Country music icon Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday in Nashville, spent decades turning her success into support for children, medical research and communities recovering from disasters.

One of Parton’s best-known philanthropic efforts, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, has distributed more than 332 million free books since its founding, according to the organization’s website.

The program mails free books each month to children from birth to age 5. It launched in Sevier County, Tennessee – where Parton was raised – in 1995, expanded nationally in 2000 and later reached several other countries.

“The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world,” Parton said, according to the organization’s website.

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Dolly Parton’s free book gifting program has distributed more than 332 million free books since its founding. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

The Imagination Library is the signature program of the Dollywood Foundation, which Parton established in 1988 to improve educational outcomes in Sevier County. 

The foundation initially focused on reducing the local high school dropout rate before expanding its mission to promote childhood literacy.

Parton’s giving extended well beyond education.

After wildfires destroyed the homes of more than 1,000 Sevier County families in 2016, Parton asked the foundation to create the My People Fund.

The fund provided affected families with $1,000 per month for six months. By May 2017, it had raised and distributed more than $12 million. Additional money funded one-time scholarships for high school seniors who lost their homes, according to the Imagination Library.

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Dolly Parton established the Dollywood Foundation in 1988 to improve educational outcomes in her childhood home of Sevier County, Tennessee. (Katherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)

Parton also contributed millions of dollars to medical research.

In 2020, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville to support COVID-19 research, according to BBC News. 

In 2022, she contributed another $1 million for pediatric infectious disease research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, according to the Vanderbilt Health website. That same year, Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024, Parton donated $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation to help flood victims. Several of her East Tennessee businesses and the Dollywood Foundation pledged to match her gift with another $1 million, according to an announcement at the time from the Mountain Ways Foundation.

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Parton received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022 for her decades of charitable work. (Ron Davis/Getty Images)

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“We believe that her many philanthropic achievements embody the values of our founder, who, with us, would surely greet Parton with ‘affection, gratitude, and admiration,’” the nonprofit stated at the time.

Parton died in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, according to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Her nephew revealed the news in an Aug. 25 Instagram video. The news comes after Parton spent months battling an unknown health issue.

Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.

Disney is moving forward with a program allowing longtime employees in certain roles the opportunity to accept an early retirement package ahead of anticipated restructuring.

The entertainment giant outlined the voluntary early retirement offer (VERO) available to tenured executives who meet eligibility criteria in an internal email sent by Disney Chief People Officer Sonia Coleman, which was reviewed by FOX Business. The early retirement program was first reported by Deadline.

Coleman’s note said that the voluntary early retirement packages are time-limited and are one of several actions Disney is taking to restructure the organization, including involuntary staff reductions that are underway in some parts of the company and are expected to continue into next year.

Disney’s memo said the eligibility criteria for executives and indicated that they will receive separate, personalized communications from the company that specify details of the offer, the election process, important dates and other resources that will be available to them as they weigh their decision.

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Disney is offering certain executives with at least 10 years of service the opportunity to take a voluntary early retirement package amid restructuring. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

To be eligible for the voluntary early retirement package, employees must be based in the U.S. in roles ranging from director to executive vice president in Disney Entertainment, ESPN and the corporate divisions. They must also have 65 points – calculated based on their age plus years of service – with a minimum age of 50 and at least 10 years of service.

Disney’s offer includes separation pay, continued vesting of equity awards, healthcare support at active employee rates, as well as continued Silver Pass access.

Eligible executives will be given a defined election window followed by a confirmation period so they have an opportunity to consider whether accepting the VERO is the right decision for them. Participation is voluntary and eligible executives aren’t required to opt in to the early retirement plan.

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The company’s intent with the voluntary retirement program is to give eligible employees a chance to make a decision on their own terms before Disney proceeds with finalizing broader organizational decisions.

The voluntary early retirement offer is time-limited, and once it closes, the company will continue moving forward with addressing organizational needs through its standard reduction-in-force process that will be on a separate timeline.

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Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro previewed workforce reductions in a shareholder letter earlier this month. (Adam Kissick/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)

Earlier this month, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston said in a letter to shareholders that they “remain highly focused on reducing costs across the enterprise to create incremental capacity for growth and are evaluating a variety of levers, including reductions in labor and SG&A.”

They added at the time that they were “mid-stream in this work” and would provide future updates.

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Chrysler has recalled nearly 75,000 SUVs over a manufacturing defect that could cause certain parts to break loose while driving, creating unexpected road hazards and significantly increasing the risk of a crash, according to federal regulators. 

