The Iola Register, Aug. 4, 2023

racers head to the finish

Ready to grow

Grow at Eden Iola opens Monday

Cutback fuels spike in oil prices

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday it will extend its unilateral production cut of 1 million barrels of oil a day through the end of September in its effort to boost flagging energy prices.

The Saudi reduction, which began in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers have agreed to extend earlier production cuts through next year.

The kingdom announced the extension in a statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official in the kingdom’s Energy Ministry. The official added that the cut

See OIL | Page A3

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Grow at Eden, Iola’s new childcare center at the former Kids Kingdom, welcomes back children on Monday.

The facility has been closed for about four weeks for a complete remodel. Owners Kandy and Kyler Rushing purchased the daycare from Mona Hull in June and have been revamping the building and grounds to capture a style similar to their childcare center in Parsons.

“It has been a fast and exhilarating few weeks,” Rushing said. “We’re excited about families coming back.”

Work includes new flooring throughout the building, new paint and murals in all six classrooms with window cutouts between them, and a commercial kitchen with

Above, Olivia Alexander will teach 2-year-olds in the new Forest Room at Grow at Eden Iola, which opens Monday. At right, mural painter Leann Carpenter works on the Field Room. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

new appliances. Each classroom features a different theme with a colorful mural to match. For example, a giant map of the world is featured in the Atlas Room. Butterflies frolic through the

See EDEN | Page A3

Register stalwarts earn HOF honor

Longtime journalists Bob Johnson and Susan Lynn will be inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. Johnson devoted 56 years to the Register, serving as sports editor, city editor and reporter. He retired in 2020.

Johnson figures he wrote about 2,400 “At week’s end”

columns during his tenure. His guiding light was “Everyone has a story. Stopping a person on the street can generate an interesting article.”

Career highlights included visiting Central America five times in the 1990s — Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize (twice) — to cover humanitarian

Kansas hits all-time lowest birth rate

projects assigned to the Kansas National Guard’s 891st Engineers headquartered in Iola.

In 2001, Johnson spent 10 days in France with a group led by a military history instructor at Fort Leavenworth. That trip resulted in a 10-part series about the

See HONOR | Page A6

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector PIXABAY.COM

TOPEKA — Kansas documented the state’s lowest-ever recorded birth rate for the 2022 year, according to a preliminary report.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s annual report shows the number of births in the state dropped slightly from 2021. Last year’s report documented 34,697 births in 2021, with a birth rate of 11.8 per 1,000 people. The preliminary 2022 report recorded 34,376 births across the state, with a birth rate of 11.7 per 1,000 people.

Seven counties accounted for about 60% of the state’s births for the year: Douglas, Geary, Johnson, Leavenworth, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte.

Unmarried mothers made up 36% of all births with 12,370 reported. The rate of births to teenagers between the ages of 15-19 remained at 4.7%, unchanged from the previous year’s rate. Most births were recorded for mothers between the ages of 25-29, with 10,579 births. The next most prolific age bracket was mothers between 3034, with 9,799 births.

The 2022 birth rate is the lowest rate recorded since the state began keeping vital records in a centralized system in 1911. The state has recorded declining birth rates since 2008, reflecting a national downward trend.

Brenda Bandy, executive director of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, said she frequently heard from young women who were concerned about childbirth complications in recent months, a concern that she hadn’t encountered before in her 20

See BIRTHS | Page A6

Bob Johnson, whose career with the Iola Register spanned 56 years, and Susan Lynn, publisher and editor since 2001, will be inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame. They are pictured with Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, who came to Iola for the announcement. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER

Voters keep school district intact

TOPEKA — Residents of a rural central Kansas school district overwhelmingly voted to keep their district intact, defeating an attempt to dissolve the district in anger over a school closure.

Unofficial election results from the Aug. 1 primary show 587 people voted in favor of disorganization and 1,179 voters in Central Plains Unified School District 112 voted against the change.

“For Tuesday in August, in a heatwave, this was a huge turnout,” said Denise Schmidt, a Claflin resident, educator and member of the United USD 112 campaign.

Ellsworth County Clerk Shelly Vopat, who oversees the county’s elections, estimated turnout was about 60%. The county usually sees a turnout of 30% to 40% in a primary election, Vopat said.

Schmidt said the vote showed communities could still pull together and prioritize education.

“We are hopeful for great things to come,” Schmidt said. “This

Area news

Neosho Co. road project begins

Crews began resurfacing an 11-mile stretch of K-47 in southern Neosho County Wednesday.

The Kansas Department of Transportation announced in a news release that Bettis Asphalt & Construction is overseeing the $2.9 million project.

Project activity includes pavement patching followed by two asphalt overlays. Flaggers and a pilot car will direct onelane traffic through the work zone during daylight hours. Drivers can expect delays of 15 minutes or less.

The stretch spans from K-47’s intersection with U.S. 169 south of Chanute on the west edge and U.S. 59 north of Parsons on the east.

The work is expected to be completed by early October, weather permitting.

was a victory, not just for our students so they can have the best education, but our amazing, hardworking staff. And it was a victory for our communities that we could work together for positive change.”

The school district covers parts of five counties and communities that include Holyrood, Bushton, Claflin, Dorrance, Lorraine, Wilson, Beaver and Odin, and houses three schools.

Wilson-based supporters of the split began their campaign to divorce from the district after the school board voted to shut down Wilson High School in January because of budget concerns and declining student populations.

Members of the community asked the board to grant an oneyear extension to give the school time to find alternate solutions, or continue efforts to have other school districts accept the high school.

After the extension was denied, disorganization supporters began circulating a petition to disorganize the school district, garnering enough votes to put it on the primary

ballot.

Disorganization advocate Michael Kratky called the shutdown part of a larger pattern of the board snubbing the Wilson community. He felt the district’s other high school, in Claflin, should have been closed instead, and that the Wilson school should have been given more time to search for alternatives.

Kratky didn’t immediately respond to Kansas Reflector inquiries following the vote, but in an Aug. 1 Facebook post he said the district needed to be dissolved.

“This was the only way of separation from an uncooperative BOE that was determined by self-interest,” Kratky said. “It has been a 10-month process of negotiations that led to this situation.”

Another proponent of disorganization, Wilson parent Kayla Cullens, said she was disappointed by the results of the election, but would refocus her efforts on getting the Wilson community better representation on the USD 112 school board. Two out of the seven board members currently represent Wilson.

