(NEW YORK) — A mayor running for re-election died in a car crash on election morning just hours before the polls were set to close and the results were announced, police said.
The incident occurred shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday when the Louisiana State Police were notified of a crash involving two vehicles on U.S. Highway 190 near LA Highway 741, located approximately 50 miles west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to a statement by the Louisiana State Police following the crash.
A preliminary investigation into the crash revealed that a male driver, of Columbia, Louisiana, was traveling south on LA 741 in his 2015 Ram 2500 pickup truck when he reportedly failed to yield to the 2008 Acura RDX that was carrying 84-year-old Velma Hendrix — the incumbent mayor of Melville, Louisiana — while the vehicle was traveling west on US 190.
“As the Acura approached the intersection, [the driver] failed to yield as he attempted to cross over both westbound lanes of US 190,” said the Louisiana State Police. “The front of the Ram struck the passenger side of the Acura in the westbound lane of travel.”
Hendrix, who was sitting in the rear left passenger seat in the Acura, was not wearing her seatbelt when the pickup truck collided with hers. She was immediately taken to a local area hospital following the crash but ultimately died of her injuries suffered in during the accident.
The driver of the Acura — who was also not wearing a seatbelt — along with three other passengers in the same vehicle, all suffered moderate to critical injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment, according to authorities.
The driver of the 2015 Ram 2500 pickup truck was not wearing his seatbelt either, police say, but he was uninjured in the collision.
“[Cook] submitted a breath sample indicating no alcohol in his system and had no signs of impairment,” said the Louisiana State Police. “He was cited for failure to yield from a stop sign and no seat belt. A routine toxicology sample from the driver of the Acura has been submitted to the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab for analysis.”
The crash remains under investigation.
First elected mayor of Melville, Louisiana, in 2018, Hendrix had been running her re-election campaign against challengers Sheila “Sam” Londerno and Caretta Robertson.
The St. Landry Parish Clerk issued a statement following the announcement of Hendrix’s death regarding what would happen next with the election process.
“In regards to Mayor Velma D. Hendrix, Mayor of Melville’s untimely passing, the Louisiana Commissioner of Elections, Sherri Hadskey, has informed us of the protocol for Mayor of Melville. Qualifying will be reopened on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 until Monday, November 14, 2022 and the election for Mayor of Melville will be held on December 10, 2022,” St. Landry Parish Clerk said in a statement posted on social media. “In the case of no one else qualifying before Monday, November 14, 2022, the candidates from November 8, 2022 with the highest votes will be declared Mayor of Melville. Prayers and condolences to Mayor Hendrix’s family and friends.”
Following the accident, Louisiana State Police took the opportunity to remind motorists to “slow down and come to a complete stop in order to ensure no cross traffic is present and ALWAYS wear your seat belt, regardless of seating position.”
Said the police: “Simple precautions such as these can often mean the difference between life and death.”
(UVALDE, Texas) — Some Uvalde families spent their days and nights over the past several months rallying, marching, tweeting, camping out and protesting in the hope that their fellow Texans would hear their cries for gun reform and vote for Democrat Beto O’Rourke for Texas governor.
But Tuesday’s election showed their actions in their community weren’t loud enough: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott garnered more than 60% of the vote in Uvalde County and is projected to win the race and be reelected as governor.
While some families told ABC News they were disappointed in local results, they weren’t necessarily surprised. While every American had something important to them on the ballot this midterm election, Uvalde families had something very personal.
On May 24, a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, a devastating tragedy that unraveled the tight-knit community. From a botched police response to a prolonged investigation, to the suspensions and firings of personnel in their school district, the town went from a dot on the map most Texans couldn’t identify to a household name in the United States.
Some of the victims’ families turned to advocacy as they were fueled by a passion to never let another family go through what they did. They spent night after night demanding answers from their community leaders, tweeting about their grief and rage, and flying to Washington, D.C., to march on Capitol Hill for gun reform.
Some families campaigned for O’Rourke, accompanying him to rallies and participating in a campaign ad where they tearfully pleaded for their fellow Texans to vote for him on behalf of their lost loved ones.
But first, he rallied for them. In the wake of the shooting, O’Rourke established himself as a stalwart supporter of the victims’ families and their cries for gun reform.
While O’Rourke scrambled to make it on a plane to get to Uvalde from New York on May 24, some later scrutinized Abbott and accused him of ulterior motives in quietly engaging with family members of the victims in August, more than two-and-a-half months after the massacre. Like many Uvalde families — and unlike Abbott — O’Rourke called for universal background checks, “red flag” laws and raising the gun purchasing age from 18 to 21.
But, as Tuesday’s projected results showed, that wasn’t the case for the majority of Texas. As Uvaldeans stood outside the Uvalde Leader-News’ office in their picturesque town square on a beautiful autumn evening, they watched a white dry-erase board fill up with handwritten data favoring a Republican victory.
Veronica Mata, the mother to Tess Mata, a Robb Elementary School victim, said she didn’t expect Abbott to win.
“It was real sadness and disappointment. I really thought that everything they saw our kids go through, that Texas was gonna want to make a change,” she told ABC News on a call Wednesday afternoon.
Kimberly Rubio, mother to Lexi Rubio, another young victim of the massacre, said she saw an Abbott win coming.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that Texas reelected Abbott; however, I am appalled that Uvalde turned out for Abbott,” she wrote in a message to ABC News. “This is our community. Friends, neighbors, watched as the tragedy of May 24 unfolded. Uvaldeans stopped to watch 21 funeral processions. They’ve witnessed Abbott stand by and do nothing for the victims’ families. I thought this community would stand with us as we fought for change, accountability. I thought they’d help us pick up the pieces. Instead, this community is adding to our hurt.”
An upside-down “#UvaldeStrong” photo circulated among some of the families’ Twitter profiles, symbolizing their anger toward their own community for their choice of governor.
Faith Mata, Veronica’s eldest daughter and Tess’ older sister, tweeted the day after Election Day, saying: “I hate Texas and especially Uvalde. Can’t believe all these people claimed to be ‘Uvalde Strong.’ Disgusting is what it is. Can’t believe the death of children in your own hometown wasn’t enough for you. Tess & the 20 other lives don’t deserve this. Our fight isn’t over!”
“It makes you think, why wasn’t it enough? Did we not do enough?” Faith told ABC News on a call Wednesday.
But Faith’s hope is not lost, as she plans to continue to push Abbott to raise the gun purchasing age.
“You can’t really go into the next fight, or the next rally, or the next march if you’re not having hope,” she said.
Where Faith finds hope, she said, is in her sister Tess, and making sure what happened to her never happens to another little girl.
Her mom agreed.
“We’re gonna continue fighting for those kids that are still in school and for those teachers, and, hopefully, we can get some kind of change,” Veronica Mata said.
(NEW YORK) — Nebraska is projected to approve a $15 minimum wage for workers amid a nationwide push for wage hikes that has predominantly taken hold in liberal states like New York, California and Illinois.
The referendum, called Initiative Measure 433, garnered support from 59% of voters in Nebraska, while ballots opposing the measure stood at 41%, according to results reported by ABC News on Wednesday.
The measure will incrementally raise the state’s minimum wage from its current level of $9 per hour to $15 per hour by 2026. Over ensuing years, the minimum wage will move in accordance with inflation.
Nebraska joins at least nine states that have raised their wage floor to $15 per hour, representing a combined 40% of the U.S. workforce, data from the left-leaning National Employment Law Project showed. The majority of those states are liberal.
Battleground or conservative-leaning states have used ballot measures to impose more modest wage hikes in previous years. Voters in Arkansas, Missouri and Arizona brought the wage in their states as high as $12 per hour, according to the nonprofit research firm Ballotpedia.
