ERNEST has announced that he will be stepping away from the road for the next couple of weeks as he takes time to focus on his mental and physical health. The country singer shared the news with fans via his Instagram story on Friday, August 28, revealing that the demands of life on the road have started to take a toll on him.
He wrote, “Heyy’all. The road has been dragging me down in a bad way. From mental to physical health. I am going away for a couple of weeks to get myself and my priorities back in order.”
Photo Courtesy of ERNEST
ERNEST is currently out serving as a supporting act for Ella Langley’s The Dandelion Tour, and had been scheduled to perform alongside her through September 12. He took a moment to share his gratitude towards the “Choosin’ Texas” singer for having him out on tour and wished her the best as she continues her trek, which includes a stop in Auburn, Alabama, tonight (Aug. 28).
“I want to thank Ella for having me out on tour and wishing her the BEST in Auburn tonight and the rest of the tour.”
He acknowledged that taking this time for himself is something he feels he needs to do, both for his own well-being and for those around him. Per his statement, he is looking forward to returning to the road feeling “better and stronger.”
“I look forward to coming back better and stronger I owe it to myself and those affected by my actions. That starts now. Love y’all,” he wrote in conclusion.
Photo Courtesy of ERNEST
In addition to having dates scheduled with Langley, ERNEST was set to play a few fairs and festivals before joining Thomas Rhett’s The Soundtrack To Life Tour for select dates beginning October 1 and running through October 17.
The news arrives just a few days after ERNEST performed at the legendary Red Rocks as an opening act for Ian Munisck’s headline show. Hours before he took the stage, it was announced that Dolly Parton tragically passed away. The “Lorelei” singer took to social media to express his sadness over the loss and to reflect on all those who still came out to the show later that night.
“We lost the QUEEN yesterday and I believe it took a bit out of all of us, all over the world. Dolly Parton, the songwriter, artist, woman, philanthropist and the ICON. She lived a life that brought joy to many thru not only songs but laughter and a warm, giving heart…. She will be greatly missed…Thank you @ianmunsick for having us… And thank you to all who made it out to the show,” he wrote.
It’s unclear when ERNEST will return to the road or who will be replacing him on the remainder of Ella Langley’s upcoming shows.
A voter joins a line of voters waiting to cast their ballots on Aug. 15, 2022, at the state Division of Elections office in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska Supreme Court issued a fast-tracked ruling on Thursday, affirming a lower court’s decision that the Alaska Division of Elections’ language for an elections overhaul ballot measure is “true and impartial,” but ordered the division to make one additional change.
The Court issued the ruling days after hearing oral arguments from two groups of plaintiffs on opposing sides of the current ranked-choice voting system. The groups appealed a lower court’s ruling issued in June, challenging the language of Ballot Measure 2 as unclear, politically partisan and containing omissions they sought to change.
Ballot Measure 2, which will appear on the ballot as 24ESEG, would repeal the state’s current ranked choice voting and open primary systems, as well as repeal campaign disclosure rules enacted by voters in 2020.
The Supreme Court ruling Thursday affirmed a Superior Court’s finding that the Alaska Division of Elections’ fulfilled its legal duty in preparing the ballot measure title and summary in a “true and impartial” manner.
But the justices identified one omission: the division must add language that explains if the measure is approved, and nonpartisan, open primaries are eliminated, candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor would run for election separately.
Currently, candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor run together on a combined ticket in the primary election. The top-four vote getters in the open primary advance to the ranked choice general election.
A spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Law, which defended the division and its ballot measure language in court, said by email Friday they welcomed the ruling and would make the change.
“We are pleased that the Alaska Supreme Court rejected nearly all the challenges to the lieutenant governor’s true and impartial ballot summary,” said Sam Curtis, an information officer. He called the court’s directive a small change.
“The State had considered this a minor detail that did not need to be in a ballot summary, but the Court disagreed,” he said. “The Office of the Lieutenant Governor will issue a revised summary soon.”
The revised language is expected to be published by the division before a ballot printing deadline of Sep. 2.
Both groups of plaintiffs that filed appeals in court expressed mixed reactions, saying they were “disappointed” but “appreciated” the court’s decision.
One group of plaintiffs that also sponsored the ballot measure, called the “Repeal Now” campaign, filed a lawsuit challenging the language in court. Among a series of language changes requested, they had argued for language to explain the governor and lieutenant governor would run separately. Their attorney Julie Pack said by email Thursday they maintained concerns.
“We’re disappointed that the summary will continue to incorrectly state that open primaries would end with Ballot Measure 2,” Pack wrote. “Primaries would remain defaulted at open following Ballot Measure 2’s passage, just like they previously were.”
The group argued, in part, that if approved Alaskans would still vote in “open primaries.”
But the ballot measure language states “the act would get rid of open party primaries.” That’s because if voters approve the measure, the elections system would revert to a partisan primary system in which political parties establish rules governing which candidates may appear on their ballot and which voters may participate.
Voters in the primary would no longer be able to vote for candidates of any party running for statewide and federal offices, as they currently do.
The issue is of particular concern to another group of plaintiffs that filed suit in court, represented by attorney Scott Kendall, who was one of the primary sponsors of the 2020 ballot implementing the current ranked-choice voting system.
He argued the current language on the ballot measure related to how the primaries would change is incomplete.
“Our specific request was that it be made more clear that each political party will have the power to not only close their primaries, but to close them and make it unlawful for undeclareds and nonpartisans to vote,” Kendall said in an interview Friday. “There’s some language in the ballot measure that gestures at that, but I don’t think it really makes it clear.”
Overall Kendall said the group is grateful to the court and division for rejecting language proposed by Repeal Now he called “radical changes.”
“We’re very, very grateful that the court correctly rejected those baseless edits,” he said.
Kendall said the Supreme Court’s added change is “a good one.”
“It wasn’t so much about what’s good policy, bad policy. It was when a voter steps into the booth and picks up the pen, are they equipped with full knowledge of what their yes or no vote means?”
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that if approved, the ballot measure would enact a partisan primary system where political parties establish rules governing which candidates may appear on their ballot and which voters may participate.
Vince Gill began his tribute and then … well, you can probably guess what happened. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
We have a surprising update about the firebrand pundit and former Kanye West employee Milo Yiannopoulos.
Milo has apparently discovered that being one of the loudest voices demanding that other people leave the country doesn’t necessarily come with a lifetime VIP pass to stay in America.
The controversial British political provocateur has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana, according to a report from TMZ.
British far-right political pundit Milo Yiannopoulos hosts the âBishops Enough Is Enoughâ rally at the MECU Pavilion November 16, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Yiannopoulos was reportedly taken into custody at a Louisiana airport and is currently being held at an ICE detention center. The exact circumstances surrounding his detention remain unclear, and authorities have not publicly provided additional details about why he was apprehended.
So, naturally, the internet has already begun appreciating the irony.
Yiannopoulos, 41, is a British citizen who became a prominent figure in the so-called alt-right movement through his provocative political commentary and frequent attempts to generate controversy.
He previously worked as an editor at Breitbart News before leaving the publication following controversy surrounding comments he made about sexual relationships involving minors.
But Milo has never exactly been someone who believes in fading quietly into the background.
Over the years, he has remained involved in conservative and far-right political circles, including a stint as an unpaid intern for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022.
He later became closely associated with Kanye West, serving as the rapper’s director of political operations during West’s 2024 presidential campaign. Yiannopoulos also served as an adviser and was involved in West’s political orbit for a period of time.
The pair eventually parted ways in 2024.
Yiannopoulos has also found himself at the center of several other controversies, including his involvement in arranging a dinner involving West, former President Donald Trump and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Now, however, his political provocateur era has collided rather dramatically with the immigration system.
The reported detention comes amid an aggressive immigration-enforcement push by the Trump administration, making the situation particularly notable given Yiannopoulos’ history of advocating for tougher immigration policies.
ICE has not publicly explained the circumstances surrounding his detention, and representatives for Yiannopoulos have not provided an immediate comment.
For now, Milo remains in custody in Louisiana as questions swirl about what happens next.
And while he’s spent years making a career out of provoking everyone from political opponents to celebrities, this particular controversy is one he may not be able to simply troll his way out of.
Because apparently even the professional provocateur occasionally discovers that actions have consequences.
The four gubernatorial candidates emerging from Alaska’s open primary gathered on the stage on Aug. 26, 2026 at the annual conference held by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. From left are Republican Bernadette Wilson, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins, Republican Dave Bronson and Democrat Tom Begich. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
At their first candidate forum since the Aug. 18 primary election, the four remaining gubernatorial hopefuls pitched visions for the state’s future that revealed sharp political divides.
Speaking at the event, held at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s annual conference in Anchorage, were Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich and Republicans Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson. Kreiss-Tomkins has been leading in the still-ongoing primary election vote count, with 22.2 %, followed by Begich at 20.5%, Wilson at 10.2% and Bronson at 8.2%.
The four emerged as the top vote-getters among 17 candidates for governor. Alaska’s election system uses open, non-partisan primaries and ranked choice voting in the general election.
Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich, both former state legislators, presented mostly similar positions. Wilson, a talk-show host, and Bronson, a former Anchorage mayor, also presented largely similar positions that contrasted with the Democrats’ views.
Oil and gas taxes figured prominently in the event.
Democrat Tom Begich speaks at an Aug. 26, 2026, forum held by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Both Democrats told the petroleum industry audience that they favored changes that would bring the state more revenues from oil producers. Their plans include a statewide corporate income tax on oil producers that are S corporations, also known as pass-through corporations, that currently do not pay them.
The main company affected by such a tax would be Hilcorp, a privately held company based in Texas that is a major Alaska producer. As of 2020, Hilcorp had acquired all of BP’s Alaska assets when that oil giant left the state, and now it operates Alaska’s largest oil field in Prudhoe Bay, among others. Unlike BP, Hilcorp pays no corporate income tax to the state. Legislative leaders have been pushing to change that.
Hilcorp is also a main sponsor of the AOGA conference.
Begich said a tax on S corporations and other changes to the state’s tax system would bring in an extra $400 million to the treasury each year.
He acknowledged that the oil industry crowd might not like those changes at first. But ultimately, “it will be forward-thinking for private investment,” he said. “If we have that revenue coming in, we can improve our education system. We can improve our economy in general and make our energy significantly more affordable up here. In doing that, you’re going to attract people to this state.”
Kreiss-Tomkins said all sectors, including the oil industry, will have to contribute taxes to correct a structural deficit problem in Alaska that, for now, threatens to wipe out the state’s savings.
“I am pro-math, and math just doesn’t lie. And balancing a budget is ultimately a math problem, and I think you have to be clear-eyed about where the state is,” he said. Compromises will be needed to address that, including compromises from the oil industry, he added.
Wilson and Bronson, in contrast, said they adamantly oppose tax changes that would wring more revenue out of the oil industry.
Wilson called for deep slashes to the state budget.
Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, a Republican who finished fourth in the open primary election, speaks at a gubernatorial candidate forum held on Aug. 26, 2026, by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. Next to him is former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins, a Democratic candidate who received the most votes in the open primary. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
“We do not have a revenue problem in this state. We have a spending problem in this state,” she said.
“The reality is we need to come into this budget, and we need to DOGE the heck out of it,” she said, referring to the mass firings and cuts imposed by the Trump administration through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Bronson said Alaska has made too many changes already to its oil and gas tax system, and that “changing the rules of the game and the tax structure midway through” scares off investment.
“The reality is we don’t have a whole lot of businesses that are lining up to do business with Alaska,” he said.
Both Wilson and Bronson accused the state legislature of blocking a proposed massive natural gas pipeline that would carry product from the North Slope about 800 miles to a yet-unbuilt liquefaction plant in Southcentral Alaska, known as the AKLNG project
There have been efforts over the past half century to build such a pipeline, but none have been economic. In pushing the latest version, Gov. Mike Dunleavy called the legislature into three special sessions this summer to try to get them to approve sweeping tax concessions for the investment company now involved with the project, the Glenfarne Group. Lawmakers ultimately rejected Dunleavy’s demands.
Wilson said the Glenfarne plan pushed by Dunleavy, unlike all other plans over the past half century, made economic sense, but lawmakers blocked it.
“You had a couple of legislators specifically that are hell bent on seeing Alaska fail. That’s why you don’t have a gas line,” she said.
Bronson drew a similar conclusion.
Bernadette Wilson, a Republican candidate for governor, listens to a question at an Aug. 26, 2026, forum held by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
“We’ve got personal animosities in Juneau, and it comes down to just a few people that are shutting that project down,” he said.
Glenfarne, like Hilcorp, is a sponsor of the AOGA conference.
Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich, in turn, criticized Dunleavy, describing his policies as a major reason why Alaska has had more people leave the state than move to it for 13 consecutive years – the most ever recorded. They were particularly critical of his policies on education.
Under Dunleavy, they said, Alaska has stagnated.
“This governor has just set a record for the most number of vetoes by any governor in Alaska history since we became a state,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “That is a sign of political failure, not political success.”
This year, Dunleavy set the record for the most vetoes by an Alaska governor in a single two-year Legislature, while the number of bills passed has also dropped significantly in recent years.
Candidates also discussed national politics at the forum. The two Republican candidates aligned themselves with President Donald Trump, and they portrayed themselves as hard-liners.
“I’m a hardcore conservative, and I’m proud of that,” said Bronson, who described the differences between candidates as stark.
“We’re at an inflection point in this country and in this state, in this election,” he said. “You can choose socialism. . .Or you can choose capitalism. That’s the choice in this race right now.
U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, listens to gubernatorial candidates at an Aug. 26, 2026, forum held by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. One of the candidate speaking was his uncle, former state Sen. Tom Begich, a Democrat. Tom Begich mentioned the family relationship during the forum. Nick Begich is running for re-election. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Wilson said the biggest danger to the state came from two of the three men who shared the stage with her.
“The greatest policy threat is, God forbid, this state elect a Democrat to this governor’s office.” she said. Wilson said Democratic Party policies regarding oil and gas “are the greatest threat to this industry.” She urged the audience to stick with Republicans and take advantage of the next two years of the Trump administration.
In contrast, the two Democrats emphasized consensus-building.
“Beyond a doubt, I disagree with Bernadette,” Begich quipped in comments directly following those by Wilson.
More broadly, Begich spoke about his approach to governing. While the governor has a responsibility to “be an advocate for the state of Alaska at all times,” including pushing back against the federal government, if necessary, that does not mean unrelenting combativeness, he said.
“What I won’t do is use the state’s power to attack people that are not even living in our state. I think that’s ridiculous,” he said.
Kreiss-Tomkins took a similar tone. He spoke of his time serving in a bipartisan coalition in the legislature that “set aside the more fringe and polarizing issues that I think often bring government and the legislature to a standstill” and prevent progress.
“That is a North Star principle for me. . .trying to find compromise, trying to work from a common-sense, common-ground agenda and get things done to move the state forward,” he said.
Ballots are still being counted, but the top four candidates for governor are unlikely to change. The Division of Elections’ primary election schedule calls for all absentee and questioned ballots to be counted within 10 days of the primary, resulting in a deadline of Aug. 28. The results are to be certified on Aug. 31, which is also the deadline for candidates to drop out.
Photo provided by CBJ following the installation of the HESCO barrier project
Photo provided by CBJ following the installation of the HESCO barrier project
NOTN- A memo from City Manager Katie Koester says the city could be responsible for 25% of the cost of an accelerated Army Corps of Engineers project, rather than the 10% local share associated with previous proposals.
First reported by the Juneau Independent, Koester writes Juneau could establish a new service area and tax to help pay for ongoing flood protection and the city’s share of a permanent solution to the annual glacial lake outburst floods.
The Assembly Committee of the Whole will meet on Monday to discuss.
The city has spent millions of dollars on temporary flood protection, including HESCO barriers, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pursues a permanent solution for annual flooding from Suicide Basin.
Koester said the Corps is seeking proposals from industry for an emergency water conveyance prototype capable of permanently addressing the floods. The goal is to keep water levels in Suicide Basin below 1,100 feet so any eventual release would be significantly smaller.
The project is being pursued under the federal Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies authority, which allows for a faster process but requires a 25% local share of construction costs for permanent flood control projects.
The city is working with Alaska’s congressional delegation to change that cost share to 10%, similar to the federal share available for projects involving tribal lands.
The total cost of a permanent project has not yet been determined, but the city expects it to exceed the amount currently available through the federal emergency account. The account receives about $40 million annually for flood control projects nationwide, meaning Juneau will need to advocate for additional federal funding.
Koester recommends the Assembly consider putting a bond or debt proposition before voters once the Corps provides a more reliable estimate of the project’s total cost.
In the meantime, Juneau is continuing to spend money on temporary protections. Nearly $50 million in federal, state and local funding was spent this summer on flood mitigation in the Mendenhall Valley, according to the memo.
Koester said the city expects to remain responsible for regular HESCO maintenance, including inspections, repairs from settling, responding to vandalism and refilling the barriers. The city also must continue coordinating with homeowners, maintaining property access and handling permitting.
She writes the work has also diverted city staff and resources from other projects, according to the memo.
One option under consideration is creating a service area with its own mill rate to fund flood protection and related services. The tax could apply either to properties within the protected area or citywide.
A service area would require approval by voters living within its boundaries. Koester said a citywide property or sales tax could also be appropriate because the annual floods have been characterized as an existential threat to Juneau as a whole, rather than a localized disaster affecting only the Mendenhall Valley.
Koester also recommended that the city push the Alaska Legislature to make construction of a lake emergency water conveyance prototype a state priority during the next legislative session, which begins in January.