Nearly 74,578 Dodge Durango vehicles from the 2021-2023 model years are affected by the recall, which was submitted to regulators on Aug. 13, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.

According to the recall notice, the vehicles may have rear spoilers that were improperly aligned during installation, causing the spoiler to strike the vehicle’s roof whenever the liftgate opens and closes. Over time, the impact can weaken the spoiler’s structural integrity and cause it to detach while the vehicle is in motion.

“Rear spoilers which detach from a vehicle may create road debris and increase the risk of a vehicle crash,” the notice said. 

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A brown Dodge Durango SUV is shown with a rear spoiler attached to its liftgate. (AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA / Getty Images)

Regulators said the safety defect was previously addressed under two recall campaigns filed in 2021 and 2023 but warned that owners must return for additional repairs due to persistent issues.

The affected vehicles were manufactured between July 13, 2020, and March 28, 2023. 

Approximately 0.8% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to contain the defect. No crashes or injuries have been reported. 

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Cars are parked outside a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram showroom in New York. (Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

As of July 29, 2026, Chrysler reportedly identified 116 warranty claims, eight customer assistance records and 37 other service reports related to post-remedy failures. 

The final, permanent technical repair is currently under development by Chrysler, according to officials.

Dealers were formally notified on Aug. 20, and searchable vehicle identification numbers became available on NHTSA.gov the same day, officials said.

Owner notification letters are scheduled to begin mailing on Sept. 10, 2026.

The Chrysler logo is displayed on the service department at a Chrysler Jeep and Dodge dealership on May 2, 2011, in Vallejo, California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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Owners can contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. 

Firms across Europe have been switching to electricity from fossil fuels for their industrial needs, encouraged by subsidies from EU funds.

While that is helping bring down emissions of climate-warming gases, it has also made firms more vulnerable to power cuts.

And in Spain and Portugal that threat was made painfully clear last year.

On both sides of the border, firms are looking for ways to avoid disruption.

“The industrial sector has been one of the first to look at storage systems, since it can’t have its production drop off too abruptly,” says Miguel Matias, founder of the Portuguese energy services company Self Energy, headquartered in the UK.

“A backup for a few hours, or even minutes, might guarantee that machines don’t get damaged,” he says.

And there have been more recent incidents to spur investment.

At the end of January, Storm Kristin toppled thousands of electricity and telecom poles across central Portugal, cutting power and communications to hundreds of thousands of people – some for weeks.

So, companies and other organisations have been taking action.

In Spain, battery storage capacity has risen almost sevenfold since last April, from about 28 MW before the blackout to 193MW in April 2026, according to the grid operator Red Eléctrica.

And much more capacity is planned.

In December, the IDAE, Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy, awarded €827m in EU funds to 133 energy storage projects totalling 2,400MW. Around 80% of that is battery storage.

The new capacity will be close to 10 times the amount that Red Eléctrica currently registers on the Spanish grid.

It’s all good news for battery suppliers.

“We are seeing not only an increase in demand, but also a clear evolution in customer requirements,” says Alberto Bodegas, from battery storage company Sungrow.

Traditionally, commercial and industrial clients were looking for partial or full backup solutions, Bodegas says.

Today, Bodegas says customers are demanding more advanced capabilities, such as seamless backup, meaning the switch from grid to backup occurs instantaneously and without any noticeable interruption.

This is particularly critical for sensitive environments such as hospitals and data centres.

Delivery times are also crucial for buyers, currently under tight deadlines linked to EU funding programmes. Battery companies are being pressed to meet increasingly shorter delivery dates, Bodegas says.

Starbucks officially welcomed fall back to its menus Tuesday, bringing back the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte alongside a new PSL Society merchandise collection and an expanded lineup of seasonal drinks, including a debut fall-meets-winter beverage called the Chaider.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte, one of Starbucks’ most iconic and consistently popular seasonal offerings, returned to coffeehouses nationwide Aug. 25, marking the start of what has become one of the coffee chain’s most anticipated annual traditions. According to Starbucks, the fall lineup extends well beyond the PSL itself, including new pumpkin spice beverages, returning pecan-flavored favorites, banana bread-inspired drinks and the newly introduced Chaider, a cozy, cider-inspired take on chai.

