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General

Chart-topping pop singer dies at 82: ‘He will be greatly missed’

Lou Christie, who topped charts with his 1966 hit “Lightnin’ Strikes,” has died at the age of 82.

The singer-songwriter died at his home in Pittsburgh after a brief illness, his family said in an announcement June 18.

“He was cherished not only by his family and close friends, but also by countless fans whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity, artistic and musical talent, humor and spirit,” the statement read. “His absence leaves a profound void in all our hearts. He will be greatly missed, always remembered and forever loved.”

Christie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on Feb. 19, 1943 in a town just outside of Pittsburgh.

At 15, he befriended musician Twyla Herbert, and the two went on to write hundreds of songs together throughout their careers.

He later signed with MGM Records and released two of his biggest hits, “Lightnin’ Strikes” and “Rhapsody in the Rain,” which went to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

He recorded his last album in 2004.

Christie is survived by his wife, Francesca Winfield, and their daughter Bianca. Their son Christopher died in a 2014 motorcycle accident.

General

Where do the experts have Johni Broome in NBA mock drafts?

The 2025 NBA Draft is one week out, and mock drafts are being finalized with players wrapping up pre-draft workouts.

Auburn basketball’s Johni Broome met with the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors.

After averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game last year, the 6-foot-10 stretch big displayed low-post offense, passing and shot-blocking abilities as one of the nation’s best players.

Here’s where analyst have Broome on mock drafts ahead of next week’s draft:

Bleacher Report – No. 43 overall, Utah Jazz (Via Dallas Mavericks)

The Jazz are in the early stages of a rebuild around young talent like Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams.

Drafting a center piece like Broome will give the Jazz something to build off on in a very competitive Western conference.

ESPN – No. 40 overall, Washington Wizards

With potential trade rumors surrounding Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and Jonas Valanciunas. The Washington Wizards are looking to acquire more draft picks and young talent.

With recent draft hits on Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Alex Sarr. Broome can be an anchoring piece in the Wizards frontcourt.

The Athletic – No. 41 overall, Golden State Warriors

After the Warriors second round exit in the 2025 playoffs, there are plenty of questions about what the roster will look like next season.

With the emergence of Trayce Jackson-Davis at center, drafting Broome will allow the Warriors to build on its young frontcourt core.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

General

Trump changes TikTok deadline again: What to know

President Donald Trump has again extended the deadline for TikTok’s parent company to divest its American operations.

“We’re going to extend it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “We’re going to probably make a deal.”

ByteDance had a June 19 deadline; Trump now plans to give the company another 90 days to work on a sale agreement. The new deadline will be Sept. 17, 2025.

In an executive order Thursday confirming the new deadline, Trump also directed the Department of Justice not to enforce penalities on companies or users who access the app after the deadline.

“We’ll need China’s blessing on it,” Trump said of a TikTok sale. “I think they’ll bless it.”

Under a law signed by then-President Joe Biden last year, ByteDance was directed to divest TikTok’s U.S. unit. The company has balked at selling a lucrative business valued as high as $150 billion.

The Trump administration was close to reaching a deal with a potential buyer before an earlier April 5 deadline, but China withheld its approval following the U.S. president’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs, Bloomberg reported.

Both sides now are accusing each other of violating an agreement in Geneva in May to lower crippling tariffs.

Real estate mogul Frank McCourt Jr., who’s bidding to buy TikTok through his Project Liberty initiative, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday that engagement with the Trump administration to hash out a deal has been “fairly quiet” in recent weeks.

While McCourt said he’s still optimistic about Project Liberty’s ability to acquired U.S.-based TikTok over the next 90-day period, he said there’s a distinct possibility that the platform has to shut down in the U.S. altogether. “Something is going to give here,” he said.

General

Weather alert active for Central Alabama until Thursday afternoon

A special weather statement was released by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 11:12 a.m. until 3 p.m. for Clay, Randolph, Perry, Chilton, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Marengo, Dallas, Autauga, Lowndes, Elmore, Montgomery, Macon, Bullock, Lee, Russell, Pike and Barbour counties.