The nationwide push for minimum wage hikes intensified in 2012, when fast food workers launched a campaign called Fight for $15, aiming to raise wages and unionize the fast food sector. The Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, one of the nation’s largest labor organizations, spent tens of millions of dollars in support of the effort.
The last federal minimum wage hike took place in 2009, when Congress raised the pay floor to its current level of $7.25. As of August, 30 states have raised their minimum wage above the federal level, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The ballot measure in Nebraska was not the only wage-related referendum put in front of voters on Tuesday. In Washington, D.C., voters are projected to approve a measure that will gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from its current level of $5.05 until it matches the wage floor for non-tipped workers by 2027, according to The New York Times.
In July, the minimum wage in Washington, D.C., for non-tipped workers increased from $15.20 per hour to $16.10 per hour.
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Nicole made landfall along Florida’s east coast early Thursday as a Category 1 storm.
At least 45 of Florida’s 67 counties are under a state of emergency due to Nicole.
Nicole formed as a subtropical storm in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, becoming the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends later this month.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Nov 10, 5:35 AM EST
100,000 without power in Florida after Nicole’s landfall
More than 100,000 customers were without power across Florida early Thursday, shortly after Nicole made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, according to data collected by PowerOutage.us.
Nov 10, 4:17 AM EST
Nicole weakens back into a tropical storm
Nicole weakened back into a tropical storm shortly after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane along Florida’s east coast early Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, as it moves inland across the Sunshine State. To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
Nevertheless, the National Weather Service warned that “strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves, and heavy rains continue over a large area.”
A hurricane warning from Boca Raton to the Flagler-Volusia County line in eastern Florida has been changed to a tropical storm warning. A tropical storm warning south of Boca Raton to Hallandale Beach, Florida, has also been discontinued, along with a hurricane watch for Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.
A storm surge warning from North Palm Beach to Jupiter Inlet in eastern Florida has been discontinued. A storm surge watch south of North Palm Beach to Hallandale Beach, Florida, has also been discontinued.
All warnings have been discontinued for the northwestern Bahamas, according to the National Weather Service.
Nov 10, 3:22 AM EST
Nicole makes landfall as Category 1 hurricane in Florida
Nicole made landfall along Florida’s east coast on North Hutchinson Island, just south of Vero Beach, at 3 a.m. local time on Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
It’s the second-latest hurricane landfall on record in the United States.
Nov 10, 1:58 AM EST
38,000 without power in Florida ahead of Nicole’s landfall
More than 38,000 customers in Florida were without power early Thursday, ahead of Hurricane Nicole’s landfall, according to data collected by PowerOutage.us.
Nov 08, 10:11 PM EST
Latest forecast as Nicole approaches Florida
Hurricane Nicole is approaching Florida as a large Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
The latest forecast shows Nicole touching down along Florida’s east coast after midnight but before sunrise, with one model estimating landfall between Cocoa Beach and Fort Pierce at 4 a.m. local time, although projections can change.
Hurricane warnings have been issued from West Palm Beach north to Daytona Beach, with tropical storm warnings extending inland from Miami through Tallahassee, and even extending into parts of southern Georgia and coastal South Carolina.
Nov 09, 6:15 PM EST
Nicole strengthens into hurricane
Nicole has strengthened into a hurricane while making landfall on Grand Bahama Island, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The storm has estimated maximum wind speeds of 75 mph.
Nov 09, 1:21 PM EST
Latest forecast
Nicole may strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall overnight near Fort Pierce. Over the next 24 hours, the biggest threats for Florida will be damaging beach erosion, storm surge up to 5 feet, isolated tornadoes and wind gusts around 70 mph.
Hurricane warnings are in effect from West Palm Beach to Daytona Beach. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of Florida and extend up to coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
After landfall, Nicole will quickly weaken as it moves across central Florida and the Panhandle, but it’ll bring rain, powerful winds and storm surge.
Three feet to 5 feet of storm surge is expected from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville while Florida’s Big Bend area could see 2 to 4 feet of storm surge.
The heaviest rain — 8 inches — will hit central Florida. Flash flooding is also possible.
As Nicole moves north, the heavy rain will stretch into the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Pennsylvania to Vermont could see 2 to 4 inches of rain. Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could see 2 inches of rain and gusty winds.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Nov 09, 12:01 PM EST
Nicole makes landfall in Bahamas
Tropical Storm Nicole has made landfall on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
Nov 09, 11:47 AM EST
Disney World parks to close
Disney World parks will close early Wednesday evening and will remain closed through Thursday morning due to the storm.
Nov 09, 11:18 AM EST
Nicole could make landfall twice
Once Nicole makes landfall early Thursday in Martin County as a Category 1 hurricane, the storm is expected to cross the state of Florida, hit the Gulf of Mexico and possibly make landfall again along Florida’s Big Bend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned.
The major concerns for Nicole are winds, flooding, beach erosion and possible tornadoes, DeSantis said.
He said 15 shelters are open for those urged to evacuate.
The governor said 16,000 linemen have been staged to immediately work on restoring power as soon as the storm passes.
Nov 09, 10:52 AM EST
Florida counties announce evacuation orders
Several of Florida’s 67 counties have announced evacuation orders in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole’s arrival.
Flagler County: Evacuation orders go into effect Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. local time for residents and visitors in Zone A, the barrier island from Flagler Beach to Marineland, as well as mobile homes and RVs countywide, according to the Flagler County Emergency Management.
Volusia County: Mandatory evacuations went into effect Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time for residents and visitors east of the Intercostal Waterway, all mobile homes east of Interstate 95, all low-lying areas and other areas prone to flooding as well as all campsites and RV recreational parks, according to the Volusia County Emergency Management.
Palm Beach County: Mandatory evacuations went into effect Tuesday at 7 a.m. local time for Zones A and B, including mobile homes, barrier islands and low-lying areas, according to Palm Beach Mayor Robert Weinroth.
Nov 09, 9:55 AM EST
Nicole close to hurricane strength as it heads for Florida
Tropical Storm Nicole barrelled toward the northwestern Bahamas and eastern Florida on Wednesday morning, with maximum sustained winds near 70 miles per hour — almost as a strong as a hurricane, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
The center of Nicole is forecast to approach the northwestern Bahamas on Wednesday morning, move near or over those islands by midday, then approach the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area on Wednesday night. The storm’s center is expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia on Thursday, then across the Carolinas on Friday.
“Some strengthening is expected today, and Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane near the northwestern Bahamas and remain a hurricane when it reaches the east coast of Florida tonight,” the National Weather Service said in a public advisory on Wednesday morning. “Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday through Friday, and it is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday night over the Mid-Atlantic states.”
As of early Wednesday, Nicole was already spreading gusty winds and rain showers into Florida, where it is later expected to make landfall between the southeastern cities of West Palm Beach and Melbourne as either a tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane. Its tropical storm-force winds currently extend outward up to 460 miles, especially to the north of the center. In the early morning hours, a National Ocean Service station at the Lake Worth Pier, just south of West Palm Beach, reported sustained winds of 44 mph and a wind gust of 55 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Because Nicole is so close to hurricane strength, the National Weather Service has issued hurricane and storm surge warnings along Florida’s east coast from Daytona Beach to West Palm Beach. Meanwhile, Miami is under a tropical storm watch and tropical storm warnings have been issued for Florida’s west coast as well as from Jacksonville up through Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina.
Storm surge will be the highest on the eastern coastlines of Florida and Georgia, from the border down to West Palm Beach, where water could rise as much as 5 feet above normal tide levels. Some storm surge is also possible on Florida’s west coast from Sarasota to Tampa, where water could rise as much as 3 feet and up to 4 feet in the Big Bend area and Apalachicola. Storm surge will be felt all the way to Charleston, South Carolina, where water could rise up to 4 feet.
The areas that will see the heaviest rainfall will be right where the storm touches down on Florida’s east coast, with the potential for up to 8 inches of localized rain. Heavy rain will track north and inland, into Georgia, the Appalachian Mountains from Tennessee and North Carolina to Pennsylvania and into western New York where more than 4 inches of rain is possible.
Nov 09, 5:04 AM EST
Biden approves Florida emergency declaration
President Joe Biden on Tuesday night approved an emergency declaration for Florida due to conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Nicole, according to the White House.
In anticipation of the storm’s arrival, Biden ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts, the White House said.
The emergency declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide at its discretion equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency, according to the White House.
Country superstar Shania Twain took a walk down memory lane for Harper’s BAZAAR and reflected on one of her highlights — performing with Harry Styles at Coachella.
“I remember every second of that whole experience,” Shania told the magazine. “I was wearing white faux patent [leather] boots. Platform.”
The singer happily described some highlights of the night, when Harry brought Shania onto the stage to join him in performing her hits “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “You’re Still the One” during his Friday set.
“My favorite memory from that performance was really the connection onstage with Harry. I was really surprised how just — I felt like we had done that so many times before together. Well, we were already friends, but we’d never been in that situation together before,” Shania revealed. “It … just felt very natural. That was very special.”
Harry had famously told the Coachella crowd during their joint performance, “In the car with my mother as a child, this lady taught me to sing. She also taught me that men are trash.” The British singer then turned to Shania and told her, “But to you, for the memories you gave me with my mother, I’m forever grateful.”
Shania had responded that she was at a “loss for words” and was “star struck.”
Shania also revealed one more thing to the outlet — they accidentally matched their outfits that night. She had asked Harry what he was going to wear before the show, but he was in a fitting so he had no idea.
“So then we never touched on the subject again,” Shania explained. Thankfully, the two were on the same wavelength when they separately picked out their outfits.
“It had looked like we were coordinated,” the singer said. “So that was a really wonderful surprise.”
Muse‘s 2023 U.S. tour is adding ever more firepower.
In addition to the previously announced Evanescence, Highly Suspect has now also joined the outing. The “My Name Is Human” rockers will be on the bill from April 2 in Phoenix to April 20 in Salt Lake City.
“Couldn’t be more honored to hit the road with our idols,” Highly Suspect writes in an Instagram post. “We are proud to announce that we will be supporting [Muse] and [Evanescence] this spring.”
Muse’s tour with Evanescence launches February 25 in Chicago. Matt Bellamy and company will be supporting their new album, Will of the People, which features the singles “Won’t Stand Down,” “Compliance” and “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween.”
Japanese rockers ONE OK ROCK will open the tour before Highly Suspect hops aboard.
Highly Suspect, meanwhile, just wrapped their own U.S. headlining tour earlier this month behind their new album, The Midnight Demon Club. Lead single “Natural Born Killer” hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
Got a cool quarter mil? You may want to invest in a treasure trove of old love letters that young Bob Dylan wrote to his high school sweetheart.
The 42 letters are currently up for sale by the Boston-based RR Auction house, and the starting bid is $250,000. In the letters, addressed to Barbara Ann Hewitt of New Brighton, Minnesota,Dylan — then named Bob Zimmerman — writes about preparing for the Hibbing High School talent show, as well as his dreams of selling 1 million records and changing his name.
In other letters, he asks Hewitt to go with him to see Buddy Holly in Duluth and discuses the records he’s been listening to, as well as the cars and fashions of the late 1950s. He also, according to the auction house, “professes his never-ending affection,” signing the letters “Love, Bob.” All the letters come with the original envelopes — and there’s even a Valentine’s Day card in there.
The trustees of Hewitt’s estate want to keep the archive together, which is why the letters are being sold as one lot. Individual letters by Dylan have sold for as much as $30,000.
If your pockets aren’t that deep, other items from the Hewitt estate that are up for bid include signed photos, an original sketch, a collection of handwritten poems, and signed and annotated lyric sheets.
John Sciulli/Getty Images for Amnesty International USA
Months after Abby De La Rosa shared she’s expecting her third child, she seemed to confirm the father is indeed Nick Cannon.
In an Instagram Story shared Tuesday night, captured by Page Six, De La Rosa shared a funny meme that read, “1 night with a Libra can turn into 3-4 years be careful.”
Writing alongside the post, she added, ” damn! lol 1 night turned into 4 years and 3 kids real quick…I see no lies here smh. y’all be safe out there.”
For reference, Cannon, whose birthday is October 8, is a Libra.
This will be the third child for De La Rosa, who already shares one-and-a-half-year-old twins Zion and Zillion with the Wild’n Out star.
It will be the 12th child for Cannon who is also a father to 11-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey; 5-year-old son Golden, 22-month-old daughter, Powerful, and 1-month old, Rise, with Brittany Bell; daughter Legendary with Bre Tiesi; and 1-month-old daughter Onyx with LaNisha Cole.
He is also expecting his second child with Alyssa Scott. Their first child, Zen, died of brain cancer at five-months-old in July 2021.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Orlando 94, Dallas 87
Portland 105, Charlotte 95
Denver 122, Indiana 119
Utah 125, Atlanta 119
Brooklyn 112, New York 85
Boston 128, Detroit 112
Toronto 116, Houston 109
Phoenix 129, Minnesota 117
Final New Orleans 115 Chicago 111
Memphis 124, San Antonio 122 (OT)
Milwaukee 136, Oklahoma City 132 (2OT)
Sacramento 127, Cleveland 120
LA Clippers 114, LA Lakers 101
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida 3, Carolina 0
Pittsburgh 4, Washington 1
Montreal 5, Vancouver 2
Minnesota 4, Anaheim 1
Backstage at the CMA Awards Wednesday night in Nashville, some of the stars celebrated by focusing on their families.
John Osborne of Brothers Osborne admitted that his wife Lucie Silva didn’t know that when he and brother TJ took the stage to accept Vocal Duo of the Year, he was going to tell the world that she’s pregnant with twins.
He sweetly explained that when he saw Lucie sitting in the audience, “My heart filled up…I just wanted to tell the world. I hope that was O.K., Lucie! I’m sorry if it wasn’t!” John also joked that he’ll raise the twins as a musical duo who’ll eventually succeed him and TJ in the country music world.
Jordan Davis also had family on his mind: He and his brother Jacob shared the Song of the Year trophy for co-writing “Buy Dirt.” “I mean, I shared a room with the guy ’til I was 16 years old, so we’re pretty close,” he noted. “So this is something that nobody’s ever gonna be able to take away from us.”
Double winner Lainey Wilson brought her father, who’d recently been very ill, as her date, and told reporters, “He’s grinning ear-to-ear. This is the most I’ve seen him smile in months!” She described the event as a “full circle moment” for her dad, because as a kid, Lainey said, “He used to roll a picnic table out to the side of the highway…and play his guitar for the cars passing by.”
Lainey also saluted the country music “family,” saying the women she beat in the Female Vocalist category — Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce — are like a “sisterhood.” “Every single girl in the category, I look up to…a lot of the girls have given me advice…they have listened to me cry,” she said. “They are rooting me on, and I feel the love. It’s so genuine.”
Matthew Ramsey of Old Dominion mourned a recently departed member of the country music family — Alabama‘s Jeff Cook — by praising the legendary group for giving them “examples of the right way to do something,” and for “changing the direction” of country music. “We wouldn’t be here without ’em,” he admitted.
And Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs said one lesson he’s learned with all his success is “just being present.” He added, “My wife is here, our son is home and my parents are still around…[so it’s] just being thankful for the things that I have right now…I get to live my dream everyday with people that I love living it with.”
