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Parkway Drive frontman shares video statement on drummer’s brother pleading guilty to underage sex offense

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall has shared a video statement regarding a former associate of the band who’s pleaded guilty to an underage sex offense dating back to 2002.

Unlike the band’s initial written statement, McCall’s video names the associate as Jed Gordon, former Parkway Drive merch manager and brother of drummer Ben Gordon.

“Number one, we support the victim,” McCall says. “We support the victim 100 percent. She deserves justice, she deserves her space, she deserves her time, she deserves to be heard.”

“Number two, we condemn this,” he continues. “We condemn this without hesitation. If there was anything in our initial response that left people wondering about that, I want to make this crystal clear for everyone: this is f*****.”

Parkway Drive began working with Jed Gordon in 2003. In their initial statement, the band said Jed Gordon “hasn’t toured with us since 2017,” but “more recently he’s been part of our Australian online mech team.”

“We employed him for a long time,” McCall says. “We put him in a position where he had contact with a lot of people, and it’s our moral responsibility to carry … we see it, and we hold it.”

McCall says that Parkway Drive “knew [Jed Gordon] could be bad with people” and apologizes to anyone who’s “had bad interactions with Jed while employed with us,” but maintains that they “did not know the extent of his behavior.”

“We’ve been completely blindsided by this,” McCall says.

McCall also apologized to anyone who felt Parkway Drive’s initial statement was “cold.”

“This is us putting the human connection to it,” McCall says. “This whole story’s heartbreaking.”

‘Bridgerton’ season 5 in production, announces show’s first queer lead couple

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Bridgerton is so back. Well, back in production on season 5, that is.

Netflix has announced that cameras have started rolling on the fifth season of the hit romance series Bridgerton. This new season will feature the middle Bridgerton daughter Francesca as its lead. It will also be the first season of the series to have a queer couple at the forefront of the story.

“Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons,” the season’s official logline reads. “But when John’s cousin Michaela returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran’s complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.”

Hannah Dodd will once again star as Francesca Stirling, the Countess of Kilmartin, in this new season. Francesca, who “has long felt out of place in the world,” according to a description from Netflix, “will make discoveries about herself that could change everything” in season 5.

Masali Baduza will return as Michaela Stirling, Francesca’s love interest and the cousin of her late husband. Underneath her “charming and vivacious exterior hides a vulnerable young woman who is quick to run the second she feels discomfort. But this season, Michaela must face her vulnerability head-on as she’s forced to navigate her relationship to her late cousin’s legacy — and to Francesca,” according to a description from Netflix.

Bridgerton season 5 will consist of eight episodes. Jess Brownell serves as its showrunner and executive producer, while Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica and Chris Van Dusen also executive produce.

2 children, 1 adult hurt in stabbing at Florida middle school: Sheriff

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla.) — Two students and one adult were hurt in a stabbing at a middle school in Florida on Tuesday, authorities said.

The incident was reported at 7:22 a.m. at Walton Middle School in DeFuniak Springs, about 45 miles north of Destin, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.

At 7:30 a.m., the suspect — a student at the school — was detained one block away, according to the sheriff’s office.

The conditions of the adult and two students were not immediately clear.

The school has canceled classes for the day, the sheriff said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Chaka Khan, Men at Work, Susanna Hoffs confirmed for New Jersey’s Sea.Hear.Now festival

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Chaka Khan, Men At Work and former Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs are among the acts set to play the annual Sea.Hear.Now festival, happening Sept. 19-20 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The beachside festival will feature over 25 artists, including headliners Mumford & Sons and The Strokes. The lineup also includes Goo Goo Dolls, Shaggy, Ziggy Marley, The Offspring, The All-American Rejects, Pixies and Jarod Clemons, son of the late E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons.

A presale for tickets begins Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, with tickets going on sale to the general public at 11 a.m. Presale registration is now open.

Sea.Hear.Now launched in 2018 and in the past has featured such artists as Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Lenny Kravitz, Blondie, Stevie Nicks and Billy Idol.

Zara Larsson to headline star-studded amfAR Cannes gala in May

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Zara Larsson’s glow-up is complete: She’s been tapped to perform at one of the most star-studded charity events of the year.

Zara will provide the entertainment at the 32nd installment of amfAR’s Gala Cannes, taking place during the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 21.

The charity, whose founding national chairperson was the late screen icon Elizabeth Taylor, is focused on ending HIV/AIDS, as well as improving global health. Over the years, the charity has raised over $950 million for scientific research.

In a statement to Variety, amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford said of Zara, “She is not only an exciting and talented artist, but she is also a longtime supporter of our mission and we could not be more grateful to have her with us.”

Last year’s event included performances by Adam Lambert, Duran Duran and Ciara, while attendees included Leonardo DiCaprio, Spike Lee, Colman Domingo, Jeff Bezos and Heidi Klum.

Other singers who’ve performed at the gala over the years include Cher, Nick Jonas, Christina Aguilera, Charli XCX, Ellie Goulding and Ricky Martin.

Meanwhile, Zara and PinkPantheress are celebrating the fact that their collab “Stateside” has just hit #1 on Billboard‘s Global 200 chart. It’s the first #1 on any Billboard chart for either artist.

Watch Michael Stipe perform at Democracy Now! concert

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Michael Stipe was among the performers at Democracy Now!’s 30th anniversary event at Riverside Church in New York City Monday night.

The R.E.M. frontman played the song “No Time For Love Like Now,” which he recorded with The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon for their Big Red Machine project. Dessner also joined Stipe for the performance.

Other performers included Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith.

The night ended with all the musicians coming on stage for a rendition of Smith’s “People Have the Power.”

Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe perform at Democracy Now’s 30th anniversary

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Michael Stipe were among the performers at Democracy Now!’s 30th anniversary event at Riverside Church in New York City Monday night.

Springsteen was a surprise guest and treated the audience to a performance of his new protest song “Streets of Minneapolis.”

“This past winter when federal troops brought death and terror into the streets of Minneapolis they picked the wrong city,” Springsteen said. “The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis was an inspiration to the entire country. Their strength and their commitment told us that this is still America and the reactionary nightmare and the invasion of an American city will not stand,” he added. “Their strength gave us hope. They gave us courage.”

“And for those who gave their lives,” he continued, mentioning Renée Good and Alex Pretti — two Minneapolis residents who were fatally shot by federal agents — “their bravery their sacrifice and their names will not be forgotten.”

Following the song, Springsteen was asked about his upcoming Land of Hope and Dreams American tour, sharing that he’s going to hit cities that “had to deal with ICE.” With the trek ending in Washington, D.C., he added he has a “few words to say to the f***** White House.”

Elsewhere during the evening, Stipe was joined by The National’s Aaron Dessner to perform the track “No Time For Love Like Now,” originally recorded with Big Red Machine and featuring Justin Vernon. Smith, joined by her daughter, Jesse Smith, and guitarist Tony Shanahan, read a passage from her book Bread of Angels and performed “Peaceable Kingdom,” along with a part of her iconic tune “People Have the Power.”

The night ended with all the musicians coming on stage for an encore of Smith’s “People Have The Power.”

On This Day, March 24, 1986: Van Halen releases ‘5150’, their first album with Sammy Hagar

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, March 24, 1986 …

Forty years ago, Van Halen released their seventh studio album, 5150, which was their first record with new lead singer Sammy Hagar, following the departure of original frontman David Lee Roth.

5150 is named after guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s home studio and is also a reference to the California law that allows a mentally disturbed person to be placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. It went on to become the band’s first #1 album and contained three pop hits: “Dreams,” “Why Can’t This Be Love” and “Love Walks In.”

5150 went on to be certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA.

On Friday, Van Halen will release a special 40th anniversary expanded edition of 5150, featuring a remastered version of the album as well as bonus 7-inch single edits and extended 12-inch tracks.

There’s also a CD featuring unreleased live recordings from Van Halen’s Aug. 27, 1986, concert at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Blu-ray with the band’s 1986 concert video Live Without a Net, recorded during the same New Haven show, upgraded to HD for the first time.

Trump voted by mail in Florida special election despite his rhetoric opposing it

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Public records show that President Donald Trump voted by mail in the special election occurring Tuesday for the statehouse district that includes his Mar-a-Lago estate in spite of his longstanding rhetoric against voting by mail and his efforts to push through the SAVE America Act, which includes restrictions on mail-in voting.

According to public records available on the Palm Beach County elections website, Trump voted by mail ballot in the special election for Florida’s 87th House district.

Trump has spoken critically about voting by mail for years. As recently as Monday, during remarks in Memphis, Tennessee, the president said that “mail-in voting means mail-in cheating — I call it mail-in cheating — and we got to do something about it all.”

A White House spokesperson, in response to a request for comment, said that Trump has supported “commonsense exceptions” to allow Americans to use mail-in ballots, including for “illness, disability, military, or travel,” but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to it being “highly susceptible to fraud.”

An analysis from the Brookings Institution from November 2025 found that voter fraud is rare in voting by mail.

“As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,” spokesperson Olivia Wales wrote in a statement.

Trump frequently visits his Mar-a-Lago estate and was there as recently as Monday morning.

The SAVE America Act, promoted by Trump, would place some new requirements and restrictions on voting by mail.

Florida’s 87th House district special election was scheduled after Mike Caruso, who previously represented the district, was appointed to a county role. Democrats have been eyeing the district as one they could potentially flip, with an eye toward the irony of flipping the president’s home district. Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, have been promoting Republican candidate Jon Maples in an effort to keep the seat in GOP hands.

This is not the first time Trump has voted by mail while president. He voted by mail in the 2020 Florida presidential primary — after he switched his formal place of residence from New York to Florida in September 2019.

Other presidents have voted in elections in their home states while in office. Then-President Joe Biden, for instance, flew to Delaware to vote in the 2022 primaries.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

American held captive in Afghanistan released, Taliban says

March 24, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — An American held in Afghanistan has been freed, the Taliban said Tuesday.

Dennis Coyle of Colorado was released after a letter from his family was sent requesting his release on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, the Taliban foreign ministry said. His period of detention was then deemed “sufficient” and his release was approved by a court, according to the ministry.

The Taliban claimed Coyle had been detained for “violating the applicable laws of Afghanistan.”

The Taliban thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping to facilitate Coyle’s release.

Earlier this month, U.S. special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler said three innocent Americans were currently being held in Afghanistan.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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