“A line of showers with some thunderstorms continue to move southeast across portions of the southern half of Central Alabama. Brief wind gusts between 25 and 35 mph are expected with or just ahead of this activity. Recent heavy rains and saturated ground conditions will result in trees having a lower resistance to winds and a few of the weaker, diseased or poorly rooted trees may fall, potentially causing impacts to property and a risk to life,” according to the weather service.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

General

NBC airing ‘Jaws’ for the blockbuster’s 50th anniversary: How you can watch even without cable

The original summer blockbuster hit Jaws turns 50 this year, and to celebrate the unparallel success of the 1975 hit, NBC is airing a special three hour telecast Friday, June 20 at 8/7c.

Those hoping to tune into the special premiere can do so even without access to basic cable by streaming through Fubo (free trial), DirecTV (free trial) or Peacock.

Those who wish to binge all four Jaws movies can find them already available for streaming through Peacock.

To make the celebration even more exciting, director Steven Spielberg is set to make a special introduction immediately before the premiere.

How to watch Jaws 50th anniversary screening

Cord cutters interested in catching the 50th anniversary screening can find the treasured film available for streaming through Fubo or DirecTV—both of which offer free trials for new subscribers to enjoy before committing to a paid subscription.

Those who choose to stream through Peacock can access all four Jaws films now after committing to a paid subscription. New users can start streaming with Peacock for just $7.99 a month.

What is Fubo and DirecTV?

Fubo and DirecTV are two of the top streaming services steadily replacing traditional cable services. Both offer free trials to new subscribers, a plethora of popular live TV channels, on-demand streaming options and helpful features such as unlimited DVR storage.

Fubo considers itself a sports-focused live streaming service, but with over 100 live TV channels available through its base package at just $84.99 after its free trial, it offers much more to its subscribers.

DirecTV mirrors Fubo by offering many of the same live TV channels and useful features. The base package starts at just $86.99 a month after its 5-day free trial and includes popular channels such as HGTV, ESPN, Bravo, CMT, CNN, BET and much more.

Those interested in comparing all DirecTV’s channel packages can check them out here.

What is Peacock?

Peacock is one of the most popular alternatives to traditional cable. Users can stream hit movies and TV shows or explore a plethora of Peacock Originals.

Peacock currently offers two plans to choose from including their premium plan for $7.99 a month ($79.99 annually) and their premium plus plan for $13.99 a month ($139.99 annually).

The premium plan is the most popular package offering subscribers access to live sporting events, new and hit TV shows and movies, Peacock Originals and more.

Peacock’s premium plus plan comes with everything included in the premium plan along with the ability to download and watch select titles offline and the chance to stream your local NBC channels live at any time. Also, with the premium plus plan users can stream content without ad interruptions.

General

Legendary rock star injured in car crash after farewell concert

Former REO Speedwagon singer Terry Luttrell walked away with minor injuries after crashing his car following the rock band’s farewell concert last weekend.

Luttrell, 78, told The News Gazette that he had fallen asleep at the wheel while driving in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, early Sunday morning. His band had played a show at the State Farm Center on June 14.

“I was able to get up and get out of the car,” he told the newspaper.

Luttrell said he was suffering from some back and neck pain. the airbag went off and cracked his sternum, he told The News Gazette from an Urbana hospital Tuesday.

“It’s nothing that can’t be overcome,” he told the paper.

In a Facebook post, the band’s official account said “we wish him the best on a speedy recovery.”

Luttrell joined REO Speedwagon in 1968 as a lead vocalist. He left the band in 1972 and went on to sing for Starcastle and the Champaign-based band Tons O’ Fun.

General

Controversial evangelist still in critical condition after cardiac arrest: ‘Continue to pray’

Televangelist Rev. Jimmy Swaggart remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest over the weekend.

“At this time, we are in a holding pattern, and there has been no change in Brother Swaggart’s condition,” his son Donnie Swaggart said in video announcement Wednesday evening. “We ask that you continue to pray and intercede on his behalf.”

Swaggart, 90, pioneered televangelism in the 1980s, broadcasting his Pentecostal sermons and gospel music to a worldwide audience.

The preacher was hospitalized June 15 after suffering cardiac arrest at his Louisiana home that morning, family members said during a prayer service.

Family members found Swaggart unresponsive around 8 a.m. Sunday morning and gave him chest compressions until emergency staff were able to get a heartbeat back. He remains in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.

“Without a miracle, his time will be short,” Swaggart said.

“But we believe God. We’re not giving up. We’ve already told the doctors we don’t want to hear anything from them. We will make decisions in our own time. But we’re going to give the Lord an opportunity to work.”

Swaggart is a native of Ferriday, Louisiana. He currently serves as co-pastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge.

He is married to Frances Swaggart, with whom he shares one son, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is also a cousin of the late singer Jerry Lee Lewis.

Swaggart built a televangelism empire in the 1980s, racking up contributions of $150 a year at the height of his career, according to reports. He debuted his first gospel track in 1958 and has released nearly 50 albums since then.

Known for his fiery sermons, Swaggart was a leading figure of the Christian Right, actively preaching against adultery, divorce, homosexuality and abortion. In 2024, Swaggart came under fire for a sermon in which he criticized Black churches for voting for a party that he claimed was “anti-God.”

Swaggart’s career has long been marked by controversy. In 1988, he temporarily left the pulpit after confessing to adultery in his infamous “I have sinned” speech. Church officials had received photographs from a rival televangelist, Marvin Gorman, that showed Swaggart entering and leaving a motel with a sex worker.

General

Smoky Mountains I-40 corridor closed: When will it reopen?

Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains.

The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media.

Traffic on I-40 East must exit at Hartford Road (Exit 447). Traffic on I-40 West must exit at Exit 20 before the Tennessee state line.

Drivers trying to get from Tennessee to North Carolina can take I-81 and I-26 to detour around the mudslide.

Other alterate routes involve North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia highways, but drivers should use caution.

When will road reopen?

Crews continued to work Thursday to get the water and rock off the highway. Both lanes are close. They had not released when they think the road could be reopened, the DOT said.

The flooded section is part of 12 miles of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge during Hurricane Helene in late September.

Crews repaired and shored up enough of the old highway to open one narrow lane in each direction in March.

The lanes are separated by a curb several inches high that had to be removed to let vehicles stuck by the flooding and rockslide to turn around and go the other way.

About 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain fell in the area over about three hours, according to the National Weather Service.

The permanent fix to stabilize what’s left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the road, filling them with grout and spraying concrete on the cliff face to hold them in place. It will take years.

General

Family needs help when father of 4 killed in US Steel accident months after wife dies

A GoFundMe has been launched to help the children of a Jefferson County father killed in an industrial accident at U.S. Steel in Fairfield.

Micheal Dewaine Townsend, 39, was injured at 10 p.m. Monday. He was pronounced dead at Princeton Baptist Medical Center at 11:14 p.m.

Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Matt Angelo said Townsend, who lived in the Bessemer area, sustained blunt force injuries while the railcar he was riding sideswiped another railcar. Additional details weren’t released.

Angelo said the death is being investigated by U.S. Steel, OSHA and the NTSB.

Townsend’s death comes less than a year after his wife died from illness. He leaves behind four children – three daughters and a son.

“Micheal’s life was unexpectedly taken shortly after losing his wife one year ago,” organizer Olivia Wells wrote. “Together they left behind four kids and this money will go directly to any expenses they need until everything is settled.”

Nearly $8,000 has been raised so far. Donations can be made here.

General

Look fresh this summer with the brand-new Yankees ‘Lights Out’ collection from Nike

As the 2025 MLB season nears its midpoint, the New York Yankees are looking for redemption. After losing in the World Series last year, the Yankees remain one of the best teams in baseball currently with a 42-30 record.

The Yankees have been pumping out tons of new gear for players and fans recently. Whether it’s the Stars and Stripes collection or All-Star game apparel, Yankees fans have plenty of options to choose from for new gear.

Throw another hat into the ring, as Nike and MLB debuted their ‘Lights Out’ collection, as each team gets an all-black look. The entire Yankees collection can be viewed here.

Here’s some of the gear listed for the Yankees ‘Lights Out’ collection:

All of the items above are eligible for free shipping with code “24SHIP” at checkout.