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Volunteer firefighter arrested for allegedly setting fires, responding to them with his department

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(SOUDERTON, Pa.) — A volunteer firefighter has been arrested for allegedly setting fires and then responding to them with his fire department, according to officials in eastern Pennsylvania.

Justin Sholly, a 29-year-old member of the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company in Souderton, was arrested on Sunday on charges including arson, according to court documents.

The first fire was Friday morning, when the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company and other agencies responded to a fire at a detached garage/barn, according to the criminal complaint. The blaze was about 50 feet behind a home that had 10 people inside, the complaint said.

Hours later, the Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company responded to a trash fire, the complaint said.

Then early Saturday morning, crews responded to a property where there were multiple fires coming from a barn, a shed, an outhouse, three cars and a gazebo, according to the complaint. The fires were near a home with eight people inside, the document said.

Investigators used license plate reader databases to zero in on Sholly as a suspect, according to the criminal complaint.

Sholly admitted to setting all three fires, according to the court documents. After two of the blazes, Sholly went to his fire department and then responded back to the fire scenes with the other firefighters, documents said.

Sholly said one of the fires was near property he believed belonged to an employer who fired him in 2015, the complaint said.

The Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company said Sholly has been suspended from the department “with intent to remove upon future outcomes.”

“The actions described in the criminal charges stand in complete opposition to the core values, mission, and dedication of our company,” the fire department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sholly has not entered a plea.

Riley Green, Luke Bryan & Jason Aldean help open JSU’s Randy Owen Center

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The Randy Owen Center for the Performing Arts is now open on the campus of Alabama’s Jacksonville State University after a night that included some of the biggest artists in country music.

Named in honor of the JSU graduate who became a Country Music Hall of Famer as the lead singer of Alabama, the event featured a top-secret superstar lineup for the facility’s official opening May 27.

Former JSU quarterback Riley Green performed, as well as Jamey Johnson, who attended JSU in the ’90s.

“My wishes, and my hopes, and my dreams are that someday some kid will come through here, like me, and when they leave here, they have a dream,” Randy reflected. “Because if I can make it, anybody can. I’ve been so blessed to be here, and this is one day that I’ll never forget.”

Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Teddy Gentry, Pam Tillis, Mark Wills, The Oak Ridge Boys, Drake White and more also took the stage.

ICYMI: Megan Thee Stallion, Big Freedia and more

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Megan Thee Stallion is about through with playing the role of wifey in a relationships. In a teaser of her new song, she raps, “All that wifey s*** is dead/ Put that s*** to bed/ l’ma make him beg.” This song follows her breakup with NBA baller Klay Thompson.

Big Freedia is premiering another single and video as part the joint album with SOPHIE. “It’s about to GO DOWN my next single with SOPHIE drops THIS FRIDAY! Pre-save now, link in bio. sound on for first listen,” Freedia wrote on Instagram.

Some consider themselves the greatest of all time, but Rick Ross has another way to describe himself. “I’m the BOAT,” he said Tuesday on his Instagram Story. “Biggest of all time, baby. The BOAT.”

‘Good Grief’! Sara Bareilles announces new album and tour

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Sara Bareilles: Good Grief, a documentary about Sara’s first album in nearly seven years, has its premiere at New York’s Tribeca Festival on Thursday night, and now she’s announced details about the album that’s the focus of the doc.

Also called Good Grief, the album arrives Aug. 28 and is available for preorder and presave now. Sara will donate 100% of the proceeds of the album sales from her website to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The album is Sara’s first since 2019’s Amidst the Chaos, and she says of the project, “This whole collection of songs felt like transmissions rather than a deliberate attempt to make sense of the world. My deepest hope is that Good Grief provides some kind of comfort or catharsis.”

The first single, “Home,” was inspired by a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on Cooper’s podcast. Sara writes on Instagram, “Hearing their stories of loss, I started feeling more courageous to tell mine.”

“For me, this encapsulates the message of this record – sharing the thing that’s the most true, and through that building threads of connection between you and the people around you. It’s why we’re all here.”

Sara’s Good Grief tour will star Sept. 9 in Boston and is scheduled to run through Oct. 19 in Seattle. Presales start June 8: You can sign up for the artist presale at 12 p.m. local time; various other presales start at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 10 at 10 a.m. local time.

One dollar of every ticket purchased will go to the The Jed Foundation, which works to prevent suicide among teens and young adults.

Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt perform ‘I Played the Fool’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and producer Andrew Watt were the musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday night, where they performed “I Played the Fool,” the theme song to Steve Carell’s HBO series The Rooster.

The pair was joined by some A-list friends for the performance, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith behind the drum kit, and former Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer on piano. Klinghoffer appeared on the original recording of the song, while blink-182’s Travis Barker played drums on it.

Stipe and Watt released “I Played the Fool” in March to coincide with The Rooster premiere.

Stipe revealed during an April appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that his long-in-the-works debut solo album is expected out later this year. There’s no word on whether “I Played the Fool” will be on it.

In other R.E.M. news, Peter Buck’s band Drink the Sea, which also features Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, has announced a new set of U.S. dates that begin Aug. 30 in Vashon Island, Washington, and wrap Sept. 24 in Kirkland, Washington. The tour will be in support of their new album, which is due out Oct. 2.

Comedian Marcello Hernández to host 2026 ESPY Awards

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The 2026 ESPY Awards are almost here and this year, the annual awards ceremony honoring the best in sports will feature a new host.

Comedian Marcello Hernández will present the star-studded evening, which is returning to New York City this year. Hernández is taking over duties from comedian Shane Gillis, who hosted last year from Los Angeles.

“It is an honor, and frankly feels crazy to be hosting the ESPYS this year in New York,” Hernández said in a statement Wednesday. “I’m sure the energy is going to be great.”

Hernández is described by ESPN as an “avid sports fan” who played soccer at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.

The ESPYS, which first began at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 1993, will take place on Wednesday, July 15 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

The 2026 ESPYS will air live at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on the ESPN app. The awards ceremony will also be available to stream on Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand on July 16.

Craig Lazarus, executive producer of the ESPYS, called Hernández a “natural fit” to serve as this year’s ESPYS host.

“Marcello is one of the most electric, young comedians today. His genuine enthusiasm for sports and his ties to New York City make him a natural fit to host this year’s ESPYS,” Lazarus said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with him to celebrate the best moments in sports and look forward to the fresh take he’ll bring to the show.”

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, “Good Morning America,” and ESPN.

Maren Morris gives her ‘HERO’ a ‘Second Wind’

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Maren Morris’ debut album came out on June 3, 2016, and to mark a decade of music, the “My Church” hitmaker is expanding the collection.

“HERO is officially 10!” she shared on Instagram. “to celebrate, i wanted to share a few pieces from this era that never made it out into the world. two new songs from the vault and four never-before-heard demos.”

In addition to the record’s original 11 tracks, HERO: A Second Wind includes the new songs “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Hard Liquor and Soft Rock,” as well as the demos for “Company You Keep,” “I Wish I Was” and “Drunk Girls Don’t Cry” plus “Sugar,” which is out now.

Available as a double vinyl set and CD, the revamped collection comes to streaming June 26, complete with the previously-released bonus songs “Bummin’ Cigarettes,” “Company You Keep” and “Space.”

Ahead of Tony Awards, Pink shares her Broadway dreams

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Pink has never been in a Broadway show, but the star, who’s hosting the Tony Awards Sunday night on CBS, has Broadway dreams.

Speaking to Billboard, Pink says she’s been approached “many times” about turning her catalog into a Broadway musical but notes, “I don’t know if I have an opinion just yet.” She did, however, enjoy the musical & Juliet, which is based around songs written by Max Martin, including her hit “Perfect.”

“I think & Juliet was the coolest. It’s a really good show, I really liked it, and I was skeptical, even though I love Max Martin. I think anything is possible if it’s done right,” she tells Billboard. She adds she has also been asked to play Shakespeare in the show.

“I thought that was hilarious and awesome and would certainly be the role for me. But I’m not doing anything right now,” she says, before sharing she’d be interested in writing an original musical.

Pink and her family recently moved to New York to support her daughter, Willow Sage Hart, 15, in her dreams of being a Broadway star. Pink tells E!, “She’s doing the damn thing. She’s in cabarets for charity, she’s in workshops, she just did Carrie the musical — which was dark. She’s killing it. It’s fun to watch.”

On Sunday, Pink says she’ll be “living out my childhood dreams” by performing a Chicago medley on the Tonys. “It’s gonna be amazing,” she tells Billboard.

As for new music, Pink says, “I’ve been writing some songs just because my heart needs it. But no, I don’t have any plans right now. I’m just mom-ing and seeing where the day takes us.”

Dylan, Springsteen, Joel make ‘New York Times’ readers’ choice list of the greatest living American songwriters

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The New York Times released a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters back in April, based on feedback from more than 250 music insiders and six Times critics. The list drew criticism from music fans, so the paper has now decided to give them their say.

The Times has now released a readers’ choice list of the 100 greatest American songwriters, noting, “As soon as we decided to make a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, we could guess how readers would respond to the results: with a combination of enthusiasm and outrage, quickly letting us know which of their favorites we had unconscionably forgotten.”

“We didn’t want all that passion to go undocumented. So we invited readers to assemble their own list — with a formal poll,” they added.

The new list is the result of over 25,000 ballots cast, resulting in “nearly 12,000 distinct choices,” which were narrowed down to 100 artists.

While the original list didn’t rank the songwriters, the reader’s choice list does. Bob Dylan lands at #1, followed by Paul Simon at #2, Bruce Springsteen at #3 and Carole King at #4. Billy Joel, who did not make the original list, ranks at #5.

Rounding out the top 10 are Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, James Taylor, who also didn’t make the original list, and Willie Nelson.

Other artists who didn’t make the original cut but landed on the readers’ choice list include: Jackson Browne, David Byrne, Stevie Nicks, Donald Fagen, Don Henley, John Fogerty, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, Jack White, Pearl Jam, Stephen Stills, Patti Smith, Beck, Lana Del Rey, Noah Kahan, John Mellencamp, Chrissie Hynde, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, The National and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl.

Hostages released, suspect dead after hours-long standoff at bank: Police

June 3, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(BAKERSFIELD, Calif) — All hostages have been released, and a suspect is confirmed dead on Wednesday after an hours-long standoff at a bank in California, sources told ABC News.

The standoff began after a reported bomb threat at a bank in California. Two hostages were first released after hours of ongoing negotiations with a suspect, according to authorities.

The bomb threat was reported at a Chase Bank building in downtown Bakersfield around 1 p.m. local time Tuesday, police said.

An unidentified man entered the bank and was “barricaded” with an unknown number of people inside, Bakersfield Police Department Sgt. Eric Celedon told reporters earlier.

“We remain on scene at the Chase Bank building and have negotiated the release of a second hostage,” Bakersfield police said in an update on social media, shortly after 9 p.m. local time. “There are currently no injuries reported.”

Crisis negotiators were in contact with the individual over the phone, according to police. Celedon said authorities have not confirmed if there is a bomb.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are assisting, and other resources are coming in from throughout the state, police said.

Several buildings in the surrounding area were evacuated, police said. The Chase Bank is located at Chester Avenue and 17th Street.

“This is a very active scene,” Celedon said Tuesday while urging people to avoid the area.

“Every single resource is at this site’s disposal — SWAT team, bomb squad, K9 team, gang unit, negotiators, drone team — every single asset we have to bring this to the safest conclusion is out here right now.”

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