A cola is a cola, so why do two of the biggest names in the business (specifically, Coke and Pepsi) taste so markedly different from each other?
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Selling City Hall to Sealaska Heritage Institute for $1.5 million rather than auctioning the site for a minimum bid of $2.5 million was approved by the Juneau Assembly by a 6-3 vote on Monday night.
The Alaska Native nonprofit organization plans to demolish the 75-year-old building in favor of a new $40 million three-story structure featuring a glass-blowing studio, retail gallery for “high-end art” and other facilities. SHI President Rosita Kaaháni Worl, during public testimony…
Tucker Wetmore reveals he was originally planning to release a full-length album this year, but as his career continued gaining momentum and life became increasingly busy, he realized he wasn’t in the right headspace to create the project he wanted.
Instead of rushing the process with a new album, the rising star decided to shift gears and give fans something that felt more natural for the moment: a summertime mixtape. By dropping his six-song Sunburn Mixtape, Wetmore was able to still deliver a collection of songs while previewing the sound he hopes to explore more in his next chapter.
“Honestly, I was working towards an album this year for a long time and this year’s just been crazy. There’s been so many things going on that I just wasn’t in the head space for an album,” he told Country Now and other outlets. “I knew I wanted to give the fans body music, but I still wanted to be proud of it and feel like I really did everything that I could for it. And I got to be able to accomplish that with this record.”
“I love the beach. I love sunshine. So it was a no-brainer for me. I was like, ‘Alright, we got a handful of songs that are already ready for the album.’ And I kind of just picked and chose a couple of the songs that made sense lyrically leading into this new world that I’m trying to build and also sonically kind of break the ice into the world that I’m trying to create.”
This mixtape arrived July 31 via Back Blocks Music/MCA/Mercury Records and includes three previously released fan favorites along with three brand new tracks. Fans can soak up the sunny, carefree days while letting songs like Wetmore’s Country radio single “Who Told You That,” “Sunburn,” “Proving Me Right” and more serve as the soundtrack.
He goes on to say that the ultimate goal when selecting songs for this mixtape was to create something “fun” and “lighthearted.”
“They’re all just fun songs. I feel like music is supposed to be fun, lighthearted. And I feel like we really hit the nail on the head with, or I tried to at least with this small little mix tape. It was fun,” he explained.
Fans were already familiar with and loving the three previously released tracks, but the mixtape also gave them three brand-new songs to discover: “Crazy To Yourself,” “98%” and “YOURS.”
While celebrating his latest No. 1 hit, “Brunette,” with a room full of members of the country music industry, Wetmore opened up about some of his newer tracks and the inspiration behind them.
Starting with “98%”, Wetmore shared that this story just “flew out” during a writer’s retreat in Arizona with Chris LaCorte, Rodney Clawson and Jacob Hackworth.
“The play on words was ‘good girls are never always good.’ And so I was like, ‘Well, like 98% good. Showing off the other two tonight.’ And just a fun, kind of just a tongue in cheeky kind of song. But sonically, that’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve created in the recent, just because sonically it’s cool between the guitar tones and the drum sounds. And it’s different. It’s not your traditional country, but it’s still got that country twang in it. But it’s also flirting with the ’70s and the ’80s, kind of Eagles, Bobby Caldwell, all the stuff that I love to listen to, which is kind of the direction I’m trying to go,” he explained.
As for “YOURS,” the hitmaker drew inspiration from something he says many “good old boys” can relate to, which is not always knowing how to put their emotions into words. Rather than writing a traditional love song, Wetmore found a way to express those feelings through the familiar imagery and relatable experiences.
“It was like ‘campfire cracking with the crickets and the frogs, moonlight shining on a Yeti and a dog.’ Just stuff that we know from small town type living, put it, and then related to a woman.”
All six tracks ultimately come together to capture the laid-back, feel-good spirit Wetmore envisioned for the project while also offering a taste of where his sound is headed next.
Sunburn Mixtape Tracklist:
- “Who Told You That”
(Jordan Schmidt, Ashley Gorley, Hunter Phelps and Michael Tyler)
- “Crazy To Yourself”
(Jacob Hackworth, Jacob Durrett, Matt Jenkins and Michael Tyler)
- “98%”
(Tucker Wetmore, Rodney Clawson, Jacob Hackworth and Chris LaCorte)
- “YOURS”
(Tucker Wetmore, Chris LaCorte, Randy Montana, Sasha Sloan and Carver Partin)
- “Sunburn”
(Daniel Ross, Ryan Hurd and Jaxson Free)
- “Proving Me Right”
(Tucker Wetmore, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird and Chris Tompkins)
Tucker Wetmore will head back on the road in September to kickstart the second leg of his Brunette World Tour. That same month he’ll also join Brooks & Dunn for select dates, including a special stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on September 12.
