Fans will go out of their way for In-N-Out’s food, but residents of these states can actually cater their own parties and events with a Cookout Truck.
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Month: June 2026
The sign at the entrance to the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus welcomes students on Sept. 20, 2023. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Officials with the University of Alaska have tapped the commander of the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command as the new permanent chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Col. Russell “Russ” Vander Lugt was selected from four finalists after an eight-month search process. He will be the top executive of Alaska’s leading research institution, which describes itself as “America’s Arctic university.” He will replace interim chancellor, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Arctic, Mike Sfraga, who succeeded former chancellor Dan White who announced his retirement in May of last year.
Vander Lugt is a senior U.S. Army officer, an Arctic scholar and UAF alumni, with over two decades of executive leadership experience, according to a university announcement on May 27. He has served as commander of the 11th Airborne Division’s Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks since Aug. 2024.
“I’m humbled to be selected to lead the University of Alaska Fairbanks during this pivotal time,” Vander Lugt said in a statement with the announcement.
“I look forward to leading through trust, transparency, and teamwork as we see Alaska and the Arctic transformed through education, research, and public service. I’m committed to building on the strong foundation Chancellors Sfraga and White have established, and working closely with university leadership and governance to support and advance UAF’s mission,” he said.
Vander Lugt will step into the permanent chancellor role on Sept. 8. Sfraga’s last day was Friday, and university officials have selected Larry Hinzman, director of the UA Arctic Leadership Initiative, to serve as interim chancellor through the summer.
Vander Lugt has had a long career with the U.S. Army in various roles in Alaska, where he is stationed in Fairbanks, and across the U.S. His resume lists deployments to Europe and the Middle East.
He served in executive leadership roles that include the Alaskan Command, a division of the U.S. Northern Command, the 601st Aviation Support Battalion, and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat team. He also taught history and military leadership as an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was a professor of military science and department chair at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona.
He holds a master’s degree and doctoral degree in Arctic and Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which he completed in 2022.
Vander Lugt’s hire is the latest in major leadership changes in the University of Alaska system — former UA president Pat Pitney retired last month and former university attorney Matt Cooper was named as her successor. Cooper will begin as university president in early August, and Michelle Rizk, vice president of university relations and chief strategy, planning and budget officer, is serving as interim president. Cheryl Siemers was appointed permanent chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage in March, after serving as interim chancellor since the retirement of former chancellor Sean Parnell last year.
Vander Lugt’s base salary will be $309,000, according to the university’s announcement.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks serves roughly 7,500 students. It employs more than 800 faculty and nearly 2,000 staff across urban and rural campuses in Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel and Dillingham.
LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau has been searching for answers on the course during a quiet stretch of play over the past few months. That skid has included missing the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship. However, he appears to have rediscovered his form after finishing third at the LIV Golf Korea event, closing with a 5-under 65, just one shot out of a playoff. To find ways to improve his swing and break out of his slump, DeChambeau has taken an unconventional approach. He’s now turning to AI and Google Gemini to analyze and refine his game in search of a new edge. “I spent some long hours on the range trying to figure some stuff out and I was talking to AI quite a bit last night trying to go through some different physics principles that make the club turn over, having some alpha torque and gamma torque put in there,” DeChambeau said. “I was like, what makes that possibly do that, and was talking about just grip pressure and tension.” The process marked a rare dive into technology-driven experimentation for the two-time major champion. It also reflects his ongoing search for consistency after an uneven stretch in recent weeks. “I came out here today with just a little bit more freer hands and I felt the club a lot better,” DeChambeau said. “I felt like I could close the club a lot more effectively and then I started stripping it.” Reporters spotted DeChambeau on the range between 7:30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday night, visibly frustrated as he slammed his club into the ground. The moment goes to show the intensity of his struggles as he works through ongoing swing issues, prompting him to explore Gemini. “I was frustrated,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve been trying everything in my body. I didn’t actually figure it out on the range. I went back and started talking to Gemini and trying to figure out just what it could be to passively make the club turn over.” The experimentation reflects DeChambeau’s broader effort to better understand the physics behind his swing and find a repeatable solution. He believes those late-night conversations helped him identify a key adjustment that finally clicked. “Hands just felt like they were moving forward and I couldn’t get the club to turn over even if I tried to stop it, here and [it] just wouldn’t turn over,” DeChambeau said. “So I left kind of frustrated, and then learned later that night, I needed to relax my grip pressure and let the thing fold over naturally.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
The Rams continue to tell the NFL world that they’re all-in on winning the Super Bowl. Just over two months after trading for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles on Monday acquired reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster deal. The Rams gave up ascending edge rusher Jared Verse and premium draft capital in the trade — a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round selection and a 2029 third-rounder. With Garrett in the fold, how does the Rams’ defense stack up with the NFL’s best? Here’s my ranking of the league’s top five units in descending order: Key additions: OLB Jonathan Greenard (trade), CB Riq Woolen (FA), OLB Arnold Ebiketie (FA)Key losses: OLB Jaelan Phillips (FA), LB Nakobe Dean (FA), S Reed Blankenship (FA) Losing Jaelan Phillips in free agency was a big loss for the Eagles, but they shouldn’t lose a step in the pass rush after trading for Jonathan Greenard in April. Before a down year in 2025, the former Pro Bowler had back-to-back seasons of 12 sacks. The signing of ex-Seahawk Riq Woolen on a one-year deal represents a low risk, potentially high reward boost to what’s already a strong secondary. If edge rusher Jalen Carter is healthy, playcaller Vic Fango has one of the truly elite defenses in the NFL. Key additions: DT Tyler Oyedim (draft)Key losses: DL John Franklin-Myers (FA), S P.J. Locke (FA) The Broncos last season had the NFL’s best pass rush, the No. 2 total defense and ranked third in points allowed. John Franklin-Myers’ departure in free agency is significant, but Denver still has the core of its defense and drafted defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, a third-round pick who could suffice as a Franklin-Myers replacement. Denver has had a top-three defense in back-to-back seasons under DC Vance Joseph. Key additions: DE Myles Garrett (trade), CB Trent McDuffie (trade), CB Jaylen Watson (FA)Key losses: OLB Jared Verse (trade), CB Cobie Durant (FA) With Garrett in the picture, the Rams now have the league’s most tantalizing defense. Los Angeles could be truly dominant in stopping the pass — it has added two All-Pro talents in Garrett and cornerback Trent McDuffie — while still being great against the run (the Rams ranked 12th in run defense last season). But could having such an elite offense — especially through the air — keep Chris Shula’s defense on the field longer than expected? Despite leading the league in scoring last season, the Rams were 14th in average time per drive (2:53). Key additions: DE Dante Fowler Jr. (FA), S Bud Clark (draft), CB Julian Neal (draft)Key losses: S Coby Bryant (FA), DE Boye Mafe (FA), CB Riq Woolen (FA) The Seahawks return 10 full-time starters from their No. 1 ranked scoring defense that led the way to the franchise’s Super Bowl LX victory, but their depth losses aren’t insignificant. If rookie defensive backs Bud Clark (second round) and Julian Neal (third round) play a big role early, Mike Macdonald’s defense may not lose a step. Key additions: S Reed Blankenship (FA), DL Logan Hall (FA), DT Kayden McDonald (draft)Key loss: DT Tim Settle (FA) The Seahawks last season barely edged the Texans as the league’s top-scoring defense (Seattle at 17.2 PPG allowed, Houston at 17.4 PPG allowed). So with the losses the Seahawks have suffered this offseason, the Texans — who also return 10 starters — are in the top spot by default. Not to mention, an already feared Houston defense added a high-quality veteran safety in Reed Blankenship via free agency and landed Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald in the second round of the draft.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Perfectly-fried tender-crispy beer-battered cod comes together with a tangy lime crema and a few crunchy veggies in a very special handheld for taco night.
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Who watches the watch parties?
SUMMER OF HELL: The NYPD has quite a summer ahead, to hear Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch tell it.
During a four-hour budget hearing this morning (and afternoon), the mayor’s top cop provided new insight into possible threats during the World Cup, hinted at the beef between the police department and the mayor’s office over the scale of celebrations in New York City and ballparked how much police overtime will cost when America’s 250th birthday festivities, the NBA Finals, a large sailing event and annual parades are taken into account.
“Any one of those events on its own would be a major operation in New York City,” Tisch told members of the City Council’s finance and public safety committees. “Taken together, they place extraordinary demands on the NYPD.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already announced five fan zones where New Yorkers can catch World Cup games for free. Tisch said Monday there would be more.
“My understanding is that the mayor is going to announce a very robust set of watch parties for FIFA around the whole five boroughs, which will run the length of the tournament,” she said.
Yet behind the scenes, as POLITICO has reported, police brass have chafed at the scale of watch parties desired by the mayor, an avid fan, who wants to host novel get-togethers like soccer on the beach. Some of those tensions appeared to seep through Tisch’s comments Monday as she ticked off all the ways the NYPD will be taxed in the coming months.
“I would appreciate it if you could think about the demands on this department in that context,” she said, stressing to lawmakers the NYPD has limited resources. “We would like to facilitate a lot, perhaps we will be able to facilitate everything — but there will be a lot of celebrating in New York City.”
Tisch and her team tried to paint a picture of the scale of the tasks at hand: The department will screen 200 buses arriving from New Jersey on eight days when games are being played at MetLife Stadium. Officers will also secure the staging areas in Midtown where passengers will board those buses before being ferried back across the Hudson River. The NYPD plans to screen an estimated 15,000 rail passengers before they take a train to the Garden State as well.