“We’re going to re-

invest our efforts into getting more equalization on the board,” Cullens said.

A “yes” vote on disorganization would have put the district in the hands of the Kansas State Board of Education, which would have divided the USD 112 territory into 10 neighboring school districts. The district’s schools would have either been absorbed into the surrounding districts or shut down.

Disorganization also could have caused tax increases for most of the former USD 112 residents and caused former district residents to lose any say in school district functions for a few months.

State BOE officials estimated people from the former district wouldn’t be eligible to vote in district elections for about 120 days after reassignment, and would need to wait 18 months after reassignment before anyone from the former USD 112 could run for local school board.

Schmidt said the vote showed support for the current school district.

“USD 112 is a great place to be, and this vote proved that,” Schmidt said.

China proposes to limit children’s smartphone time

BEIJING (AP) — China’s internet watchdog has laid out regulations to curb the amount of time children spend on their smartphones, in the latest blow to firms such as Tencent and ByteDance, which run social media platforms and online games.

The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday published the draft guidelines on its site, stating that minors would not be allowed to use most internet services on mobile devices from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that children between the ages of 16 and 18 would only be able to use the internet for two hours a day. Children between the ages of 8 and 15 would be allowed only an hour a day, while those under 8 would only be allowed 40 minutes.

Only certain services,

such as apps or platforms that are deemed suitable to the physical and mental development of minors, will be exempted. The CAC did not specify which internet services would be allowed exemptions.

The restrictions are Beijing’s latest efforts to attempt to limit internet addiction, a problem it views as widespread among its youth. In 2019, Beijing limited children’s daily online game time to 90 minutes a day and tightened those restrictions in 2021, allowing children only an hour a day of online game play on Fridays, weekends and public holidays.

Short-video and online video platforms like Douyin, Bilibili and Kuaishou have offered youth modes that restrict the type of content shown to minors and the length of time

said in the press release.

CHIPS plant plans proceed

BURLINGTON — Burns & McDonnell, an engineering firm out of Kansas City, Mo., will serve as the program management agent for the new CHIPS plant in northern Coffey County.

The news was announced at Monday’s Coffey County Commission meeting, the Coffey County Republican reported.

Burns & McDonnell was chosen from among five firms, the newspaper reported, for the new microchip plant, which will be built in an industrial park near Beto Junction.

Parsons voters extend sales tax

PARSONS — Parsons voters overwhelmingly favored extending a half-cent sales tax as part of an ongoing public safety initiative.

Voters in Tuesday’s special election favored by a 5-to-1 margin — 544 to 94 — to extend the tax for 10 years, the Parsons Sun reported.

The tax has been used for several initiatives, including boosting wages for police and fire staff as well as equipment, including vehicles, radios and hoses. Funds have paid for dump trucks and other equipment for public works, the newspaper reported.

The tax brought in about $8.5 million from 2014 through 2022, the Sun reported. It is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2033.

Interim hospital CEO gets nod EL DORADO — Melissa Hall, who has served as interim chief executive officer at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, has been given the job on a permanent basis.

The decision was announced in a press release.

Hall has served as interim CEO since March.

“Based on the noticeable impact she has made in just a few short months, there is no doubt she will lead and bring immense value to our community’s healthcare,” Suzie Locke, the hospital’s board of trustees chair,

The company’s role as program management agent will be to keep an eye on the overall project, the Republican reported, and will collect schedule information and track progress.

An engineer involved with the planning said the plant’s construction should begin early in 2024, the Republican said.

KS man’s cereal box collection grows NEWTON — A local collector’s hobby is going grrr-eat!

Kurt Lawrence of Newton for the past 20 years has built up a collection of about 8,000 cereal boxes, which he spoke about to Harvey County Now.

Lawrence began saving his first cereal boxes in the early 1990s, because his children were avid Michael Jordan fans, and had collected several sports cards with Jordan’s likeness.

Likewise, Lawrence saw Wheaties boxes featuring Jordan, and it prompted him to consider the boxes akin to large cards.

His collection craze hit high gear about 10 years later, via eBay and other sources, the newspaper reported.

“I became aware people were collecting those and became friends with some of the older collectors who really helped me out,” Lawrence told the paper.

His oldest is a 1915 box of Kellogg’s Crumbles. Lawrence said he hopes to continue building on his collection. He said fewer than a dozen collectors in the country have a collection as large as his.

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Eden: Daycare’s new owners plan to reopen facility

Continued from A1

Monarch Room, with two larger sets of butterfly wings positioned just low enough that children can take photos that make them look like a butterfly.

Mural artists Avery Adkins and Leann Carpenter were putting finishing touches on the murals on Thursday. Both painted similar murals at the Parsons location and were glad for the opportunity to work on the Iola facility.

“I want to capture their attention and imagination, while also bringing a sense of comfort. Murals have always done that for me,” Carpenter explained. “Every time you look at it, you catch something new.”

Olivia Alexander is a teacher for 2-year-olds in what will be the Forest Room, where evergreen trees tower above colorful flora and fauna. She previously worked for Kids Kingdom and said the changes to the building have been quite dramatic.

She’s looking forward to welcoming back children on Monday and can’t wait to see their reaction.

“I’m very excited. Their minds are a sponge at that age,” she said.

OUTSIDE, the center will have a large playground surrounded by a privacy fence of over 500 linear feet. A smaller metal fence divides the playground in half.

Kyler and a crew are working on the playground, building a concrete tricycle path and digging a 15-foot diameter sand pit with sunshades. New playground equipment, including about 20 swings, will be installed.

Because the playground is essentially a large field, sunshades will be added to address safety and health concerns, Kandy said.

She also appreciates a large multipurpose room inside the building, which allows children to play when weather conditions aren’t ideal for going out-

side.

Eventually, the exterior of the building will be upgraded with new doors, paint and landscaping.

Kandy credited numerous businesses with support since she took over the business. The sale was facilitated by Iola Industries and Thrive Allen County. She continues to receive advice from those entities and has joined a coalition of area childcare providers and community leaders.

“The other providers have welcomed me with open arms,” she said.

Local tradesmen also have been responsive, timely and efficient, she said, particularly New Klein Lumber.

Her family lives in Parsons but they have stayed at a local Airbnb the past five weekends to minimize travel between the two locations. She also appreciates the owners and staff at the Fillmore Coffeehouse and Plant Cafe, which have kept them well-supplied with caffeine during the flurry of activity.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know people in this community,” Kandy said.

FAMILIES had to find

alternative childcare for the month or so during the renovation.

The majority got help from family members or high school students on summer break, while some found spots in other daycares. Most will return, but a small number of families decided to pursue a different provider because of tuition changes, Kandy said.

Grow at Eden is “screen free” with no televisions or tablets and uses a Montes-

Oil: Saudis cut production

Continued from A1

“can be extended or deepened” if the need arises.

“This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC+ countries with the aim of supporting the stability and balance of oil markets,” the official said.

The move was widely expected by analysts.

Benchmark Brent crude traded Thursday at over $80 a barrel.

A series of production cuts over the past year has failed to substantially boost prices amid weakened demand from China and tighter monetary policy aimed at combatting inflation. Brent has largely hovered between $75 and $85 a barrel since last October.

The Saudis are particularly keen to boost oil prices in order to fund Vision 2030, an

ambitious plan to overhaul the kingdom’s economy, reduce its dependence on oil and create jobs for a young population. The plans include several massive infrastructure projects, including the construction of a futuristic $500 billion city called Neom.

Higher prices would also help Russian President Vladimir Putin fund his war on Ukraine,

as Western countries have used a price cap to try to cut into Moscow’s revenues.

Western sanctions mean Moscow is forced to sell its oil at a discount to countries like China and India. Its estimated export revenue fell by $1.4 billion to $13.3 billion in May, down 36% from a year ago, the International Energy Agency said in a report in June.

sori-based approach, an educational philosophy that features hands-on learning and real-world skills.

The Montessori Method was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s.

Children work inde-

pendently and in small groups, using especially designed educational aids and with a focus on the whole child — social, emotional, intellectual and physical development. Meal time also will be a little different. Grow

at Eden in Parsons makes healthy meals from scratch, using organic items as much as possible and avoiding artificial fillers, frozen or pre-made items. Children also eat “fami-

See DAYCARE | Page A4

Mural painter Avery Adkins traces a template as part of artwork in the hallway of Grow at Eden Iola. At right, the Monarch Room features colorful butterflies. Below is the Atlas Room. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Sailors arrested for China ties

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two

U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on charges related to national security and tied to China, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Jinchao Wei, a 22-yearold sailor assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, was arrested Wednesday on a charge related to espionage involving conspiracy to sending national defense information to Chinese officials, according to the U.S. officials.

Federal officials released an indictment against Wei on Thursday and provided more details at a news conference in San Diego.

In an indictment released Thursday, federal prosecutors allege that Wei made contact with a Chinese government intelligence officer in February 2022, and at the officer’s request, provided photographs and videos of the ship he served on.

The information he disclosed included technical and mechanical manuals as well as details about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise, the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department charged Wei under a rarely-used Espionage Act statute that makes it a crime to gather or deliver information to aid a foreign government.

During the course of the relationship, the unnamed Chinese intelligence officer instructed Wei not to discuss their relationship, to share non-public information with the agent, and to destroy evidence to help them cover their tracks, officials said.

The USS Essex is an amphibious assault ship known as a Landing Helicopter Dock that has a full flight deck and can carry an array of helicopters,

including the MV-22 Ospreys.

The Justice Department separately announced charges against a second Navy service member, accusing Wenheng Zhao of collecting bribes in exchange for giving sensitive U.S. military photos and videos to a Chinese intelligence officer between August 2021 through at least this May.

The information included operational plans for a U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region. Prosecutors say Zhao also surreptitiously recorded information that he handed over. The two sailors were charged with similar crimes, but they were charged as separate cases and it wasn’t clear Thursday if the two were connected or if they were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer.

US may send troops to Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

(AP) — The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, five American officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Since 2019, Iran has seized a series of ships in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, as part of its efforts to pressure the West over negotiations regarding its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers. Putting U.S. troops on commercial ships could further deter Iran from seizing vessels — or escalate tensions further.

The contemplated move also would represent an extraordinary commitment in the Mideast by U.S. forces as the Pentagon tries to focus on Russia and China. America didn’t even take the

step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy’s largest since World War II.

While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship, are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Those Marines and sailors could provide the backbone for any armed guard mission in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP about the U.S. proposal.

Five U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, acknowledged its broad details.

Daycare: Iola facility’s new owners ready to reopen

Continued from A4

ly style” in their classrooms, teaching table manners. Iola will follow the same approach to meals.

“At the end of the work day, you come home and your child is feeling wonderful because they were fed well during the day and had tons of physical activity,” Kandy said about her philosophy.

Laurie Griffin, program director at Parsons, will serve as interim director at the Iola location. A new program director is expected to join the Iola team Sept. 5; she is moving here from California and has years of experience in early childhood care, Kandy said.

“The facility needs a strong leader,” Kandy said. “Grow at Eden’s expectations are very high.”

She continues to hire staff and seeks “high caliber talent,” particularly those who have a background in early childhood education.

The center accepts children from birth to age 7, although all infant slots are full. She hopes to explore opportunities for infant care in the community and is working to establish a non-profit center for infants in Parsons. If that is successful, perhaps some-

thing similar can happen in Iola.

Currently, the goal is to fill all 60 available slots at Grow at Eden Iola.

Hours remain the same as before, from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. but could be extended depending on staff availability.

Kandy considers Monday to be a “soft opening.” She’ll host a grand opening event later, perhaps in September.

She encourages anyone who is curious about touring the center, or who wants to apply for a job or a daycare spot to contact her via cell phone at 620-4232525, at the facility at 620-778-5968, on the website at growateden. com/iola or via email at growateden@gmail.com

The new playground is surrounding by 500 linear feet of privacy fence. Sunshades will protect students from the harsh sunlight. In the foreground, a concrete tricycle path is under construction. In back, crews dig a sand pit. Below, Kandy Rushing, left, is the owner of Grow at Eden; Laurie Griffin is program director at Parsons and will serve as interim program director at Iola. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Opinion

~ Journalism that makes a difference

The world must leave room for people like Oppenheimer, Turing

The movie “Oppenheimer” reminds us that a healthy society must leave room for people who face down power to pursue truth, who introduce new ways of thinking or who choose to follow alternative life paths.

