It’s been quite the journey for Parker McCollum; his latest album is less about numbers and more about pure passion for music. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Category: News Feeds
One of the most exclusive higher learning campuses in the country isn’t any of the Ivy League schools; it’s a fast food university from an iconic chain.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Senate approved a measure to boost state taxes on oil and gas production on Wednesday. Lawmakers tacked it on to what would have been a routine renewal of a state oil royalty agreement.
Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, sponsored the amendment to House Bill 194, saying it would close a corporate income tax loophole and potentially capture more than $100 million in new state revenues each year — at a time when Alaska is in dire need of revenue to pay for state services.
“Can we afford this loophole while we close schools? Can we afford this tax subsidy while we slash the permanent fund dividend? Can we afford this tax subsidy while our infrastructure languishes, while we struggle to recruit and retain state troopers and firefighters and maintenance crews?” Dunbar said. “The answer is no.”
The provision would impose the state’s corporate tax rate on oil and gas companies doing business in the state, at a maximum rate of 9.4% for companies whose net profits are more than $5 million per year.
Alaska’s oil prices are surging amid the Iran War, and state forecasters are projecting hundreds of millions in potential state revenue in the coming months. Despite the spike in oil prices, Dunbar said lawmaker action to capture more revenue from the oil and gas industry is long overdue.
“There is still a long term revenue problem in this state, regardless of short term prices connected to the Iran war,” he said. “Now is the time to do this. Prices for oil are high. These corporations are doing very well. You fix the roof when the sun is shining.”
The Senate approved the amendment by an 11 to 8 vote, then passed the underlying legislation by a 12 to 7 vote, with Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, absent.
The original legislation was introduced by the governor, and passed the Alaska House last year. It would renew a three-year oil royalty agreement between the state and Marathon Petroleum Corporation, for state owned oil to be processed at its refinery in Nikiski, on the Kenai Peninsula. The proposed contract is estimated to generate between $4 million to $18 million in state revenue.
However the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Soldotna, objected to the new oil tax provision, saying the Senate should take time to evaluate how the tax measure would affect the broader industry and energy supply for Alaskans.
“I’m a no vote on this amendment, because we do need a legitimate plan,” he said. “We don’t rush things. We don’t do things in a half-cocked manner, because that’s how mistakes are made.”
He said lawmakers should model potential revenue measures so they know how they will function within a state fiscal plan.
Lawmakers have been hotly debating Alaska’s oil and gas tax structure for years. A bill introduced last year, Senate Bill 92, would change the way the state’s corporate income tax applies to the oil company Hilcorp, which is an S-corporation, and the state’s largest oil producer. Hilcorp is a privately held, Texas-based energy company that since 2020 has operated the Prudhoe Bay oil field in the North Slope, as well as most of the operations in Cook Inlet.
That bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee and has not moved this year.
The measure approved by the Senate on Wednesday would enact state taxes not just on Hilcorp but many companies, and collect revenues that would otherwise be leaving the state, Dunbar said in an interview after the vote.
“To be clear, it’s not just Hilorp that might be affected by this, but that is one of the large, obvious holes we see in our oil tax structure right now that is causing us to shift tens of millions, and over the long term, hundreds of millions of dollars, from schools and roads and the permanent fund dividend to out of state companies and individuals,” he said.
The amended bill now goes to the House for a concurrence vote.
Dunbar urged support for the measure, citing financial woes in his own district where the Anchorage School Board has voted to close three elementary schools and cut hundreds of staff positions to help address a $90 million budget shortfall.
“I hope they agree that it’s not an acceptable world where the price is high and this industry is booming and we are closing Lake Otis Elementary School because we don’t have enough money,” he said.
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We have sad news to report from the world of music today.
Dash Crofts — the singer who crooned hits like “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl” — has passed away.
He was 85 years old.
According to a statement from his family, Crofts died peacefully on March 26.
He had been battling health issues in recent years, but the exact cause of death has not been publicly disclosed (per Variety).
Crofts rose to international fame alongside childhood friend Jim Seals, forming a duo that became one of the defining sounds of the early 1970s.
While “Summer Breeze: remains their signature song, the pair also churned out hits with songs like “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer.”
Fans and fellow musicians alike have reacted to the news with an outpouring of appreciation for Crofts’ contributions to music.
“Summer Breeze defined a generation. Dash Crofts’ voice was magic,” one fan tweeted.
“His music shaped so many memories — truly an icon,” another added.
“Dash had a sound that was warm, soothing, unforgettable,” a third chimed in.
“His music has a way of bringing a sense of peace,” another fan wrote on Instagram, adding:
“What stood out most to me was not just the music, but who he was. He was kind, humble, and full of soul.
“Rest easy, Dash. Your music will live on forever. My deepest condolences to his family and close friends.”
Crofts was known for his unmistakable voice and his songwriting talents.
The duo’s music blended folk, pop and rock in a way that resonated deeply with listeners, especially during the turbulent era in which they rose to fame.
“Summer Breeze” in particular remains a staple on soft rock radio more than 50 years after its composition.
Though Crofts is gone, his music will continue to live on through the generations that fell in love with it.
“He brought joy to millions through his music, and his legacy lives on,” his family said in their statement.
Indeed, Dash Crofts will be remembered as one of soft rock’s enduring voices.