Tisch has previously expressed her fears about weaponized drones that could be used to launch attacks during the tournament. On Monday, she turned to a more grounded example of why the NYPD needs to be involved in planning.
“We don’t want cars driving into these watch parties, either on purpose or by accident,” she said. “We don’t want to see vehicle ramming attacks across the city.”
All told, Tisch and her team said overtime costs associated with the summer will run approximately $92 million. Officers will be put on mandatory 12-hour shifts from July 1 through July 7, as POLITICO has reported, a run Tisch said Monday may need to be expanded. Around $70 million of that cost is either already accounted for in the city’s budget or is being picked up by the feds, leaving a roughly $20 million shortfall at a time when the city has little money to spare. — Joe Anuta
From the Capitol
SLOP THERE IT IS: Just in time for NBA Finals, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Republican foes are gleefully casting themselves as ballers in AI-produced videos and images dunking on the hapless Democrat.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott today posted a photo on X of the Lone Star Republican in a San Antonio Spurs jersey scoring off Hochul kitted out as a Knick. President Donald Trump sitting courtside smiles along in approval.
This follows a video by Hochul’s general election opponent Bruce Blakeman dribbling circles around Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (In this iteration, Blakeman is on the Knicks and the New York Democrats are on the Cleveland Cavaliers.)
Hochul — a Buffalo native who appears to be much more of a Bills and Sabres fan — scoffed at the Abbott photo this morning, making a reference to controversies over trans people participating in sports.
“I was actually surprised to see the president and Governor Abbott — with their memes of me, they’re dunking me on the court — that they’re supportive of men and women competing in the same sport,” she said. — Nick Reisman
THE KIDS ARE ALERT: Students are learning more and scrolling less thanks to a statewide cellphone ban, according to research released today by the governor.
Roughly 80 percent of teachers across the state said in a survey that the ban, which went into effect this school year, has resulted in positive outcomes, including better student engagement. Another 60 percent reported a decline in bullying and cyberbullying incidents. And 75 percent said their ability to teach effectively improved.
Hochul, who attended a roundtable discussion with students and teachers at a Brooklyn school today, said she first sought to determine what was causing youth mental health issues more than a year ago.
“I quickly came to the conclusion that there were severely negative impacts on young people’s mental health in classrooms when they could not put down their cellphones,” she said. “Literally, it became an addiction.”
The governor’s office received 585 responses to the survey. Forty-seven percent of the educators polled were from New York City, according to Hochul.
It remains to be seen though whether the policy will have an impact on students’ academic performance.
“Logic would tell us that that is a result we expect to see at some point,” Hochul told reporters after the roundtable. “I don’t know that it follows at the end of any first year, but it is data I’ve asked for. We don’t have the final exams in, for example.” — Madina Touré
FROM CITY HALL
CLASS SIZE DELAY CEMENTED: Mamdani is set to receive two more years to comply with a state law mandating lower class sizes in public schools.
The legislation to allow for that would revise the benchmark for the upcoming school year from 80 percent to 70 percent, according to state Sen. John Liu, who chairs the Senate’s New York City Education Committee.
After that, the city will have to reach 80 percent by the 2027-28 school year, 90 percent by the 2028-29 school year and 100 percent by the 2029-30 school year.
Under the original timeline, the city had to reduce class sizes to between 20 and 25 students, depending on the grade, by September 2028.
“The legal timetable will be extended by two years, empowering the Mamdani administration to at long last bring all NYC class sizes down to state and national norms of teacher-student ratios,” Liu said in a statement. “This amendment to state law is respondent to clear and accountable teacher recruitment and classroom construction plans developed by the Mamdani administration to be fulfilled within the mayor’s current term of office.”
The class size law is a key priority for Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers. He said the union preferred compliance over an extension.
“But the reality is that New York City, up until now, had not done all that was needed to make this law a reality in every classroom,” Mulgrew said in a statement. “If giving this new administration two more years gets us a partner committed to building the necessary seats, then it is the fastest way to turn the law into reality.”
The agreement includes an “accountability incentive” that requires the city to treat space and hard-to-staff exemptions — schools that receive money to hire staff but are unable to fill those positions for the fall — as temporary tools.