Kenneth Seeskin

Chicago Tribune

A brilliant but eccentric scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer led the world into the Atomic Age only to run afoul of government investigators. He also calls to mind a similar account in Great Britain in which Alan Turing, who led the world into the computer age and helped crack the German military codes in World War II, was convicted on a morals charge and eventually took his own life.

Both men were ahead of their times. Both made enormous contributions to the war efforts of their countries. Despite their efforts, both faced problems with their respective governments. Oppenheimer’s problem was his association with far-left colleagues and his defense of arms control, Turing’s was being gay at a time when it was illegal.

As a result, Oppenheimer’s security clearance was revoked, while Turing faced public humiliation and chemical castration. Although Oppenheimer’s clearance was reinstated after his death, and Turing received

a posthumous pardon, their fates raise the question of how society deals with talented people who don’t abide by the normal rules.

The problem is as old as history itself. Legend has it that the ancient Greek musician who discovered irrational numbers was murdered because his discovery upset normal ways of thinking. Socrates was sentenced to death for impiety. Galileo Galilei was put under house arrest for suggesting that the earth orbits the sun. Albert Einstein received death threats

for proposing the theory of relativity and was forced to leave his native Germany due to his Jewish heritage.

Religious history is no different. The prophet Jeremiah was jailed, beaten and left to die. Jesus’ fate is well known.

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Reformer Martin Luther went into hiding to avoid being arrested and killed. The rabbinical authorities of Amsterdam excommunicated philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was put under FBI surveillance, received numerous

death threats and was assassinated.

In one way or another, all these people challenged accepted ways of thinking and paid a heavy price for doing so. Granted, societies need cohesion to survive. But they also need freethinkers, whistleblowers and conceptual innovators to stay vibrant. Where should the line be drawn between protecting society from a legitimate threat and stamping out diversity?

While there is no simple answer to this question, one

Don’t blame Canada for raiding America’s tech talent

America’s prosperity depends on attracting foreign talent. Yet due to a dysfunctional immigration system, millions of workers face insurmountable hurdles to gaining permanent residence. It was always a risk that other governments would take the opportunity to lure skilled workers away from the U.S. Now it’s happening, thanks to a somewhat unlikely rival: Canada.

Last month, the Canadian government introduced a new work permit targeting U.S.-based knowledge workers. Foreigners living in the U.S. on H-1B visas — typically professionals with skills in STEM fields — are eligible for a three-year work permit allowing them to work for any employer in Canada. Spouses of visa holders are free to pursue employment — unlike in the U.S., which restricts their ability to work.

Canada said it would accept up to 10,000 applica-

tions from interested H-1B visa holders in the program’s first year. It got that many in less than 48 hours. The government’s already received requests from Canadian tech companies asking that the program be doubled. This talent-poaching scheme is a model of creative policymaking, and should be causing alarm in Washington. Once the world’s most desirable destination for science and engineering talent, the U.S. is now losing tens of thousands of foreigners each year to Canada, Australia and others. It’s easy to see why. In theory, workers on employer-sponsored H-1B visas can stay in the U.S. for up to six years, then apply for permanent residence. Yet nonsensical rules, bureaucratic paralysis and caps on the numbers of green cards issued to citizens of any single country mean the wait can last decades. Some Indian workers with advanced degrees face

estimated queues of more than 150 years. (The posthumous green card would be a characteristically American innovation.)

In Canada, the process takes as little as six months.

MEANWHILE, workers and their families in the U.S. are at the mercy of the technology industry’s shifting labor demands. The U.S. requires that H-1B visa holders who lose their jobs find another employer to hire and sponsor them within 60 days or face deportation. At least 50,000 have had their visas revoked since last fall, when giants like Amazon and Meta started shedding staff amid a slump in tech stocks. Facing this uncertainty, even H-1B workers who’ve kept their jobs are taking up Canada’s offer to move there instead.

The U.S. will pay for this abject policy failure. H-1B workers hand over at least

$85 billion a year in federal and state income taxes, support Social Security and Medicare through payroll taxes, and generate tens of billions more in consumer spending. Far from replacing native-born workers, each H-1B visa holder in the U.S. creates roughly two new jobs, by enabling companies to invest in domestic expansion rather than send positions overseas. If scientists and engineers keep leaving, many of their would-be employers will follow — eroding U.S. productivity, reducing economic growth, and lowering living standards.

President Joe Biden should call on Congress to admit more immigrants with the skills businesses need and grant them permanent residence more readily once they’re here. Canada is teaching the U.S. a useful lesson.

It’s to be hoped Washington is paying attention. — Bloomberg Opinion

thing is clear: Neither Oppenheimer nor Turing posed a legitimate threat to anyone. In fact, both helped society defend itself against its real enemies. The record shows that time after time, society overreacted and punished people whom history went on to regard as heroic.

WHAT ABOUTour society?

Who is the J. Robert Oppenheimer of our day? I suggest Dr. Anthony Fauci. The enemy he fought, COVID-19, killed many more Americans than the Germans or Japanese. Although he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 for advancing the understanding and treatment of HIV/ AIDS, he and his family now require constant security to protect them from harassment and death threats.

Looking further afield, one could cite novelist Salman Rushdie, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and the journalists and politicians who have opposed Vladimir Putin. Are these people a threat to their societies or have their societies mistaken friend for foe?

If there is a lesson to be learned from all this, it is that societies often get things wrong and deprive themselves of the opportunity to move forward. Without these kinds of people, rather than security, the result would be an oppressive uniformity.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Kenneth Seeskin is an emeritus professor of philosophy and the Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick professor of Jewish civilization at Northwestern University.

1994.

TWENTY-NINE YEARS

AGO

August 1994

Rows of items owned by Elizabeth Fretz line a vacant lot across from her house at 318 East St. The items will be sold at an auction today. The house, one of Iola’s most interesting and talked about landmarks, is for sale as well. It was built by the Northrup family around 1900 and sold in 1927 to Dr. F. L. B. Leavell, who owned it about 37 years.

President Joe Biden, (Democrat) 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington D.C., 20500; (202) 456-1414; (comments): (202) 456-1111

Gov. Laura Kelly,

US nuclear physicist Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967), director of the Los Alamos atomic laboratory, testifying before the Special Senate Committee on Atomic Energy. KEYSTONE/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Honor: Register stalwarts named to Newspaper HOF

Continued from A1

June 6, 1944 Normandy Invasion.

In 2000, Johnson won the first Kansas Farm Bureau Golden Wheat Award for reporting on agriculture.