Our thoughts go out to his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
Dash Crofts Cause of Death: ‘Summer Breeze’ Singer Was 85 was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Actress and LA native Alison Brie knows where to find good food in the City of Angels. She told Mashed that these four restaurants are definitely worth a try.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Think that only fun, upbeat songs can become crossover hits? Think again. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Think that only fun, upbeat songs can become crossover hits? Think again. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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Shortly after Joseph Duggar’s arrest on charges of molesting a 9-year-old girl, reports claimed that he had confessed — to the girl’s father and to police.
Now, an affidavit is backing up these reports. He apparently confessed twice.
Does this mean that, when he’s extradited for Florida and appears in court, he’ll plead guilty and spare the victim from having to testify in court?
A lot could change between now and then.
According to police documents, he confessed TWICE
People obtained an affidavit from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office relating to the charges that Joseph is facing.
After the unidentified 14-year-old, named as Jane Doe in documents, reported that the adult had touched her genitals during a 2020 vacation to Florida — when she was 9 — investigators followed up.
Deputy Sheriff Darrell Norris “requested the detective and victim’s father call Joseph.”
One they were speaking to Joseph on the phone, he allegedly “admitted his actions, stating he touched the victim over her clothing.
The affidavit also mentioned that Joseph “admitted his intentions were not pure.” That’s an odd statement, given the horrifying context.
This was not, it seems, Joseph’s first confession.
Joseph had confessed to Jane Doe’s father on March 17, also over the phone, according to the affidavit.
That time, however, no authorities were participating in the call.
Joseph was arrested on March 18. He remains in custody, awaiting extradition to Florida.
Reports seem unclear on whether Joseph was Mirandized when he confessed this second time. If so, his statement can and will be used against him in a court of law. (Even if not, confessions often come up in court — especially if they are recorded.)
Is that it? Confession and case over?
Obviously, everyone would like for Joseph to spend as much time in prison as possible.
He is facing two charges of lewd and lascivious behavior.
One is for the molestation of a victim under the age of 12.
The other is for committing the crime as an adult — Joseph was 25, and already a father of two, for that 2020 vacation.
If he already confessed twice, will he also take a plea, allocute to the crime, and spare Jane Doe from having to testify?
We likely won’t know until Joseph enters a plea — guilty or not guilty — when he appears at a pre-trial hearing in Florida.
It is very likely that any attorney (whether he hires the attorney or Jim Bob does) would advise him to retract his confession(s).
Crimes against children, particularly those committed years in the past, are difficult to prove.
A defense attorney could claim that Jane Doe is confused, that she is projecting the crime from someone else onto an innocent man, that she was coerced into fabricating this claim.
False allegations like these are extremely rare — especially with confessions. But without the confession, a strong legal team could poke holes in the prosecution’s case, turning what many would call absurd doubts into looming questions in the minds of a jury.
Everyone’s first thought was of Josh
Before he had apparently heard the reports about Joseph’s confessions, Josh declared that Joseph is innocent.
Josh’s statement, made through his attorney, linked Joseph’s accusations with his own. Josh continues to claim that he is innocent.
He didn’t exactly do his brother any favors. But then, everyone was already associating the two with each other.
Now, to be clear, you do not “gotta hand it” to Joseph for reportedly confessing instead of calling this child a liar.
But, if he doesn’t retract his confession, at least he might spare this girl from having to tell her story on the witness stand.
Joseph Duggar Confessed TWICE, Police Affidavit Reveals was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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It’s now been nearly two months since Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Despite ransom notes from people claiming to be the kidnappers and security footage of a masked man at Nancy’s door, the 84-year-old remains missing, and police are no closer to finding a suspect.
The Guthries have made numerous pleas to the public for help in ending this nightmare, and now, Savannah has shared her story more courageously than ever in an interview with her friend Hoda Kotb.
The second part of Savannah’s interview aired on Today on Tuesday morning.
And in one of the conversation’s most heartbreaking moments, Savannah revealed that she’s tormented by the thought that her high-profile job might have been the cause of her mother’s kidnapping.
“I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that girl— that lady has money. We can … make a quick buck.’ I mean, that would make sense,” Savannah told Hoda, adding:
“But we don’t know. Which is too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside. That it’s because of me.”
Savannah went on to explain that her brother, a former fighter pilot who went on to work in intelligence, “saw very clearly right away what this was.”
“Even on the phone when I called him, he knew. He said, ‘I think she’s been kidnapped for ransom.’ And I said, ‘What? Well, why? What?’” Savannah said, adding:
“It sounds so, like, how dumb could I be? But I just — I didn’t wanna believe. I just said, ‘Do you think because of me?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe.’ But I knew that.”
In what might be the interview’s most gut-wrenching moment, Savannah apologized to her mother for any role that she might have inadvertently played in her kidnapping.
“I’d just say, ‘I’m so sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry.’ I’m sorry to my sister and my brother and my kids and my nephew and Tommy, my brother-in-law,” she said said, adding:
“If it is me, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
It’s important to note that we do not know why Nancy was taken from her home, and it’s still not clear if the ransom demands were legitimate.
But it’s clear that Savannah is tortured by the possibility that her wealth and fame may have led to her mother being kidnapped.
We may never know if that was the case, but we can hope that the Guthrie family will soon find the answers that they’ve been seeking since February 1.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Savannah Guthrie Says She Blames Herself For Her Mother’s Kidnapping was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
One of the farmers on Season 4 of ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ has a surprising tie to country singer RaeLynn — and we are just now putting the pieces together. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs