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Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, discuss a proposed pension bill, with Sen. President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, seen in the background on Apr. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Members of the Alaska Senate voted to approve a long-awaited pension bill on Tuesday, amid debate on the cost of the new public retirement benefits system and responsibilities of the state and local community employers.
The Senate passed a revised version of a pension plan approved by the House last year. The vote was 12 to 8. Twenty years after lawmakers eliminated a public pension system, the vote marks the closest lawmakers have come to restoring a defined retirement benefit for thousands of Alaska’s public sector employees.
“It strikes me as a historic day,” said Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, after the vote. She has been working on the issue for several years. “When you figure 33 different offerings to correct this over the years — yeah, we’ve been trying for a long time.”
If enacted, the bill would reinstate a defined benefit retirement system for Alaska state employees, as well as teachers, public safety workers and municipal employees statewide.
The move comes as the state struggles to fill positions across state departments, including public safety, corrections and in education roles.
Supporters said the retirement benefit is crucial for hiring and retaining a skilled public sector workforce in Alaska for the long-term, while detractors say the uncertainty around the cost to the state and local municipalities isn’t worth the risk.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, said he opposes increasing state spending.
“We look at our federal government, we’re going to be $40 trillion upside down. That’s totally unacceptable,” he added. “And for adding this kind of burden for the future, generated cost is something that I just can’t be a part of. I know we have a problem. I think there are other solutions out there that can help this problem.”
The move was applauded by the state’s largest public employees union, the Alaska State Employees Association, which represents roughly 8,500 public employees.
“The impact is almost difficult to overstate,” said Heidi Drygas, its executive director, by phone on Tuesday. “Our membership overwhelmingly supports a defined benefit pension. And I think this will mean security for them, so that they can feel comfortable staying in their state jobs. It will attract more employees to work for the state.”
The bill passed the House last May, and the revised version now goes back to the House for a concurrence vote, before heading to Gov. Dunleavy’s desk for consideration.
The governor has been critical of previous pension proposals. Dunleavy receives a state pension for his previous employment as an educator and superintendent.
If the bill becomes law, current state employees would be allowed to switch from a defined contribution or a 401(k) style retirement plan to the new system. Retirement for teachers and public employees would be possible at age 60 or any age after 30 years of service. For public safety officers, including police and firefighters, it would be age 50 with 25 years of service, or age 55 with 20 years of service.
“Every other state offers a pension for at least some of the public servants. We do not,” Giessel said on the Senate floor. “And we are seeing the results. We ask our public employees to do difficult work, often in the hardest conditions. The question is whether we will give them a reason to build a career here.”
After several hours of debate, the Senate approved several amendments, including a change to allow cities and boroughs to choose whether to opt out of the new defined benefit retirement plan, instead of opt in.
“It’s better policy for local governments to follow the state’s lead,” said Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, who sponsored the provision. “If they don’t like our choice, they’re certainly allowed to make their own choice and opt out, but if they don’t take any action, they’re in.”
That means local cities and boroughs can choose whether to opt out of the plan, if enacted, between January and June of 2027, and then the new system would begin July 1 next year.
Under the revised bill, employees would contribute 8% of their pay to the pension plan. Employers would pay up to 22.5% for public sector employees, and up to 12.5% for teachers. Senators debated the cap and arrived at 22.5%, noting municipality officials public testimony and concern about cost.
Employers would also pay into a health reimbursement fund of up to 4% of workers’ salaries to supplement Medicare for those over age 65. Disability and death benefits would be included.
Senators debate pension plan, Alaska’s workforce challenges
If passed, the bill would revive Alaska’s state pension that was eliminated in 2006, after the state ran into a multi-billion dollar shortfall and unfunded liabilities in the retirement system.
Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, a co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, opposed the bill, citing the risk that the state will repeat the mistakes of the early 2000s.
“This proposal in front of us today diminished the benefit to the retired employee when it goes underfunded. Yeah, it won’t go unfunded until people retire. Normally, it takes about 30 years, but we’ve got 20 years already with the current defined contribution. So about 10 years out,” he said.
A recent estimate by the state’s actuary, Gallagher, projected state costs to total $467 million for the first 13 years, until FY 2039.
Stedman said the state is also still on the hook to pay billions to account for the old pension system. But Giessel said the new pension system has built in safeguards to prevent it from going underfunded, according to the actuary’s analysis.
“Even with a never before seen ‘black swan’ event of three consecutive years with zero investment returns, even then this pension holds up,” she said.
Giessel and other lawmakers cited the state’s current ballooning costs paying state employee overtime to cover vacancies and essential public services, called “premium pay.”
“It is costing us over $200 million a year in premium pay,” she said. “Just to keep basic services running — that number has grown nearly 80% in the past five years. We have, in effect, turned Alaska into a training ground, a place where people come, gain experience and then leave.”
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, described a crisis of families leaving the state, in part due to a lack of stable retirement. Alaska has seen more than a decade of consistent outmigration, according to state data.
“There has been a quiet, heavy crisis unfolding all across Alaska, in our schools, in our state office buildings, in our courts, in our communities all across Alaska, it’s the sound of a door slamming shut. Another family packs up to leave,” Wielechowski said on the Senate floor.
“We talk a lot about fiscal responsibility in this chamber, but I ask you, what is responsible about watching our most precious resource, our people walk out the door?”
Supporters of the pension plan also pointed to the state’s struggle with high turnover rates, including up to 30% of teachers in urban and rural districts alike each year.
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, and chair of the Senate Education Committee, said the high unseen costs of turnover of educators is magnified throughout the state.
“Because of high teacher turnover, we’re already paying $20 to $30 million a year,” she said. “We can either continue to pay that in turnover costs, or we can fund a quality retirement program that retains our quality educators, attracts new quality educators, and ensures that our kids get the best education they deserve.”
Senators in support of the pension plan noted a recent state audit of Alaska state government that reported hundreds of millions lost in federal reimbursements or incorrectly accounted for due to a variety of factors, including “staff turnover,” “competing priorities” or “inadequate supervisory review.”
Wielechowski pointed to one example of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs underreported disaster spending for federal reimbursement by $297 million. The error was corrected once identified by auditors, according to the report.
“Dozens of projects incorrectly reported. And that’s just that’s just a fraction of the inaccuracies and the mistakes,” Wielechowski said.
Opponents of the pension bill pointed to other factors contributing to high turnover like work environment, leadership and a need to raise salaries.
That included Cronk who said he receives a pension after teaching for 25 years. “I would say focus should be on our pay,” he said.
Drygas, with the state’s public employees union, said while the pension plan is one important part of Alaska’s workforce issues, she sees it as crucial for stemming the tide of outmigration from the state.
“I cannot tell you how many people, just personal, friends and acquaintances that I know, that are leaving state service in particular because they can’t retire here. They can’t live on the retirement that our state offers,” she said. “So I think a lot of us are hopeful that, you know, five or 10 years in the future, if this legislation should pass and become law, we’ll see a turnaround in our state workforce again.”
Kellie Pickler is returning to the stage in a big way with an appearance on American Idol on Monday, May 4, as part of a special episode celebrating the Class of 2006 reunion.
Danielle Fishel revealed the news on the official American Idol podcast, sharing that Pickler will be joined by fellow Idol alums Taylor Hicks, Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, and Elliott Yamin. The group is set to return to the show to duet with this season’s Top 5 contestants: Chris Tungseth, Hannah Harper, Braden Rumfelt, Keyla Richardson, and Jordan McCullough.
The upcoming May 4 episode will also feature original judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, appearing as guest judge and guest mentor, respectively.
Jason Merritt / Staff
In addition to the Class of 2006 reunion, the episode will include performances with Dancing with the Stars pros, bringing ballroom flair to the celebration, while America votes live to determine the Top 3.
Pickler has largely stayed out of the spotlight in recent years, only stepping back on stage in April 2024 for a performance honoring the late Patsy Cline. The appearance marked her first performance since the passing of her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs, who died at the couple’s home on February 17, 2023.
Pickler auditioned for American Idol when she was just 19 years old, impressing the judges with a performance of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing.” She advanced far in the competition and finished in sixth place. She previously returned to American Idol in 2016, where she served as both a mentor and performer during the show’s final season on Fox.
Following her stint on Idol, Pickler rose to fame with her 2006 debut album, Small Town Girl, which was certified Gold by the RIAA and produced three Top 20 hits: “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder,” and “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.” She also scored a major success with her Platinum-certified single, “Best Days of Your Life.”
In May 2013, Pickler and her partner Derek Hough took home the mirrorball trophy, winning Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. She was later inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
From 2017 to 2019, Pickler served as co-host of Pickler & Ben, a nationally syndicated talk show that earned five Emmy nominations.She has also built a career in acting, appearing in several films and TV shows, including Christmas at Graceland, The Mistletoe Secret, 90210, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Wedding at Graceland, and more.
The post Kellie Pickler Heads Back to ‘American Idol’ Stage for First Time in Years appeared first on Country Now.
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When we heard that Dunkin’ was releasing a limited-edition fruit punch donut for spring, we wondered why the sweet-tart flavor hadn’t been done before.
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‘So I had to leave and I was on this call crying, like, ‘If Nana lives, she’s going to hate this video!” Musgraves remembers. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
‘So I had to leave and I was on this call crying, like, ‘If Nana lives, she’s going to hate this video!” Musgraves remembers. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Shaboozey has announced his fourth studio album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, due out July 31, along with his Outlaws Never Die Tour, which will take place this fall.
The concept album tells a western-inspired story centered on Cherie Lee, a woman seeking revenge after her father’s murder while enduring the trials and tribulations of a complicated love story. The project’s lead single, “Born To Die,” serves as the first preview of what fans can expect from this next set of music.
The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales will follow 2024’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going album, which as the country star explains, was a collection of songs that acted as a “journal entry,” allowing fans across the world to get to know who he is as a person. He is now building off the momentum and preparing to share even more stories that showcases his artistry and mission as a storyteller.
“That album changed my life,” he admits. “I never expected people to connect with the album and enjoy it the way they did. But now I want to show the world who I am as an artist and storyteller.”
Shaboozey goes on to explain that his upcoming release has been “several years in the making” as he made plenty of revisions along the way before he could feel content with the final product. The result of his tedious efforts is a western style album that chronicles a story of revenge told through every song, with its main character, Cherie Lee, at the center of it all. Additionally, the track list will feature several star-studded collaborations that continue to push the boundaries of country music.
“It explores so many themes, as many timeless westerns have: revenge, redemption, and romance, through the eyes of a protagonist looking to challenge everything she once thought true about her world. I poured all of myself into this and I hope people become as immersed in the world and the journey as I have.”
He adds, “This album was a promise to myself and something, no matter what, I had to keep. It pushed my songwriting and storytelling to new heights, and I couldn’t be more proud to say it’s done and almost yours.”
In support of the album, Shaboozey will launch his Outlaws Never Die Tour in September. The tour will run through October with stops across North America, including Nashville, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The tour will also include a stop in Nashville on Sept. 18 at Ascend Amphitheater.
Select dates will feature special guests including Brittney Spencer, Noeline Hofmann, Kashus Culpepper, Carter Faith and Angel White.
Tickets for the Outlaws Never Die Tour go on sale May 1 at 10 a.m. local time and can be purchased HERE.
A full list of tour dates can be found on Shaboozey’s official website.
The post Shaboozey Announces Concept Album, ‘The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales,’ and Fall ‘Outlaws Never Die’ Tour appeared first on Country Now.
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Ole Red, the Blake Shelton-inspired bar, restaurant and live music venue, is getting its seventh location. The establishment already has a presence in Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando, Gatlinburg, and in Shelton’s hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and now, it is getting a new home in downtown Indianapolis.
According to an announcement from Opry Entertainment Group (OEG) and Boxcar Development, the massive 37,000-square-foot, multi-level space will sit just steps from multiple entertainment venues including the Ritz-Carlton Indianapolis and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, making it the perfect addition to the city’s growing sports and entertainment scene.
On the morning of Wednesday, April 29, Shelton and Colin Reed, Executive Chairman of Opry Entertainment Group (OEG) parent company Ryman Hospitality Properties, the Simon family, local leaders and Blake Shelton gathered at a press conference to speak more on the evolving parentship.
“Indianapolis is a market we have admired for some time, and we are thrilled to have a likeminded partner who shares our vision and is helping lead the continued evolution of the downtown entertainment district,” said Reed. “We look forward to expanding the Ole Red brand and creating a best-in-class entertainment and hospitality destination for the Indianapolis community.”
The new location will once again offer its signature dining and live music experience with two performance stages, a main restaurant and bar area, and a covered rooftop bar overlooking downtown. Its expansion to the Indianapolis area marks another step in growing the Ole Red brand by bringing a taste of the Southern charm to the country fans of the Midwest.
Inspired by Shelton’s 2001 hit by the same name, Ole Red is projected to open its doors in Indianapolis in late 2027 at 231-235 S. Meridian Street. Guests in the Midwest and beyond will get to experience the made-from-scratch food and drink menu, also inspired by the counter superstar, along with a concert-quality live music atmosphere.
