Page 6865 – 105.7 WDNY

What we know about the Tulsa mass shooting victims

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(TULSA, Okla.) — Two doctors, an employee and a patient were gunned down at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, medical building on Wednesday after the gunman allegedly targeted his doctor, blaming him for pain.

Here is what we know about the four people who died in America’s latest mass shooting.

Dr. Preston Phillips, 59

Dr. Preston Phillips was an orthopedic surgeon at Saint Francis Hospital. He had “an interest in spinal surgery, joint reconstruction — including joint replacement and the treatment of fractures,” according to the hospital website. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1990 and also earned advanced degrees in organic chemistry and pharmacology, as well as theology from Emory University, police said in a statement on the victims.

Dr. Cliff Robertson, president and CEO of Saint Francis Health System, described Phillips as a “consummate gentleman,” telling reporters, “he is a man that we should all strive to emulate.”

Phillips was the target of the mass shooting, authorities said.

Phillips performed surgery on the suspected gunman on May 19, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said.

The suspect was released from the hospital on May 24, and after his release, he called several times over several days complaining of pain and wanting additional treatment, the chief said.

On Tuesday, Phillips saw the suspect again for additional treatment, the chief said. Then, on Wednesday, the suspect called the doctor complaining of back pain and wanting additional help, the chief said.

A letter found on the gunman, who died by apparent suicide at the medical facility, made it clear “that he came with the intent to kill Dr. Phillips and anyone who got in his way,” Franklin said. “He blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery.”

Dr. Stephanie Husen, 48

Dr. Stephanie Husen, a sports medicine specialist, was working at the medical office when she was killed.

She graduated medical school at Oklahoma State University in 2000 and completed her internship and residency at Greenville Memorial Hospital, according to her hospital profile.

She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oklahoma and was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority.

“Our hearts are with the family and loved ones who lost such an incredible woman,” the chapter said in a statement on social media. “She was known and loved by so many and will always be remembered.”

Amanda Glenn, 40

Amanda Glenn was an employee who had a “supervisory role” at the medical facility, officials said.

She leaves behind a husband and two teenage sons, The Oklahoman reported, citing her Facebook page.

“Amanda Glenn was a devoted wife, mother and friend,” the Sandite High School baseball team posted on Facebook. “She was on our Booster Club Board and served the baseball boys and coaches selflessly. She was the biggest cheerleader for both of her sons and all of our boys.”

Glenn worked in the medical field for over 18 years and had a “true servant’s heart” in that she “always put everyone else first,” the Tulsa police said in their statement on the victims.

William Love, 73

William Love was a patient receiving care when the gunfire erupted.

Officials said Love held a door closed to help someone else escape the shooting. That person appears to be his wife of nearly 55 years, Deborah Love, according to a police statement.

“William Love’s family would like us to share that at the time of shooting, William heard the gunshots and knew his wife would not be able to escape the building on her own,” the Tulsa Police Department said in its statement on the victims. “He sacrificed his life for her.”

Love was a retired Army first sergeant with 27 years of service who served one tour in Vietnam, police said.

He is survived by his wife, brother, two daughters and their spouses, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, police said.

Paul McCartney congratulates Queen Elizabeth on Platinum Jubilee, reveals his preconcert routine

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

With today marking the 70th anniversary of the coronation of the U.K.’s Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Paul McCartney posted a message on his social media sites congratulating the 96-year-old monarch on her long reign.

“70 beautiful years of Queen Elizabeth the second. Congrats ma’ am! And thanks,” Paul writes. Accompanying the caption is a photo of McCartney with the queen in 1996 at the opening of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which the former Beatles legend co-founded.

A variety of Platinum Jubilee events commemorating Queen Elizabeth’s 70th anniversary have been scheduled over the next few days, including the Platinum Party at the Palace concert this Saturday, June 4, which will feature performances from Rod Stewart, Elton John, Queen + Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Diana Ross and many other stars.

Meanwhile, McCartney, who is currently touring the U.S., has revealed his preconcert ritual in a new installment of his “You Gave Me the Answer” Q&A feature.

McCartney says he begins his routine about an hour before he has to hit the stage.

“I have a gargle with salt water, then I do my teeth, then I figure out what I’m going to wear, and then I have a kind of Chinese syrup solution you put hot water in. It’s supposed to be good for your throat,” McCartney says.

After that, he usually gets some makeup put on his face, then gets together with his band to do a quick warmup by running through “a bit of ‘Let It Be’ and a little bit of ‘Hey Jude.'”

Then, before hitting the stage, he and the band “come together and do a little confidence boost huddle!”

McCartney’s next show is this Saturday, June 4, in Syracuse, New York.

Owner of car sought in investigation of New Hampshire couple’s murder

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(CONCORD, N.H.) — New Hampshire police investigating the unsolved shooting deaths of a retired couple said Thursday that they are looking to speak to the owner or operator of a car that was parked near a hiking trail where the bodies of the victims were discovered in April.

New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood released photos of a dark green 2006 to 2012 Toyota RAV4 that was parked near the March Loop trailhead in Concord on April 18, the day Stephen Reid, 67, and his wife, Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, 66, were last seen alive.

Authorities emphasized that the person who owns or was driving the car is not a suspect in the case, but investigators are eager to speak to them about what they might have seen on the trail that day.

The Marsh Loop trail is part of the Broken Ground Trails system where the bodies of the couple were discovered on April 21, a day after relatives reported them missing, police said.

The FBI has joined the investigation and a $33,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for the killings.

Autopsies revealed the Reids were both shot multiple times.

The development comes about three weeks after authorities released a sketch of a man authorities described as a person of interest. The man was seen in the vicinity of where the bodies were found the day the Reids went missing, officials said.

A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Justice, which released the sketch, told ABC News Thursday that the person of interest has not been located.

During a news conference on Thursday afternoon, Formella said there is no connection between the person of interest and the vehicle being sought in the case. The person of interest is not currently a suspect in the case, he said.

The Reids left their home in the Alton Woods apartment complex in Concord around 2:22 p.m. on April 18 and went for a walk in the Broken Ground Trails area, Formella and Osgood said in their joint statement on Thursday.

The couple was reported missing on April 20 when Stephen Reid failed to show up at a planned event, authorities said. Their bodies were discovered a day later, officials said.

Homicide investigators and the couple’s children, Lindsay and Brian Reid, have asked the public to report any information that could possibly help crack the case.

The couple’s family released a statement after the murders, describing Stephen and Wendy Reid as soulmates who traveled the world and shared a “mutual love of adventure and fitness.”

The Reids moved to Concord about three years ago when Stephen Reid, who grew up there, retired from a more than 30-year career as an international development specialist working on humanitarian projects around the world through USAID, their family said. The couple met while Wendy Reid, who was from West Africa, was studying in Washington, D.C., on an athletic scholarship, the family said.

MLB players complain of ‘bad’ baseballs

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — There may be no crying in baseball, but some major leaguers are crying foul over the official baseballs used during this year’s play.

Meredith Wills, an astrophysicist and a lifelong baseball fan, said things are “very different” this season.

“Players, when they hit the ball, they’ll talk about it feeling like mush coming off the bat,” Wills told ABC News’ “Start Here.” “We’re seeing that pitchers really don’t like to hold the ball or throw the ball. They call it spongy. They’ll actually say that it’s squishy.”

Over the past few years, a complaint among some baseball fans was that it was easier to hit home runs. According to data analyzed by FiveThirtyEight, last season averaged nearly 1.22 home runs again; this season only .97 are averaged so far. Average home runs per game hit their peak in 2019 with 1.39 a game.

A league official told ABC News that several factors are contributing to the drop in home runs in the beginning of the 2022 season relative to prior seasons and not any one cause is to blame. The official pointed to factors that include conditions, pitchers on the roster, weather and the ball.

Also, a labor stoppage at the beginning of the 2022 season resulted in a protracted spring training and less practice for hitters heading into regular season games.

Some scientists like Wills pointed to the ball and said that depending on climate, the ball will become harder and easier to launch.

“[The yarn] dries out. It will shrink down. It’s like your hair frizzing in humidity,” said Wills.

To address this problem, the league began using humidors, according to Wills, which was also told to ABC News by a league official.

A league official told ABC news that the humidors being used in all 30 ballparks are consistent with the public recommendations made by experts to make the ball perform more consistently in various atmospheric conditions.

The 2022 baseball season began on April 7 and some pitchers have already expressed anger because they say they can’t control the new ball.

At the end of April, New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt expressed frustration toward the league for the lack of consistency in baseballs, saying that the “bad” baseballs are “all different,” following an April 26 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets won 3-0, but three Mets players and two Cardinals players were hit by pitches.

Bassitt said that the inconsistency among the baseballs is being exacerbated by the different climates, despite the use of humidors.

“The problem is that it’s sitting on a flat shelf for two weeks. Balls are getting flat spots,” said Wills, who added that fans may start to recognize that more pitchers are discarding or throwing away balls before pitching.

An MLB official provided ABC News with league-wide data through May 15 of the current season. The data suggests that there is no evidence yet that pitchers are struggling to control the ball, saying that the league has seen the lowest walk rate since 2019, the lowest hit by pitch rate since 2019 and the lowest rate of wild pitches per game since 2012.

Also, due to the pandemic wreaking havoc on game schedules, Wills said that there are batches of balls from multiple years being used.

The MLB released a statement in November 2021 confirming that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain issues, the league and sports equipment company Rawlings “incorporated excess inventory” into “a full complement of baseballs” for the 2021 season.

“Every baseball used in a 2021 MLB game, without exception, met existing specifications and performed as expected,” said the statement. “MLB’s independent panel of experts and the Players Association were informed of this decision. The baseballs were fully within the specification range both before and after the production change.”

The statement also added that the excess inventory has been “exhausted,” and the 2022 season will be played “with only balls manufactured after the production change.”

In May 2022, an MLB official told ABC News that in response to player feedback following last season, the league has taken steps to make the ball more consistent than ever, including mud applied on game days, providing each team with rosin bags and umpires manually checking baseballs to ensure a level playing field is maintained.

Wills said she is not convinced. She said that the change in production has created a whole new host of problems for the league.

“If you want to break something,” she said. “Try to fix something that’s not broken, that’s pretty much the surest way to do it.”

Where Supreme Court stands on Second Amendment

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A spate of deadly gun attacks across the country has reignited the national debate on gun reform in the United States. Lawmakers are arguing over what to do, if anything, to regulate guns.

Many are pointing specifically to a 2008 Supreme Court decision that was the first time the Supreme Court ever held that the Second Amendment protected an individual’s right to gun ownership. The case, District of Columbia v. Heller, has been cited as one of the reasons why big gun reform may not be possible.

“The Supreme Court had not decided before Heller whether the Second Amendment created an individual right,” said attorney John Bash, who was a clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia on the landmark case.

Bash pointed to the First Amendment and the Fourth Amendment as examples of other protected individual rights.

“They had never decided whether it was just the right to serve in a militia or a right to have a gun for self-defense. And what the majority decided was that it is an individual right, and it includes a self-defense component,” he added.

Kate Shaw, a professor of law at Cardozo Law School in New York and ABC News legal analyst, and Bash, an attorney in private practice in Austin, Texas, were clerks on opposing sides of the decision. On Tuesday, Shaw and Bash penned an op-ed in the New York Times titled, “We Clerked for Justices Scalia and Stevens. America is Getting Heller Wrong.”

“Kate believes in a robust set of gun safety measures to reduce the unconscionable number of shootings in this country. John is skeptical of laws that would make criminals out of millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens who believe that firearm ownership is essential to protecting their families,” read the New York Times article.

Bash assisted Justice Scalia on the majority opinion and Shaw helped Justice Stevens argue the dissenting opinion. Bash and Shaw spoke to ABC News’ podcast, “Start Here” on Thursday morning.

“We’re required to say, and it’s actually true in this case, that the justices themselves did the most important work, but we did assist them in preparing their opinions,” said Shaw.

Due to the Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, provisions of the District of Columbia Code made it illegal to carry an unregistered firearm and prohibited the registrations of handguns. The chief of police could issue one-year licenses for handguns. The code also contained provisions, including requiring owners of lawfully registered firearms to keep them unloaded and disassembled, unless the firearm was located in a place of business or for legal recreational activities.

Dick Anthony Heller, a D.C. special police officer, was authorized to carry a handgun while on duty. He applied for a one-year license for the handgun he wished to keep at home, but his application was denied. In 2007, Heller sued the District of Columbia, arguing that parts of the code violated his Second Amendment right to keep a firearm in his home without a license.

The Supreme Court held that the ban on registering handguns and the requirement to keep guns in the home disassembled or nonfunctional with a trigger lock mechanism violates the Second Amendment. Justice Scalia delivered the opinion for the 5-to-4 majority.

Shaw said the Heller decision is used to argue that gun regulations impede on an individual’s right to self defense, often incorrectly. She said the decision was to protect the Second Amendment as an individual right, but the actual specific holding of the case was quite narrow.

“[The] total prohibition just wasn’t consistent with the individual right that the court announced in Heller and, as John said, had actually never been identified or identified previously,” said Shaw.

Bash agreed with Shaw that the court had explicitly left room for reasonable regulations.

“[The court] gave a lot of historical examples of what it called ‘presumptively lawful regulations.’ [What is] really relevant nowadays is prohibitions on felons and the mentally ill getting their hands on guns and they didn’t disturb those at all and essentially signaled that they were probably OK,” said Bash. “Although there may be some wiggle room or debate there, they pretty much signaled that.”

Shaw also pointed out that the Heller opinion doesn’t call into question the ban on guns in sensitive places like schools or bans on carrying other “dangerous and unusual weapons.”

“There’s been a lot of attention paid to Heller’s announcement of an individual right to own a gun, but much less attention paid to the language in Heller. Making clear the government can absolutely regulate that,” she said.

As lawmakers look to what can be done, Bash said they still have the power to create new laws about gun reform, “if crafted correctly.”

“Background check laws and what’s called ‘Red Flag laws,’ meaning you have some indication that someone’s a threat, you afford them due process and temporarily take their firearm until a fuller hearing can be had. And there are variations on that,” he said. “Some of them may be OK. Some of them may not be OK.”

For now, the country stands in the wake of tragedy. Last month, 10 people died in a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in what law enforcement authorities described as a racially motivated attack. Last week, 19 students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. On Wednesday night, four people died in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital shooting. Shaw said that the real question she and Bash ask in the op-ed is if legislators can pass gun legislation before the next tragedy.

“I think it’s right that reasonable minds can disagree about limitations on particular types of weapons and how those would fare under Heller… I think that our point is Congress has done nothing on guns since Heller was decided in 2008,” said Shaw. “If they want to decide to do nothing, I think they just need to take ownership of that decision as opposed to pointing to something external to themselves.”

Some Ohio teachers ‘terrified’ over new bill allowing educators to carry guns in school

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Teachers in Ohio are frustrated after lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would allow them and other school staff to carry guns in school safety zones, with little training.

The bill overrules an Ohio Supreme Court decision from last year that required teachers to receive gun training equivalent to the training police officers receive. If signed into law by the governor, it would create a minimum training commitment of 24 hours for teachers who voluntarily choose to carry guns in schools.

“I think that the idea to arm teachers is a way for lawmakers to pass the buck on much bigger issues,” Tate Moore, a seventh-grade English teacher in Ohio, told ABC News.

Moore said he is worried about the “unintended consequences” of teachers carrying guns in schools, saying something bad could happen.

“It seems like more things are getting added to our plate. And nothing is being taken off,” Moore said. “I’m just not sure how much more teachers can take.”

Moore said it is not a teacher’s job to stop a school shooter.

“I have yet to find one teacher who thinks it’s a good idea for teachers to carry firearms,” he said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will sign the bill into law, with his office telling ABC News he had been working for several weeks to get this bill passed.

Ohio police go through over 700 hours of police training. A representative for the governor’s office said more than 600 hours of that training is related to policing and would not be appropriate for teachers.