In 2019, he was honored with the Gaston Outstanding Mentor Award.

During his tenure, Angelo Scott, Emerson Lynn and Susan Lynn served as publishers.

OTHER THAN as a high school and college staffer, Lynn officially began at the Register in 2000 and became editor and publisher in 2001. For 13 of those years,

she worked alongside her father, Emerson Lynn.

“When he died in 2013, I realized all those years he was grooming

me for that eventuality. And sure enough, the newspaper continues to thrive,” she said.

In 2018, Lynn’s son, Tim Stauffer, and his wife, Violeta, joined the Register staff, as managing editor and marketing director, respectively.

“Like my dad, my goal is to keep the paper healthy for future generations,” Lynn said. “Though the industry challenges seem far greater today, so is our purpose. Keeping people in the know is what weaves the fabric of a community. We are fact-checkers and observers. Promoters and consolers.

“And yes, at times, it is our duty to stir the fire in everyone’s belly, believing only an empowered society can best serve.”

To her immense pride, the Register staff has garnered the Sweep-

stakes Award for the last five years in the annual Awards of Excellence competition sponsored by the Kansas Press Association. The entries include both news and advertising categories. The competitions are judged by peers in other states. This year’s

was judged by Missouri journalists. She is a fourth-generation publisher. The Register was founded in 1867 by Charles F. Scott, after which his son Angelo C. Scott took the reins and then Emerson Lynn. Emerson was Angelo’s nephew.

Women across the U.S. face a heightened risk of pregnancy-related complications in recent years. GETTY IMAGES VIA KANSAS REFLECTOR

Births: Kansas rate drops

Continued from A1

years of work in the field.

“I can tell you for the first time, I am hearing people are afraid of childbirth,” Bandy said. “And I have never heard that before. They appear to be perfectly healthy, young women that are contemplating having birth and they’re actually worried about their safety. And I think the national conversation about maternal mortality, moms dying in childbirth, the complications, many of them are very public.”

“It gets the public’s attention,” Bandy added. “I’m hearing this from women of all races, but predominantly women of color.”

Women across the U.S. face a heightened risk of dying from pregnancy or pregnancy-related complications in recent years, a study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and Mass General Brigham found.

Researchers in the study conducted a state-by-state analysis of maternal deaths rates for 1999-2019 and found Kansas experienced some of the nation’s largest spikes in terms of American Indian and Alaska Native populations, and had consistently high risk levels for Black mothers.

The study also found Black mothers in the state had higher death rates than the surrounding states in many of the years studied. In 2019, Black women were more than twice as likely to

die from pregnancy-related causes in Kansas as in Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado.

Bandy said child care and parental leave also were important factors for potential parents.

Kansas currently faces a child care shortage.

“We don’t make it easy to be a parent, especially a parent with a newborn,” Bandy said. “If you survive childbirth, then having to manage and navigate that return to work when maybe you don’t have any paid leave.”

Kansas follows a national trend of declining birth rates as access to contraception improved, more women entered the workforce and concerns rose over high costs of childrearing amid inflation. The COVID-19 pandemic also has been an ongoing factor.

A preliminary analysis of 2022 birth records by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found the country’s 2022

birth rate remained below pre-pandemic levels, though the numbers were roughly equivalent to 2021 figures.

Overall, there were 3,661,220 recorded U.S. births in 2022, a “nonsignificant decline” from 2021’s 3,664,292 recorded births, with a general fertility rate of 56.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

Sarah Hayford, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University who studies national birth rate trends, said U.S. birth rates had been declining since the great recession of 2008.

Hayford said economic instability was a factor in the low rates.

“Everybody who studied these issues kind of thought that after the recession was over, birth rates would go back up and sort of come back to more the levels that they have been,” Hayford said. “And we’ve just never seen that rebound from after the Great Recession and birth rates have continued to decline.”

50-75%

50-75%

Former Iola Register reporter Bob Johnson speaks with Register owner Susan Lynn after Johnson received the Gaston Outstanding Mentor Award from the Kansas Press Association in 2019. Both Johnson and Lynn are 2023 inductees into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Sports Daily B

Chanute’s

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

Chanute native Tyler Davis is winding down another successful and speedy season at Humboldt Speedway.

The 21-year-old Davis sits in third place for the season in the Extrusions Inc. Midwest Modifieds standings, with two races remaining in 2023.

He has secured one victory and eight top-five finishes in his 11 races.

Davis began racing in 2017, and eventually moved up to the B-mods division in 2020 and the A-mods one year later.

“I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable in the car throughout the years,” said Davis. “Dad was pretty hard on me there to start and I didn’t know exactly how to

Davis

tell him what I was feeling in the car. I’ve made improvements throughout the years.

It’s the little things that need big communication with the pit crew. You have to understand each other.”

Friday, August 4, 2023

turns heads on race track

generation involved.

“Everybody starts out somewhere,” he said. “I was that kid always at the race track with Dad and I always thought I’d like to do that someday.

“Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone turn you down,” he said. “Anything is possible and if you have the will to do it, you’ll be successful.”

There’s much more to racing than showing up each Friday evening, he noted.

Davis also credits his other family members who comprise his pit crew, as well as mentor Corky VanGotten.

“There’s never a time where I feel like I’m alone in this deal,” he said. “I always have an army of people behind me and our sponsors are amazing. We couldn’t do this without them. A driver can love it but if his family doesn’t love it, what’s the point of it? We love racing and during the racing season we’re in the race shop, working on the car all the time.”

His father, Jimmie, raced from 2008 into 2017, before handing the reins to Tyler.

“Humboldt is by far one of my favorite tracks to race,”

said Davis. “You never know what the track is going to do each night, which makes it interesting, and the competition at Humboldt is the best around. If you can run up front in Humboldt, you can run up front anywhere.”

Davis has racked up 832 points this season, trailing Blake Sutton of Gas and Matthew Kay of Chanute.

Only 13 points separate the top three drivers.

AS ONE of the youngest drivers on the circuit, Davis stressed the importance of getting kids interested in racing at a young age. He appreciates Kids Night promotions to keep the younger

Davis is usually in the garage Saturday morning to do repairs from the previous night’s races. From there, he focuses on oil changes and other tasks by Monday.

Practice sessions follow throughout the week.

“We were able to pick up the win last year and going into this year, I didn’t really have any plans to contend for the points championship,” he said. “Just the way the price is of things today, it’s hard to keep your equipment top notch every week. It’s tough at Humboldt, anyone in the top-five at the end of the race has a chance to win it.”

Davis works at Zimmerman Electric in Chanute.

Following Friday’s race, the points season concludes Aug. 11.

Big Ten talking more expansion

move last week.

By RALPH D. RUSSO The Associated Press

A group of Big Ten presidents has begun discussing the possibility of adding more West Coast schools to the conference if the Pac-12 continues to crumble, two people familiar with the conversations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Oregon and Washington would be the primary targets if the conference decided to make a move, one of the people said.

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi. MATIAS J. OCNER/MIAMI HERALD

Messi has third straight match with goal for Inter Miami

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

(AP) — Lionel Messi continues to add goals in bunches while still adapting to a new team.

Messi scored in his third straight game and had his second consecutive multigoal performance for Inter Miami in a 3-1 victory over Orlando City on Wednesday night.

“Something I said early on when we started, with him the most difficult things have become easier,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said. “But we are talking about a player that at the highest level of competition scores 40 goals a season.”

The Leagues Cup Round of 32 match was delayed 95 minutes because of thunderstorms.

Messi scored seven minutes into the match then

added a second strike in the 72nd minute. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has five goals in three games since his highly-anticipated MLS debut July 21.

As he eluded the Orlando City backline, Messi stopped a pass from Robert Taylor on his chest, dribbled a couple of yards near the edge of the 6-yard box and converted a shot that landed under the crossbar.

The goal gave Inter Miami a 1-0 lead before Orlando tied it 11 minutes later.

Messi struck again when he received a centering pass from Josef Martinez and flicked a right-footed shot inside the left post and put Inter Miami ahead 3-1.

“It is not illogical to think that he has scored five goals in three matches,” Martino said. “Sometimes I feel we

See MESSI | Page B6

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conversations were preliminary and the Big Ten was not going public with its internal deliberations.

Yahoo Sports first reported the Big Ten was exploring the potential of adding more Pac-12 schools. The Pac-12 is down to nine schools seemingly committed beyond this year, with Southern California and UCLA heading to the Big Ten in 2024 to make it a 16-team, coast-to-coast conference. Colorado is leaving the Pac12 for the Big 12 next year, too. Colorado announced its

The Pac-12 is hoping to keep its remaining members together with a media rights deal that would make Apple TV the conference’s primary home, ESPN reported Tuesday. The deal might not be enough to prevent more defections to the Big 12, with the remaining schools in the Four Corners region, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, the prime targets.

The Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees both of the state’s Pac-12 schools, scheduled a meeting for

See NCAA | Page B6

Women’s World Cup stars juggle parenthood and playing for world

By ANNE M. PETERSON The Associated Press

Alex Morgan was speaking to reporters at the Women’s World Cup when she had to excuse herself to Facetime her young daughter before the toddler’s bedtime back home in the United States.

Just another day for a working mom. Forget about orange slices, players such as Morgan, Katrina Gorry of Australia and Cheyna Matthews of Jamaica are redefining what it means to be a “soccer mom.”

There have been plenty of elite athletes who have also juggled parenthood, but the

level of support the mothers are receiving while on the job at the Women’s World Cup is improving.

Morgan’s daughter, Charlie, has now joined her mother at the World Cup as the United States prepares for a Round of 16 match against Sweden on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia.

Morgan has been reflective about being both a parent and a player at soccer’s biggest international tournament. In 2019, when the United States won its second straight World Cup trophy and fourth overall, now 3-year-old Charlie hadn’t even been born.

Now that the American star has a daughter, she’s had to balance her job with trying to lead the United States to an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title. “I have become a little bit more patient with my daughter and in life in general. But I think the biggest thing about it is that I get to bring my daughter with me. On all of these trips, I get to show her what mom does and surround her by just so many strong and confident women,” Morgan said.

There are three moms on the U.S. team: Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Julie Ertz.

See MOTHERS | Page B6

Tyler Davis in his 01 Midwest Modified car at Humboldt Speedway. COURTESY PHOTO

Chanute’s Tyler Davis, holds a trophy, while surrounded by family and friends in Humboldt. COURTESY PHOTO

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Extreme heat in Phoenix is withering some of its famed saguaro cactuses

PHOENIX (AP) — After recording the warmest monthly average temperature for any U.S. city ever in July, Phoenix climbed back up to dangerously high temperatures Wednesday. That could mean trouble not just for people but for some plants, too.

Residents across the sprawling metro are finding the extended extreme heat has led to fried flora, and have shared photos and video of their damaged cactuses with the Desert Botanical Garden. Nurseries and landscapers are inundated with requests for help with saguaros or fruit trees that are losing leaves.

Phones have been “ringing nonstop” about everything from a cactus to a citrus tree or ficus, said Sophia Booth, a landscape designer at Moon Valley Nursery, which has nearly a dozen locations across the Phoenix suburbs.

“A lot of people are calling and saying their cactus is yellowing really hard, fell over or like

broken arms, that sort of thing,” Booth said. “Twenty-year-old trees are losing all their leaves, or they’re turning a crisp brown.”

She advises people to give water and specialty fertilizer to a distressed tree or plant every other day and not to trim them.

At the Desert Botanical Garden, three of the treasured institution’s more than 1,000 saguaro cactuses have toppled over or lost an arm in the last week, a rate that officials there say is highly unusual.

These saguaros, a towering trademark of the Sonoran Desert landscape, were already stressed from recordbreaking heat three years ago, and this summer’s historic heat — the average temperature in Phoenix last month was 102.7 degrees Fahrenheit — turned out to be the cactus needle that broke the camel’s back.

“Since 2020, we have had elevated mortality in our population of saguaros compared to mortal-

ity rates pre-2020,” said Kimberlie McCue, the garden’s chief science officer. “So part of our thinking is that there are still saguaros today that were compromised from what they went through in 2020. And that this could be sending them over the edge.”

Saguaros can live up to 200 years and grow as tall as 40 feet. Some in the Desert Botanical Garden date beyond its opening 85 years ago, and the largest there measure almost 30 feet, according to McCue.

People commonly assume that cactuses are made to endure scorching heat, but even they can have their limits, McCue said. It wasn’t just this summer’s 31day streak of highs at or above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but also the multiple nights when the low never dipped below 90 degrees. Nighttime is when cactuses open their pores to get rid of retained water and take in carbon dioxide, she explained.

3 x 8” ad

Note: This inter view took place before the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike.

Q: With all of your other activities, including your weekday co-host role on “Good Morning America,” how much of a time commitment is hosting “The $100,000 Pyramid” for you?

A: It’s a lot of work. We shot this whole season in four or five days, and it was just as much fun as ever, but we’re doing six shows a day. The great thing is that the energy is always high, and the enthusiasm is there in each show We have a great crew and great celebrities, so if ever yone comes in with the right attitude, it flies by. You suddenly look up and say, “Oh! We’re done for the day?” Granted, that’s at 8 or 9 at night, but you just don’t realize it because ever ybody’s having a good time.

Q: “The $100,000 Pyramid” typically is a summer show for ABC, but has there been any discussion with you of it airing during the regular television season?

A: We still have some episodes from last year that have not aired, on top of the ones we’ve done this year, so we do have enough that we could put the show on then.

Q: Hosts of other game shows have been contestants on “The $100,000 Pyramid.” Do you have a desire to be a contestant on some other games?

A: Ooooohhhh … well, no. With something like “The Chase,” that would be over before you knew it. That would run me down in a hear tbeat, but I love game shows. They’ve asked me to go on “Celebrity Family Feud” a few times, and we’ve never made that happen. I think I’m too scared, unbelievably. Those people will come on my show, but I’m too scared to go on theirs.

Why can’t my friend act like me?

Dear Carolyn: I can’t seem to take what my friends want to give me (or not) without weighing what I have given them. And I am unduly depressed if they don’t measure up.

Recently, a friend had a serious illness. I sent her a gift and checked in on her occasionally. Subsequently, I had a serious illness, and she never even called. As a result, I obsess over her lack of attention, and I want to end the relationship.

I know this is selfdefeating behavior, but I don’t know how to overlook what I regard as being slighted. — Too Demanding

Too Demanding: You don’t want everyone on Earth to be you, right? Same interests, same knowledge, same values, same responses to the same stimuli? Besides being incredibly creepy (nothing personal), that world would be achingly dull (nothing personal). No hurt feelings, maybe,

Carolyn Hax

but no surprises, either, and nothing to learn from anyone.

This is an obvious thing to observe and agree with, I assume.

Yet on an almost daily basis, I read mail from people very upset that others aren’t acting the way they themselves would act in a certain situation. You are hardly alone in your distress.

So my advice is to apply the lessons of my unoriginal global observation to the grainy business of getting along with the people in your life. You respond to sick friends with gifts and occasional checkins, which is lovely. Some friends will think gifts and check-ins are annoying, though, and will tend the sick person’s garden instead, or take their recycling bins to and from the

Public notice

(Published

street. Some will care that you’re sick and intend to call but get sidetracked by a different urgent concern. Some run and hide because sickness freaks them out.

These different, pretty typical hypotheticals are all friends, remember, which means they chose each other for some reason or another. Unless the only reason you have friends is to get gifts and occasional check-ins when you’re sick, you value things about each of your friends independent of their caregiving skills.

This is where you can defeat your self-defeating impulses. Throw away your measuring system of comparing a friend’s actions with your own behavior, and instead, say out loud, “My friends are not me.” Write down what a given friend and that friendship have brought you.

Out loud, pen and paper, I mean it: Conversation, companionship, laughs, a place

to go on Fridays, patient sympathy, impatience that knocks you out of your ruts. Access to a great community you wouldn’t otherwise know. Openness to long talks one-onone. Loyalty. An exercise partner, a bottomless source of good book recommendations. Fresh perspectives, rides when you need them, someone who never gets upset when you say the wrong thing. Someone who will die with your secrets. We seek out whomever we need to get what we need. When you’re feeling doubts and disappointment, you can choose to override those feelings with trust in your competence at building your friend network. It’s always going to be a work in progress, build and rebuild, but it’s okay to step back sometimes to review and even admire your work. You chose that friend who ignored your illness! Because you appreciated her X, Y and Z. Recognizing what you value in people, even as you reassess and refine your expectations along the way, is a selfaffirming act.

Walker

by Patrick McDonell

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

MUTTS

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

by Chance Browne

Ragans pitches Royals past Mets for fifth straight win

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(AP) — Cole Ragans pitched out of trouble for six spotless innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets 4-0 on Wednesday night for their fifth consecutive victory, extending their longest winning streak in more than two years.

Michael Massey hit a two-run double off rookie Kodai Senga in the first. Drew Waters homered late and threw out a runner at the plate from right field.

Called up from the minors earlier in the

day, Ragans (3-3) struck out a career-best eight in his first win with the Royals.

“I felt like I kept them off balance a little bit,” Ragans said. “I was throwing the changeup and the slider for strikes, so it helped me out when I did miss with the fastball. I felt like they had to honor everything else, so they couldn’t just sit on a fastball over the plate.”

The left-hander allowed seven hits and walked one in his second start for Kansas City since being acquired

June 30 from Texas.

“He’s got good stuff,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s a very smooth delivery. It’s just easy velocity. The slider looks like it’s sharper than it was his first start.”

Maikel Garcia had three singles as Kansas City extended its best winning streak since taking six straight games in July 2021.

“Part of this whole process is learning how to win,” Massey said. “Individual development of trying to figure the league out, and then

as a team learning how to go out there and win.”

The Royals ripped Senga for six hits over the first two innings, building a 3-0 lead, as a light rain fell early in the game. Senga (7-6) worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on a career-high 11 hits and two walks. He struck out six.

“I think some of his velocity was down,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “It was really sticky. When it started raining, everything was sticking to his spikes. He couldn’t

Messi: On scoring parade to kickstart MLS play

in the 21st minute.

Continued from B1

get his spikes in the ground. It was really remarkable that he was able to survive there. A real tribute, a testament to his ability to keep competing.”

Massey’s two-out, two-run double off the right-field wall opened the scoring. Kansas City added another run in the second on three consecutive singles, capped by Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single off Senga. “I feel like we jumped on him a lot,” Massey said. “Maikel set the tone and Bobby (had) two hard-hit balls

right away. Just a really good plan from coaches, and (we) picked up some stuff from video that we were watching all day, and put some good swings on him.” Waters threw out Mark Vientos at the plate in the sixth to preserve the shutout, then added a solo homer in the eighth.

“I didn’t have much of a grip,” Waters said. “At first I thought I was going to throw it in the stands, and it cut about 10 feet, right back to (catcher) Salvy (Perez).”

NCAA: Expansion

Martino also was quick to indicate how the second strike Wednesday came from Messi’s right foot instead of the celebrated left foot that has scored from various angles in different situations.

“He’s been doing the same for 17-18 years,” Martino said. “He said he was coming here to

compete and win. He is fulfilling what he said.”

The win advances Inter Miami to the tournament Round of 16 against Dallas FC.

Inter Miami also had a scare early in the second half when Orlando’s Mauricio Pereyra collided with Messi. Messi remained on the ground, favoring his jaw for a couple of minutes.

Messi received his first yellow card with Inter Miami after he was cited for a hard foul

Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba made his Inter Miami debut when he entered the match in the 64th minute.

The game was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but didn’t begin on time because of the storms.

Messi and his Inter Miami teammates appeared on the DRV PNK Stadium field for warmups 45 minutes before the scheduled start. The heavy rains began approximately 20 min-

utes later. After stadium crew drained water puddles around mid-field, Messi and his teammates re-appeared for a second round of pregame warm-ups.

Continued from B1 overdo it coming up with greater adjectives. It just comes down to talking about the best player in the world.”

Messi has not dealt with inclement weather in his first two Leagues Cup matches since joining the MLS club. He scored the game-winning goal against Cruz Azul and added two goals in a victory over Atlanta United.

Mothers: of World Cup shining bright

Continued from B1

er moms at this World Cup include Konya Plummer of Jamaica, Amel Majri of France, Vanina Correa of Argentina and Melanie Leuopolz of Germany.

Morgan, Ertz and Dunn have all become mothers since winning the World Cup in 2019, and all three are benefitting from the battles that prior players fought to make sure that moms — and their kids — were supported while representing the United States abroad.

The U.S. women have enjoyed subsidized child care at tournaments for 25 years, but now, thanks to collective bargaining agreements that were struck last year with U.S. Soccer, the men have it, too. Those agreements guaranteed that both national teams were paid equally and received similar benefits.

“It was important to us and to the women that everything was equal, and we were very transparent about that,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner, who brought his wife and son to the men’s World Cup in Qatar late last year. “We’re going to take advantage of the different benefits that the other team might have had.”

Majri is the mother of a 1-year old daughter, Maryam, who accompanied her to a training camp in April. Her daughter’s presence was supported by French coach Herve Renard.

“There needs to be organized facilities, with a nanny. It won’t affect the team, and psychologically speaking, it’s very important. In order for her to have peace of mind and to perform well, the two need to be associated,” Renard

said. “There is progress to be made in terms of assistance. We’re going to manage what they do in the USA. Maybe one day we’ll end up with four or five kids among us, and if things run smoothly, it won’t be an issue.”

In 2020, FIFA adopted rules to protect women who choose to become parents, including mandatory maternity leave of at least 14 weeks, and continued pay at a minimum of two-thirds of their salary. The rules also require clubs to make sure women are reintegrated after childbirth and that they have necessary medical support.

“No female player should ever suffer a disadvantage as a result of becoming pregnant, thus securing greater employment protection for women in football,” FIFA said in announcing the new rules.

While all of the Americans have their kids with them at the World Cup, others choose to

leave them at home.

“Being a mom and leaving them at home is hard, but it is obviously a personal decision to be here. They are enjoying it from home, they didn’t ask to come,” said Correa, Argentina’s goalkeeper, and the mother of twins. “They have told me they are proud that I’m here. I know they are with me and it gives me the energy and drive to be here.”

Moms at the World Cup are helping show that parenting and soccer can mix, but some are slow to catch on. A television commentator came under fire for his comments about Gorry, who had IVF treatments and gave birth to her daughter, Harper, in 2021.

“Certainly motherhood has not blunted her competitive instincts, that’s for sure,” the Australian broadcaster said during the Matlidas’ tournament-opener against Ireland.

Ertz gave birth to son, Madden, last year and worked hard to get back in time for the World Cup. It was tough for Ertz because she had not played for the team since the 2021 Olympics because of injuries and her pregnancy.

“I think the truth is, I had no idea what my timeline was going to be where typically, like, obviously, pregnancy changes for your body changes it for so long versus like an injury, which usually has a timeline,” she said.

Madden has a village caring for him at the World Cup, including his dad, Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz — and of course all his `aunts’ on the U.S. team.

“Like anything else in life, you figure it out, and we’re doing it together as a family,” Julie Ertz said. “It’s just a really cool opportunity to be able to share with them.”

Thursday evening.

The meeting is set to almost immediately go into executive session with no public viewing.

On the agenda posted Wednesday night is listed is a “review of assignments for Arizona State University President Michael Crow and the University of Arizona President Robert Robbins,” and “possible legal advice and discussion regarding university athletics.”

USC’s and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten, announced in June 2022, were the first blows to send the Pac12 reeling into uncertainty over the past year.

The Big Ten vetted Pac-12 members Oregon, Washington, Stanford and California while maneuvering to add the Los Angeles schools, another person who was involved in that process told the AP.

While former Commissioner Kevin Warren kept the idea of more Western expansion alive in the Big Ten, a change of leadership seemed to cool down a desire for more growth in the league.

New Commissioner Tony Petitti said during Big Ten football media days that expansion was not a priority.

“The Big Ten Conference is still focused on integration of USC and UCLA, but it’s also the commissioner’s job to keep chancellors and presidents informed about new

developments as they occur,” the Big Ten said in a statement Wednesday.

The Big Ten has been reluctant to add more schools because they won’t increase the value of the seven-year, $7 billion media rights deals with Fox, CBS and NBC that begin this season.

Expansion into the Northwest could provide some increased value to the Big Ten Network, one of the people familiar with the situation said.

Annual payouts by the conference to Big Ten schools through the length of those deals are projected to reach over $60 million in just television revenue. Total conference payouts could reach $90 million per year.

By comparison, the Big 12’s recently agreed to extension with Fox and ESPN is projected to pay its members about $32 million annually.

Any additional Big Ten expansion could not come at the expense of current member payouts, one of the people familiar with the situation said.

“It would definitely be a considerable reduction from the current rate,” the person said.

But even a reduced payout from the Big Ten could top what the Pac-12 schools are likely to receive from their current conference under the Apple TV deal or what’s available in the Big 12.