Dirty martinis are delightful treats from the bar, but you can make them taste even better at home. All you have to do is this one little technique.
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Jon Pardi is introducing fans to his “new family member,” a sweet little pup named Scout.
The country star took to Instagram Stories late Tuesday to introduce fans to Scout, a black and white Rat Terrier who is already settling into his new life with Pardi. The singer explained that Scout will soon become his new “road dog” and companion, joining him on the bus and traveling with him whenever possible.
“He’s a rat terrier, and he’s going to be a good deer dog, truck dog…whatever you want dog. And he’s a good boy. He’s just getting used to his whole life right now. But I showed him to a broken down truck and a bunch of weird dogs and a bunch of drama, but he’ll be all right.”
As little Scout sat comfortably on his lap, Pardi continued to gush over his newest companion.
“He’s going to be my new companion. He’ll be on the road with me. He’ll be little enough to fly around and join the bus. He’s a good boy.”
According to Pardi, Scout is already fitting right in with the family.
Scout has also met Pardi’s other dog, Cowboy, and the two pups are already “best friends.”
With the clip coming to a close, Pardi gave fans one more look at his new pup before proudly introducing him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Scout. He got that tuxedo head. He got that tuxedo head. He’s a classy gentleman. He’s classy.”
Pardi will have plenty of opportunities to bring Scout along for the ride this fall. The “Head Over Boots” singer recently kicked off his GAMBLIN’ MAN TOUR 2026, launching the trek with capacity crowds in Richmond, Virginia, on September 17 and Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 18.
The tour is slated to continue through November 14, with stops in Georgia, Colorado, Texas and more. The run comes during a busy year of touring for Pardi, who has already played to more than 500,000 fans across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K.
With plenty more dates ahead, Scout is sure to get his fair share of time on the road with his new best friend.
The post Jon Pardi Introduces Fans to His Adorable ‘New Family Member’ Scout appeared first on Country Now.
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If you’ve spent any time online this week, then you’ve no doubt heard about the horrific allegations coming out of Cornell University.
Now, a former student who has been accused of gang rape is speaking out through his attorney.
Gillio Lopes is one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity members named in a civil lawsuit filed by a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted inside the fraternity house in October 2024.
Lopes is pushing back on those allegations in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“Cornell previously investigated this matter and developed an extensive factual record,” attorney Tara J. Davis told TMZ.
“The allegations now being made publicly differ in significant respects from the accounts provided during that investigation and do not reflect the complete record,” Davis added.
Lopes’ legal team says those differences will become a central issue as the case moves forward.
“Those inconsistencies will be tested through discovery and addressed in the litigation,” Davis said.
Lopes’ attorney previously gave CBS News a similarly forceful statement, saying that her client “unequivocally denies the allegations against him” and emphasizing that accusations are not proof.
The allegations stem from an October 2024 incident at Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity house. Jane Doe claims she was intoxicated and later given drugs before being sexually assaulted by multiple fraternity members.
She subsequently reported the incident to Cornell police.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced this week that his office is reopening its criminal investigation and plans to present the evidence to a grand jury. No criminal charges have been filed against Lopes or the other men at this time.
The DA has said that the account provided by Jane Doe in 2024 differed substantially from allegations contained in her more recent civil lawsuit. Specifically, Van Houten has said her original statement did not allege that she had been drugged against her will or gang raped.
At the same time, attorneys for Jane Doe have disputed that characterization and pointed to additional evidence, including interviews and messages that they say support her account.
Cornell has also confirmed that its own investigation resulted in disciplinary action against several of the accused students. According to the university, two were expelled and two others were suspended for at least two semesters. The Chi Phi chapter was also closed and remains barred from campus.
For now, Lopes remains adamant that he did not sexually assault the woman.
And with the criminal investigation now being revisited, his defense team appears prepared to challenge the allegations in court.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Gillio Lopes, Cornell Fraternity Member, Denies Sexual Assault Allegation was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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‘I almost died of a broken heart. I was so, so devastated,’ Wynonna tells Taste of Country. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Earlier this year, the federal government lifted restrictions that had paused the transfer of 1.4 million acres of federal land along the Dalton Highway and trans-Alaska oil pipeline, seen here in 2023. (Bureau of Land Management photo)
Alaska’s decades-long quest to obtain millions of acres of land from the federal government under the Alaska Statehood Act is getting closer to an end.
But because the state is getting closer to its goal, its requests now exceed a limit in federal law.
This week, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources announced that it is preparing to surrender the claims to as much as 5.7 million acres scattered across the state, an area collectively bigger than New Jersey.
The original 1958 Statehood Act gave Alaska permission to take over 105 million acres of federal land, but the state could — and did — target millions of acres more than that before the selection period closed in 1993.
That’s partially because some of the state’s initial selections were being used for another purpose and weren’t immediately available for transfer.
The state’s selections have paid off in a big way: The vast state-owned Prudhoe Bay oil fields were originally controlled by the federal government before being selected by the state in 1964.
Transfers move extremely slow; the land must be surveyed, marked and processed through the federal bureaucracy.
Year by year, decade by decade, the federal government has incrementally passed parcels to the state.
Earlier this year, the federal government removed restrictions that had blocked the transfer of 1.4 million acres along the Dalton Highway and trans-Alaska oil pipeline. That leaves about 3.2 million acres left to be transferred.
Under federal law, the state can select no more than 125% of the acreage left to be transferred, which means that as the balance shrinks, Alaska needs to surrender some claims.
By phone on Tuesday, DNR officials said they’re preparing to give up some low-priority selections, places that are unlikely to be transferred or are less valuable than other selections.
In this week’s public notice, DNR listed 18 targets for relinquishment — the land under Eielson Air Force Base, a bombing range near Fort Greely, land surrounded by other owners in western Alaska, land envisioned for a road near Unalakleet, and more.
Relinquishing each claim involves a separate public process, and more are likely to come. Even if all 18 claims are relinquished, the state will remain above the 125% claim limit.
Alaska also has millions of acres of “top filed” selections — claims that haven’t been formally processed because the land is being used for some other purpose, like mining.
If a federal mine claim ends, for example, the top filing means the state gets priority afterward.
Top filed selections don’t count against the 125% limit, but the state may begin eliminating some of those as well.
DNR officials said that as the state gets closer and closer to the Statehood Act’s limit, the state will become more selective about the claims it keeps, and it may keep some particularly valuable top-filed picks even if they’re not immediately available.
As it gets closer and closer to the 105 million-acre limit, Alaska could hold the last selections in reserve for those top-filed parcels, the officials said.
Any final decision would be up to future governors and future DNR commissioners.
Trader Joe’s isn’t necessarily known for the variety of its meat section, but when we ranked six T.J.’s steaks, this classic cut came out on top.
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Billy Ray Cyrus and Lee Greenwood are honoring the life and service of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips, who was fatally shot while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Warren County, Kentucky, on Monday, September 28.
According to Kentucky State Police, Phillips was shot shortly after 2 p.m. CT near Smiths Grove. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Phillips was a three-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police and leaves behind his wife and three children.
The shooting prompted a statewide manhunt, and authorities later arrested 51-year-old Emonnie Branch of Portland, Tennessee, in Louisville. Branch has been charged with murder of a first responder, a peace officer, in connection with Phillips’ death.
Cyrus, who hails from Kentucky, took to social media to share a heartfelt message for Phillips’ family, including his wife and three sons, while asking his followers to keep them and those who served alongside Phillips in their thoughts and prayers.
“Thoughts and prayers for my home state of Kentucky. Rest in peace, Trooper Hayden Phillips, who gave his life in the line of duty. Praying for his wife, his three sons, and all who loved and served alongside him,” he wrote. “Some Gave All… Thank you for your service and sacrifice. A true Kentucky hero.”
The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer also encouraged fans to donate to the family through the Kentucky State Police Foundation.
Lee Greenwood also honored the fallen officer on social media.
“Kim and I just learned of the tragic loss of Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on I-65 north of Nashville. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with his family, loved ones, and the entire KSP family. We will always stand with the men and women in blue,” he shared. “May God bless Trooper Phillips and all who wear the badge.”
Funeral arrangements have been announced for Phillips. Visitation is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green, with funeral services set for Sunday, October 4, at noon at E.A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University. The public is encouraged to attend.
Phillips will be laid to rest following the funeral service.
The post Billy Ray Cyrus, Lee Greenwood Pay Tribute to Fallen Kentucky Trooper Hayden Phillips appeared first on Country Now.
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If you want to eat the very best fast food breakfast in the country, you’ll need to head to one of these three Southern states (and get there before 2 p.m.).
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Sam’s Club has a host of fall products that are either new or returning, and customers are thrilled to stock up on items from dinner sides to desserts.
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There is a new twist in the horror of the Cornell gang rape case.
Previously, the District Attorney had said that his information, prior to the lawsuit, was that there was a consensual encounter with a conscious woman.
That was before the transcripts of Jane Doe’s interview came out.
Now, prosecutors are saying that campus police seem to have withheld key details of the case.
Why would Cornell University Police allegedly withhold key details?
CBS News got a hold of the transcript of Jane Doe’s interview with Cornell Campus Police in November of 2024.
“I can say with 100% confidence, I was raped,” she told investigators, according to the transcript.
Also during the interview, Jane Doe recalled that she was “completely and totally incapacitated” during the assault.
This is news to the District Attorney, whose office previously received a summary of the investigation.
In that summary, campus police claimed that the unnamed victim had told them that the encounter was voluntary, conscious, and consensual.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten says that he never saw the full transcript from Jane Doe’s November 2024 interview.
Instead, he only saw the results of the investigation and the way that the university had framed it.
The subtext to all of this, as multiple outlets have noted, appears to be an allegation.
Did campus police hide key statements from Jane Doe when summarizing the investigation to prosecutors?
Van Houten vowed: “If she had said those words, we certainly would want to have explored that more. Like I said, that wasn’t provided to me.”
THE CORNELL RAPISTS. NOT THE CORNELL 7
— Drew Webb 🏳️🌈 (@archeryfan93.bsky.social) September 28, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Even without an alleged coverup, it is difficult to find justice for survivors
Unfortunately, crimes like the alleged gang rape that Cornell University appears to have consciously attempted to sweep under the rug are nothing new.
It is so common for universities to utterly fail rape survivors that there have been studies on how these survivors move on.
Those who react to the total lack of real consequences for the monsters among them with denial are often able to complete their educations, even if they will certainly have long-term psychological and emotional consequences.
Meanwhile, those who do not lapse into denial often end up switching schools (if they can afford to) or dropping out, grappling with the initial assault as well as the university’s indifference (at best) to the crimes against them.
When it comes to the Cornell 7, many have pointed out that the university did take disciplinary action, but it was so lacking in substance that, according to Jane Doe’s lawsuit, only two were expelled. Others were allegedly allowed to write essays.
This seems to indicate, as many on social media have pointed out, that the university wasn’t denying Jane Doe’s allegations — but simply didn’t view it as serious.
(Or, as others counter, viewed these serious allegations as less important than the university’s reputation. How is that working out?)
None of these men faced charges or prosecutions, let alone convictions or prison. That’s consistent with a massive, depressing statistic about sexual assault and legal consequences.
The good news is that the faces and names of these alleged gang rapists have leaked. Even if prosecutors fail to bring them to justice, social sanction can cause them to face some consequences. (People online are already contacting some employers; to be fair, most employers would genuinely like to know this sort of thing.)
The bad news is that, even if charged, tried, and convicted, a trial will put Jane Doe through hell, and consequences for rape in our legal system tend to be disturbingly lenient.
There is little justice to be found in our justice system. But we can always hope for an exception.
Prosecutors Say Cornell University Withheld Key Allegations, Jane Doe Said ‘I Can … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
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