“My office worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety and to ensure training requirements were specific to a school environment and contained significant scenario-based training,” DeWine said in a statement to ABC News.

Another Ohio teacher said the bill is scary to her.

“I love to teach and, to me, that is my primary job. So to have this layer added to it is quite terrifying,” Lauren Alberti, a sixth-grade teacher, told ABC News.

Alberti said she is worried this bill would deter people from going into education and result in more teacher shortages, a crisis felt in schools across the U.S.

Alberti also said she is concerned about it becoming teachers’ responsibility to shoot a gunman and worries what would happen to teachers if they were to shoot and miss.

“If you really want to eradicate the issue, I don’t think that fighting fire with fire is the answer,” Alberti said.

She later added that she would feel “on edge all the time” if there were guns in her school. She said other teachers she’s spoken with have also told her they are not comfortable with what this bill allows.

Alberti said it would be better to work on the root problems that cause shootings, like working on mental health programs and anti-bullying campaigns or even increasing the number of security guards.

Asked about teachers’ criticism of the proposed rule, Joe Eaton, the program director of pro-gun group FASTER saves lives, told ABC News this bill is important to allow teachers to protect themselves in schools.

“If they’re already in the school buildings, they are in danger so they deserve the right to protect themselves and the students they’re responsible for, right now,” Eaton said. He also said it is a voluntary program and there is no requirement for schools to implement it.

Eaton said teachers and staff willingly put themselves between shooters and students to protect them, saying “we owe it to them” to allow them to defend themselves. He also said the cost of bringing in school police officers is high and it may not be a good solution for schools with large campuses.

Eaton also pushed back on claims this could fuel teacher shortages saying, there is “no indication that that could ever happen.”

Sara DeMuch, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of gun control group Moms Demand Action, told ABC News she is “continuously disappointed” in Ohio legislators for repeatedly making decisions that “put students and teachers at risk.”

“We have done enough. And it is time for us to get back to just being students and teachers and do what we do in schools. And it’s time for our politicians to step up and tackle the problems that are going on,” DeMuch said.

DeMuch said there is no data or research that supports arming teachers in schools and called on legislators to stop putting extra work on teachers.

“It’s unrealistic, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible. And I think the way that they fast-tracked this bill is reprehensible,” DeMuch said.

“As an Ohio public school teacher, I’m afraid, going forward, for our schools, I’m afraid for our students, I’m afraid for other teachers,” DeMuch added.

Pharrell announces new track with Tyler, the Creator & 21 Savage, Jeannie Mai shows off baby girl and more

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

—Pharrell Williams is teaming up with Tyler, the Creator and 21 Savage on a new song, “Cash In Cash Out,” with an expected release date of next Friday, June 10.

He shared the news in an Instagram post, along with 3D-type image of the three rappers. “CASH IN CASH OUT @feliciathegoat @21savage 6/10 💸 Presave at the link in bio,” Williams said.

The super producer’s announcement comes just a few weeks before his Something in the Water festival is set to kick off in Washington, D.C., June 17. The festival ends June 19.

—Jeannie Mai and her husband, rapper Jeezy, welcomed their baby girl Monaco Mai Jenkins in January, but the former The Real host hadn’t shown images of the baby until Thursday.

In the latest installment of her YouTube series, Hello Hunnay, Mai, alongside her mother, “Mama Mai,” introduced the couple’s 5-month-old daughter to the world.

In the emotional monologue leading up to the reveal, Jeannie said she was “so nervous” for everyone to finally get a glimpse of her baby.

“Please excuse the nerves,” she said before Monaco was carried out by her grandmother to meet mom on the couch. Jeannie then delved into her journey as a new mom, including the anxiety she’s experienced since giving birth.

–In the latest news in the Tasha K/Cardi B. defamation case, Tasha K’s attorney filed an appeal to overturn the judge’s ruling for the YouTuber to pay Cardi $4 million. According to Billboard, Tasha’s legal team says the judge “withheld key evidence about the rapper’s ‘character’ and didn’t let jurors see who Cardi B ‘truly is.'”

