Month: July 2025

Shark patrols will be scanning local beaches on Long Island after a shark bite incident sparked fear in beachgoers. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman made a public appearance in the waters at Nickerson Beach to prove to locals that the waters are safe. Air- and sea-borne police will be roaming the beaches to safeguard swimmers from the predators and other hazards like riptides.

“There are sharks in the water,” Blakeman told reporters. “We are increasing our patrols this summer on the oceans as we do every summer, but we’re putting up more drones than we have before, keeping our helicopters in the air longer, and our boats on the water longer.”

The announcement comes after a woman was bitten by a sand tiger shark last week near Jones Beach. The 20-year-old was swimming waist-deep near the Central Mall beachfront when her leg was bitten by a small shark, causing her minor lacerations. 

Last week, an 11-foot-long great white shark was spotted off the shore of New Jersey’s Monmouth County. Another 20-foot-long shark was seen in Rhode Island over Memorial Day weekend. And drone footage showed a great white shark swimming along the coast of Montauk. Factoring in climate change, fish conservation efforts, and advanced technology, shark sightings have become more frequent.

Blakeman says sharks and riptides both are increasingly common dangers on Long Island. Many shark species migrate seasonally, reaching coastal waters in the Atlantic Ocean as the temperatures warm.

“It is very, very expected this time of the year that the white sharks are moving through the Long Island waters,” said Greg Metzger, chief field coordinator of the South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center’s Shark research program.

Sophie Cunningham had some thoughts on the WNBA’s announced expansion plans, and her comments are making her some enemies.

On Monday, the WNBA revealed that Cleveland will gain a franchise in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. Those three organizations are the latest wave of expansion, joining the Golden State Valkyries, who debuted this summer, and the Toronto Tempo and Portland franchises who will begin play in 2026.

At Indiana Fever practice Tuesday, Cunningham was asked about the league’s growth. While the veteran wing is happy to see the league make advancements, she’s also concerned about the choice of locations. 

“I also think you want to listen to your players too, like, where do they want to play? Where are they going to get excited to play and draw fans?” Cunningham explained. “Miami would’ve been a great one, Nashville is an amazing city, Kansas City— amazing opportunity with a huge arena downtown that no one’s using.”

Cunningham continued, noting the success of the NWSL before taking a jab at two of the league’s new cities. 

“I don’t know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland],” she added. 

Cunningham’s words have earned her an outpouring of criticism from WNBA fans, and the City of Detroit is now getting involved. 

The official city account shared a rebuttal to Cunningham on X/Twitter this afternoon.

“The last time we were home to a WNBA team (Detroit Shock) we ranked top five in attendance for five straight seasons, No. 1 in attendance for three straight seasons and set a single-game attendance record of 22,076 fans at Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals,” the post reads. “Additionally more than 775,000 people were excited to come to Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft. Detroit is a sports town. We’re sure we’ll see the same excitement for the WNBA returning.”

There’s no doubt that the Detroit Shock had a tremendous run from 1998-2009 before relocating to Tulsa. The Shock have played in Dallas as the Dallas Wings since 2016.

During their time in Detroit, the team won three WNBA titles and made four WNBA Finals appearances while reaching the postseason eight times in 12 years.

If Cunningham is still in the league in 2028 and 2029, expect her to get booed when she plays in Cleveland and Detroit.

KFC is no longer the No. 3 chicken chain in the United States.

Instead, that distinction goes to Raising Cane’s, which surpassed the fast food giant thanks to $5.1 billion in United States sales in 2024, according to CNBC’s Amelia Lucas. 

That total was more than double what the restaurant did in 2021. Now, Raising Cane’s is behind only Chick-fil-A and Popeyes in the U.S.

Founded nearly 29 years ago by Todd Graves, Raising Cane’s has more than 900 stores nationwide. In 2024 alone, the popular chicken spot opened 118 new stores and about 100 are slated to open in 2025.

Graves is aiming to make Raising Cane’s a top-10 restaurant chain and is hoping to reach $10 billion in annual sales down the road. Currently, Raising Cane’s sits in 18th based on 2024 sales.

“All indicators say that we should get there before the end of this decade,” co-CEO AJ Kumaran said. “We’re climbing the ladder slowly, but we’re humble about it.”

According to the restaurant’s official website, Raising Cane’s first location opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in August 1996, and the store is still open to this day.

Graves initially planned to name the restaurant Sockeye’s, but instead named it after his late Labrador Retriever, Raising Cane.

Related: Popular Restaurant Announces Abrupt Closing After 23 Years

A spinner shark jumped out of the water at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, smacking a swimmer in the face. Darren Kaye was surfing the inlet when the shark headbutted him, knocking him off his board. 

He posted the video on Instagram, writing that the shark “Came out of nowhere and hit me like a truck. His nose slammed me right in the face, his pectoral fin bruised my left bicep and got slammed right off my lost ‘96 RNF redux. Just another day at the inlet! 🦈🦈🦈🦈”

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A post shared by Darren J Kaye (@dj_kaye_)

“I was just really happy its mouth wasn’t open, because that’s how they fish,” said Kaye. “I got right back on that board and my pulse went to like 195 beats a minute in a second and I paddled as fast as I could like out of the way.”

Kaye, who has spotted sharks while surfing before in New Smyrna, kept surfing for another 45 minutes, and returned for more swells the rest of the weekend. But he was shocked by the force.

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“It felt like getting hit by a car. It was really strong and powerful. They’re all muscle you know,” said Kaye.

Spinner sharks are known for their acrobats, weighing more than 120 pounds. Similar to blacktip sharks, the predators leap and spin to catch prey. As they move closer to the shore to feed and reproduce, sightings are common in Florida.

Florida leads the nation in shark attacks, with 942 incidents reported since 1882. In comparison, Hawaii follows in second with 199 shark attacks reported in the same time period. New Smyrna Beach is commonly called the “shark bite capital of the world.”

Ryan Seacrest took to Instagram on June 30 to share some recent photos of his life “lately.” The Wheel of Fortune host included some pictures of himself relaxing, hanging out with his dog, and working out at the gym. However, some fans of the 50-year-old became concerned, saying that Seacrest appears to be more thin than he has in the past.

“He looks frail to me. I hope he’s doing ok,” one person wrote.

“Damn I thought this was Marc Anthony for a sec,” someone else added.

“Ryan I adore you, but … the big BUT…….. You are looking too thin. Sometimes being too thin can age a person,” a third comment read.

“Looking weak and frail you ok?” a fourth fan asked.

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A post shared by Ryan Seacrest (@ryanseacrest)

A source close to the star tells Men’s Journal that Seacrest is really focused on his fitness.

“Ryan has recently been doing a new workout routine – working out with a new trainer, Dodd Romero, combined with Pilates and yoga for the first time. That’s created a visible change. He’s also been enjoying vacation time this summer and eating lots of pasta,” the source shared. 

Seacrest has been dedicated to health and wellness for quite some time. In October 2024, he opened up about his routine and what he does to keep himself feeling young.

“I feel good because I can’t believe I’m turning 50,” he told Entertainment Tonight last year, “I’m doing everything I can to make myself feel like I’m not 50.”

He went on to say that he had been “over-exercising, eating better, over-training” in an effort to slow the aging process, but admitted that he was also mindful of his body and has taken measures to help with muscle recovery. 

At the time, Seacrest said he was doing everything he could “to make [himself] feel 29 again.”

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