(The Center Square) – A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.
Month: June 2026
As Anchorage celebrates Juneteenth, the 2026 Ebony Aurora Awards are recognizing community members whose contributions have helped shape the city. Among the recipients is Herbert Turner, honored for more than six decades of service, including expanding educational opportunities for students…
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Town Square Media Brick Removal
Town Square Park renovation in Anchorage includes removal and preservation of commemorative bricks from the 1990s, with owners able to reclaim intact pieces.
Town Square Park renovation in Anchorage includes removal and preservation of commemorative bricks from the 1990s, with owners able to reclaim intact pieces.
Coffee shops across Anchorage are dealing with rising costs for beans, fuel, shipping and supplies. Owners at Refuge Coffee and Bema Café say they have had to adapt as expenses climb, with some costs ultimately being passed on to customers.…
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Belgium’s golden generation might have ended in 2022, but a younger squad opened its World Cup the way it has opened most things lately: with more questions than answers. Egypt — organized, patient, entirely unfazed by the badge it was facing — held one of Europe’s more talented squads to a 1-1 draw in Seattle on Monday. Emam Ashour put the Pharaohs ahead in the 19th minute. Belgium, which lined up without a recognized striker, spent an hour passing the ball to death without ever threatening to score one. Then Rudi Garcia went for one of the lasting remnants of the past golden generation, and that man shocked audiences with his first touch. Here are my takeaways from Belgium and Egypt’s opening draw: 1. Belgium Needs a Healthy Lukaku — Desperately Belgium started this World Cup match without a striker. Garcia deployed Charles De Ketelaere, usually a second striker or attacking midfielder, as a false nine in front of an attacking midfield three built on flair: Jérémy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard. It produced some decent football but virtually no penalty-box menace. Egypt’s block sat there and dared Belgium to find a center forward. Belgium couldn’t muster a single shot on target during the entire first half. Enter Romelu Lukaku. Within seconds, a Youri Tielemans pass sprang Thomas Meunier down the right. Lukaku’s run through the middle was perfectly timed as the low cross was fed right into the path of the veteran striker. That sequence is Belgium’s entire striker situation in a nutshell. Lukaku is 33. He has played about an hour of competitive football all season after a high-grade thigh tear, surgery and a parade of setbacks at Napoli — a saga ugly enough that he spent half the year rehabbing in Belgium against his club’s wishes. And he is still, comfortably, the most important No. 9 this team has. Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, and it isn’t close. The question for Garcia was never whether Lukaku belongs. It depends on whether his body allows him to be the player this squad is designed around. 2. The Gap At The Top Keeps Shrinking Egypt didn’t park ten men and pray. Hossam Hassan’s side defended with shape, broke with intent and, for long spells, looked like the team with the clearer idea of what it was doing. Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush were deployed to stretch Belgium’s back line all night. This was not a smash-and-grab. And it fits the pattern of these opening days. Canada took its first men’s World Cup point off Bosnia. Cape Verde somehow held Spain to a 0-0 draw. Japan produced a highly entertaining 2-2 result against the Netherlands. The teams that were supposed to make up the numbers in a bloated 48-side field have been landing clean punches on the establishment. Egypt went winless in Russia in 2018. This cycle it conceded two goals in 10 qualifiers. On Monday, it walked off the pitch proudly with a point against the ninth placed side in the FIFA rankings. Pedigree still wins most of these games, but be thankful for the surprises that keep some of these games highly unpredictable. 3. Egypt Is Built To Be A Problem Two goals allowed in ten qualifying matches is not a rounding error. It’s an identity. Hassan has built a side around defensive discipline and two attackers who can punish a single lapse. Salah — who turned 34 on Monday, and is fresh off a quieter final season at Liverpool — is still feared by defenders. Marmoush, now at Manchester City, offers a second runner who threatens in behind the moment a center back steps too high. Ashour’s opener came from exactly the kind of organized, low-risk football this team will live on. The draw has been kind to the Pharaohs, too. They drew the toughest fixture first and came away with a point. Iran and New Zealand are next, and Egypt will fancy itself in both. Second place in Group G is very much on the table — and a Round-of-32 date that could fall against the United States is the sort of thing that makes a federation dream. 4. What Is The Ceiling For Belgium? We have been writing this group’s obituary since 2018, and it keeps refusing to die quietly. De Bruyne is 34. Courtois is 34. Lukaku is 33 and held together with tape. The trophy cabinet is empty. Qatar 2022 ended in a group-stage exit and a dressing room reportedly at war with itself. The brief in 2026 was simple: don’t do that again. A point against a well-drilled Egypt is not that. But in a draw, Garcia’s headline idea — De Bruyne conducting behind a striker-less front three — generated barely any threat. It’s the kind of result that should keep a coach up at night. Talent has never been the issue with Belgium. The coherence has. Iran comes next in Los Angeles, then New Zealand in Vancouver. Both are winnable. Both are also precisely the sort of stubborn, well-organized opponent that just gave Belgium 90 minutes of frustration while wearing a different shirt. Garcia has a week to decide how much he trusts Lukaku’s body — because for an hour on Monday, the alternative looked like nothing at all.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
It’s no surprise that after years in the spotlight, Chris Young has grown accustomed to being recognized by country music fans in typical settings like a country concert, a festival or local Nashville hotspots. But according to the singer/songwriter, there have also been some pretty memorable fan encounters that have happened in places where he least expected them.
During a recent conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal, Young was asked to share some of the most wild or random places that a fan has recognized him. After taking a moment to think back, he first recalled an unexpected encounter that took place at a concert by rapper J. Cole.
“I was standing out at front of house because one of my friends worked for him and I wanted to go see that show. And so I’m just standing there. I’m like, ‘Nobody’s going to know me.’”
That assumption didn’t last long because Young said the next thing he knew a fan spotted him near the soundboard and immediately did a double take.
“He’s like, ‘Are you…?’ And I’m like, ‘How do you know that? I’m not popular enough for you to recognize me at a J. Cole concert. Stop it,’” he joked.
The surprise recognition reminded him of another random experience that happened during a special concert outing with his mom. Young says he has made it a point to take everyone in his family to at least one big show of their choosing to see their favorite artist perform. For his mom, that artist was Billy Joel.
They ventured out to New York City together on a fun mother-son adventure to see the superstar perform during his residency at Madison Square Garden. This was one of the last places that Young ever expected to meet one of his own fans, as he was far beyond the typical country music setting.
“I took my mom to go see Billy Joel when he was doing the residency where he broke the record for a number of shows and we were getting up to leave and someone ran me down and was like, ‘Oh my God, you’re my favorite country artist,’” he recalled. “I was like, ‘oh, there’s zero reason for you to recognize me here. It’s just me and my mom watching Billy Joel.’ I was like this is completely random.”
While the moments may have been unexpected, Young says the recognition is always appreciated.
“It’s a good feeling,” he added.
There have definitely been moments when Chris Young has tried to fly under the radar, but as he has clearly discovered on multiple occasions, that’s not always an easy task, especially when he’s in Nashville. He was once again reminded of this recently when he took his first backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry.
Young has played the Opry countless times since making his debut in the coveted circle on on June 10, 2006, but somehow he has never taken the small-group public tours that run throughout the backstage of the historic venue. When a few of his friends made the trip to Music City from Key West, he decide to join them in experiencing one of these tours, not as an artist but as a fan.
It didn’t take long for Young to accidently expose that he’s no stranger to the venue.
“No one had really noticed because I was just T-shirt, jeans, ball cap. And as we’re going through backstage, I was like, ‘Oh, where’s the Christmas tree that’s in this room?’ And the woman immediately looks at me and cocks her head a little bit. She’s like, ‘Hmm.’”
He continued, “Then you do a thing at the very end where you take a photo in the circle and she waited until we got up and we were last in line and she goes, ‘It’s your big moment. Here you are stepping into this.’ I was like, ‘Oh, she knows.’”
Young admits that the entire experience was one to remember and feels that anyone visiting Nashville should take the time to learn more about the Opry, as well as visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“That’s something that I think a lot of people may miss if they don’t know about it, but it’s easy to just schedule one of those and go check out the Opry.”
Chris Young has been staying busy as he recently released the deluxe edition of his latest album, I Didn’t Come Here To Leave, featuring new collaborations with Shaylen and Breland.
Plus, fans are eagerly awaiting the grand opening of his own sports bar, Famous Friends, in Nashville’s Midtown neighborhood.
The post Chris Young Reveals The Most Unexpected Places Fans Have Recognized Him appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Dolly Parton‘s former California retreat is looking for a new owner, and the property’s current owner is hoping it ends up in the hands of someone who is a big fan of the country icon.
Located in the heart of Solvang, California at 561 Alisal Road, the charming residence is believed to have once served as a private getaway for Parton and her family, according to Noozhawk. It has now hit the market with an asking price of $1.995 million.
The iconic home is located just steps from the town’s popular downtown district and offers plenty of character as well as several unique reminders of Dolly Parton. It features a stained-glass window above the front door that reads “Dolly” alongside her signature butterfly symbol, what has been described as Parton’s original “wig room” and a plaque on the white fence officially claiming it as the “9 To 5” singer’s former home.
“Own a piece of music history with the Dolly Parton’s former retreat home and two rental units, a rare Hollywood legacy located in the heart of Solvang at 561 Alisal Road. This one-of-a-kind property features the country legend’s original, authentic ‘Wig Room,” the listing reads.
The triplex property offers a “3-bedroom, 2-bathroom front home; a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom upper rear unit; and a 1-bedroom lower unit with a three-quarter bath. Each unit includes its own private, enclosed patio.”
SFGATE reports that Parton owned the property for roughly a decade after purchasing it in 2004. During that time, it’s believed that she used the home as a weekend retreat, while additional units on the property housed members of her team during visits to California’s Santa Ynez Valley.
The property was built in 1920 and is currently owned by Cris Lapp, a real estate broker with Black Oak Homes and Mortgages. He purchased the property nearly four years ago as a temporary residence while he and his partner worked on building their dream home in Solvang. Since then, he has invested time into restoring and maintaining the historic retreat, including refurbishing the property’s iconic windmill and adding the stained-glass Dolly tribute above the front door.
Lapp tells Noozhawk that he once lived in the back house recalls the upstairs being used as Parton’s makeup room, wig room and a dressing room area.
“Neighbors and people that would tend to the house before she came up, would come by and talk to me and said she would come up with her crew,” he recalls. “…She used it as a weekend retreat, I guess.”
Lapp goes on to say that traces of Parton’s influence can still be found throughout the property. While exploring the basement, he discovered several items that appeared to have been left behind by the country icon including “wooden angels and wooden tulips.”
Over the years, the real estate broker has made a point to preserve many of the home’s original details. When renting out the additional units, he even encouraged tenants not to alter the unique features that served as a reminder of Parton’s time there.
“There’s a lot of stenciling of little hearts and stuff inside the unit…I wanted to make sure she didn’t get erased from it.”
Lapp also shared his hope that a “mega fan” will purchase the home.
To celebrate the property’s unique history, he created its own Instagram page (@dollys_house_solvang) to showcase the home’s transformation over the past few years. The account features photos of the residence and highlights restoration projects dating back to 2022.
Tours of the property are currently reserved for prospective buyers only.
The post Dolly Parton’s Former California Retreat Hits The Market For $1.995 Million appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Cape Verde delivered the biggest shock of the World Cup thus far after its draw against Spain in Atlanta on Monday. I’ve given my kudos to Cape Verde (an archipelago nation off the coast of Africa making its tournament debut), but now let’s focus on La Roja and what’s now at stake after this historically disappointing result from Luis de la Fuente’s team. Spain’s draw now means that in order to top the group, its margin for error has practically been brought to zero. This group features two other stout squads – Uruguay will take on Saudi Arabia to conclude the first matchday of Group H – but trust me when I tell you that De La Fuente will want nothing less than two victories for their remaining fixtures in the group stage. Spain knows that topping the group is extremely important in order to avoid a major, giant obstacle in the knockout stages and Monday’s result gets in the way of this objective. Because any other setbacks could set up an earlier-than-expected date with a very familiar face. If Spain ends up as runner-up, then it has the possibility of facing Lionel Messi Argentina in the Round of 32 (if La Albiceleste tops Group J) and that’s far from ideal. Now, there’s a reminder here that Argentina itself lost the opening match of the World Cup back in 2022, which was coincidentally against Saudi Arabia (Spain’s upcoming opponent, and we all know how that ended.) In addition, back in 2010, when Spain won its first World Cup, it actually lost the first match, a 1-0 loss to Switzerland, and after that, it won every game, which concluded the journey with the trophy. All is not lost, therefore. But Spain knows it has to do better, both in strategy and mentality. It was a passive performance where patience was confused with stagnation. Too many players, from Ferran Torres to Mikel Oyarzabal, were not clinical enough. I also thought the substitutions came too late against Cape Verde so De La Fuente too needs to be more aggressive with his management. If all the eggs are placed in Lamine Yamal’s basket, then Spain will continue to fail. It has to believe in the collective. As mentioned, Spain faces Saudi Arabia on Sunday, before ending the group action against Uruguay next Friday. And I am not sure if a desperate battle against a team managed by Marcelo Bielsa – whose well-earned El Loco nickname comes from his high-pressure style of tactics – is what Spain wants. There’s a lot to do for Spain and there is no doubt it can do it. It is, after all, a magnificent team. But talent is not the question here. This is about application.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports