Chuck Norris’ final message to fans underscores how precious life can be. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Month: March 2026
After a tour bus parked in the street, a crowd gathers in the road along the Chilkoot River to watch a sow and her four cubs on Sunday, August 24, 2025, near Haines, Alaska.
Alaska Division of Parks managers will enforce a tour-permit regulation prohibiting large buses in the Chilkoot Corridor this year.
The change dates back two years, when the Alaska Division of Parks announced a new commercial tour-permit regulation prohibiting buses with capacity over 15 passengers in the Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site.
Regional parks superintendent Brady Garasky said this week that state parks told permit holders the enforcement would begin in 2025, but decided to extend the sunset period an additional year because of “feedback from operators.”
That meant last year, tour operators like Alaska Mountain Guides and the Chilkoot Indian Association’s Alaska Nature Tours could continue to run school buses through the popular tourist destination, with the understanding that in 2026 the vehicles would be prohibited.
Garasky said all commercial operators were notified of the initial permit stipulation and of the extension.
The Chilkoot area has long been a point of contention with multiple user groups, both local and tourists, vying for limited space.
The corridor, from the bridge at the mouth of the Chilkoot River up to the lake, is also a popular, but unofficial, bear-viewing area.
Last summer a sow with four cubs drew big crowds, including instances of tour buses stopping in the road to let passengers out for bear-viewing, which Garasky at the time said was a permit violation.
The stated rationale for the change, however, isn’t just about bears, Garasky said, and the goal won’t be to lower the overall number of visitors at the park. Rather, state parks staff hope requiring smaller vehicles will disperse visitors along the corridor and ease congestion issues.
Large buses dropped off big crowds in concentrated areas, and the vehicles themselves took up multiple parking spaces and area on the road. In some instances those vehicles blocked access for other users like anglers, who were unable to find parking, Garasky said.
Parking could yet be a challenge if tour operators replace buses with multiple smaller vehicles.
Large bus operators have not said what their plans are.
The Chilkoot Indian Association’s Zach Wentzel, who heads CIA’s tourism initiative Discover Deishu, said he would not talk about the permit stipulation or plans for the Alaska Nature Tours vehicle fleet.
Alaska Mountain Guides also declined to comment.
Other local tour operators said they would be unaffected. Karen Hess said she and her husband Duck would no longer be operating tours, and Joe Ordonez of Rainbow Glacier Adventures said all of his company’s existing vehicles were below the size limit.
In addition to the congestion challenge, the change is also being pitched as a benefit for the road infrastructure itself, which Garasky said was not built for heavy vehicles and shoulders and culverts are showing signs of wear.
The large-vehicle ban only applies to commercial tour permit holders. Non-commercial users can still drive personal-use large vehicles into the recreation site.
Garasky said that for the time being, the large-vehicle ban is likely to be the only major change to area regulations.
“This is a fairly significant change to the commercial operating stipulations so we want to give it time to monitor it and see if it has the intended impact,” Garasky said.
The post State parks to begin enforcing Chilkoot bus restrictions appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.
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Earlier this week, we revealed that legendary actor Chuck Norris was hospitalized.
At the time, the only explanation was a “medical incident.” He was said to be in good spirits.
Now, his family has delivered a grim update.
Norris has passed away at the age of 86.
Chuck Norris has died
On Friday, March 20, Norris’ Instagram account delivered a lengthy update about this loss.
“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the caption began.
This means that he passed away early on Thursday, March 19 — at a time when all reports believed him to be alive in the hospital.
“While we would like to keep the circumstances private,” the family asked.
The statement assured: “Please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
The statement went on “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength.”
Norris’ family clarified: “To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”
In the caption, the statement praised: “He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved.”
The Norris family added: “Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”
Continuing, the statement expressed: “While our hearts are broken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and for the unforgettable moments we were blessed to share with him.”
His family is including fans in their grief
“The love and support he received from fans around the world meant so much to him,” the statement gushed.
“And,” the Norris caption affirmed, “our family is truly thankful for it.”
They assured followers: “To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends.”