Music notes: BTS, Demi Lovato, The Weeknd and Shakira

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

BTS‘ Jimin and Jungkook hung out with H.E.R. after hitting up the White House. They shared videos to their Instagram Stories of them going to an arcade with the R&B singer, where they tried their luck at a punching-bag game and a rapid-shot basketball game. H.E.R. tied with Jungkook on the latter … in second place.

To hype their upcoming single “Skin Of My Teeth,” Demi Lovato is heading to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, June 9. Headline Planet reports Demi will be interviewed on the show and also serve as its musical guest. The Grammy winner will release their new single on June 10.

The Weeknd teamed with Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, for his After Hours Til Dawn tour, reports City A.M. This will allow him to create the first world trek to use Web 3.0 technology, which gives him an “innovative edge.” “There are so many possibilities with crypto and I think this is just the beginning,” The Weeknd said of his new partnership. His tour starts on July 8.

People love Shakira‘s hips — as in, her song “Hips Don’t Lie.” Her smash 2005 hit is the latest member of Spotify’s Billions Club, meaning fans have streamed the song over 1 billion times. “So humbled. Thank you for all of the love,” she said of the surprise honor.

Felix Cavaliere says his shows with The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz offer a “happy, uplifting” night of music

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Rascals singer/keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz will perform together this Friday in New York City and Saturday in Lynn, Massachusetts, the latest in a series of joint 2022 “Legends Live!” concerts featuring the two music greats.

“[A] Rascal and a Monkee, what do you think? Pretty weird,” Cavaliere comments to ABC Audio with a chuckle.

He then notes that, with people having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic during the last couple of years, the concerts’ organizers felt that the music of The Monkees and The Rascals were both “happy [and] uplifting,” and that “maybe [it was] time for people to…just enjoy themselves.”

The concerts feature Cavaliere and Dolenz performing with their respective solo bands, and alternating the headlining slot at each show.

The 79-year-old Cavaliere says one of his favorite things to do during his set is to throw in snippets of other artists’ famous tunes while playing some of his classic Rascals tunes.

“[F]or example, when I do ‘Groovin’,’ I pop in [a little bit of The Temptations‘] ‘My Girl,'” he explains. “And everybody goes, ‘Oh wow, I know that song.’ And I say, ‘Well, okay, if you know it, sing it.’ And then I put in ‘Just My Imagination.'” Same thing. I try to keep their attention and their memory cells active.”

Another highlight for Felix is the finale of his show, where he tells the audience, “Okay, this is your last chance to dance, get up and rock,” and then plays “Good Lovin’.”

Cavaliere and Dolenz also have a joint October 23 show scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona. Felix’s tour schedule also includes a series of concerts in Hawaii running from June 9 to June 12, as well as a July 16 show in Rochester, Michigan.

Nashville notes: Carrie Underwood, Brantley Gilbert + more

June 2, 2022 by WDNY Radio

Carrie Underwood is planning a one-night-only event to celebrate the release of her Denim & Rhinestones album. On June 9 — one day before the album drops — she’ll give a live performance from Nashville’s Historic Bell Tower. You can watch by tuning into Amazon Prime Video or Amazon Music’s Twitch app at 8 p.m. CT.

Next month, Brantley Gilbert is headlining a benefit concert mounted by Shaquille O’Neal and the Pepsi Stronger Together campaign. The show benefits Atlanta’s Henry County Sheriff’s Office Foundation and will specifically raise funds for its three-day summer youth sports camp, which is attended by over 780 local children. Tickets are available now; the show is set for June 22.

Alabama, Sara Evans, Jamey Johnson and more artists hailing from Alabama contribute to the new theme song of The World Games 2022, called “Hope of Alabama.” The video is available now.

Deborah McCrary, one fourth of the sibling gospel quartet The McCrary Sisters, died on June 1 at age 67. The group has set their voices to countless recordings with a genre-spanning list of artists, including Carrie Underwood on her My Gift album. The family announced Deborah’s death in a statement; information regarding services and an honorarium is forthcoming.

+ More