Zach Top may have made “Beer For Breakfast” a fan-favorite anthem, but these days he’s swapping the morning cold ones for early morning workouts. The GRAMMY-nominated country star recently opened up to Audacy’s Katie Neal about how life on the road has changed since stepping into the spotlight, admitting that the same lifestyle he once laughed at has now become his own reality.
During an appearance on the “Superstar Power Hour,” Top revealed that he’s officially in his gym phase, something he never expected would happen.
“I used to look at guys with their gym trailers and Riley [Green]’s got a big old gym set up out there and I’m sitting over there drinking beer at 10 in the morning and laughing at him for working out. And now that’s me too,” he laughed.
Zach Top; Photo Provided
The Washington native joked that he never expected to embrace this kind of lifestyle so soon into his full-time touring career.
“I thought I had 10 or 15 years of good, hard living in me. And I’m three years into full-time being on the road and I’m already slowing down.”
Top also shared that he has found success with his workout routine by using the Ladder App, which allows him to tailor workouts based on the equipment he has available while traveling.
“I got on this app ladder and it makes it very approachable. I mean, you can kind of cater the workouts to whatever your setup is. You can have a full gym set up of exercises or body weight stuff or I have just these adjustable dumbbells out on the bus,” he explained. “So I haven’t graduated to the full gym trailer Riley Green set up yet. I just got those adjustable dumbbells and this little coach guy walks me through the whole workout and everything’s timed out too. I was always bad when I would just try to go to the gym and have a list of exercises I needed to do.”
Like many people who start a fitness routine, Top admitted that working out is not necessarily his favorite activity, but seeing the results makes it worth it.
“The way this app is set up, it kind of just runs you down. I mean, it tells you before the workout, you’ll be done in 37 minutes. And that makes it feel very approachable for me. So easy. I don’t enjoy working out. I enjoy the results.”
These days, Top’s road routine looks a little different. Instead of starting his mornings with a beer, he’s now beginning his days with a workout before heading out with his band to explore the cities they visit, often including a round of golf along the way.
Photo Courtesy of Zach Top
“So we do a little working out in the morning and then a lot of times go play golf. It’s fun to, always in a new city, see a new course. That’s a fun little way to get away from the venue for a little while too because…You’re in a parking lot. It sounds like it’d be glamorous and fun, but yeah, you’re just sitting in another parking lot every day. And they usually have it set up really nice. It’s comfortable and we’re on our buses and stuff like that. So there’s nothing to complain about. But it is nice to get out of the parking lot and away from the venue, go see some green grass and stuff like that.”
From morning beers to morning workouts, Zach Top’s touring routine has officially entered a new phase. While he may not have a full gym trailer like Riley Green just yet, he’s found a way to make the most of his time on the road.
A dog team trots through the snow at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 5, 2022, in Anchorage. Dogs are important to life in rural Alaska, but veterinary care to protect their health is in short supply. A new partnership has been launched to help fill the need. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
For years, rural Alaska communities have struggled with out-of-control dog populations that pose dangers to children, and diseases circulating through wildlife that can spill over into pets and people. And for years, the Alaska Federation of Natives has asked policy makers to help address the situation by extending veterinary services that residents say are desperately needed.
Now AFN, the state’s largest Native organization, is taking its own action. The state’s largest Native organization has teamed with Alaska Native Rural Veterinary Inc. to launch a program to provide animal care directly to remote villages.
The partnership kicked off its rural work this week when a veterinarian team landed in Galena, a Yukon River village that is among the multitude of Alaska communities lacking regular animal-health service.
The Rural Veterinary Public Health Program is intended to serve villages on the North Slope, in Western Alaska, Interior Alaska and other remote areas where there are no resident veterinarians, said Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, a veterinarian serving as the program’s medical advisor.
The plan includes spay and neuter services to keep populations in check, as well as vaccines and other animal care that is considered routine in urban areas but is difficult to secure in rural villages.
The program is also intended to address zoonotic diseases, which are illnesses that can spread between animals and people, adhering to the One Health approach.
“The most important thing is we’re keeping people safe and their pets safe, and wildlife, too,” said Reynolds, who led the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Center for One Health Research for a decade. Since 2024, he has served as the executive director of the Sitka Sound Science Center.
Dogs are important to communities, and they are intertwined in Alaska Native culture and Alaska history. Dog mushing is the state’s official sport. But the shortage and, for some communities, complete lack of veterinarian care has caused serious problems, including high rates of dog bites suffered by children.
Two young Arctic foxes, seen n July 9, 2021, stay close together on the hill outside their tundra den. Rabies is endemic in Alaska wildlife, and Arctic foxes and red foxes are prominent carriers. (Photo by Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Reynolds said the new program intends to address a wide range of problems. While spay and neuter services and other routine animal care are common needs, communities have varying concerns that the program is designed to address, he said.
The most ominous threat is rabies. In Alaska, it is mostly found in Arctic foxes and red foxes, but wild animals can infect dogs, which in turn can infect people. The disease, if not treated right away, is always fatal to people. There are periodic spikes of rabies detected in wild animals in parts of rural Alaska, including this year in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Vaccines protect dogs and, in turn, protect people.
In some island or coastal communities, seals are at risk from dogs with distemper, Reynolds said. “When the distemper gets into the seal populations, it’s 100% fatal,” he said.
For afflicted dogs, there are treatment options, but the best step is vaccination to prevent the disease, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Tularemia, a tick-borne disease sometimes called “rabbit fever,” is a concern in other communities, Reynolds said. Numerous species of wildlife have been found to be infected — and people can be infected, falling seriously ill or even dying if not treated. Antibiotics are used to treat infections.
Interactions with wild animals increase people’s risks of contracting tularemia, and past research indicated that Alaska Native people were five times as likely as white Americans to be infected.
Another threat is a type of tapeworm that can be tolerated by dogs but, if ingested by people, can lead to deaths from cancer-like cysts in the liver or other organs. Called Echinococcus multilocularis, it has a strain that is endemic in parts of the North Slope and Western Alaska. It is found in Arctic foxes, red foxes and the small rodents that make up their prey. Detections are increasing in North America. Deworming can protect dogs.
A microscopic photograph captured in 1964 reveals some of the structure of an Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm. Dye was used to produce a clearer image. People who are infected with this tapeworm can develop cancer-like cysts in their livers or other organs and become seriously ill. Photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Parvovirus, which can kill dogs, is another concern in certain areas, Reynolds said. And there are plans for participants in the program to help monitor avian influenza in wild populations, he said.
Stalled legislation
The partnership emerged after the Alaska legislature failed to pass a widely supported bill that would have established a statewide fund for spay and neuter services.
The bill, House Bill 258, would have set up a system with revenues collected from fees for specialized license plates, private donations and other sources.
Rep. Will Stapp, R- Fairbanks, the measure’s sponsor, said lawmakers ran out of time to fully consider the bill. “But it’s a great idea, and we’ll keep up the good fight next year,” he said.
The bill suffered from its relatively late introduction, he said. And disagreements emerged over a provision that would have allowed municipalities to sterilize and then release feral animals. The practice would run afoul of Alaska Department of Fish and Game rules, but the idea has been embraced by residents of Juneau, who are coping with large numbers of feral cats.
“They just have a real hard time with the current policy which is trap and kill, basically,” Stapp said. “Turns out Juneau urbanites don’t want to kill the cats.”
He said he hopes that disagreement can be addressed in the future.
Alaska Rural Veterinary Inc. was among the groups advocating for Stapp’s bill, though formation of the partnership with AFN was unrelated to that legislation.
Reynolds said that lack of spay and neuter services take a toll on people as well as dogs. In some villages where dog populations have become too large to manage, residents have resorted to killing out-of-control stray animals. It is a poor outcome, Reynolds said.
“The people who do the culling, it’s really hard on them,” he said. Some even need mental-health therapy, he said. “And it doesn’t solve the problem when you’ve got a whole new group of stray dogs,” he said.
A sign on an Utgiagvik restaurant door seen on Oct. 4, 2018, warns about the risk of rabies from an Arctic fox spotted near town. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The group continues to hope for a legislative solution: a bill pending in Congress that would add veterinary care to the duties of the Indian Health Service.
The bill, the Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act, is sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and other senators from states with large numbers of tribal residents. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December. But it has yet to move in the U.S. House.
If approved, the new Indian Health Service veterinary care program and associated U.S. Department of Agriculture vaccine research would cost $14 million through 2030 and $47 million through 2035, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Funding sources for the Rural Veterinary Public Health Program will be announced later, Reynolds said.
Whatever the costs for prevention, he said, they will be lower than the costs of responses.
“Just the rabies prevention alone will pay for the program,” he said.
In the case of rabies, each exposed person in Alaska winds up bearing thousands of dollars in medical costs. The financial burden is described in a Colorado State University-led study published in October.
People exposed to rabies are treated with a series of shots administered over two weeks — human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine — along with other care. From 2012 to 2024, 182 rabies-exposed people in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta needed such care, according to the study.
While such care in the Lower 48 typically costs a few thousand dollars, in rural Alaska, the outlay is exponentially higher because of needed travel, lost work and other costs, Reynolds said. And there are ripple effects in communities, he said. In one Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta case, the local school had to be closed for two weeks because an exposed family that needed treatment included the village teacher, he said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the veterinary partnership developed unrelated to the failure of state spay and neuter legislation.
The World Cup quarterfinals stage is set and kicks off on Thursday with France vs. Morocco. Despite a thrilling road to this point of the tournament, some teams unexpectedly found their way into the bracket of eight remaining teams. The bracket has sneaky good teams and confident squads who are bound to make a run to the final on July 19. So these are my World Cup quarterfinals power rankings. And remember: These are my rankings. If you don’t like them, get your own. Odds are as of Thursday morning. Odds To Win: +3300 Coming in at eight is the team we just saw beat Colombia, and that’s going to be Switzerland. Switzerland is sneaky good, but I don’t think anyone’s going to argue with the Swiss at No. 8. Odds To Win: +3000 Our friends Belgium, who just kicked our ass, come in at No. 7. Odds To Win: +2700 This is a hard one, but I’m putting Morocco at six. Morocco could certainly be high, but I’m going to put it at six. I could’ve probably put Morocco ahead of Spain. Ed. Note: Morocco was sent home after losing to France, 2-0, on Thursday. Odds To Win: +360 This is probably the most controversial one: Spain at No. 5. I think a lot of people would put Spain higher. Odds To Win: +460 This one hurts me the most, especially after that game, where they went down to the Azteca and beat Mexico in a historic win. It’s coming in at 4, and it’s got to feel confident going forward. Odds To Win: +1400 Norway was a lot of people’s “dark horse,” and they have lived up to that and more in the sense that they are not a dark horse anymore. I still think that, even with what Lionel Messi is doing right now, what Erling Haaland is doing is as good, and I could even make arguments that it’s better given the supporting cast. Not a lack of supporting cast, because that’s disrespectful to the rest of the Norway players, but he’s not playing on a team as good as Argentina. Odds To Win: + 400 Speaking of Argentina, they’re still at 2. They have had two games now that, while they have been exciting, that’s two games that they’ve struggled with and had to suffer, which is still surprising that they came out on the winning end. Credit to them. Still, I’m being a little bit generous with Argentina. Argentina has been a little shaky. Odds To Win: +180 Is there really any other choice at this point? Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé. I don’t need to say any more than that.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Remarks by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla shocked France — and much of the world — earlier this week after she branded Kylian Mbappé a “brute,” mocked his intelligence and questioned his French identity.
Days later, the fallout has spiraled from international condemnation to criminal investigations and extraordinary South American threats to extradite the France captain.
Amarilla’s comments landed against an already charged backdrop after France’s World Cup tense knockout victory over Paraguay. Hours after the match, revelers at Paraguay’s annual San Juan Ara festival burned an effigy labeled “Kylian Mbappé.” But once the senator’s remarks sparked international outrage, Paraguay’s government moved to distance itself Monday, calling them “contrary to the values and principles” of the country and insisting they reflected neither the government’s views nor those of the Paraguayan people.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an Instagram story on the same day that he “unequivocally condemned” the abuse, adding: “All of football and society stand in solidarity with the France captain — we need to fight racism and defeat it all together.”
France hit back just as forcefully. Mbappé accused Amarilla of being a “despicable woman” unworthy of office, while the French Football Federation announced it would take the case up with prosecutors. By Tuesday, French prosecutors had opened an investigation into alleged racist abuse following the complaint from the FFF, citing an offense punishable by up to one year in prison and a €45,000 fine.
French President Emmanuel Macron weighed in on X the same day: “Another goal for Kylian Mbappé. Against racism this time.”
Amarilla, meanwhile, responded with a lengthy open letter on Tuesday in French and Spanish after deleting some of her original posts. While saying she regretted insulting Mbappé “with the same insults” she had herself endured as a mixed-race woman, she spent much of the letter demanding that the France captain apologize to her, accusing him of insulting her and threatening legal action if he refused.
Hours later, speaking to reporters, she struck a different tone acknowledging that her posts “were racist” and “unfortunate.” But she again stopped short of apologizing. “I’m trying to build a different Celeste Amarilla,” she said, blaming the attitudes she grew up with. “Have patience. I’m trying.”
The condemnation only widened. Paraguay’s Senate on Wednesday formally rejected Amarilla’s remarks, saying they did not represent the chamber. The U.N. human rights office warned that “language that dehumanizes people because of their race or ethnic origin has no place in sport or public discourse,” while World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the episode “a disgrace,” adding that “racism is not a joke, a personality trait, or an excuse rooted in ‘where I come from.’”
The saga may not be over just yet. Speaking to ABC Cardinal on Tuesday, Amarilla said she was considering suing Mbappé, arguing that his response constituted “gender violence” and “political violence.”
The following day, her lawyer, Guillermo Duarte Cacavelos, told the broadcaster they would meet to discuss the case and that no decision had yet been made. But he also laid out an expansive legal argument, claiming Mbappé’s description of Amarilla as a “despicable woman” could amount to criminal defamation in Paraguay because the comments had legal effects there — and suggesting the France captain could ultimately even face extradition to stand trial.
It’s always a kinship. The England men’s national soccer team posted a video on Thursday morning of superstar striker Harry Kane giving former England striker Peter Crouch, a FOX Sports World Cup analyst who is contributing to coverage of the 2026 World Cup, an English legacy cap. Crouch and Kane enjoyed a warm embrace after the Three Lions’ win over Mexico in the round of 16. Kane had a goal and assist in the 3-2 win. Crouch was on site in Mexico City as part of FOX Sports’ “World Cup NOW” coverage. Crouch appeared in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups for England, while scoring five goals in 2008 Euro qualifying and four goals in 2010 World Cup qualifying; he racked up 42 caps for the club. Outside of playing for England on the world stage, Crouch played 18 seasons in the Premier League: one season with Norwich City, Southampton and Burnley, two one-year stints with Portsmouth, three seasons with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Tottenham and eight seasons with Stoke City. The 6-foot-7 striker holds the Premier League record with 53 career header goals. As for Kane, the Bayern Munich and former Tottenham star has knocked through six goals in the 2026 World Cup, scoring in four of England’s five matches this tournament and pulling off two braces (June 17 vs. Croatia and July 1 vs. DR Congo). Kane and England won Group L after going 2-1-0 in group play, which they followed up by defeating Panama in the round of 32 (2-0) and DR Congo in the round of 16 (2-1). Next, they’ll square up against Norway in the quarterfinal round on July 11 from Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Sunday, June 28 A caller at CIA Dock reported seeing a skinny bear on the beach. An officer was advised and a Nixle alert issued. A person turned in an insurance card on Haines Highway. Police received an advisory from another law enforcement agency. A caller in Port Chilkoot reported a damaged stop sign.
Monday, June 29 An officer assisted another agency with a welfare check. An officer on Main Street provided a citizen assist. A caller in the 100 block of Third Avenue reported finding a bicycle. The bike owner picked it up. A caller reported a skinny bear at the downtown harbor. An officer was advised, a Nixle alert was sent and the Department of Fish & Game was advised.
Tuesday, June 30 A caller on Haines Highway reported almost being hit by another vehicle. An officer in the 200 block of First Avenue provided a citizen assist. A citizen in the 300 block of Lynnview Drive requested information on security camera placement. A caller on Small Tracts Road reported a bear in their camping area. The caller was advised of guidelines for food storage in bear country. A caller in the 40 block of Skyline Drive reported an ATV driving without a license plate.
Wednesday, July 1 A caller requested a welfare check on a citizen. An officer on Oslund Drive assisted a business owner.
Thursday, July 2 An officer performed a welfare check. A caller requested a safety check for a person who had fallen. An officer on Mud Bay Road cited a driver for speeding.
Friday, July 3 A caller in the 300 block of Lynnview Drive requested assistance locating a family member. A caller in the 1000 block of Haines Highway reported a neighbor was leaving property in the yard.
Saturday, July 4 Haines Volunteer Fire Department crews provided support for holiday events. An officer performed a welfare check at Tlingit Park. A caller in the 1000 block of Haines Highway reported possible illegal burning. Haines Volunteer Fire Department crews stood by during the fireworks display at Picture Point. A caller requested a welfare check on a family member.
There were six 911 hang-up calls, 15 EMS calls and 39 burn permits issued during this reporting period.
A fundraiser July 21-22 at the Hammer Museum will give residents a chance to brighten their toolboxes.
“Art and Hammer” is patterned after “Wine and Canvas” fundraisers in the Lower 48, said Kate Dickson, museum assistant. Participants will get a claw hammer, plus art supplies to decorate it, including acrylic paints. Finger foods and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages also will be served.
Experienced art instructor Kelleen Adams, who will help participants create their designs, said participants should show up with a design in mind. Sessions start at 7 p.m. each night and participation is limited to 15 people per session.
30 Years Ago
Roger Schnabel’s proposal for an aggregate transfer facility on city tidelands near the Small Boat Harbor will be discussed by the city council’s Ports and Harbors Committee at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
City council members asked Schnabel last week if he would consider going back to his original location, on Beach Road.
Schnabel said he switched locations on the advice of city planning commission chair Dave Nanney.
“I’m really here to try and work things out,” he said. “Ideally, I’m over at Beach Road.”
Kathy Pardee-Jones, a nearby resident who opposes the Front Street development, said perhaps the city could offer Schnabel a break on its rates at the Lutak Dock. That way, it would be more economical for him to put the transfer facility away from the Harbor, she said.
Schnabel cautioned that he can consider only a limited number of proposals. He already spent money assessing the situation on Beach Road, he said. “I can only be in the ring so far before I’m laid out flat.”
40 Years Ago
Twenty thousand Sitka spruce trees are being planted this week by nine Klukwan youths working with the Department of Natural Resources. Tlingit and Haida Community Council received a state grant from the Department of Community and Regional Affairs to hire the planters for six weeks. The youths are provided with transportation and Klukwan Inc. provides breakfasts and lunches.
Forester Roy Josephson that the seedlings are planted in cleared areas to “replenish where nature didn’t do it.” So far the teenagers have planted in the Little Salmon area across the 26-mile bridge on Sunshine Mountain and in the Kelsall. They also planted trees between the high school track and the highway for the Women’s Club.
About once a week, the teenagers do a little trail-clearing to break up the monotony of planting trees. So far they’ve cleared the Seven-Mile Saddle and Mt. Ripinski trails.
Snagging a high-quality prime rib is already tough without taking this famously expensive cut’s price into account. Here’s how much you’ll pay in 2026.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
