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Crowds of excited Buc-ee's fans arrived at the first location in Arkansas at 4:30 a.m. on Monday in anticipation of the opening celebration.Some of the attendees decked themselves out in Buc-ee's-branded clothing and waited for hours to be the first to enter the Benton location and have a taste of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich or a brisket taco.'I'm starting to realize life's too short to build in places that people don't appreciate what you're bringing.'During the opening ceremony, which included Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the famed convenience store brand's co-founder said that they were planning far more locations in Arkansas.Arch "Beaver" Aplin III is the president and CEO of Buc-ee's in addition to being a co-founder."We have a lot of opportunities. We're growing. We're building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference," he said to the crowd."And I'm starting to realize life's too short to try to build in places that people don't appreciate what you're bringing versus a place like this, where people do appreciate what you're building," he added."So that leadership, that concept, that idea of conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented concept works so much better if it trickles down from the very leadership," Aplin said, "from the very top at the governor's office, at the congressman, at the senator, at the mayor, the representatives."Huckabee Sanders posted the video on her Facebook page and added her endorsement of his comments."That’s why red states like Arkansas are surging and people and businesses are fleeing blue state [sic]," she wrote.The Buc-ee's location in Benton includes 120 gas pumps and encompasses a 74,000-square foot building.RELATED: Fear the beaver: How a gas station became a cult (and why you should consider joining) "In the world of economic development, a project of this size — with more than 200 jobs, nearly 75,000 square feet — can usually take years to develop," Huckabee Sanders said at the grand opening. "But having spent time with Beaver, I know he’s not the type of guy to stand around and let something drag on, and neither is Saline County."Buc-ee's has also faced some backlash after the company has aggressively sued to stop any use of a cartoon beaver as a business mascot. One target is the corner store Beaver's Mini Mart, which has been in operation for more than two decades in Beavercreek, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A series of recent displays from Sophie Cunningham supporters has put the WNBA's biggest problem right at their doorstep.Even as the league admits to some missteps, actually addressing the issue has been left to female supporters at league games.'Women should not be responsible for validating men's trans identities.'When a mother and daughter recently went to a high-profile game between the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever on Sunday, they silently supported Cunningham's pro-woman stance by wearing pro-women apparel. The result was the pair being asked by WNBA security officials to cover up their clothing.The Dream subsequently put the onus on the WNBA for the incident, saying, "WNBA security took actions that fell short" of their standard."At no point was Dream personnel involved in the decisions made by WNBA security," the team added.This forced the WNBA to acknowledge the "interactions" and say, "This should not have happened."By not addressing the actual issue, the league's statements are meaningless, says Kasey Thomason, the mother who dared to wear "XX-XY" clothing at the Dream-Fever game.Thomason told Blaze News, "The statements just pass the blame so they mean nothing."The mother added, "No one has reached out to us about the incident," despite the high-profile nature of the event.RELATED: WNBA team co-owner FINED and SUSPENDED for cursing out teen fans of Sophie Cunningham at Seattle game When Cunningham and the Fever went on the road to Canada to face the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday, supporters again came out, this time in droves.Jennifer Arnold showed up with her group, Women & Girls Alberta, with a poster of Cunningham and a message that men do not belong in women's sports.Arnold relayed to Blaze News that about 200 people took photos with the poster, and overall it garnered a "very positive reception."Detractors allegedly totaled about six "young" protesters, and Arnold says that conversations with them revealed a general misconception about what her group actually believes."They falsely stated that people in favor of female-only sporting categories want to ban all people who identify as trans from sports altogether," Arnold recalled. "We explained that is not true, and there are already biological women who identify as trans in women's sports, and no one has an issue as they are female and therefore do not have a male performance advantage."The organizer also revealed that one of the counter-demonstrators, who was holding a "protect trans kids" sign, became agitated and appeared to grab a reporter's phone.RELATED: Cover up or 'leave'? Mother and daughter say they were confronted at WNBA game over pro-women shirts Kasey Thomason Arnold concluded, "Women should not be responsible for validating men's trans identities by giving up fairness on the court and privacy in the locker room."The hope from these fans turned activists is that the WNBA issues a female-only policy, akin to other women's leagues. The WNBA already does, in theory, prohibit men. Article XIII, Section 1 of the WNBA's 2026 collective-bargaining agreement says that "only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA."However, the league has refused to provide a definition