the half and 79-25 starting the final eight minutes.
Senior Royce Borst led Skagway with 21 points, junior Malcolm Lawson 17, senior Kaleb Cochran and sophomore Zane Coughran 12 apiece, sophomore Logan Rupprecht 11, junior Luca Tronrud nine, senior Camden Lawson eight, sophomore Dane Ames five, junior Ryder Calver and sophomore Julius Thole two apiece. The Panthers hit 11 three-point shots, 17 closer in and went 12-16 at the line.
Senior Tyler Hugo led Nunamiut with 24 points, junior Kevin Gordon added 13, senior Cameron Gordon three and freshman James Nageak one. The Amaguqs had four three-point shots, 11 closer in and hit 7-17 at the line. Nunamiut is out of the state tournament.
The Haines Cheer Team has made it two in a row on regional titles after a strong showing at last week’s competition.
The team, which is scored by judges while they perform during regional-tournament basketball games, benefitted from dedication and a whole host of mentors, said coach Ericka Johnson.
Johnson took on the job last year without a cheerleading background, and has instead leaned on experience as a yoga instructor to teach her team how to move with synchronization and precision, she said in an interview this week.
“It can come down to wrist angles — it can really come down to the inch,” Johnson said.
Last year’s win, Johnson said, was more unexpected. “They don’t have a mirror to look at so some of them don’t even know how good they are.”
But this year’s team came in with more confidence and more capacity for harder stunts. They got high-powered help, too.
During the season, the team traveled to Juneau to train with the Juneau-Douglas High School team, which this year won a small-school national title. The two cheer teams formed a bond, and the Glacier Bears cheerleaders picked up more advanced stunting techniques that were beyond Johnson’s knowledge.
At last weekend’s tournament, Johnson said the team performed so well they received praise from their competitors even before the results were decided.
That was a reflection of months of work, she said.
“Blood, sweat and tears – those are all things that have occurred throughout this process. It’s amazing to put that kind of effort into something and then have the outcome of the win.”
Johnson pointed to something else – something in fact after the results had been decided – that she said she was particularly proud of. On the morning of the region-wide cheer and dance team showcase, one team-member was sick and unable to participate. Missing a member, the team was unable to do their routine.
“The way the girls navigated through that with such understanding, they didn’t pout,” Johnson said. “You could tell there were elements of disappointment that they couldn’t show what they had worked on, but the way they handled that, I was just so proud of them.”
The team will travel to Anchorage for the state competition, which begins on March 17.
Tucker Wetmore’s sizzling new track “Sunburn” captures the heat of a beachside romance. From sun-soaked days to late-night romance, the tune, out now via Back Blocks Music/MCA/ Mercury Records, immerses listeners in the thrill and intimacy of a secret summer fling.
Co-written by Ryan Hurd, Jaxson Free, and Daniel Ross and produced by Chris LaCorte, “Sunburn” tells the story of someone who embarks on a spontaneous solo getaway, with a goal of enjoying some down time and playing some songs on the beach. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but the man ends up “stayin’ all week” after meeting someone who was worth sticking around for.
“Was playin’ red red wine and you were sippin’ on yours/ You had your friend come up to me and ask if I’m on my own/ I asked her why and she said that girl over there wants to know/ A couple rum runners later and it was just me and you/ We said we won’t tell nobody but baby everyone knew ‘bout,” Wetmore sings in the opening verse.
Tucker Wetmore; Photo Provided
As he illustrates in the chorus, a few drinks eventually turn into an all-consuming, heat-of-the-moment rendezvous between him and a mystery girl. Though the pair only spend a few nights together, he admits they’re able to tune out the rest of the world, making it feel like “we had our own island.”
Wetmore continues, “Them hotel sheets we were under/ Couldn’t tell you which room or number/ All I know is I was fallin’ in deeper/ And that door said do not disturb/ Yeah you hit me like a heat wave/ We stayed up all night all day/ Waves crashin’ outside like thunder/ Your body on mine like a sunburn.”
The Washington native’s vocals glide effortlessly over the breezy, laid-back instrumentation, perfectly capturing the warmth and intensity of a fleeting summer romance. With its mix of playful storytelling and heartfelt desire, “Sunburn” can easily be described as a carefree, sun-soaked anthem that leaves listeners longing to feel the sand between their toes and the rush of a connection that burns with the hot summer sun.