Celebrity deaths are sometimes instances where family closes ranks, highlighting the differences between the parasocial bond that fans imagine and their own raw grief.
Clearly, the Norris family has gone in the other direction — including fans in mourning the actor.
The statement continued: “We know many of you had heard about his recent hospitalization.”
We here at THG reported on that earlier in the week. At the time, it did not sound dire.
“And,” the Norris family expressed, “we are truly grateful for the prayers and support you sent his way.”
They made a request: “As we grieve this loss, we kindly ask for privacy for our family during this time.”
In conclusion, they wrote: “Thank you for loving him with us. With love, The Norris Family.”
This is a tremendous loss
At present, we do not know Norris’ cause of death — except that it presumably stemmed from the undisclosed “medical event” that hospitalized him.
He is survived by Gena O’Kelley, his second wife. The two married in 1998.
Norris had two sons, Eric and Mike, three daughters, Dakota, Danilee, and Dina. He also boasted numerous grandchildren.
On top of that, he had millions of fans over his decades-spanning career, whether of his films or of Walker, Texas Ranger or simply of the early-2000s memes.
The world is a different place without him.
Chuck Norris Cause of Death: Legendary Actor Dies at 86 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Chuck Norris’ family shares that the actor died surrounded by family. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Chuck Norris’ family shares that the actor died surrounded by family. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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A few years ago, Justin Bieber didn’t perform with Usher for the latter’s Super Bowl Halftime show.
At the time, there was no apparent beef. Clearly, that has changed.
At a recent A-list gathering, the two singers reportedly exploded at each other.
Who started it? Did it really turn into a brawl?
What the heck happened?
TMZ and other tabloids report that Usher and Justin got into a nasty confrontation.
After the Oscars on Sunday, March 15, the two were among many other high-profile figures attending an after-party that Beyonce and Jay-Z hosted.
Sources close to Justin claimed that Usher confronted the younger singer with both “energy and anger” at the party.
As a result, these same Bieber-aligned insiders dished, the two had a “heated exchange.”
Team Justin says that there was no physical contact, despite the emotionally and verbally charged intensity.
We should acknowledge that not everyone is in agreement.
At least some of those who spoke to TMZ reported that Justin and Usher ended up in some sort of “fist fight.”
Fortunately, it’s possible that this was simply the rumor that spread at the party.
Yes, A-list celebrities can spread misinformation as easily as the rest of us. (Even more easily — as some studies have found a link between fame and becoming more gullible, which could honestly explain a lot.)
Meanwhile, TMZ did not hear back from Usher, despite their best attempts to get his camp’s side of the story.
What’s the beef?
TMZ was told, in apparently the vaguest of terms, that Justin’s been trying to “erase everyone in his past.”
One of the sources dished that the Biebs has “always been rude to Usher.”
None of that explains what this particular confrontation was about.
Usher could probably explain it best … if he were in the mood to offer up an explanation. He doesn’t seem to be.
Meanwhile, the last time that the public saw these two together was in 2022, when they hung out at Coeur d’Alene Lake in Idaho.
What many people may remember is that Usher was Justin’s mentor, initially, when the latter jettisoned to mega-fame as a teenage singer.
Clearly, things have changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since.
In 2022, Usher performed at the Super Bowl.
Reports at the time shared that Justin was invited to perform with him, but declined.
Justin allegedly “wasn’t feeling it.” It’s unclear whether this is related in any way to their current disagreements.
Is this Justin’s fault?
For the past couple of years, fans have grown alarmingly concerned about Justin Bieber’s behavior.
The Biebhavioral outbursts (is this anything?) have taken place in public — so it’s not purely fueled upon unproven reports about his private life.
He was fully posting what appeared to be meltdowns, if not cries for help.
However, thus far, we haven’t heard any accounts that describe Justin as the instigator. It sounds like he was minding his own business when Usher approached and confronted him.
Maybe Usher had a good reason for making a scene. But, if he did, why isn’t he sharing it?
Justin Bieber & Usher CLASHED at A-List Oscars Party: Was It A Physical Fight? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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