To mark the occasion, Starbucks launched a dedicated PSL Society merchandise collection in U.S. coffeehouses the same day. According to the company’s official announcement, the collection is inspired by the colors and cozy rituals of the season, featuring vibrant drinkware and a hat designed specifically with fall’s biggest PSL fans in mind. The lineup includes a PSL hat priced at $29.95, featuring an embroidered pumpkin design alongside the letters “PSL.” A stainless steel, 16-ounce orange cold cup, also priced at $29.95, features a vibrant orange finish accented with a pop of purple inspired by the season’s color palette. Rounding out the collection is a 12-ounce PSL ceramic mug priced at $19.95, pairing a warm orange hue with a soft pastel purple handle for what Starbucks described as an unexpected twist on traditional fall colors.

Beyond the PSL itself, Starbucks’ expanded fall drink lineup includes several new additions alongside returning customer favorites. According to Starbucks, new offerings this season include the Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Chai and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha, while returning fan favorites include the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino blended beverage. The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is crafted with cold brew coffee and vanilla syrup, topped with velvety pumpkin cream cold foam, while the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai blends black tea infused with cinnamon and other spices with milk and pumpkin cream cold foam.

The newly introduced Chaider represents one of the more notable additions to this year’s fall menu. According to Yahoo News, the drink combines cinnamon, warm spices and apple cider-inspired flavors with chai, and is available in both hot and iced versions. Starbucks is also expanding its banana-flavored offerings this fall with two new beverages inspired by freshly baked banana bread, including an iced banana bread latte and an iced banana bread chai, both of which Starbucks has indicated will remain available on the menu beyond the fall season specifically, unlike the more strictly seasonal PSL and pumpkin-flavored offerings.

On the food side, returning items include the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin, featuring a spiced pumpkin muffin with sweet cream cheese filling topped with spicy chopped pepitas. According to LiveNOW from Fox, new menu additions this fall also include a Chicken Bacon Protein Pocket, part of Starbucks’ broader push to expand protein-forward food offerings, along with a Hedgehog Cake Pop.

Starbucks Chairman and Chief Executive Brian Niccol addressed persistent speculation about whether the company might eventually make the Pumpkin Spice Latte a permanent, year-round menu item, telling Yahoo Finance the company has no such plans. “We’ve talked about this a couple times, and we come back to the conclusion that it’s really the defining drink of a season,” Niccol said. “And as of right now, we’ve got no plans to put it on permanently. But we will make the most out of people wanting to experience a great pumpkin spice latte season. And it’s not too far away.”

To celebrate the return of the seasonal favorite, Starbucks partnered with lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, alongside actor Belmont Cameli, to promote what the company has framed as an invitation for fans to unapologetically embrace everything they love about fall. According to Starbucks, the partnership is intended to remind customers to fully lean into the season’s traditions and rituals surrounding the drink’s return each year.

This year’s Aug. 25 return date lands slightly later than in some recent years but still fits within Starbucks’ well-established pattern of launching its fall menu in the final week of August, regardless of actual weather conditions or the calendar date of the official autumn equinox, which does not arrive until Sept. 22. According to Yahoo News, Starbucks’ announcement this year came earlier than usual relative to the actual reveal of the specific return date, even though the return date itself, Aug. 25, closely tracks the timing of the chain’s launches in prior years, including a 2021 return that also fell on Aug. 24, one day earlier.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte first debuted in 2003 and has grown into Starbucks’ most successful seasonal beverage in company history, according to LiveNOW from Fox, with hundreds of millions of the drinks sold since its introduction. Its popularity has also spawned a wide range of imitators across the food and beverage industry over the years, with Dunkin’ introducing its own pumpkin-flavored drinks in 2007 and McDonald’s launching a competing pumpkin spice latte in 2013.

The PSL’s return also arrives at a significant moment for Starbucks’ broader business strategy. The coffee chain has faced ongoing challenges in recent years, including slumping sales and intensifying competition, developments that contributed to the company bringing in Niccol as its new chief executive with a mandate to, in his own words, “fundamentally change” the company’s strategic direction. Given the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s status as one of the company’s most reliable revenue drivers each year, this year’s seasonal rollout, paired with the new PSL Society merchandise collection and the debut of the Chaider, represents a significant piece of Starbucks’ broader effort to reinvigorate customer engagement and sales momentum heading into the final months of 2026.

With the full fall menu now live in U.S. coffeehouses, Starbucks customers looking to bring the seasonal flavors home can also find a range of Starbucks-branded fall products, including Doubleshot Energy Pumpkin Spice, Iced Espresso Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Spice Latte-inspired coffee creamers, already available on grocery store shelves nationwide.

Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn claimed a record-breaking ninth All Australian blazer and was named captain of the 2026 team, while Collingwood’s Nick Daicos swept the league’s top individual awards, but it was Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson’s emotional speech about mental health that dominated the evening at the AFL Awards.

Dawson won both Best Captain and the Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award before being named vice captain of the All Australian team, using his acceptance speech to speak candidly about his struggles following the death of his brother, who died at age 35 earlier this year.

“It’s been a struggle. It’s not easy. It’s a range of emotions and they come at different times,” Dawson said. “For me it’s about creating safe spaces in the footy club and at home, and understanding there will be times when it’s hard to go to work and that it is OK to feel a certain type of way.” He acknowledged the ongoing difficulty of discussing the loss publicly. “It’s still raw, it’s always going to be hard to talk about. I’m so lucky I have such supportive people around me.” Dawson went on to describe his evolving relationship with mental health awareness more broadly, and offered a direct message to others facing similar struggles. “The mental health space is something new to me, but something I want to learn more about. I want everyone to know who is struggling with their mental health that you are definitely loved and that the world is a better place with you in it. You are enough. We all love you, you have friends and family around you.”

Gawn was named captain of the 2026 All Australian team despite Dawson having beaten him for the Best Captain award earlier in the night, a selection commentators suggested reflected the honorary weight of Gawn’s record ninth blazer selection. Gawn himself reportedly said he felt the honor should have gone to Dawson instead, given the power of his mental health speech earlier in the evening.

Daicos, selected to the All Australian team for the fourth time in the first five years of his career, swept both the Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year award and the Leigh Matthews Trophy for Most Valuable Player, edging out finalists Marcus Bontempelli and Dawson for the MVP honor. Bontempelli earned his own milestone selection, claiming his eighth career All Australian blazer.

Carlton’s Charlie Curnow claimed his third Coleman Medal as the league’s leading goalkicker, finishing the season with 69 goals, six clear of Brisbane’s Logan Morris. Curnow was not present in the building to accept the award, instead appearing via a pre-recorded video message from Sydney.

Carlton’s Jagga Smith was named the AFL’s Rising Star for 2026, capping a breakout season after the club’s number three pick in the 2024 draft had missed the previous year’s award race entirely due to a torn ACL suffered in preseason. Smith finished ahead of runner-up Harry Dean, with Willem Duursma, Cooper Trembath and Jobe Shanahan rounding out the top five in voting.

Harry Dean, also of Carlton, was separately named the AFLPA’s Best First Year Player, recognized for stepping into a challenging key defensive role as a debut-season player. St Kilda’s Callum Wilkie won the inaugural Coaches Association Defensive Player of the Year award, offering a self-deprecating explanation for his success following the win. “I’ve set a good precedent. I don’t actually do any defending, I just drop off and intercept,” Wilkie said.

The Coaches Association’s Best Emerging Player award, given to the player in his first two seasons who accrued the most weekly coach’s votes, ended in a tie between St Kilda’s Max Hall and Fremantle’s Murphy Reid.

The full 2026 All Australian team named Willem Milera, Callum Wilkie and Jeremy Impey across the back pocket and full-back positions, with Luke Ash, Harris Andrews and Jack Clark rounding out the defensive six. The midfield featured Bailey Smith, Bontempelli and Ollie Dempsey on the wings and center, with Gawn, Dawson and Daicos filling the ruck and rover positions. The forward line included Shai Bolton, Jaeger Treacy and Kysaiah Pickett across the half-forward line, with Nick Watson, Curnow and Logan Morris completing the full-forward positions. The interchange bench featured Luke Jackson, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Matt Reid, Zac Bailey and Zak Butters.

AFL Chief Executive Andrew Dillon addressed attendees earlier in the evening, using his remarks to reinforce a message about safety and inclusion within the sport. “Keeping footy strong from the grassroots up depends on everyone feeling welcome, safe and respected. We are the biggest game in the country, and we must never lose sight of the responsibility that carries. Starting with the example we set for the millions of girls and boys who dream of playing at the highest level,” Dillon said.

The awards night capped the end of the AFL’s regular home-and-away season, with attention now turning to the league’s Wildcard Round, featuring games scheduled for Friday and Saturday, as the competition moves into its finals series. Dawson’s speech, delivered with what those in attendance described as visible emotion, is expected to remain one of the most widely discussed moments of the awards season, resonating well beyond the football community given its candid focus on grief and mental health.