“Sunburn” follows the success of Tucker Wetmore’s fan-favorite track, “Brunette” which recently topped the U.K. Radio Country Airplay chart for three consecutive weeks and earned a spot in the Top 15 at Country radio in the U.S. Spawning from his debut album, What Not To, the hit has also racked up more than 225M U.S. streams.
Tucker Wetmore is currently heating up stages with his growing list of hits on The Brunette World Tour presented by NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer. He kicked things off in February with sold-out shows in Boston and New York City as well as his first-ever arena headlining show in Harrisburg, Pa. 17 new dates have since been added to the run, including shows in major markets such as Los Angeles, Chicago and more.
Tucker Wetmore Sunburn Cover Art
Wetmore will be joined by Maddox Batson, William Beckmann, George Birge, Jacob Hackworth, Braxton Keith and Stella Lefty for select dates.
Additionally, he’s set to head down under for dates in Australia, perform across the U.K. and EU, including three sold-out nights in London, and join Jordan Davis, HARDY and Brooks & Dunn on tour for select dates.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) has locked down his House district for over a decade. Democrats think his Senate bid presents them an opening in a seat that has raced away from the party.
Kentucky’s 6th District — anchored by Lexington in the heart of the Bluegrass State — hasn’t elected a Democrat to Congress since Ben Chandler in 2010. Barr has held the seat since 2013 and has proven difficult to dislodge. The last time a Democrat came close was in 2018, when fundraising juggernaut Amy McGrath came within about 3 points of defeating him.
If Barr had sought another term, Democrats privately concede they stood little chance.
But with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) retiring and Barr opting to run for his seat, a rare open seat is now in play — and firmly on Democrats’ target list.
In the Democratic primary, two candidates have emerged as frontrunners, according to national Democrats watching the race: Zach Dembo, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor, and Cherlynn Stevenson, a former Kentucky state representative. Each is offering a different theory for how to flip the deep-red district.
The question of how a Democrat could win the seat dominated a Democratic primary debate earlier this month, where candidates leaned on sharp criticisms of the Trump administration, ranging from its decision to strike Iran to affordability issues as a result of the president’s tariffs.
Stevenson has branded herself a “Mountain Democrat,” leaning into her Appalachian roots and pitching herself as someone who could mend the disconnect between the party and rural voters by focusing on cost-of-living pressures and access to affordable health care. She said her upbringing in a small mining town in eastern Kentucky and years living in Lexington allow her to bridge the district’s urban-rural divide.
“Winning right here in Kentucky requires cultural fluency and trust,” Stevenson said in an interview. “I know how to talk to working families, rural communities and independents because I am one of those people.”
She’s also got experience flipping seats. She was the first woman and first Democrat elected to represent Kentucky’s 88th state House district, where she also served as state House minority caucus chair.
Dembo, meanwhile, is pitching himself as a “Beshear Democrat” — a nod to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who performed well in the 6th District during his 2023 reelection campaign.
“This is 100 percent a flippable district,” Dembo said in an interview, pointing to headwinds from “all of the terrible decisions of this Republican Congress.”
He has emphasized his experience as a Navy JAG officer and former federal prosecutor, arguing his resume gives him crossover appeal in a Republican-leaning district. Dembo resigned from his position at the Justice Department during Trump’s second term, saying he could no longer remain in his role amid what he described as corruption and the Trump administration’s “abuse of the criminal justice system.”
Both Dembo and Stevenson have posted solid fundraising numbers. And Republicans have a contested primary as well, in a race that includes state Rep. Ryan Dotson and former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado.
“We’re giving Republicans a run for their money in places that they never thought they would have to compete before, and now they do,” said DCCC spokesperson Madison Andrus.
But the race will still be incredibly challenging for Democrats, even though the DCCC has had the seat on its “Red to Blue” battleground list. Kentucky’s federal delegation remains overwhelmingly GOP. The seat also got nominally redder during the post-2022 redistricting process, making it even tougher terrain than during McGrath’s close call in the last Trump administration midterms eight years ago.
Most election watchers believe the seat is well outside the core House battleground as well, and it has not attracted notable outside spending, underscoring how steep the climb would be for Democrats to win even without an incumbent on the ballot.
Republicans dismissed the Democrats’ optimism outright.
“Democrats have been enjoying too much bourbon because their Kentucky 6 wishes are delusional,” said NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon. “Republicans are poised to keep KY-06 red to retain and expand our majority.”
