Reusing single-use materials is a great way to contribute to environmental sustainability, and with Costco’s croissant containers, it’s easy, too. Here’s how!
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Month: April 2026
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Who killed Nurul Amin Shah Alam?
Heartbreaking questions like these are usually a matter of combing for witnesses, analyzing physical evidence, and finding the culprit.
In this tragic case, it’s a matter of determining who is legally responsible for his death. Because we basically know the rest.
His death has been ruled a homicide. Now, someone needs to be held accountable for it.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam should be alive today
On February 15, 2025, Buffalo police arrested Mr. Alam after what appeared to be a misunderstanding.
Alam was a Rohingya refugee with legal status in the US. He used a cane to walk, and spoke very little English.
Following an incident where he walked while carrying a pair of poles, police tasered him and tackled him to the ground when he did not understand or respond to their commands. They charged him with assault.
He spent the next year in the Eerie County Holding Center. Reports say that he agreed to a plea deal that would make him ineligible for removal and deportation.
On February 19, 2026, Buffalo Police handed him over to Customs and Border Patrol.
CBP claims that Mr. Alam voluntarily accepted a “courtesy ride” to a closed Tim Hortons (a coffee shop chain). This seems like an odd story, on multiple levels.
CBP claims that they dropped Mr. Alam off at a “safe, warm location.” He was, however, unable to enter the locked building, and seemingly had no means of contacting his family.
Meanwhile, his family had no idea where to find him. CBP was, of course, no help.
His family and their attorney began the search, and filed a missing persons report.
On February 24, a woman’s 911 call indicated an unmoving man on her street — a man who had been alive and moving earlier that afternoon.
Mr. Alam’s body was positively identified on February 25. The outcry spanned the nation, spilling into Senate hearings and beyond.
‘Homicide’
On Tuesday, March 31, the Erie County Medical Examiner reached a determination on Mr. Alam’s cause of death.
The cause of death was “complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration.”
Ulcer can be confusing, and public health officials clarified what this meant during the April 1 announcement of the findings.
In more simple terms, days of exposure to the extreme colds of Buffalo, NY in February, coupled with no access to food or water, caused a stress response that claimed his life.
The manner of death, the ME concluded, was homicide.
Another clarification is required, however.
The medical examiner’s evaluation shows that Mr. Alam’s death was the result of actions (or inactions) of others. That is a homicide.
However, homicide is also a legal classification — which is outside of the ME’s purview.
It is up to the office of the district attorney to determine whether criminal charges will be filed — and against whom.
There was an entire chain of custody of people who appear to have brought about Mr. Alam’s death. All because, his family says, he was lost in February 25 and using a pole to navigate.
Who was responsible for this senseless homicide?
Some point the finger at the police who approached, tasered, tackled, and arrested Mr. Alam while he was minding his business and trying to find his way home.
Others suggest that whoever contacted Customs & Border Patrol had to have known that they were endangering his life at the very least, even if they did not know his exact fate.
Many — perhaps most — blame CBP and the leadership, all of the way up to the top. Certainly, it was one of many issues that Congress brought up with disgraced former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Realistically, it’s unlikely that law enforcement in New York can go after Donald Trump and Stephen Miller for orchestrating this cruel ethnic cleansing campaign. That and similar “Nuremberg 2” tasks will fall to federal authorities.
But, one hopes, authorities will at least bring some of the monsters behind Mr. Alam’s homicide to justice. Good things are possible, even in the face of the horrors.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam: Tragic Death After CBP ‘Courtesy Ride’ Ruled a Homicide was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
As the borough’s school district warns of potential “insolvency,” higher state oil revenue has increased the likelihood of a lifeline.
For years, the state’s school funding formula has stagnated, decreasing 26% in real dollars from 2011 to 2025 if adjusted for inflation.
Last year, the legislature closed some of that gap by increasing the base state funding formula to schools by $700 per-student. But that was well under half of what would have been needed to fully return to 2011 inflation-adjusted funding levels.
Meanwhile, the Haines Borough School District’s finances remain dire, district officials warn.
In testimony to the House Education Committee earlier this month, superintendent Lilly Boron said the district may “not be able to remain solvent” absent another funding formula increase.
The lack of funding has been felt most with “uncompetitive” staff salaries, making it difficult to recruit and retain staff, superintendent Lilly Boron said in an interview this week.
The district has averaged a 40% yearly staff-turnover rate over the past five years, and has been unable to fill vacant special education and technology positions this year.
Some districts in the state have turned to foreign teachers to solve staffing shortages, and Boron said nearly all of the district’s applicants for the upcoming school year would require either an H-1B or J-1 visa. But now H-1B visas are off the table for the district due to a $100,000 per-visa fee put into place by the Trump Administration, and rural districts like Haines are not eligible to sponsor teachers under J-1 visas, Boron said.
“I think what we’re recognizing is, if you have no qualified people applying for open positions and staying in open positions, you don’t have a school,” Boron said in an interview afterward.
Operating costs are also an issue.
During last year’s budgeting process, the district initially projected an $880,000 shortfall.
After the funding formula increase and an influx of money from the borough, the district balanced its operating budget, but continued to run deficits on transportation and food service, district business manager Judy Erekson said. Currently the district has only $233,000 in its main savings account.
As funds dwindle, cuts could be particularly hard because of the Haines district’s size. Having only one school building, and often one class per grade, it’s more difficult for the district to consolidate classes than larger districts.
Boron, who was joined in Juneau by school board member Kevin Shove, is just one of many local officials that have come to the legislature to lay out their districts’ needs. In committee hearings, members of the bipartisan House and Senate majorities have expressed support for sending more money the districts’ way.
In the House Education Committee, Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, an independent from Sitka, described further education funding increases as a constitutional obligation.
The Education Committee, also co-chaired Rep. Andi Story, whose district covers the Chilkat Valley, has introduced a bill to once again raise the base funding formula.
“I am only asking the state to hold up our end of the bargain, which is to maintain a system of education open to all the children of our state,” Himschoot said.
The issue remains money to address those needs, and a governor willing to approve the spending. Last year, the funding-formula boost only went through after the legislature held a special session and assembled a supermajority vote overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto.
That scenario remains a possibility for this year. But on the other issue — money to put toward a funding increase — the landscape has suddenly changed.
Through the past month, war with Iran has sent oil prices skyrocketing, including Alaska North Slope crude. According to the state’s Department of Revenue, that could add over a half billion dollars in tax and royalty payments to state coffers this year compared with pre-war projections.
There’s been talk of some of that unexpected cash going toward education funding, said Sen. Jesse Kiehl, whose district covers the Chilkat Valley, and a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which drafts the state’s budget.
“There isn’t unlimited money from this war and the eternal tug of war over where you put it is going on,” he said this week. “But I think we invest in our kids, and there’s a group of us who are committed to that.”
Under the general umbrella of education, a number of buckets need filling.
On the one hand, there’s the House Education Committee bill, which would boost the state’s base funding formula by $630 per student to all districts in the state.
The $630 figure is the average funding needed to erase the operating deficits of the state’s five largest school districts, Himschoot said. Out of those five, Fairbanks is the only one operating in the black. But Himschoot also said the district has cut more than 300 staff since 2019 and closed seven schools to achieve that.
A funding formula boost, however, will have to compete against capital funding for school repairs and rebuilds, some of which are in dire condition. Legislators on the powerful Senate Finance Committee have pointed to schools in the state ridden with black mold, asbestos, and collapsing roofs, problems the state has ignored for decades, according to a ProPublica report earlier this year.
The school repairs would be a one-time outlay, whereas increasing the funding formula would obligate an increased annual flow of money.
“I think the legislators are struggling with revenue, and they might not want to use one-time funds to set up an expectation they can’t deliver on in two years,” Boron said. “I appreciate that, but this is the rainy day. We’re at the breaking point.”
Haines does have maintenance needs, and the district is seeking state reimbursement for roof repairs made last year. But relative to some other districts, the major needs are inside the building, primarily teacher wages and rising fixed costs.
According to data presented to legislators by the district, the cost of property insurance alone has increased 62% in the last five years.
If lawmakers do decide to get behind a funding formula boost or capital improvements at schools, both would still have to get past the governor’s desk. That could be a challenge, Kiehl said.
“I don’t think there’s been much receptiveness from the governor yet, but we continue to talk with him and his administration.”
The funding decisions will need to be finalized before May 20, when the legislature hits its adjournment deadline. Even then, a governor’s veto could leave final funding levels in flux, possibly resulting in a special session to consider a veto override.
Meanwhile, the borough’s school district will have to finalize its own budget in early May, even as state funding is uncertain.
The post School district’s needs dire, possible lifeline in legislature appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.
Proposed state legislation could give borough assemblies more power to exempt specific property from taxes; lawmakers and the public disagree on how that power should be used.
Under current state law, when municipalities like Haines implement property tax exemptions, it must be from a menu of pre-approved exemptions in state statute.
House Bill 291, introduced last month by Anchorage Republican Julie Coulombe, would remove those state restrictions, giving municipal leaders free rein to implement any exemption they choose.
The bill would also change the approval process for new exemptions, which currently must be approved by municipal voters at the ballot. Under HB 291, the assembly would gain the power to create exemptions by simple majority vote, so long as exemptions were below a certain threshold. As currently drafted, exemptions over the $75,000 mark for a single property would still go to the ballot.
Rescinding exemptions, however, would still have to be done by ballot referendum.
In initial debate at the Legislature, Coulombe has presented her bill largely as a matter of principle — increasing local control and chopping down what she sees as unnecessary state regulations. At one point in the hearing she dubbed it the “free the municipality bill.”
“I’m always for cutting red tape,” she said.
But her colleagues hearing the bill in committee have focused more on outcomes, what communities will do with their increased power.
In Haines, recent history suggests an appetite for broad-based exemptions. Two years ago, residents voted by a large margin to double the size of the exemption for seniors and disabled veterans, raising the total exempt from taxes to $300,000 of a home’s assessed value.
It’s that kind of scenario House members seem concerned about, revealing a gap between Chilkat Valley public opinion and sentiment in the Capitol. The concern in the Capitol doesn’t fall clearly along partisan lines, either.
During a hearing last week in the House Regional and Community Affairs Committee, Sitka independent Rebecca Himschoot raised the specter of voters, for instance, putting into place a tax exemption for everyone under the age of 30. That’s not currently on the list of state-approved exemptions. But if the bill successfully eliminates the state-approval requirement, it would be fair game.
“When you ask the voters if they want to pay more tax, the answer is no,” Himschoot said. “And yet, people want certain services.”
On the other side of the aisle, North Pole Republican Mike Prax focused on fairness, describing tax exemptions as “how do you cheat the other guy and pass savings on to me.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, cutting out large chunks of the tax base is more popular with taxpayers than it is with budget-makers.
In Haines, the extra senior tax exemption has made a significant dent in borough revenue, accounting for $316,768 of lost revenue in its first year of implementation. According to data from the state tax assessor, the percentage of taxable property in Haine held by seniors is the fourth highest of any municipality in the state.
Like some other municipal revenue challenges, it’s downstream of problems at the state level.
The state government is required by law to reimburse Haines for half its senior exemption, the portion all municipalities are required to exempt. But the Legislature has ignored that statute and hasn’t reimbursed municipalities at all since 1997, currently totalling nearly $8 billion annually that the state owes to individual communities.
Both sides of the debate — taxpayers and budget-makers — say there’s nuance to their position.
Many in Haines maintain the vote to double the senior exemption was a way to protect older residents on fixed incomes. They also say it’s a matter of respect. In recent months, assembly members have faced outrage when they’ve pointed to the exemption as a factor in borough budget challenges.
“People on our assembly want to point fingers at seniors,” former assembly member Brenda Josephson said in an interview last week. “Disrespecting our seniors and wanting to give all the money to nonprofits — it’s so contrary to everything I was taught and what people in our region believe.” Josephson was an organizer in a 2023 campaign to change property tax assessment procedures in both the borough and the state.
On the budget-maker side, some say there could be more targeted ways to protect vulnerable taxpayers.
“The senior tax exemption is based on age, so it’s not those that need it most that are benefitting first,” said Alaska Municipal League director Nils Andreassen in an interview Thursday. “Someone else in the community is paying the difference. The mill rate is going to go up with additional exemptions.”
Instead, Andreassen argues municipalities should implement property tax “circuit breakers,” which would offer tax breaks based on specific income thresholds.
With senior tax exemptions already allowed in state statute and Haines municipal code, that specific debate in Haines will continue regardless of the outcome of HB 291. House Community and Regional Affairs chair Donna Mears said last week her committee will continue to hear the bill, but won’t consider advancing it this legislative session.
The post Exemption bill could give borough more power appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.
Categories
Duly Noted: Beads, burritos and Baja
The New Hope Fellowship Church has raised $35,285 for its scholarship award since 2016. Paul Rogers explained that the money has been distributed to 11 Haines students since that time. In 2024, there were no applicants, so in 2025, the church awarded two scholarships. Rogers and Sage Thomas started the recent fundraiser night by introducing the auctioneer, Dave Routh. Routh’s fast-talking description of the strawberry trifle made by Inez Gross was a good start. Other dessert auction highlights included brownie balls, grasshopper pie with Oreo crust, gluten-free cake, and an eclair cake. But the bidding for Sharon Stickel’s chocolate raspberry cheesecake with ganache topping got fairly exciting. Heather Rogers was the proxy bidder for Jim Stickler. Stickler could not attend, but trusted Rogers to make the right choices. In the end, Heather Rogers walked out with half the elaborate chocolate cheesecake. The other half was served on a freshly cut round of wood, and shared with everyone at the end of the auction.
Duly Noted flashback to last week — perhaps you recall the educational mule trip to Baja, Mexico? Please note that Matt Whitman was on that trip. He was also hiking into the rugged terrain, sleeping under the stars, enjoying meals prepared over an open fire, and experiencing the ranchero lifestyle and cave art with the group. This Duly writer overlooked this important detail.
Christen Price is the new pastor in town. She started in January at the Haines Christian Center. She and her husband, retired Lieutenant Col. Russell Price, plan to be in Haines forever, as they have burial plots at Jones Point Cemetery. Christen Price says that during her husband’s career in the Army, they relocated every so often. She enjoyed living in Georgia the most, but her husband is an Alaska boy, so this is where they need to be. Since Christen Price took over in January, she says that the children’s choir has been a great source of joy for her. Price credits her worship team. She says that all Haines kids, regardless of their church affiliation, ages 5-12 are invited to sing at 5:45 p.m. Thursdays at the Haines Christian Center. Price says that the Sunday services have included plenty of piano, bass and guitar lately. Palm Sunday included two young people playing keyboard and Easter service should have some impressive kid-powered music as well. Russell Price grew up in Haines, the son of Mary and Warren Price.
Karlie Spud has been beading up a storm. She had the opportunity to share her craft with the 11 students who were visiting Klukwan and Haines from Colorado recently. The students spent time wood carving with Jim Heaton for part of that time. Karlie Spud has known Heaton for years and jumped at the chance to teach the eager students the one-needle method of beading. Spud says that the original plan was to teach them to make a beginner project, a salmon pin. She says that most of the visiting students completed multiple projects while practicing their new skill, including some impressive earrings. She says that the students were all “living phone-free lives while in Haines,” and that might be why they accomplished so much. Spud acquired the beading supplies from Lani Hotch at the traditional art supply store in Klukwan. She says that Lani Hotch has been a beading inspiration for years. Spud has been sharing that beading tradition with her 5year-old daughter, Aaliyah Spud. She beaded with the older kids and thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Chilkat Valley.
Greg Podsiki is starting a 4-H program in Haines. Podsiki says that his goal is to “fill the barn at the fair.” He says that the background checks for volunteers are the first step, and already in motion. The next step is for the adult leaders to take the online training courses. The final part of the 4-H plan is to get kids interested in joining and get some animals.
Amy Kane had a pop-up Monday at the Brewery. She served her homemade focaccia sandwiches, chorizo burritos and individual dishes of maple-spiced secret recipe nuts. Zane and Beau Bradley helped her hustle 50 sandwiches and burritos, which sold out just as the brewery closed for the evening. Happy patrons were excited for a dinner option in town. Kane says the stunning sunset Monday evening was the real show stopper.
Mike Ward had a mini-family reunion last week, including cousins Eileen Beedle and Dottie Shook, who visited their aunt Judy Weir, the last remaining of eight siblings in her generation. She lives at Haines Assisted Living. On hand were Connie and Tom Ward Jr., Summer Lynch and Tom Ward III, as well as Jeanine, Dustin, and 4-year-old Harper Rumfelt. Mike Ward hosted the group at his Lighthouse Restaurant.
The post Duly Noted: Beads, burritos and Baja appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.
On March 30, Alpenglow Woodfired Pizza – one of Haines’ few year-round restaurants – announced it would be closing its doors.In a social media video, owner Nolan Woodard said the restaurant would close for the week but open one final time on Saturday for a combined three-year anniversary and goodbye party.
The move came after the building owner posted a lease nonrenewal notice on the building, giving the business a month to vacate – bringing the breakdown in negotiations between Woodard and landlord Chris Thorgesen into public view.
Woodard shared a proposed lease with the Chilkat Valley News that contained provisions he called untenable: like one requiring him to carry a $1 million insurance policy on the building, removing a 48-hour notice requirement for entry, and allowing the landlord to seize equipment within 15 days if he fell behind on rent or violated the lease.
“I basically said to him that I don’t feel comfortable signing an agreement that gives you the right to basically take away things that would disrupt the operation of my business.”
Woodard said he understands repercussions for deferred payments, but “if the punishment for not paying you is something that disrupts the flow of me being able to operate my business, then I can’t pay you,” he said. “That would sink us.”
The lease dispute accelerated a decision Woodard said he was already weighing, as the restaurant has operated at a loss each year, since he bought it in 2023.
Community reaction
The closure drew strong reactions in the community. Local restaurant owner and Haines Chamber of Commerce president Travis Kukull called the lease terms unethical and compared the arrangement to sharecropping in a post on Substack.
In the post, Kukull wrote that landlords hold disproportionate power in small markets with limited commercial space. “The landlord, on the other hand, risks very little, pays no wages, and takes most of the harvest.”
Kukull wrote that he thinks the best lease agreements are those that include the tenant’s success and are mutually beneficial. He suggested things like landlords providing funding for tenant improvements and rent being set as a percentage of business sales.
Thorgesen commented on the post, disputing Kukull’s characterization of events and arguing that landlords also carry financial risk.
He wrote that he does not normally “concern myself with the thoughts of sheep,” but felt compelled to respond given Kukull’s role as Chamber president.
“You say, ‘a small, independent business like Alpenglow cannot and should never take on the risk.’ Then why should a small independent landlord? Your inherent Marxism blinds you to any true win-win relationships so long as one is the bourgeoisie,” Thorgesen wrote.
He also disputed the idea that the landlord is offering nothing in this situation.
“Why don’t you go and buy a crappy building spend an exorbitant amount of money fixing it up, another small fortune in throwing away the trash that had been built up for decades, and fight with bureaucratic middle-managers who don’t know the difference between bologna and mayonnaise, only so you can let someone else use your building with no recoupment of costs,” he wrote.
In an email to the Chilkat Valley News on Wednesday, Thorgesen did not agree to an interview or address the specific lease provisions Woodard objected to. But wrote that Nolan’s three-year lease ended on the last day of March.
“As of today, Nolan owes me $10,262.10 in back rent,” he said. “When you don’t pay your rent, people tend not to rent to you.”
A difficult financial situation
Woodard said the lease disagreement was the immediate trigger, but that the last few years have been increasingly financially precarious.
While his gross sales have gone up year over year, he has been struggling financially – for one thing, costs have gone up.
“A simple example is that when I first started this business, my flour was $70-80 a bag. It’s now over $100. So I spend, on average, $300-500 a week on flour.”
The demand hasn’t kept up, he said. “I’ve had days of summer, I’m not even kidding, where we have had $250 in sales the whole day. It doesn’t even offset the cost of the dough.”
He’s had to rely on flexible payment arrangements with vendors, gone through periods where he couldn’t pay his staff, and said he has fallen behind on the rent.
Former owner Olen Larson said the outcome was genuinely surprising.
“Myself and my wife doing the cooking, my wife doing the prep, me doing the books and a dishwasher. We made that survive for the three years we owned the business and we still came out on top. We were in the green,” he said. “Yes, I saw my challenges of course – wintertime being the hardest due to the lack of tourism and lack of year-round residents.”
When they sold the business to Woodard, the couple retained a 25% minority ownership and acted as advisors from afar.
When they sold the business to Woodard, the couple retained a 25% minority ownership.
“It must have been inflation and the economy starting to turn. I’m not too familiar with what started driving the business down as far as numbers go,” he said.
Larson said he doesn’t know what caused the breakdown over the lease negotiations to occur but called a nearly 10-year run of a pizza restaurant in one place in Haines incredible.
Larson said he would check in with Woodard every few months and said he never heard anything negative other than that the winter months were slow.
“My wife and I wanted to be able to support him and the crew as much as possible so we kind of deferred payments and kept pushing payments back and back to where it would allow him to use those funds to continue to have the cash flow into the business and keep it alive.”
Now, he said, the couple is focused on helping Woodard navigate the debt, liquidation, and closure of the business.
The fallout
As more details about the situation became clear, particularly the revelation that Woodard owed thousands in back rent, some early reactions began to shift.
Kukull said he initially read Thorgesen’s lease proposal as more of an eviction notice. “Nobody in their right mind would propose this,” he said.
But, he said restaurant closures are rarely driven by a single issue. Rather, they come from a combination of financial strain, operating costs and timing.
“All of a sudden, it just spins out of control and before you know it, you’re just scrambling to cover your ass in every direction, asking people for favors you shouldn’t be asking for,” he said.
In this specific case, he said he didn’t think people should go around looking to lay blame on any one person and that he wants people to read his column as a place where he’s advocating for a small business owner to review their leases and fight for their best case scenarios.
“I have sympathy for [Thorgesen] as a property owner. I don’t know all of the problems he has with all of his businesses and leases. But if something’s not working for him and it’s not working for [Woodard], can we try to figure out a different option here?” he said.