During the press conference, Shelton revealed how Indianapolis has been a big part about his musical journey, from the early days of being completely unknown to delivering his first public performance of his debut single, “Austin” at a “country music expo” and later, returning for his first television special concert.
“It’s just been some of the bigger moments of not just my career, but my life have been here. So I always feel at home when I’m here,” he shared.
The country music hitmaker continued to reflect on the growing Ole Red brand in a new statement that reads, “Man, the energy in this place is just unreal. Every time I come through, I catch myself thinking up reasons to hang around a little longer. You put a city together that loves sports and country music this much, well, that’s about as good as it gets for me. Here we come Indy!”
Additionally, the project ties into a larger mission to expand the city’s downtown entertainment district. Opry Entertainment Group has revealed that it will also join the Fieldhouse Media Network as a marketing partner of both the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever.
“Partnerships and investments around Gainbridge Fieldhouse, just like this one, are exciting steps as we create one of the most bold and ambitious sports-anchored entertainment districts in the country,” said Simon. “We are proud to partner with Opry Entertainment Group and Ryman Hospitality Properties to bring this world-class brand to downtown.”
Ole Red won’t be the only thing drawing visitors into the downtown area. Boxcar Development has also revealed plans for the Ritz-Carlton Indianapolis and Live Nation event venue at the corner of Pennsylvania and Georgia Streets. Other current projects include the Indiana Fever Performance Center, the Signia Hotel by Hilton, and the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, and more.
Construction is slated to start later this year on Ole Red Indy, with a focus on preserving and restoring the building’s historic exterior.
The post Blake Shelton Announces Seventh Ole Red Location Coming To Indianapolis in 2027 appeared first on Country Now.
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Kyle Busch has a new crew chief. Jim Pohlman is out; Andy Street is in. No one should act surprised over the move. Yes, Pohlman joined the team after the 2025 season and lasted only 10 races. But Busch sits 27th in the Cup Series standings, and that won’t cut it for a two-time series champion. He’s also finished better than teammate Austin Dillon five times and finished worse than him five times, but Dillon sits 24th in the standings. Busch told me and other reporters Saturday that he could see some light in the tunnel, that they made an adjustment at Kansas that worked. But Pohlman was possibly just a little too fiery to be Busch’s crew chief. He aired some of his frustration on the secondary radio channel when talking to Busch’s spotter earlier this month at Bristol. “Just same [expletive] every week.” Pohlman said. FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick, a former Cup champion, said that type of attitude, where Pohlman questioned why Busch wasn’t running better after an adjustment, is not the way a crew chief should talk about his driver. “He can be mad at me,” Harvick said on the “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast. “But talking like the way they talked on Channel 2 after Bristol that week, that was unacceptable. That is the wrong guy.” Now Busch has Street, the RCR performance director who appeared to do a good job as the interim crew chief for the end of 2025 with Busch when Randall Burnett announced he would move to Trackhouse Racing in 2026. It was pretty clear there would be a change in the Burnett-Busch relationship after 2025 considering the struggles that have haunted Busch the last few years. Can Street help turn it around? Is it possible he could spark enough of a turnaround that Busch and RCR continue their relationship beyond 2026? Street won 11 O’Reilly races (10 with Austin Hill) and appeared as the best in-house candidate to be Busch’s crew chief at the end of last season. But RCR brought in Pohlman, who used to work at the organization, and Street could continue in the performance director role at RCR, which is a key position in trying to build the program. So this isn’t a change from a known to an unknown. It is a change from a known (or at least as much as you could know after 10 races) to a known (or at least as much as you could know after five races). It should bring stability. [POWER RANKINGS: New Cup Winner Carson Hocevar Joins List] This appears as one last gasp to see if the team can turn it around for Busch, who will likely decide in the next couple of months whether to start talking to other teams or commit to RCR. No one would expect him to want to stay if he’s running 27th. Hopefully Pohlman gets another chance with a driver more compatible to his style. His winning an O’Reilly title with driver Justin Allgaier wasn’t a fluke. He helped Allgaier win that championship in 2024. But that didn’t mean much when working with Busch. If you are the crew chief for a two-time Cup champion and you fall out of the top 25 in points, you’re going to get replaced. Especially when it seemed like an oil-and-water relationship. That’s what happened. It makes sense. Busch is not the 27th-best driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. If he’s going to be able to show that at RCR for future seasons, the time is now to find that out. It wasn’t going to be that way with Pohlman. So RCR made a change.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
Sam’s Club doesn’t manufacture Member’s Mark bottled water. The company that does also happens to supply similar products for other major retailers.
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