for what they consider a woman to be, despite meeting to discuss the very issue earlier in August.The league's conclusion was: "There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The stereotype of the academically challenged athlete who gets away with skipping class is so overused it's almost expected.That's why when a college football player recently revealed he was working at a golf course and not going to class, it seemed almost too ridiculous to be real.'Nine Houston student-athletes entered the season having already earned an undergraduate degree.'This isn't a trope, however. It's a real-life scenario.South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers has no school this semester, unless he counts preparing for football games.Sellers instead goes to a local golf course, where he is practicing "facility management" by "cutting grass and picking up balls," Fox News reported.Another example is recent NFL Draft pick Carson Beck from the University of Miami, who had six years of NCAA eligibility due to COVID-19, but he was blasted online back in January for saying he had "no class" and had actually graduated two years earlier.As easy as it is to believe that colleges are giving students who can barely read a passing grade — like Hank of "King of the Hill" — the class-less college football star of today is more likely to be an athlete who previously put in the work, at least in the more popularized stories.Sellers is living lavishly on the greens because that is the final internship work he needs to graduate with a degree in sports and entertainment in December. Beck had "no class" in the lead-up to the National Championship game in January because he graduated from Georgia in 2024 and then transferred to Miami as a graduate student.In fact, college teams having a sizable chunk of their roster earning their degrees ahead of time is nothing new.In 2017, the University of Houston had nine.RELATED: Former NFL player deported after allegedly threatening an Uber driver with hatchet David Jensen/Getty Images "Nine Houston student-athletes entered the season having already earned an undergraduate degree," a 2017 Hawaii Bowl guide touted. And Houston ranked only No. 17 nationally that year in terms of players having earned degrees prior to the start of the season.For 2025, the leading schools, Northwestern and Virginia, both had 34 players enter the season having already earned their degrees. Tennessee Tech had 32.This is part of a growing trend that has nearly quadrupled in volume since 2017, according to the National Football Foundation. The same year, Houston had what appeared to be shocking numbers; 971 students from 213 schools were playing college football after having graduated.That number exploded to 3,695 students in 304 schools in 2025.RELATED: Arkansas football player discovers would-be assassin hiding in the unlikeliest of places Tim Warner/Getty Images Still, the precedent was set decades ago.Mississippi State's Justin Senior won an award for Mississippi's most outstanding collegiate offensive lineman in 2016 after earning his degree ahead of time.Going back to 2007, ASU's Zach Krula earned his degree before his senior year, while in 2003 Georgia Tech punter Hal Higgins was noted for having earned his degree ahead of time after battling Hodgkin’s disease. He then pursued an MBA while still playing college football.This all means that the next time a story comes around about an athlete who isn't going to class, it is more likely a circumstance that is not just condoned by the school, but rather championed and promoted.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Leftist streamer Hasan Piker uses his platform to deliver provocative, anti-American takes with little care for how they might be received. However, as conservatives resurface some of his most inflammatory remarks, Piker appears far less enthusiastic about the spotlight."What's insane is apparently Hasan is threatening lawsuits because Scott Jennings allegedly used his clips on the radio, and Hasan is like crashing out. He's like, 'I might sue,'" BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says on "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered."“Let’s work on this Scott Jennings situation first, and then I’ll see what to do about him too. It looks like the news cycle might be moving on. The article per day number is going down. Yeah, because they got their point across,” Piker said on his podcast.“I’ll see ... what I can do about them,” Gonzales mocks, before showing a clip of Piker “on his hatred of America and of the American flag.”“They can do whatever the f**k they want with the American flag and the Israeli flag. I wipe my ass with the American flag,” Piker said.Piker went on to explain that as a “communicator” he understands “the utter moral depravity of the average American.”But that’s not the worst thing Piker has said.“We’re going to keep bringing in immigrants in this country on purpose just so they can f**k your sister and then maybe even your daughter. We’re going to destroy the white race ... that’s what we’re here to do,” he said on another episode of his podcast.“That was the one that I had said that I reacted to. So I just think it’s kind of strange. It’s like, OK, I’m just using your words and your clips and I’m just playing the things that you said. I don’t know why you would want to sue?” Gonzales says.“It’s like Libs of TikTok, right? It’s like you put it out there on the internet, you live streamed it, and I in all of my benevolence put it out there to way more people,” she continues.“It’s like I’m just putting this in front of more eyeballs for you, and I don’t even get a thank you for that. I get a threat of a lawsuit,” she adds.Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.