The city will have to pay teachers a differential when working at schools that received space or hard-to-staff exemptions to meet the 70 percent benchmark for the upcoming school year. — Madina Touré
IN OTHER NEWS
— NO DICE: Resorts World, New York City’s first casino, is in a tax dispute with the state’s Gaming Commission, which claims the casino must pay an additional $150 million annually to the state’s horseracing industry. (New York Focus)
— AT RISK: The Trump administration is proposing to “optimize self-sufficiency” with cuts to the nation’s largest homeless assistance program that could leave thousands of formerly homeless New Yorkers without shelter. (Gothamist)
— BREAKING BREAD: Competing visions for the left are fueling tensions in the open NY-7 Democratic primary, with tribal politics framing the contest between progressive Antonio Reynoso and democratic socialist Claire Valdez. (The New York Times)
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Politics
The Los Angeles Rams once again showed a willingness to go for broke in the franchise’s chase for another Super Bowl. In one of the biggest trades in NFL history, the Rams landed future Hall of Fame edge rusher Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns for two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. The Rams securing the all-time single-season sack leader and last year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year shows that they remain intently focused on building a roster that can not only make the Super Bowl, but win it all. It’s reminiscent of their move to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021, when they shipped Jared Goff and two first-round picks to the Detroit Lions. The Rams won the Super Bowl in the same year they made the Stafford trade, capturing the Lombardi Trophy at their home stadium. And where will this year’s Super Bowl be played? SoFi Stadium. So, will history repeat itself again for the Rams? With Garrett now headed to L.A., here are three takeaways from the massive deal: The Texas native demanded a trade during the offseason last year, but when the Browns offered him a rich extension, he picked the money over winning. Garrett signed a four-year contract extension that, at the time, made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, earning $40 million annually. Garrett went on to have his best season as a pro, breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record with 23 sacks and totaling 33 tackles for loss. Still, Garrett’s heroic performance didn’t have an impact on his team’s record, as the Browns finished 5-12 and fired head coach Kevin Stefanski at the end of the season. This offseason seemed to have fizzled Garrett’s situation in Cleveland. After the Browns moved on from Stefanski, they didn’t hire who he wanted to be their next head coach, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Instead, they hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and Schwartz opted to leave the organization. As the offseason progressed, Garrett’s unhappiness in Cleveland became apparent. Monken said he still hadn’t met Garrett yet when he spoke with reporters in late May, and the star edge rusher wasn’t present for the team’s voluntary workouts. During Garrett’s time away, the Browns restructured his contract, allowing them to spread out his cap hit over two seasons after June 1. That paved the way for a trade. Garrett had a no-trade clause in his contract, giving him some power in picking his next location. His new home is one he’ll have some familiarity with, as Garrett’s girlfriend, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, is a Southern California native. So, the trade to Los Angeles brings him closer to his offseason lifestyle. Los Angeles already gave up a first-round pick this offseason in a trade for versatile, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and signed his teammate, former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, to improve the team’s weak spot defensively in the secondary. Those moves came after Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Seahawks successfully moved the ball through the air with relative ease in their NFC Championship Game victory over the Rams en route to winning the Super Bowl. Now, Los Angeles has one of the best defensive fronts in football to help ease the burden of its revamped secondary. Verse was a good player and L.A’s most talented pass rusher. However, Verse had trouble finishing in critical moments of the game, logging just 12 sacks over his first two seasons. And the Rams still have plenty of talent in the defensive trenches outside of Garrett. Byron Young was more productive in getting after the quarterback last year than Verse, recording 12 sacks to earn a Pro Bowl nod in 2025. The interior of the line is formidable, with defensive tackles Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford, but the Rams now have their first elite closer on the edge since Von Miller, who was instrumental in helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2021. Leading tackler inside linebacker Nate Landman signed an extension this past season and returns, along with versatile safeties Kam Curl and Quentin Lake. Add McDuffie and Watson to the mix, and the Rams have elite players at all three levels of their defense, something they couldn’t claim when they fell two wins short of the Lombardi Trophy last year. The Browns’ roster will take an immediate hit for 2026, but they’re now well-positioned to build for the future. They moved on from a high-maintenance player in Garrett, who showed up late for meetings routinely and was arrested a handful of times for speeding. He could have been an issue for a franchise attempting to establish a new culture with Monken, if he wasn’t already with his absences from the team’s offseason program. While Verse isn’t the pass rusher Garrett has been, he also fits their timeline more than the two-time Defensive Player of the Year did. He joins a Cleveland squad that had several productive rookies last season, including Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwessinger and defensive tackle Mason Graham. More importantly, the Browns now have extra draft capital that could allow them to make a move in next year’s talent-rich QB class. They now have two first-round picks in 2027, giving them 11 picks total. The Browns have a two-man competition at quarterback this season in Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, but it’s clear that they’re looking toward next year. “It’s all about winning a Super Bowl in L.A,” a longtime NFL scout told me when asked about the trade. “The Browns get rid of an eventual pain in the ass, if he isn’t one already.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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9 Minute Rice Cup Flavors, Ranked
With so many flavors to choose from, which Minute Rice stands above the others in a battle of the bowls? After a taste test, there’s one clear winner.
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