The post Tucker Wetmore Reveals Why He Chose to Drop a Summertime Mixtape Over an Album in 2026 appeared first on Country Now.
Country Now
Juneau hasn’t been represented by a Republican legislator since 2017. Annette Kreitzer says it’s time for that to change, given the range of economic and other challenges the region is facing during the coming years.
Kreitzer, a former Haines borough manager, is seeking the District 3 seat held by four-term Democratic incumbent Andi Story. The challenger says she’s seen the Alaska Legislature take actions such as increasing education funding without doing enough to ensure the…
While development of natural resources such as petroleum and mining dominate much of Alaska’s political discussion these days, state Rep. Andi Story says investing in resources such as students and workers is key to solving many of the area’s economic, workforce, outmigration, and other issues.
Story, seeking a fifth two-year term in District 3, says meaningful changes such as education funding increases have passed during her current term representing the northern part of the Southeast…
An arctic fox on the tundra of the north slope of Alaska near a field camp of the Alaska Science Center.
(Photo by Ryan Askren
USGS, Alaska Science Center)
Have you ever wondered about how sea ice and ocean temperatures are changing, marine debris in the Bering Strait, the spread of beavers into northwest Alaska, “rusting rivers” or community-based observations of Bering Sea salmon? For 20 years, the Arctic Report Card, supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has delivered timely and accurate information on the Alaska and Arctic environment that takes raw observations and makes them understandable to anyone interested in what’s happening across the top of the world.
The rapidly changing Arctic environment brings challenges and opportunities to Alaska communities, our state and the United States, including food security and cultural continuity, commercial sustainability and development options, and national energy and security concerns. Nearly 20 percent of the United States’ land area is in Alaska, and Alaska is part of the much larger Arctic. But on August 10, 2026, as reported by the Alaska Beacon, NOAA ended support of the long-running Arctic Report Card.
Since 2006, the Arctic Report Card, supported by NOAA, has delivered timely and accurate information on the Alaska and Arctic environment in formats from plain language essays to a professional video to social media bites. Alaskans use the Arctic Report Card for many reasons, because it is a trusted, understandable and vetted source of environmental information and on-the-ground impacts across the Arctic. Starting in 2019, the Report Card has included perspectives rooted in the lived experiences and cultural knowledge of Indigenous peoples in Alaska and elsewhere in the Arctic. These are not models or projections or policy. The essays in the Report Card describe what’s happened in our part of the world.
Every autumn more than 100 authors from a dozen or more countries come together, volunteering their time and expertise to create a report, not for other specialists or academic journals, but for anyone who needs timely and accurate information about what’s happening in the Arctic environment. While written for non-specialists, the Arctic Report Card maintains strict scientific integrity through the peer-review process. That is coordinated by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, and neither Report Card editors nor authors have any say in reviewer selection, nor do they know who provides reviews.
Professional societies and international organizations around the world issue several annual reports summarizing yearly weather and climate conditions, but not all include the Arctic; all are released months after the fact and are largely or entirely focused on atmosphere and ocean conditions. The Arctic Report Card is unique in providing both timeliness of the information and the wide range of topics and is the only report that provides broad review of the climate and ecosystems of the Arctic.
The loss of NOAA’s support for the Arctic Report Card does not mean that observations go away, or that change stops. But without the Arctic Report Card, the broad array of information will be harder for non-specialists to find and interpret. I work as an Alaska climate specialist, but as a user of the Arctic Report Card for 20 years and an editor since 2020, I have learned so much about topics outside of my specialty. Over the years, I’ve heard similar comments from Alaskans across the state.
The Arctic Report Card editorial team, dedicated authors and supporters are working hard to keep timely, accurate and accessible Arctic environmental observations available to everyone who relies on this annual report. However, the break in continuity with the first 20 reports and the elaborate interface developed during that time to make this information readily available will make it harder for Alaskans to find what they need in this time of rapid change.
Rick Thoman works as a Climate Specialist with the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Preparedness at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The views expressed are solely the author’s and do not constitute the university’s official position.
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As millions of fans try to make sense of the tragic death of Hayden Panettiere, the late actress’ mother has made some shocking remarks about her controversial boyfriend.
As we previously reported, Hayden and Brian Hickerson claimed that they’d broken up in 2022, but it appears that they were secretly still dating at the time of her death.
Now, Hayden’s mom, Lesley Vogel, is confirming reports that the family did not approve of that relationship.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News this week.
Vogel did not explicitly suggest that Hickerson was involved in her daughter’s death in any way.
But much has been made of the fact that Hayden flew from LA to South Carolina with Brian the day before her death, and she passed away in an apartment being rented to him and his brother, Zach Hickerson.
According to TMZ, witnesses say Zach became “very emotional” while emergency medical services professionals were “working on Hayden.”
Investigators have noted that there was no sign of foul play, and neither Brian nor Zach has been accused of any wrongdoing.
It’s worth noting that the feud between Brian and Lesley predates Hayden’s death by at least several months.
“Hayden’s mother is by far one of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life … I just can’t with her. She’s terrible,” he told TMZ during an interview in May.
Vogel concluded her comments by suggesting that Hollywood may have been to blame for many of the addiction and mental health issues Hayden struggled with throughout her life.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments, and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” she told NBC.
Hayden found success early on with her roles on Guiding Light and Heroes. But fame took a toll, as it does on many young stars.
A co-star on Hayden’s final film described her as seeming “lonely” and troubled. And while she had been open about her struggles with substance abuse, fans were under the impression that the worst was behind her.
Sadly, it seems that that may not have been the case. We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Hayden Panettiere’s Mom Blasts Brian Hickerson: We Were Trying to Get Rid of Him was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
The home of the last three college football national champions vs. the conference where, “it just means more.” The Big Ten and SEC are constantly bickering over which one is the top league in college football. They each care about earning that recognition from the outside. They each have their own opinion on what should determine that hierarchy. FOX Sports college football writer RJ Young would like a word in shaping that discussion. His ranking of all 138 FBS teams ahead of the 2026 season illuminates the status of each team in those conferences as the 2026 college football season approaches. Michigan State, lord have mercy. Please get out of your own way. Listen to coach Tom Izzo. Remember who you stand for, what you stand for and hope like hell that foundation transfers to the football field. — RJ Young Boilermakers coach Barry Odom needs to show results in the toughest league in the country. The good news is Purdue returns Ryan Browne, who threw for 300 yards or more twice last year, including 30-of-50 for 302 yards against top 25-ranked Illinois. — RJ Young But I’m sure Scarlet Knight fans are tired of national analysts like me reveling in their past. Let’s hope Greg Schiano’s 2026 team gives us both hope for the future. — RJ Young The Terps are 4-38 against top-25 teams in the CFP era. That’s the bad news. The good news is Malik Washington might just be another Taulia Tagovailoa for Terps coach Mike Locksley. — RJ Young PJ Fleck knows how to build a team that competes. The Golden Gophers have finished with a winning record in six out of nine seasons despite eight different coordinators across both sides of the ball. — RJ Young Last year was Wisconsin’s worst in 35 years. Luke Fickell has to wear that. And after getting the dreaded “vote of confidence” from the administration, he’s got to put Wisconsin back in the race to become one of the four best teams in the Big Ten. — RJ Young David Braun has gone 19-19 as head coach at Northwestern. A .500 record will do just fine in 2026 there too. Whether Chip Kelly has some magic left in him after a disastrous stint with the Las Vegas Raiders is another question. — RJ Young Has coach Matt Rhule reached the ceiling for what he can do at Nebraska? Despite achieving AP top-25 rankings in each of the last two seasons and winning at least seven games in 2024 and 2025, Rhule’s Nebraska has been unable to defeat class opponents. — RJ Young Can Bob Chesney perform at a Big Ten program like he did at James Madison? Indiana coach Curt Cignetti did. Cignetti came from JMU to a bad Big Ten team and immediately turned that program into a College Football Playoff contender. With Chesney having just led JMU to the CFP, it’s not unthinkable for him to lead the Bruins to their first CFP appearance. — RJ Young At East Carolina last season, Katin Houser threw for 3,300 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. But can he do that against a schedule that features games at Ohio State, Oregon and at Iowa? I won’t hold my breath. — RJ Young Iowa was essentially four plays from a 12-0 season, and the CFP selection committee tried to will that record into existence with its ranking of the Hawkeyes last year. Now, I’m asking Ferentz to not make the CFP put its thumb on the scale. Running back Kamari Moulton will help with that. — RJ Young Matt Campbell brought the best of Iowa State with him to Happy Valley, building his reputation on doing more with less while turning the Cyclones into a Big 12 contender. At Penn State, he’ll get his first opportunity to do more with more. — RJ Young Kyle Whittingham has everything he needs to reach the CFP for the first time in his career at a program that has made it three times in the last five years and won a national title just two years ago. — RJ Young Yes, head coach Lincoln Riley is great. Yes, QB Jayden Maiava is good. But Gary Patterson is one of the best defensive playcallers the sport has ever seen, and he’s running the defense at USC in 2026. That alone is enough for me to believe the Trojans can make a real run at a CFP appearance. — RJ Young Provided Oregon runs the ball and plays defense the way it did a year ago — and it should — there’s no reason the Ducks can’t win the first national championship in program history. — RJ Young Ohio State hasn’t completed the triple crown since 2014, but the pieces are in place to make it happen. That doesn’t mean the road will be easy. The Buckeyes must replace 11 NFL Draft picks, including three first-round selections, while also breaking in a new offensive coordinator. — RJ Young Lost in the shuffle of quarterbacks — a third new starter in as many years — and the rather exhausting list of talent and veteran leadership that departed Bloomington are a few important facts: 1. Curt Cignetti is still the head coach. 2. The best record in the sport over the last two seasons (27-2) belongs to Indiana. 3. The Hoosiers are the reigning national champions and the first team since 1894 to finish 16-0. — RJ Young Since 2019, the Razorbacks have won nine games in a season just once and were capped at two-win seasons three times. That’s just one more reason former Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman had to go, and former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield was brought in. — RJ Young Former Kentucky high school football star Will Stein finally took a chance on himself. In becoming UK head coach, he’s also attempting to do in Lexington what Curt Cignetti did in Bloomington: Turn a basketball school into a football school overnight. — RJ Young When you start the season 4-0, like the Bulldogs did last year, a 1-8 record over the next nine games can feel like a swift kick to the groin. Start fast again, and this time finish, MSU. — RJ Young Before Clark Lea arrived in Nashville, the Commodores couldn’t threaten the SEC any more than an ant threatens a boot heel. Since Clark? By God, they’re winning 10 games a season. They fielded a Heisman finalist. They’re flipping five-star QB recruits from Georgia. This is me giving Vandy its flowers — a gift also appropriate for funerals, apologies and 20th century first dates. Now, with true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis likely to take the conductor’s seat on the train — but three of the four best receivers from 2025 gone — let’s find out just how much more coal Lea can shove in the furnace. — RJ Young Tell a South Carolina fan that Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks ain’t beat nobody with a ranking on the scorebug since Nov. 30, 2024. Tell them that they ain’t beat nobody at all since Sept. 27, 2025. Then watch them drop back in a prevent defense called “LaNorris Sellers Is Coming.” — RJ Young Can Alex Golesh turn an Auburn program into a version of who Ole Miss was in the Lane Kiffin era? We’ll have an answer to both questions soon enough, and I hope Tiger fans like them. — RJ Young Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has built a program capable of staying competitive and successful in the tumultuous NIL era. But this season, he has a career backup in George MacIntyre competing with five-star phenom Brandon Faizon for the starting quarterback job. — RJ Young Jon Sumrall has reached a conference championship game in every season of his head-coaching career. I’m betting on Sumrall’s record as a head coach and Jadan Baugh’s ability to carry the offense here. — RJ Young Austin Simmons could emerge as one of the nation’s top signal-callers in 2026. Add in Ahmad Hardy’s 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns from last season, and the Tigers have the makings of one of the SEC’s most dangerous offenses. — RJ Young It’s easy to forget that Alabama was the home team in the SEC championship game against Georgia, and that the Tide became the first program to win a CFP game on the road. Kalen DeBoer’s job in 2026 is to create a memorable season rather than just a few memorable moments. — RJ Young Following Lane Kiffin’s departure, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding answered questions about just how good he can be for the Rebels with the two biggest wins in school history — beating Tulane and Georgia to make the CFP semifinals — all while Kiffin raided the Ole Miss roster and staff. Star QB Trinidad Chambliss will return for a sixth season after putting together a Heisman-caliber year in 2025. — RJ Young The Sooners barely had a run game last season but still managed to win 10 games and earn a home CFP game. If quarterback John Mateer improves his accuracy, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle becomes less predictable in his playcalling and head coach Brent Venables again fields one of the stingiest defenses in the sport, Oklahoma has a real path to the CFP. — RJ Young Offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins and quarterback Marcel Reed must take a major leap if A&M is going to chase its first conference title of any kind since 1998. — RJ Young LSU made Lane Kiffin one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport and the highest-paid ever without a championship on his résumé. They also gave him the resources to bring in former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and Ole Miss defensive end Princewill Umanmielen. For a program that hasn’t won a national title since 2009, LSU fully looks built to change that. — RJ Young [Related: Good And Bad, Lane Kiffin Is The Answer — And LSU Is Betting Big On It] Former Arizona State RB Raleek Brown and former NC State RB Hollywood Smothers enter the fold, as well as former Auburn WR Cam Coleman. They should help the most bankable player in the sport, Arch Manning, propel the Longhorns to what they hope will be their first national title appearance since 2009. — RJ Young The SEC still belongs to Georgia. The Bulldogs have lost just once at home since 2019, but they still haven’t won a CFP game after earning a first-round bye in the 12-team era. That’s why so much of this season centers on returning quarterback Gunner Stockton. — RJ YoungLatest Sports News from FOX Sports
To hear Charley tell it, he fired Twin Temple over something simple — and the band, the media and Jack White all exploited the situation for personal gain. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
To hear Charley tell it, he fired Twin Temple over something simple — and the band, the media and Jack White all exploited the situation for personal gain. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country