The hot dog is a polarizing vessel across the United States. One of the last times I was back home in Chicago was for a Fourth of July cookout that featured juicy smashburgers, succulent chicken thighs and a hot dog bar with all the accoutrements a Chicagoan could ever desire. A red-and-white checkered cloth covered a table stacked with dogs, poppy seed buns, three kinds of mustards, fresh tomatoes, neon sweet relish, chopped onions, pickle spears, sport peppers and shakers of celery salt. Everyone knows I love a spread (get it?). This Friday, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Chi Dog (Midwest) is one of six Wienermobiles set to race in the second annual Oscar Mayer Wienie 500. It joins the New York Dog (East), Chili Dog (South), Seattle Dog (Northwest), last year’s winner Slaw Dog (Southeast) and the newest competitor via fan vote, Corn Dog. Race day coverage starts at 2 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One. One of my jobs around these parts is to handicap sporting events, dive inside the odds and give you an educated idea of what to bet. Thing is, not a single American sportsbook is taking wagers on the Wienie 500. Why? “Is that a serious question?” Circa Sports director of operations Jeff Benson texted me earlier this week. “It isn’t approved by gaming. You know that.” I did know, but Benson’s reaction was worth the ask. So we can’t bet on it, but I still have a wienie in the race. And you will, too. Odds are good you’ll root for the hot dog that brings back your best childhood memories. Nostalgia tends to hit home in events like this. If you lathered yours with brown mustard and sauerkraut, you’ll be pulling for the New York Dog. If you went chili or chili-cheese, you know the drill. If you put cream cheese or slaw on your dog like a monster, God bless. We try not to judge around here. Last year, Slaw Dog sat in second place around the final turn before chasing down Chi Dog with a near 70-mile-per-hour rip to take the checkered flag. “I’m knee deep into college baseball right now,” one anonymous bettor told me when pressed on this year’s race. “But I love a good villain. Give me the Slaw Dog to run it back. It’ll set up the three-peat for next year.” Choose your wienie wisely. I’m going Chi Dog with revenge. What about you?Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
It’s officially that time of year again. CMA Fest is right around the corner, which means fans are already planning out their outfits for four straight days of concerts, meet-and-greets (for the lucky ones) and nonstop fun in the heart of Nashville.
When it comes to festival fashion, there’s several different routes to take. Some fans lean into the classic country look with boots, denim and cowboy hats, while others opt for breezy dresses, matching sets or comfy casual pieces that can survive long days in the high summer temps. And with daytime events turning into late-night concerts at Nissan Stadium, plenty of attendees are even planning multiple looks each day.
No matter your style, the key to surviving CMA Fest week is finding outfits that balance fashion and function. Nashville weather can bring intense heat, surprise rain showers and long hours on your feet, making lightweight fabrics, comfortable shoes and easy layering essentials for the week ahead.
We’ve compiled a list of outfit inspiration from brands like Pink Lily, DSW and Lulus to help you figure out exactly what to wear for every moment of CMA Fest week.
Play Something Country Charcoal Oversized Graphic Tee; Pink LilyBorn To Be Adored Light Wash Denim High-Rise Mini Skort; Lulus
Simply Pretty Washed Blue Ribbed Pleated Sleeveless Mini Dress from Lulus Nashville Leopard Trucker Hat; Pink LilyHoney Brown Dr. Scholl’s Madison Cloud Platform Sandal; DSW
Meredith White and Pink Floral Shorts and Halter Vest set; Pink LilyCattleman Women’s Felt Cowgirl Hat with Western Hat Band in Cotton Candy Pink; American Hat MakersTrendsetting Take Gold and Brown Oval Sunglasses; Lulus
She is serving a life sentence for the deaths of her boyfriend and friend after she alone survived a deadly crash. It will be over a decade before she is eligible for parole.
A former inmate shares her account of Shirilla’s demeanor — describing someone far different from how she portrayed herself in court.
Shirilla’s most ardent defender has been her father. It may cost him his job.
The infamous Mackenzie Shirilla appears in this mugshot. (Photo Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction)
What’s she like behind bars?
Mary Katherine Crowder spent over six months imprisoned at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
She is now out, and has taken to TikTok to share her experiences behind bars.
A couple of videos that have drawn a particular amount of attention describe her account of Shirilla behind bars.
She likened her to a “queen bee.”
According to Crowder, Shirilla’s demeanor and styling seemed to treat the prison “like a high school popularity contest.”
Crowder describes Shirilla as giggling, smiling, and socializing alongside a group of other young inmates.
Unlike Crowder, who is no longer incarcerated, Shirilla is serving concurrent 15-to-life sentences for the 2022 crash that killed Dominic Russo (her boyfriend) and Davion Flanagan.
Speaking of her love life, apparently she’s doing well in that department.
Crowder describes Shirilla as flaunting hickeys and similar love bites from hooking up with fellow inmates.
Now, all of this sounds pretty normal for a pretty young adult behind bars. But it’s gaining attention because Shirilla’s vibe in documentaries has shown a wildly different tone.
She’ll be eligible for parole in just over a decade
In 2023, prosecutors told the court that Shirilla had intentionally driven the vehicle into a building.
They argued that she had allegedly accelerated to nearly 100 miles per hour before slamming into the Strongsville, Ohio structure.
Shirilla survived. Russo and Flanagan did not.
The jury agreed with the prosecution’s case, convicting her for the deaths of her boyfriend and friend.
Shirilla is serving concurrent life sentences. She will, however, be eligible for parole in 2037.
In the Netflix documentary, The Crash, Steve Shirilla spoke in his daughter’s defense.
Not only did he maintain his daughter’s innocence, but he made controversial comments — defending her marijuana use (still controversial in some corners of the country), suggesting that Russo’s finances are why she dated him for four years, and denying reports that she’d been a high school bully.
Cleveland 19 News reports that he has now been placed on administrative leave at Mary Queen of Peace School, a private Catholic school.
“We are investigating allegations made on social media that one of our teachers has demonstrated poor judgement,” the school reported in an email to parents. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Shirilla’s father sees her as an innocent girl who survived a deadly crash. She portrayed herself as mournful and haunted on screen. Behind bars, however, Crowder had a different impression.
“I Love Lucy” star Lucille Ball was synonymous with comedic misadventures. Fortunately, the star ingredient of her salad dressing didn’t make it taste funny.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Sen. Robert Myers, R-North Pole, speaks on House Bill 57 in the Alaska Senate on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Hospitals, fire stations and clinics in Alaska may soon have ‘baby boxes’ able to safely and anonymously accept infants surrendered by parents who may be unable to care for them.
In a 35-5 vote Monday, the Alaska House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 9, amending the state’s safe-surrender law for infants to permit the construction of unmanned drop-off locations at public facilities. The Senate initially approved the bill in April.
SB 9, from Rep. Robb Myers, R-North Pole, is similar to legislation that has already been enacted by 22 other states.
“Safe surrender laws are a tool to help save lives,” Myers said in a prepared statement after the bill passed. “SB 9 puts another tool in the kit to help parents in crisis and keep babies in safe environments instead of the side of the road.”
The Senate voted 20-0 on Tuesday to accept the amended version of SB 9 passed by the House on Monday, an act that will send the bill to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for enactment or veto.
Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, R-Fairbanks, sponsored the bill in the House and explained that it offers an alternative to Alaska’s existing safe-surrender law, which already permits someone to surrender an infant less than 21 days old to a responsible person.
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, was one of a handful of legislators who voted against the bill. He said he was concerned about the implications for surrendering an infant who may have been kidnapped.
They’re both blonde, brash veterans of the reality TV trenches who launched political campaigns that initially seemed like practical jokes but met with surprising success.
Spencer Pratt accepts the award for Snapchatter of the Year onstage during the 10th Annual Shorty Awards at PlayStation Theater on April 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Shorty Awards)
Yes, Trump stopped just short of making an endorsement this week, saying that he would like to see Pratt “do well” in the LA mayoral race.
His reason? The president’s tepid support had nothing to do with policy and everything to do with Spencer’s rumored loyalties.
Asked if he sees himself in Pratt, Trump turned things around and wondered if Pratt sees himself as a product of MAGA culture.
“I’d like to see him do well — he’s a character,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, adding:
“I don’t know, I don’t know him. I assume he probably supports me. Does he support me?… I heard he does. I heard he’s a big MAGA person. He’s doing well.”
From there, Trump returned to his favorite topic of all (other than himself), and began venting about the 2020 presidential election. He griped about the “really rigged vote in California,” saying that “the elections are very dishonest.”
“If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would have won California,” he added. “Because I do great with Hispanics. But it’s a rigged vote.”
Yes, it’s the kind of quote that would have occupied an entire week-long news cycle with any other politician in US history.
And it’s a time when many Americans don’t think twice about electing a TV personality with zero political experience to manage one of the world’s largest economies.
Pratt has not yet publicly reacted to Trump’s pseudo-endorsement, but you can be sure that he and his team are loving the free press.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday he is ordering state lawmakers into a special session to force a new decision on his top priority: property tax breaks for the company proposing to build a massive pipeline system to ship natural gas from the North Slope to tidewater.
Dunleavy outlined his plan during a news conference at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage.
The special session, to start 10 a.m. Thursday morning, “will go on as long as they need to come up with a decision,” he said at the news conference.
The Legislature’s ongoing regular session ends at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, and legislators will enter special session the following morning.
The governor has characterized property tax-relief for the project as his top priority, and at the news conference he accused lawmakers of risking Alaska’s future by rejecting his plan.
The bill would replace state and local petroleum property taxes with an “alternative volumetric tax” on natural gas that would eventually flow through the pipeline. That gives Glenfarne Group, the company developing the pipeline in conjunction with the state, a tax break that its leaders have said is necessary to attract investors.
Negotiations to pass the governor’s preferred legislation fell apart on Monday, and Dunleavy blamed lawmakers for that outcome.
“This is a decision on the part of a handful of folks in Juneau who wish, for whatever reason I don’t understand, (to) play with the future of Alaska,” he said at the news conference.
Legislative critics of Dunleavy’s approach said Glenfarne had provided too little information on its cost estimates, thus making it impossible for them to determine whether the proposed tax break was appropriate. Some argued that the process had been too rushed. Dunleavy introduced his proposal in March, with the regular session half over.
But the governor had harsh words for those lawmakers. He said they were focused on the wrong things after an extremely cold winter that strained energy supplies in the populated Railbelt corridor.
“Last night there was time to shove a spay and neuter bill into an invasive species bill in (House) Finance,” he said at Tuesday’s news conference. “So Rome is burning and we’re shoving a spay and neuter bill into an invasive species bill.”
Glenfarne’s display at the entrance to the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference is seen on May 19, 2026. Glenfarne, the company proposing to build a massive natural pipeline to deliver North Slope natural gas to tidewater in Southcentral Alaska, is a major sponsor of the conference. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants the legislature to approve a property tax break to help Glenfarne finance the project. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Dunleavy was referring to a popular bill to establish a statewide spay and neuter fund, House Bill 258, which was combined during Monday’s House Finance Committee meeting with another bill related to animals, Senate Bill 174, that would establish a state invasive species council. It has since been removed from the bill.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a featured speaker at the conference, also nudged lawmakers to accept Dunleavy’s plan.
As a former governor of North Dakota, Burgum said he considered it “inappropriate” for him to insert himself into Alaska legislative business. However, he said lawmakers should focus on getting the gas pipeline built before worrying about how the revenues from it would be allocated.
“The key thing for when we’re competing (for) capital that can go anywhere around the world, the key thing for Alaska is: Get the project,” he said at the news conference. Alaskans should not worry about the revenue distributions until after a project is built and providing its promised myriad economic benefits, he said.
Burgum’s comments at the news conference echoed comments he made about the gas pipeline during his address at the conference.
“That project has to happen. And I would just invite Alaska to not get in your own way if you’re worrying about, ‘How do we divide up the pie,’ and the pie hasn’t even been baked yet,” he said. He called the gasline “a generational, transformational project that’s going to affect the state, the communities, the prosperity, the universities. I mean, the benefits of this thing are unbelievable.”
But lawmakers say those benefits have not been made clear to them, and neither have the cost tradeoffs.
Senate President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, did not mince words in a newsletter she issued Tuesday morning that said the governor has demanded that lawmakers “pass his version of a gas pipeline bill that no one is allowed to know much about.”
“His version of a gas pipeline defies our Constitution – ignoring resource development for benefit of Alaskans (benefit for a private company), surrenders our taxing authority (removes local taxation authority, forbids financial transparency, logical financial assessment),” Giessel’s newsletter said.
Dunleavy’s decision to veto a pension-overhaul bill that had been two years in the making after lawmakers rejected this gas pipeline bill was a “transactional” decision that is “the worst possible way to make public policy,” she said.