In hindsight, Kukull said, he could have offered to mediate a discussion between Woodard and Thorgesen. It could have gotten more people in the community talking about how to create a more small-business-friendly environment in Haines.
“Stories like this are detrimental and they don’t make people want to move here, they don’t make people want to try to open a small business. It just stops everything,” he said.
Woodard said people have asked him if he would move the restaurant into another building, including two vacant commercial buildings on Main Street.
But, he’s looked at a few and at least one needed extensive repair before he’d be able to open. “I don’t have $100,000 of repair money,” he said.
He’s considering his options and the future is uncertain.
“I still owe a lot of people a lot of money,” he said. “I’m not fully out yet. I still have some irons in the fire. But the way it’s currently looking, the most likely occurrence … we will liquidate the business, recoup as much as we can in terms of costs with that and then from there, make the final decision on whether or not I have to file bankruptcy. I’m trying to avoid that, but also be realistic about the fact that it might be our only option.”
A loss for the town
One of the darkest parts of the closure of Alpenglow is that Woodard was within sight of getting a beer and wine license.
He spent the past two years working to get a beer and wine license, pushing the issue through borough meetings and state hearings before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board approved two more licenses for Haines in February of 2025.
Those licenses became available March 1, 2025 and Woodard said finalizing a lease was the last step needed to move forward with his application and get it in front of the licensing board this month.
Without the lease, that effort stops short. While it would not have guaranteed success, it could have provided some breathing room, particularly during the slow winter months.
“All of that work he’s done over the last few years is basically trash,” Kukull said. “To put that much effort into anything and he didn’t see any benefit for himself … I hope everybody’s pissed.”
Editor’s Note: The Chilkat Valley News rents office space from Chris Thorgesen and has maintained a commercial advertising trade relationships with both Thorgesen and Alpenglow Woodfired Pizza.
The post Alpenglow closes as lease talks collapse appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.
With the 2026 NFL Draft less than a month away, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has entered the chat as the most polarizing prospect in the class. After Simpson’s impressive throwing exhibitions at the NFL Scouting Combine and Alabama Pro Day created a buzz in scouting circles, evaluators could not wait to dig into the tape to determine whether the consensus QB2 of the class is worthy of a first-round pick. Simpson, who passed for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2025, is a mechanical marvel with flawless footwork and throwing mechanics that stand out on his tape. As the son of a college football coach with an extensive offensive background, Simpson operates like a clinician from the pocket, working through his reads at warp speed before routinely delivering darts to open receivers. The combination of his high-IQ and refined mechanics resulted in a sizzling nine-game run in 2025 — a 66.8% completion rate with 21 touchdowns and one interception during that span — that had scouts buzzing about his prospects as a QB1. Directing a pro-style offense created by former NFL offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Simpson showcased his managerial skills and big-play potential with his surgical dismantling of four ranked opponents — Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee. That scintillating stretch piqued the interest of evaluators intent on finding a potential QB1 in the 2026 or 2027 classes. Few expected Simpson, with another year of college eligibility and only 15 starts on his résumé, to enter this year’s draft. But the flashes from his spectacular run have stirred debate between old-school evaluators and new-age scouts on the importance of traits, experience, production and projection for quarterback prospects. After studying Simpson’s 2025 season, here are my thoughts on the most polarizing player in the draft. This Upside If you were coaching a young quarterback on how to play the position and needed to show him a demonstration reel, Simpson’s highlight tape would suffice. The 6-foot-1, 211-pounder is a talented technician with footwork and mechanics that coaches rave about when teaching young players new skills. He complements his polished mechanics with a high football IQ, enabling him to quickly work through his reads until he finds an open receiver or the weak spot in coverage. Simpson’s quickness in processing and game-day urgency separate him from most young quarterbacks who are hesitant and uncertain in the pocket. He has mastered the art of playing quickly without hurrying or rushing through the process when making post-snap reads. As a result, Simpson consistently plays on time, trusting his awareness and diagnostic skills to make anticipatory throws against various coverage. He displays a keen understanding of his scheme and which routes should be available against the defensive coverage or pressure. Moreover, he maintains a big-picture focus, enabling him to play in attack mode and exploit the defense’s vulnerabilities at all times. Additionally, Simpson’s exceptional intangibles enable him to carve up coverage with surgical precision despite lacking elite arm talent. His arm strength grades out at a “plus” level, but it would not rank as a superpower on par with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow. While it has been proven that a strong arm is not required to succeed in the NFL, Simpson must win with superior timing, anticipation and ball placement rather than throwing fastballs past defenders. Coaches intrigued by Simpson will certainly want to incorporate the rhythm throws and play-action concepts that accentuate his game. He consistently nails the strike zone on “catch, rock and throw” concepts with in-breaking routes attached to the progression, and he’s just as effective on comebacks and deep outs thrown outside the numbers. With Simpson also capable of layering throws over intermediate defenders after executing play-action fakes, offensive coordinators can open up the playbook with the Alabama product under center. In addition, Simpson’s athleticism, movement skills and effectiveness as a mobile playmaker shine on bootlegs and naked passes. He is a credible dual-threat with the potential to pick up first downs on nifty scrambles or pinpoint tosses to the boundary. The Downside Despite the impressive résumé and highlight reel Simpson has compiled as a one-year starter, there are some concerns about his ability to thrive as a pro due to his inexperience (15 career starts), size and arm talent. The recent failures of Anthony Richardson (13 college starts), Dwayne Haskins (14), and Mitchell Trubisky (13), combined with the inability of Trey Lance (17) to crack an NFL starting lineup, makes Simpson a high-risk prospect due to his limited reps. Additionally, skeptics will point to his late-season struggles, particularly against Auburn and Georgia (in the SEC Championship Game), as potential concerns about his ability to adapt to defensive adjustments. Defensive coordinators successfully copied pressure patterns and coverage tricks that disrupted his rhythm in the initial Oklahoma matchup, as evidenced by Simpson completing just 58.5% of his passes in his final five games with six touchdowns and three interceptions. With Simpson’s injuries also impacting his play, concerns over his size and durability are also major factors in his evaluation. As a slender quarterback, his late-season decline will lead to questions about his ability to withstand the pounding and wear-and-tear as a pro. [2026 NFL Draft Confidential: Unfiltered Scouting Takes On Top 5 QBs] Factor in his lack of elite arm talent, and there are plenty of red flags for evaluators to consider when breaking down Simpson. The naysayers will point to his underthrown vertical passes and his soft tosses between the numbers as potential concerns, especially since NFL defensive coordinators design game plans that force quarterbacks to make tight-window throws. If Simpson is unable to punish opponents for their aggressive tactics, the offense will face a condensed field, making it harder to operate over a 17-game season. The Verdict Simpson is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward prospect at the position. He dazzles as a pocket passer, with pristine mechanics and a high IQ that will endear him to quarterback gurus across the league. Offensive coordinators employing intricate schemes that rely on touch, timing and precision will fall in love with Simpson due to his ability to execute advanced concepts at the collegiate level. His strongest supporters within the league will see the Alabama star as a Brock Purdy-like playmaker. They’ll argue that Simpson could excel in an offense featuring a smorgasbord of creative concepts designed to exploit defensive vulnerabilities through clever scheming and misdirection, including play-action and bootleg passes. While his lack of experience will require a detailed developmental plan that might include a “redshirt” year to adapt and adjust to the pro game, Simpson’s skills could translate into him becoming a successful starter down the road. Due to the time needed for him to develop, and the risks associated with his inexperience and size, I would grade him as a second-round prospect (future starter), knowing that he faces long odds of becoming a franchise-caliber player.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Brandon Laine Coleman, lead singer of The Red Clay Strays, and his wife Macie are officially introducing the newest member of their family to the world. The couple initially shared that their first child was born in early February, but today on their three-year wedding anniversary, they have revealed their baby girl’s name along with adorable family photos.
The childhood sweethearts tied the knot on April 1, 2023, and announced Macie’s pregnancy in early November 2025, just weeks before The Red Clay Strays were honored with the Vocal Group of the Year award at the Country Music Association Awards. At the time, they shared they were “elated and blessed beyond measure” and eagerly awaiting their “precious little angel from above.” Shortly after, they revealed the gender of their baby girl with another joyful announcement.
Their latest post gives fans a closer look into what this heartfelt chapter of life looks like for the couple. Macie wrote, “Brandon and I would like to formally introduce our daughter, Vivian Jane Coleman,” who they deem to be “The best thing to ever happen to us.”
She goes on to admit that she has made many attempts to try and express how much becoming a mother and watching her other half become a father has meant to her in these past two months but finds herself “at a loss.” She notes she has been overwhelmed with “love and happiness” as well as pride.
“I have never been more proud of myself. Which come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever been ~truly~ proud of myself. Until now. I haven’t stopped feeling it since she was born. Motherhood is the greatest thing to have ever happened to me and I thank God every night for it,” Macie shares.
She goes on to reflect on the moment she brought her baby girl into the world and praised Brandon for all the support he showed her during the entire process.
“Labor and delivery was the most beautiful and spiritual experience of my life. And I couldn’t have done it without my honey, B. Brandon held me through every painful contraction and when it was time, he sat down in front of me and we brought our baby into the world. His hands were the first to hold her as he delivered her and brought her to my chest.”
In the days that have followed the birth, the new mom has also gotten to witness her husband become a father, thus making her “fall in love even deeper than I thought possible.”
“The way he’s taken care of me so that I can take care of her. His eagerness to learn every little thing so he can do it himself. (There are things I don’t even know how to work because he’s done it from day one),” she adds. “He’s a natural and naturally has been wrapped from the beginning. She is so lucky to have the best daddy in the world!”
With today being their third anniversary together, the couple decided to reflect on their journey together up until this point. Macie recalls Brandon asking her, “Is this how you imagined life would be 3 years into marriage with me?” to which she responded, “No… it’s even better. You have truly made all of my dreams come true.”
The addition of their sweet daughter Vivian has felt like a “dream” for the new parents.
“She is everything I didn’t know I needed and everything I’ve ever wanted all wrapped up into one.What an honor to experience a love so pure, unconditional, and overwhelming. To be blessed with one of God’s greatest gifts… Our very own earth angel 🤍 “
Macie ended her incredibly heartfelt message with a final note to Brandon, “Happy Anniversary honey, B! Nothing could ever beat spending this day with you and the very product of our love!”
The post was paired with a carousel of pink-themed family photos inside their little one’s nursery. Macie explained that this is a rare glimpse into their daughter’s life because moving forward, they have decided not to post her face online.
As Brandon Coleman continues to settle into life as a dad, he also has a busy few months of touring planned with the Red Clay Strays. The band is set to make a slew of festival appearances in addition to hosting their first-ever fan fest. The event taking place from June 24-28 invites the band’s closest fans to one of their favorite venues, Abayance Bay, in Rexford, MT, to enjoy performances from Lukas Nelson and St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
“We’ve been making the trip up to Rexford for the last five years for some great shows and some much needed R&R time! This year we want y’all to come join us,” the band wrote.
To learn more about the official Red Clay Strays Fan Fest and other upcoming shows, visit their offcial website.
The post The Red Clay Strays’ Brandon Coleman And Wife Macie Introduce Baby Girl Vivian appeared first on Country Now.
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Italy, while known for its luxurious pasta dishes and seafood, is also known for its quick, inexpensive street food. You can’t skip these Italian street foods.
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We have new information about the events leading up to Tiger Woods’ latest DUI arrest.
As you’ve likely heard by now, the golf legend rolled his SUV in Jupiter, Florida last week, and police took him into custody after he exhibited “signs of impairment” in the wake of the accident
Now, police have released bodycam footage from Tiger’s arrest.
The video, released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, captures Woods on the roadside talking with officers after the rollover, his black Land Rover on its side in the road.
At one point, Woods is heard telling deputies how the crash unfolded.
“I looked down at my phone and all of a sudden, boom,” Tiger says in the footage, describing why he lost control of the vehicle.
According to law enforcement at the scene, Woods appeared visibly impaired when deputies arrived.
Officers described him as sweaty and unsteady, with “bloodshot and glassy” eyes in the moments after the crash.
Deputies also say he had difficulty completing coordination exercises during field sobriety tests,
They later revealed that two pills identified as hydrocodone — a prescription opioid pain medication — were found in his pocket and collected as evidence.
Despite these observations, Woods told officers he had neither taken illegal drugs nor consumed alcohol and instead attributed the wreck to distraction.
Woods, 50, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of DUI involving property damage and was held for several hours before being released.
He later pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge.
In a public statement following the arrest, Woods acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and announced he would be stepping away from professional golf to focus on his health and seek treatment.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” he wrote, adding that he was committed to prioritizing his well-being.
The crash, which occurred while Woods was attempting to pass a truck, caused significant damage but did not result in serious physical injury to him or another driver involved.
Woods has been preparing for upcoming legal proceedings, and a judge recently granted his request to travel abroad for treatment, citing privacy concerns .
Woods’ legal team has stated that the decision would aid in the golfer’s recovery.
For now, the newly released body-cam footage adds another layer to the ongoing case, showing the moments immediately after the crash and the explanation Woods offered to officers on the scene.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Tiger Woods DUI Arrest Video Shows Golf Legend Literally On His Knees was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip