(The Center Square) – Eliminating a de facto “electricity tax” and boosting funding for school choice programs share space in one legislative proposal handed back to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives late Thursday afternoon.
Author: alaskaadmin
(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was joined by state lawmakers and other officials Thursday to sign a four-bill package of legislation aimed at targeting deceptive and fraudulent business practices Thursday.
(The Center Square) – A new report shines a light on local governments that have burdensome and costly regulations for short-term rentals. They’re in states varying from California and Nevada to Illinois and New York.
(The Center Square) – The IRS processed nearly 139 million returns in 2026, but millions of taxpayers still faced refund delays, identity theft backlogs and phone lines they couldn’t reach, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said.
Alaska athletes win medals at the Special Olympics USA Games, Mat-Su seeks animal shelter volunteers, Fairbanks updates multiple parks, and Juneau celebrates K-9 Dax’s birthday.
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Spot the Pol!
This host-city mayor visited a “fan festival” in her city’s Fairmount Park, where a combined 250,000 attendees have gathered thus far to watch matches.
That’s Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker inaugurating the Lemon Hill festival site early in the tournament. The city is hosting Curaçao and Côte d’Ivoire at Lincoln Financial Field today.
Politics
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Earlier today, we reported that Jenni “JWoww” Farley married longtime boyfriend Zack Carpinello in a surprise ceremony on Wednesday.
And while some of her Jersey Shore castmates were on hand for the occasion, it seems that four of them were not in attendance. And that was partially by design.
Yes, according to TMZ, both Angelina Pivarnick and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro were left off the guest list for JWoww’s surprise wedding celebration.
Sources told the outlet that neither reality star received an invitation and that both were reportedly shocked by the decision.
As previously reported, JWoww and Carpinello managed to keep their wedding plans under wraps for months.
Guests believed they were attending a premiere event for JWoww’s upcoming movie before discovering they were actually there to watch the couple exchange vows.
The intimate ceremony reportedly included several familiar faces from the Jersey Shore universe.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Deena Cortese and her husband Chris, Sammi Giancola and her husband Justin, and Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and his wife Lauren were all in attendance.
Interestingly, TMZ reports that Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino were invited but did not attend. Sources indicated that it remains unclear why the pair missed the celebration.
The absence of Angelina may not come as a complete surprise to longtime viewers.
After all, the relationship between Angelina and several of her castmates has been rocky for years.
One of the franchise’s most memorable controversies took place during Angelina’s own 2019 wedding, when JWoww, Snooki, and Deena delivered a speech that did not go over well with the bride or the crowd.
The incident sparked a major feud that played out on social media for months afterward.
Whether that history played a role in the guest list remains unclear.
As for Ronnie, no reason has been publicly provided for his reported exclusion. TMZ claims he was also hurt and surprised after learning he would not be attending the ceremony.
In a statement about their wedding, JWoww and Zack explained that they wanted the event to feel personal and meaningful, emphasizing the surprise element, focus on family, and intentionally small guest list.
Apparently, however, keeping the gathering intimate meant that a few members of the Jersey Shore family were destined to be left on the outside looking in.
And if history has taught us anything, it’s that hurt feelings among this group rarely stay private for long.
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro & Angelina Pivarnick Were NOT Invited to JWoww’s Wedding: … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at a news conference in Juneau on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy canceled funding increases for a variety of state health and education programs on Wednesday, vetoing a combined $57.8 million in general-purpose money from state budget bills passed by the Legislature.
Under the Alaska Constitution, the governor has the ability to eliminate or reduce individual line items from the budget. Dunleavy struck $20 million in extra funding for cities and boroughs, $11.25 million to increase Medicaid payments to health care providers, $6.4 million to help child care centers find workers, $2 million for the state’s seafood marketing program, $3 million for tourism marketing, and more.
The governor did not veto most of a $300 million one-time bonus that lawmakers approved for Alaska’s public schools. He did cancel $3.7 million for Head Start grants, not quite a fifth of the proposed grant budget, and funding for a proposed public education spending adequacy study.
The governor’s vetoes were spread across the state’s operating budget, capital budget and mental health budget, the three bills that determine funding for state services in the fiscal year that starts July 1 and ends June 30, 2027.
It is the lowest amount of vetoes of any year in Dunleavy’s tenure. Last year, the governor initially vetoed a higher amount, but it was reduced after a successful veto override by lawmakers.
Altogether, Alaska will spend about $6.6 billion in general-purpose money during FY27, a figure that’s up by almost $600 million from the budget approved in spring 2025, according to figures published Wednesday by the Office of Management and Budget.
While high oil prices brought in more revenue than anticipated, they also burdened state agencies, local government and school districts with extra costs.
In response, Dunleavy said, the approved budget includes some extra funding for school districts around the state that are coping with high energy costs.
“While the state realized additional revenue, those same price pressures placed a real burden on school districts, particularly in rural Alaska. This budget makes targeted, responsible use of a temporary revenue increase to stabilize school facilities and address energy costs,” he said in a statement.
Earlier this year, legislators and the governor enacted a supplemental budget bill that added hundreds of millions in general-purpose spending to the FY26 budget; the FY27 supplemental will not be decided until next spring.
When federal funding and fee-funded programs are included, the FY27 budget totals about $16.4 billion, including $782 million earmarked for the Permanent Fund dividend. Overall spending is up by about $1.2 billion from last spring.
Entering the year, Dunleavy proposed to spend more than $1.5 billion from state savings accounts in order to pay a Permanent Fund dividend estimated at about $3,800 per recipient.
Legislators turned down that proposal, ultimately deciding on a $1,200 payment that includes a $1,000 dividend and a $200 one-time bonus.
Lawmakers avoided spending from savings altogether because the Iran War increased North Slope oil prices in March.
Those high prices caused Alaskans to pay more individually, but they also generated hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue for the state treasury.
Yereth Rosen and Claire Stremple contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES STADIUM – U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino has made nine changes to his starting lineup for the group stage finale against Türkiye on Thursday night. It’s the most adjustments a USA team has ever made between two World Cup matches. The previous high was five between the Germany and Iran games at the 1998 tournament. Midfielder Weston McKennie – who will captain the squad – and striker Ricardo Pepi are the only holdovers from the 2-0 win vs. Australia. The modifications are necessary for a few reasons. For one, Pochettino is sitting four regular starters – midfielder Tyler Adams, striker Folarin Balogun, defender Chris Richards, and fullback Antonee “Jedi” Robinson – because they all have one yellow card and the manager does not want to risk them accumulating a second and therefore being suspended for the round of 32 match. Second, the Americans have already clinched their place in the knockout round and this is an opportunity to get some fresh legs on the pitch and give other guys some much-needed rest. Defenders Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson will make their World Cup debuts, while forward Brenden Aaronson and goalkeeper Matt Turner will see their first minutes of this tournament. Cristian Roldan is not available due to a quadricep issue that he’s been dealing with all week. The most head-scratching decision is that Turner will start in goal over Matt Freese, who only has 17 caps. It was widely thought that Pochettino would make significant changes to the lineup, but he would likely keep Freese in goal to get more reps playing in a World Cup. Turner started all four matches for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but was unseated by Freese ahead of last summer’s Gold Cup. The other major question entering this match will be whether star forward Christian Pulisic will play. Pulisic sat out the 2-0 win over Australia after having suffered a calf injury in the 4-1 victory over Paraguay. “I’m feeling good,” Pulisic said on Wednesday at practice. “I’ve obviously joined the team in the last few days, so I’m feeling good, positive going into it, and hopefully I’ll be able to play a part tomorrow.” The U.S., winner of Group D, is aiming to finish with a perfect record in the group stage. After Thursday’s match, it will play next in the round of 32 on July 1 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The projected opponent for that game is Bosnia and Herzegovina, who finished in third place in Group A. That has yet to be officially confirmed.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
LOS ANGELES — Many professional baseball players tout the benefits of journaling for their personal and professional growth, but Justin Wrobleski has always been more of a numbers guy. So, rather than put pen to paper to jot down his thoughts after every start, the Dodgers pitcher updates Excel spreadsheets. Wrobleski, whose college tenure began in Clemson’s engineering school, has created his own model to chart his professional development, giving himself a score after every outing based on a series of factors related to elements of his performance within his control. “It’s nothing crazy,” Wrobleski told me. “Nothing like I’m looking at launch angles; I don’t care about that. It’s just, like, whether I’m getting ahead in counts, getting into leverage, and whether I’m limiting damage when I give up hits.” There’s a mental section of the model as well, which includes five questions pertaining to how he felt that day, graded on a scale of one to five. “I try to relate those to the outings and see if there’s a correlation,” Wrobleski explained. The way he’s performing, maybe more pitchers will want to learn about his process. The Dodgers have been without Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow since early May, yet they still have the lowest starters’ ERA and the best record in Major League Baseball. The emergence of Wrobleski, an 11th-round pick who exemplifies the Dodgers’ ability not only to outspend but also to outdraft and outdevelop most of the competition, has played an important role in the success. When the Dodgers needed someone to fill the final spot in their six-man rotation after Snell started the season on the injured list, Wrobleski fired five innings of one-run ball on April 6 in Toronto and never looked back. Despite possessing one of the lowest strikeout rates in MLB, the 25-year-old lefty is building an All-Star résumé. Wrobleski has the seventh-lowest ERA and the fourth-lowest WHIP among all qualified National League starters, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts. His ERA (2.71) nearly mirrors that of teammate and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.65). “A lot of young pitchers are trying to find their identity,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “With Justin, the one thing with him is he knows who he is as a pitcher, and that’s important. Then, you take your stuff and layer that in on how to get hitters out, and there’s real confidence, which I think sometimes young players don’t have. With the confidence, with the success, knowing who he is as a player, that’s led to that consistency.” The Dodgers’ rotation includes four starters on nine-figure deals, which means spots are limited for any prospect in the organization trying to carve out a big-league role. Earlier in his career, Wrobleski felt the weight of that reality. He posted a 5.70 ERA over eight appearances in his debut 2024 season, then coughed up eight runs in his first start last season. On other teams, Wrobleski might have been able to take his lumps as he developed at the big-league level. But the Dodgers, who were seeking consecutive championship titles, weren’t most teams. “When you’re a young guy, you don’t have time to go out there and develop,” Wrobleski told me. “It’s like, you need to go out there and develop and perform at the same time, because if you don’t, there’s way too much invested in this roster and this team to go out there and fail like some guys are given the grace to do.” Ultimately, though, Wrobleski believes facing those high expectations with the Dodgers accelerated his development. “It’s one of those things I’m thankful for,” he said, “because I think it’s made me better.” Wrobleski spent most of last season shuffling between Triple-A and the big leagues, primarily serving as a long reliever in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Over time, his mindset began to shift. He stopped worrying about things that were out of his hands, like his role or how many spots were available, and kept his focus on being the best version of himself. “Obviously, we’re going out and getting big free agents, so it’s sometimes hard to be like, ‘Where do I fit into that?’” he told me. “But for me, it was just like, I don’t really care where I fit into that. I just know I’m going to fit into this roster. I know I’m going to find a way to pitch well and continue to go out there and control the things that I can.” In late July last year, the Dodgers kept him up for good. Over Wrobleski’s final 21 appearances, he registered a 3.48 ERA. He did not appear in the NLDS or the NLCS, but the Dodgers’ front office kept assuring him he would eventually throw big innings in the playoffs. He was dubious. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, great, but when Blake and Yama and everyone going out there is going seven, eight innings, it’s like, you’re not going to go to me first unless we’re up by 12,’” Wrobleski thought. “So I’m like, ‘Sure, OK, I got it.’ Then of course, we get to the World Series, and we’re down big in Game 1.” Trailing by seven runs, Wrobleski made his postseason debut, retiring all three batters he faced. Two games later, he added 1.2 more scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 18-inning marathon win. Roberts’ trust was growing. With the season on the line, Wrobleski relieved Yamamoto in a do-or-die Game 6 and threw a scoreless inning. One night later, he was back on the mound again, recording four outs in the deciding Game 7. In his first ever postseason series, Wrobleski’s five scoreless World Series innings played a part in the Dodgers’ repeat championship. “They were right,” Wrobleski said. “I ended up throwing big innings, and it’s huge for your confidence.” He has carried that into the 2026 season. Wrobleski didn’t feel like he had his best stuff early in the year, yet he still produced a 0.56 ERA over his first five starts after claiming the final spot in the rotation. He has struck out only 53 batters in 86.1 innings, but he has consistently found a way to navigate lineups and minimize damage. His manager now describes him as “unflappable.” “There is talent, but there’s also what’s practical, what plays at the big-league level,” Roberts said, “and that is strike-throwing, being able to sequence, miss barrels, put it on the ground, create soft contact, work with efficiency. Those are things that help a championship team win games, and he has a really good grasp of that.” With elite control and exceptional command, Wrobleski is pounding the zone and reaping the rewards. He has the fifth-lowest walk rate and has surrendered the seventh-fewest home runs per nine innings in the National League. On Tuesday night, the way Wrobleski attacked hitters in a seven-inning, two-run outing caught the attention of Pedro Martinez, who gave Wrobleski a new nickname. “He was like a shark out there!” Martinez posted on X. “After tonight, he’s now ‘The Shark.’” Six years ago, Wrobleski was pitching at a junior college. Five years ago, he was the 10th pitcher the Dodgers selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. A year ago, he had still yet to solidify his place as a major-leaguer. Months ago, he was just hoping to earn a shot in the six-man rotation. Now, he’s “The Shark,” garnering praise from a Hall of Fame pitcher. “That’s the fun of the game for me, seeing how close I can move the needle to the best in the game,” Wrobleski told me. “Whether that takes me to one of the best in the game or just makes me the best version of myself, I think that’s a super helpful way to view it and kind of how I’ve always set the bar for myself.” With the assistance of pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness, Wrobleski feels like he has a better idea now of how to game plan to get through a lineup and when to “go for the kill,” seeking swing and miss. His evaluation model seems to be working, too. Wrobleski wanted to create a framework to track his outings and rank them against each other. After years of trial and error, and with the help of data available at the big-league level, he has devised a system that works regardless of whether he’s starting or relieving, one that he can take with him wherever his MLB career goes. In-game, Wrobleski focuses solely on his game plan and the chess match with hitters. Afterward, his system helps him understand where he might be slipping and what he needs to focus on in bullpen sessions between starts. “It’s taken me some time to figure out how to do it in a way that makes sense, in a way that, ‘OK, here’s my score for the outing, how were the results for the outing?’” Wrobleski explained. “Most of the time, if my score’s good, the results are good; if my score’s bad, the results are bad. But that wasn’t always the case. There were some things I had previously where, ‘I sucked today but thought I pitched well,’ so there’s been a lot of adjusting and figuring out what’s important. “What does it boil down to that allows me to have success? I know the things that kind of lead me to pitching well, and that’s what I use for it.” At this rate, he might even get to use it at the All-Star Game.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports