Omar King USA TODAY Thursday 20240613

The FAFSA rollout for federal financial aid has been problematic, particularly for low-income students. Delays and technical issues with the form have resulted in a decline in completed applications, with economically disadvantaged students being the most affected. Efforts to streamline the process have backfired, causing outages and delays. The disparity in completion rates between low-income and high-income schools highlights the need for improved access to financial aid. While the education department has addressed some of the issues, the overall rates are still worse than last year. Advocates are concerned that the FAFSA mishap will widen the equity gap. The impact has been felt most in low-income schools, which have fewer resources to catch up. The completion rates vary across states, with the most rural and impoverished states experiencing the steepest declines. Lack of resources and limited college access in remote areas contribute to the disparities. The FAFSA issues have cause This program is intended for a print and paired audience and is brought to you by the Georgia Radio Reading Service, GARS. Welcome to our reading of the USA Today. I'm Omar King for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Today is Thursday, June 13th, 2024. Our first article comes to us from the front page. FAFSA debacle hits some harder. Low-income students affected most by Cecilia Garzella and Suhail Bhatt of the USA Today. Students who needed aid the most were among the hardest hit after the education department bungled the rollout of the new federal financial aid form known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. A new U.S. Today analysis shows delays and technical problems with the form have left many economically disadvantaged students scrambling for financial aid, jeopardizing their college aspirations. The analysis, which combined FAFSA completion date with the school and district level demographics information, revealed a sharper decline in process applications in which a student's information was successfully reviewed and sent to colleges for financial aid consideration among schools with high percentage of economically disadvantaged students compared with their counterparts in high-income schools. Congressional action in December 2020 aimed to streamline the FAFSA process by introducing changes like reducing the number of questions and facilitating the electronic transfer of income information from IRS records. But those efforts backfired. As soon as the form became available to students on December 30, 2023, reports of outages, delays emerged. Compounding the glitches, the education department had already postponed the release of the application from its typical October 1 date, cutting the time students had to submit their applications by three months compared with previous years. In March, when the FAFSA issues were worse, schools serving the lowest-income students experienced a larger decrease in the number of applications completed. Specifically, there was a 48% drop in process applications for these schools. Meanwhile, schools with a high-income student body saw only a 34% drop nationwide. The overall decrease was 40%. The 14-point difference between the lowest and highest-income schools underscores a significant disparity in how many students and from which backgrounds ultimately get connected with federal financial aid, experts said. While economically disadvantaged students are the ones most in need of financial aid, they have historically had the lowest FAFSA completion rates, said Bill DeBond, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives at the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit organization that promotes college access and success. The latest data, as of May 24, showed that the disparity has narrowed as the education department addressed some of the problems with the form and accelerated application processing in April and May. The education department says more than 10 million FAFSA forms have been submitted to date, and the agency is processing them in one to three days. James Cavall, the education undersecretary, told USA Today last month that any student who still hasn't submitted their form should complete it as soon as possible. Nonetheless, the overall rates are still worse than last year, and the disparate impact on low-income students in the initial months of the rollout remains a concern for families, educators, and policymakers, especially considering that the path to college education heavily depends on financial aid packages. The fact that several institutions were unable to make these determinations in March and April would have a disproportionate impact on the enrollment numbers of low-income students, said Emmanuel Gillory, Senior Government Relations Director at the American Council on Education. They need to know what kind of aid can you offer me because I don't have the luxury of depending on family wealth," Gillory said, voicing the concern of low-income students seeking financial aid. Another concern is whether the FAFSA mishap will further widen the equity gap, essentially reversing progress made in recent years, advocates and experts say. Last month, the American Council on Education and 35 other higher education groups sent a letter to Congress asking them to undertake a long-term assessment of the FAFSA delays impacts on students, particularly low-income students and institutions. Everybody's far behind, but the schools and districts that are the furthest behind are lower income, said Ellie Bruecker, Director of Research at the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit group that advocates for affordable education. They also tend to be serving higher proportions of students of color. When USA Today compared the lowest-income schools with the highest-income schools, the difference in average completion rates were 13 points this year. Last year, it was 11 points. It is perfectly logical to me that they would be further behind because they're working with fewer resources to try to get caught up, Bruecker said, referring to low-income schools. It's really unfortunate, but not unexpected, that we would see that pattern because we have not corrected for those resource gaps. So do I even get to go to college? Jesse Johnson will be the first in his family to go to college. He plans to study radiology at Northern Kentucky University this fall, but for months, the fast-forward rollout debacle threatened that prospect. The 18-year-old Northeastern Kentucky student was afraid that his financial aid application wouldn't be processed in time to cover his college costs. He started to doubt his future. Do I even get to go to college, Johnson said. That nagging question swung back and forth in his head for months. I was on pins and needles the whole time because I didn't think I'd be able to go, he told USA Today. Johnson first tried submitting his FAFSA in early January, but it took months for the Federal Student Aid Office to process his mother's social security number, a common issue reported by applicants. He then had to redo the entire application toward the end of March after submitting it for the wrong school year. By that time, Johnson was on the edge of foregoing his college plans. April came around and I'm like, okay, I need to make a decision on where I'm going, and FAFSA still ain't done, he said. His aid offer didn't arrive until mid-May, and when it came, he said it was a big relief. Johnson is a recent graduate of Augusta Independent School, where his mother works in the cafeteria. His father works at a local mill. It has been a long climb out of the deep hole for FAFSA submission and completions this cycle, DeBond said. At the end of March, the number of completion applications was down by about 40% from a year ago, FAFSA completion data showed. The figures have improved since then, but as of May 24, the number of applications completed was still down by more than 14% from the same period last year. According to the federal data, Augusta Independent in Bracken County, Kentucky serves students from low-income families, with over two-thirds of its student body considered economically disadvantaged. As of last week, the Education Department processed 14 applications submitted out of the school's 19 seniors. In rural Falmouth, Kentucky, a few dozen miles from the Augusta Independent Pendleton County High School had only half of the applications processed compared to last year. There are other standouts, too. For example, at Provine High School in Jackson, Mississippi, a majority black school completed applications were down 41%, while across the border in Nashville, Tennessee, at Hillwood High has 70% fewer completions. Turtle Mountain Community High School in Belcourt, North Dakota, has 68 fewer completions. The school, which serves indigenous students, has the biggest drop in the state and is among the schools hurt the most nationwide. A majority of students in these schools are from low-income families. Once the FAFSA hiccups were fixed, higher-income districts really got a move on, completing applications while the climb was steeper for lower-income districts, Broecker said. What states are the most behind? From 2% in Indiana to 22% in Alabama, the drops in FAFSA completions vary across states, but the worst-hit states are the most rural and impoverished. USA Today's analysis found so far no state has matched last year's numbers, with Alabama and Mississippi reporting the steepest declines. The other laggards are West Virginia, New Mexico, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona, Maine, and Kentucky. You traditionally have low-income, very low-income folk, which mainly reside in poor rural areas. Since we're a high-rural state, and they're going to be far more impacted in more ways than one, said Aaron Thompson, president of the Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education. It was much more of a sprint than last year, than a marathon, said Dave Sobosh, director of the Research and Policy at the Florida College Access Network, a statewide organization that promotes post-secondary education. The organization estimates that $363 million in need-based financial aid has been left on the table this year for eligible students in the state. After this year's rollout glitches, the organization pivoted its efforts towards helping students apply for summer school aid, Sobosh said. Experts outlined several reasons for the disparities in completion rates among states, pointing primarily to lack of resources at the low-income schools and limited college access in remote areas. Kim Welch, executive director at Gear Up Kentucky, explained that FAFSA process, particularly the new process, demands hands-on engagement with students and their families. Gear Up, a federally funded program designed to support high-poverty students with college aspirations, helped Jesse Johnson, the Augusta independent student in Kentucky, complete his FAFSA and navigate the glitches. When you don't have staffing resources or the capacity of an existing staff to support that, it impacts the rate at which our students and families with lower-income backgrounds can navigate the process. Welch said, adding, the process can be especially overwhelming for first-generation college students. The FAFSA difficulties come amid a nationwide decline in undergraduate enrollment among young Americans over the last decade, which still hasn't rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. As of USA Today, previously reported, the FAFSA troubles caused many students to fall through the cracks or opt against college altogether. It's likely we may see a decrease in enrollment, and it's likely that low-income students may be impacted more than high-income students, said Gil Laurie, the senior government relations director at the American Council on Education. Sobhash at the Florida College Access Network said that the state's tight labor market, in which more graduates are choosing work over college, is also lowering college-going rates. A recent report by the Heloise Education Foundation shows that Floridian graduates entering the workforce directly out of high school rose by 10 points between 2010 and 2019. In the same period, overall post-secondary enrollments declined from 64% to 56%. So, review of Student Aid Office. The Federal Student Aid Office has faced significant pressure to resolve FAFSA issues, including letters from senators and representatives on the education committees. Last month, three dozen higher education associations called the delays debilitating in one such letter. In February, over a dozen U.S. citizens, including Charles Grassley and Tom Tillis, sent a letter to Education Secretary McGill Cardona expressing concerns about the FAFSA rollout's impact on farm and small business families. They criticized the department for botching the launch and for delaying the release past October 1st. Several more letters were sent to Cardona by the members of Congress in May, urging the secretary to resolve FAFSA issues for the next school year. The letter from U.S. representatives from Oregon said, We continue to hear of significant problems with the application process that threaten to permanently affect the college ambitions of young people. Amid the scrutiny, the top Education Department official overseeing FAFSA, Richard Caudre, announced that he will step down by the end of this month. All this pressure led the Biden administration to commission an independent review of the Federal Student Aid Office announced last month. Meanwhile, several colleges have extended their deadlines for students to commit to enroll. Kentucky Council of Post-Secondary Education's Thompson said that FAFSA delays come amid a widespread skepticism about college value. The delays are not just going to affect how low-income families, but also many of our working-class families. There's this whole lot of philosophy out there that college is not worth it. So I would argue that it's bigger than just whether our low-income families are getting any money, Thompson said. The article includes a bar chart that shows the change in FAFSA completion from 2023 to 2024, and it also shows that the percentage of students with free and reduced lunch are the most affected, with a negative 48% drop in FAFSAs completed. That was the FAFSA debacle hit some harder. Analysis, low-income students affected most by Cecilia Garzella and Suhail Bhatt of the USA Today. Our next story comes to us from the money section of the USA Today. Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady, Sees Fewer Cuts, Forecasts Scaled Back Despite Slowing Inflation by Paul Davison, Daniel Devise, Medora Lee, Jim Sargent, and Bailey Schultz of the USA Today. From Washington, the Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged again Wednesday and scaled back its forecast for three rate cuts to just one this year after an inflation pickup in early 2024. The outlook will likely disappoint markets that figured the Fed would pencil in two cuts after an encouraging report early Wednesday showed inflation showing more than expected. The Fed's decision leaves its benchmarked short-term interest rate at a 23-year high of 5.25% to 5.5%. That means Americans will keep paying high mortgage, credit card, and auto loan rates, but will continue to benefit from more generous bank savings yields. The central bank acknowledged a resumption of at least some gains in its battle to tame the inflation that had bedeviled Americans for three years, but at news conferences following the two-day meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said, We want to see more good data to bolster our confidence that inflation is moving substantially towards 2%, the central bank's goal. Inflation was essentially flat in May, defying fears of an overheated economy and bolstering the view that a gradual moderation has resumed. Though rent, the chief inflation driver, kept rising, auto insurance, which had been surging, dipped, and airline fares fell 3.6%. A core price measure that excludes volatile food and energy items rose 0.2%, nudging down the annual increase to 3.4% from 3.6% the previous month, according to the Consumer Price Index. After hitting a 40-year high of 9.1% in mid-2022, annual inflation eased significantly last year. Progress stalled early this year. In April, inflation showed signs of softening again, but at a slower pace. Wednesday's CPI report showed the pullback gathered force last month. We see today's report as progress and building confidence, Powell said. This is a step in the right direction. But it really is only one reading, he added. We hope we get more like it. Forecasting the future? Officials now estimate they'll lower the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 5% to 5.25% by year's end, according to their median estimate. That's equivalent to one quarter point cut, fewer than the three decreases projected in March. Most economists expect the first cut in September. Policymakers are divided, though, with eight predicting two cuts this year, seven foreseeing two, and four looking for none, suggesting the median could change depending on how inflation evolves in coming months. Officials expect four rate cuts next year and another four in 2026, more than they previously anticipated. That would lower the key rate to 3.1% by the end of 2026, in line with their March estimate. Rate cuts lower borrowing costs for consumers, stimulating the economy and juice the stock market. In recent weeks, Fed officials have said that they can be cautious as they wait lowering rates because inflation is still too high and the economy and job market are performing solidly despite nascent signs of a slowdown. Since March 2022, the central bank has hiked the federal funds rate 11 times, from near zero to a corral of pandemic-induced inflation spike. It has left the rate unchanged since last July. Fed officials estimate that their preferred measure of annual inflation, the Personal Consumption Expenditure Index, will fall from 2.7% to 2.6% by December, above the 2.4% they predicted in March. A core PCE inflation reading that the Fed watches more closely is expected to hold steady at 2.8% by the end of the year, above the prior 2.6% estimate. Both overall inflation and the core measure are projected to fall to 2.3% by the end of 2025. On Wednesday, the Fed said it expects the economy to grow 2.1% this year, similar to its prior estimate. It predicts 2% growth in 2025. The economy grew a sturdy 3.1% in 2023. The current 4% unemployment rate is projected to end 2024 unchanged, in line with the March forecast. The Fed's median estimate shows average yearly wage growth has tumbled to 4.1% from 5.9% in March 2022, but rose from 4% in April. The Fed wants pay increases to come down to 3.5%, to align with its 2% inflation target. The Fed meets next on July 30th and 31st. So what is the situation for borrowers? The Fed doesn't set rates on credit cards, mortgages, or car loans, but its decisions influence the rates consumers pay. Even with the Fed on hold, credit card interest rates are still climbing. The average annual percentage rate on a new card in June notched the biggest monthly increase since November, rising to 24.8%. Comparison site LendingTree said, the cavalry isn't coming anytime soon. So the best thing you can do is take things into your own hands when it comes to lowering credit card interest rates, said Matt Schultz, LendingTree credit analyst. Options include getting a credit card with 0% interest on balance transfers and purchases, consolidating debts with a low-interest personal loan, asking your card issuer for a lower rate, seeking credit counseling, and shopping around for the lowest rates and best deals. In housing, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.38% on June 7th. The average rate was 6.59% on the 15-year fixed rate mortgage. There's a good chance that we're going to need to get used to rates around 7% again, and at least until we start getting better economic news, said Jacob Chanel, senior economist at LendingTree. Unfortunately, this probably means that summer home buying season is going to be expensive and difficult. That shouldn't dissuade you from buying a home you love and can afford. If you spend too much time waiting for the perfect conditions to arise, you could end up letting a lot of good opportunities go to waste, he said. You can also refinance when rates drop, Exfer said. As for auto loans, borrower rates there are mostly based on factors like credit background, vehicle price, down payment, and the lender's borrowing costs and risk. Fed rate decisions have smaller effects. Still, these rates are high, too. In the first three months of the year, the average annual percentage rate was 7.1% from the new vehicles and 11.7% for used vehicles, car comparison site Edmund said. This has been our reading of Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady, Sees Fewer Cuts, Forecasts Scaled Back Despite Slowing Inflation by Paul Davidson, Daniel Devise, Medora Lee, and Jim Sargent, and Bailey Schultz of the USA Today. Our next story from the money section of the USA Today is titled, Feds Crack Down After Iowa Loosens Child Labor Rules by Kevin Baskins of the Des Moines Register via the USA Today Network. The Iowa Restaurant Association in 2023 held looser state regulations on teen workers as a boom for its members. Now, it's warning them to revert to following stricter federal regulations for workers under 16, saying regulators are cracking down and leveling heavy fines on establishments found to be out of compliance. In a June 7th weekly update emailed to its members and obtained by the Des Moines Register, part of the USA Today Network, the association warns that the Labor Department is out of full force across the state. They are taking massive punitive actions against Iowa restaurants who are following the new state youth employment hours instead of the federal regulation on hours. They do not recognize our new state law. We are encouraging people to revert to federal work hours for teens under the age of 16 at this time. In March 2023, top Labor Department lawyer Seema Nanda criticized child labor laws that states including Iowa were considering at the time and warned that the department has and will continue vigorously enforce child labor protections across the nation. Nanda didn't specifically name Iowa, but Jessica Dunker, president of the Iowa Restaurant Association on Tuesday, accused the Labor Department of targeting the state. Iowa's new law is less restrictive than the federal regulations on a number of counts, but Dunker said the main target of the enforcement push against the 2023 state rule changes passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in a provision concerning work hours for 14 and 15-year-olds. The Iowa law says they may work as late as 9 p.m. on a school night and as late as 11 p.m. during the summer, but federal law specifies they can only work until 7 p.m. during the school year and until 9 p.m. during the summer. Restaurant Association head says rules harm business. Dunker said the Labor Department's wage and hour division has conducted investigations at several Iowa restaurants and levied tens of thousands of dollars against those found to be violating the federal requirements. They are literally going to put people out of business for having 10th graders work until 9 p.m., she said. I mean, if compliance is the actual question, wouldn't you come in and say, hey, look, I know what your state laws say, but you need to go back to the federal regulation, and if you do that, we can come back in 30 days, and you are still doing this? We are going to fine you. That's not happening. They have picked on my board members. They have picked on my award winners. They have picked on people who are small, and they don't have attorneys at the ready. They are on a tour to prove a point. Dunker declined to name restaurants that had been inspected and fined and say how many there were, citing what she said is their fear of retaliation and their attempts to negotiate settlements. Labor Department says child labor enforcement is nationwide. The Labor Department denies singling out Iowa and confirmed it has taken enforcement action in Iowa, but says it is dealing with violations nationwide. While we have done several investigations resulting in child labor violations in Iowa, this problem is not unique to the state, it said in a prepared statement. The same violations are occurring nationwide, and we are doing everything we can to find violators and stop them. There have been reports of child labor enforcement actions in Texas, Pennsylvania, California, and North Carolina. The department said it is committed to enforcing child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some state child labor laws differ from the federal child labor provisions of the FLSA, where a state child labor law is less restrictive than a federal law. The federal law applies, the statement said, where a state child labor law is more restrictive than a federal law. That state law applies. The law that provides the greater protection to child is the law that prevails. It also pointed out that in 2023, it conducted more than 4,500 outreach events involving more than 450,000 participants to ensure businesses understand how to maintain compliance with federal law. The agency also has several online fact sheets, FAQs, and videos to help employers, workers, and parents stay in compliance with federal child labor laws. Law opponent, Labor Department warned it would enforce the law. Like most other Democrats and the Republican majority legislature, Iowa State Senator Nate Bolton of Des Moines opposed the law. He said the Labor Department had made its position clear last year in response to letters the Democrats sent it about the law. They put it plainly in the response to that inquiry to put people on notice that this would be the approach, and I think they are following through on their commitment to enforce federal protections on child labor, Bolton said. He said he was not surprised by the Iowa Restaurant Association's message advising members to adhere to the federal regulations, despite the association's earlier support for the changes in the state law. I think they have the duty to make sure their members are aware of the law and the consequences of legal violations, and I just wish they would have done that a year ago, he said. On its website, the Iowa Division of Labor listed changes that took effect July 1st, 2023 regarding the hours 14 and 15-year-olds could work under the new law. But at the bottom of the page, it states, employers are subject to both state and federal child labor laws. When there are differences, most follow the laws to give the most protection. Child labor bill sponsor says crackdown is politically motivated. State Representative Dave Deoy, who sponsored the child labor bill in 2023, says some of the changes regarding the numbers of hours a teenager is allowed to work could help both workers and the employers. Let's say you've got a 15-year-old working at a Dairy Queen, you know, and a Dairy Queen is open until 9 p.m. at night. So, they had to leave before the store was closed, and that made it very difficult to hire kids that age if they can only work for three or four hours after school, Deoy said. This allowed them to at least the opportunity to be able to work until later in the evening or a given night. Deoy said he believes the federal enforcement push is politically motivated. This has been a reading of Feds Crackdown After Iowa Loosens Child Labor Rules by Kevin Baskins of the Des Moines Register within the USA Today Network. From the sports section, basketball Hall of Famer dies at 86, USA Today. Jerry West, the high-scoring Hall of Famer, whose silhouette is used for the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning. The Los Angeles Clippers announced he was 86. West left his mark on the NBA as a player, coach, and team executive after entering the league in the 1960s. Known for his great jump shot, West was consistently one of the top scorers in the league every season he played. He led the NBA in 1969 with a 31.2 points per game average. He is fourth among retired players with a 27.03 career scoring average behind Michael Jordan, Will Chamberlain, and Elgin Baylor. But it was in the playoffs where West seemed to play his best. Four times he averaged more than 30 points per game in the postseason, his best being in 1965 when he averaged 40.6 points per game. He still holds the record for highest scoring average for a series when he scored 46.3 points per game against the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Division Finals. As good as he was in the playoffs, those also were the times of his biggest frustrations. West's Lakers played in the NBA Finals nine times, but won just once, in 1972 against the New York Knicks. They fell six times to the Boston Celtics in the 1960s with three of those losses in seven games. Probably the most frustrating was the loss to the Celtics in 1969. The Lakers took a 3-2 lead in the series and lost game seven at home. West had 42 points in the final game and became the only player to ever win Finals MVP for a losing team. After the game, Celtics General Manager Red Arbach said, I want to say that Jerry West was absolutely fantastic. That was one of the greatest exhibitions I've ever seen in my life. West's frustration over those losses never went away. After the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in game one of the 2016 NBA Finals, West found himself defending LeBron James, who at the time had lost four of the six finals in which he had played. He carried teams on his shoulders. They'd been in the finals six straight years. How many times have they been the favorite? None. Zero. Okay? Grossly unfair to him. West told reporters in a response that seemed to be also aimed at defending his own record. It's hard for me to believe that someone doesn't recognize his greatness. It's hard for me to believe. This guy does everything. He's like a Swiss army knife. He does everything and he's competitive as hell and frankly I wish people would leave him alone. The one title West did win almost didn't happen for him. After years of battling through various injuries and continued frustrations about not winning a title, West almost retired. He was glad he didn't. With Chamberlain and guard Gale Goodrich, the Lakers won an NBA record 33 games in a row during the regular season and finished with a record of 69-13 which stood until broken by the 95-96 Chicago Bulls 72-10 mark. Even though he might have had one of the worst series of his career, the Lakers won the finals against the Knicks in five games, avenging a loss from the season before. After all those years, he finally won a championship on a team that had one of the best seasons in NBA history. When West retired, he was third leading scorer in league history. He stayed away from the game for two years before coming back as the Lakers coach in 1976. In his three years, West's teams were 145-101 and in his first season with the Lakers won the Pacific Division and went to the playoffs for the first time since he retired. He became the Lakers general manager in 1982, a job he held until 2002. During that time, the Lakers won eight championships. West took over the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 and stayed there until 2007. He joined the Golden State Warriors as an advisor in 2011 and took on a similar role with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017. West finished his playing career with 25,192 points, 6,238 assists, and 5,376 rebounds. He made 14 all-star appearances and 12 All-NBA teams. This concludes the reading Jerry West 1938-2024 Basketball Hall of Famer Dies at 86 by the USA Today staff. Our next article in the sports section is titled, Shafley Has Major But Boxes to Chase by Adam Shupak of the Golf Week via the USA Today Network. From Pinehurst, North Carolina, Xander Shafley finally climbed to the summit that was Mount Valhalla and claimed his first major championship at the PGA Championship in May. The win catapulted Shafley to a career high of number two in the official World Golf ranking, but the climb to the top of the game continues in earnest on Thursday at the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort, a country club's number two course. All of us are climbing this massive mountain. At the top of the mountain is Scotty Scheffler. I won this today, but I'm still not that close to Scotty Scheffler in the big scheme of things. Shafley has said after winning the Wanamaker Trophy, I got one good hook up there in the mountain up on that cliff, and I'm still climbing. I might have a beer up there on that side of the hill there and enjoy this, but it's not that hard to chase when someone is so far ahead of you. Shafley may have had that celebratory beer, but he's saving the real celebration for later this month when he's back in his native San Diego. He made it clear that there's more work to do, noting that he's only checked one box, just a lot of unchecked boxes, he said. Having shed the label of the best player never to win a major, the near-jerk reaction is that Shafley's breakthrough will open the floodgates. Adam Scott and Justin Rose, who both rose to number one in the world after winning their first major, are still stuck at one and know all too well how tricky winning the second major can be. But the NBC Golf on Course reporter Jim Bones Mackie contends that it's way easier for a player to win a second major than it is his first. It would not surprise me if Zander picks off another major before this year is over, so why not here at the U.S. Open? Mackie said during a media call ahead of the U.S. Open, Mackie speaks from experience as Phil Milkenson's longtime caddy. He watched Milkenson have several close calls, including here at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999 when he finished second to Payne Stewart. Milkenson didn't claim his first major until age 34 at the 2004 Masters, but went on to win five more to match the career total of Lee Torino and Nick Faldo. Mackie said one can draw a comparison between Shafley and Milkenson, although Shafley, who won in his 28th major start and endured 11 top-10 finishes in major championships since 2017 before his breakthrough, didn't have to wait nearly as long to get the major monkey off his back. I think that Zander is a very, very wise 30-year-old, Mackie said. You listen to the comments that he makes in his pre- and post-game time with the press, and I think it speaks to his headspace that he's in, and it's very, very comfortable and solid. I think he's a guy that's here for now for the long term, and I think that he has a chance to run off a few major championships in a very short order. Shafley's game tends to translate well to the U.S. Open. In the last seven years, he's the only player to finish in the top 15 in every single U.S. Open, including a tie for third at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California in 2019. What's his secret sauce to being in contention so often at his national championship? Just what I bring week to week. Just a little bit of extra patience, he said. You have to ramp that up a little bit more during these weeks. All U.S. Opens, they're unique in their own way, but they all feel like par is a great score, and you really have to just plot your way around a property. Could he pick up off another this weekend and go back to back? NBC's Noda Begay III wondered during the same media call last week in the momentum Shafley gained from his PGA triumph would spur him into a greater height, while acknowledging that is often easier said than done. Do you find a new mountain to climb? wondered Golf Channel's Paul McGinley. The next couple of months will tell us a lot. It's not a given that he will keep on going. Shafley, the gold medalist in the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said he's not one to live in the past. He'll look back with the fond memories of the PGA later. He is ready to chase major number two, and spoke about how the Memorial last week, where he, as he put it, par was your friend, was good prep for this week's thorough examination in the sand of heels of North Carolina. Typically, a U.S. Open exposes any weaknesses in a player's game. Shafley knows he'll need his best stuff, especially playing the first two rounds alongside number three Rory McIlroy and Scotty Scheffler, who remains the player on top of the mountain in a power pack threesome. Every week we play, he seems to build a bigger lead and somehow make the mountain even taller for all of us to climb. Shafley said of Scheffler, that's all he's been doing, and hats off to him for being so consistent and playing at such a high level for such a long time. I believe I can do it, but it's going to take some time. This concludes the reading of Shafley has major but boxes to chase by Adam Shupak of Golf Week via the USA Today network. From the life section of the USA Today, death row last meals have long fascinated. Tradition also remains at a point of contention by Manal Arshad and Michael Luria of the USA Today. Hours before convicted murderer Jamie Mills was executed May 30th, he was granted a special last request. What would he like to eat on his final day on earth? The man convicted in the beating death of elderly couple and told Alabama prison officials he wanted a seafood buffet of sorts with three large shrimp, two catfish fillets, three oysters, three onion rings, and one stuffed crab. Mills got that meal before he was taken to the death chamber to die by lethal injection. But the choice of a last meal is no guarantee in US prisons. The age old tradition is shrouded with controversy, ethical disagreement, and even concern over how much the meal may cost taxpayers. It seems that we would provide this for somebody who's going to eat for the very last time. At the same time, it doesn't seem very strange. The board demo of Fordham University said, Food is a focal point for all of us. It's a point of enjoyment and pleasure and comfort. And that's sort of its reputation, said Deborah Deneau, law professor and founding director of the Neuroscience and Law Center at Fordham University. It seems that we would provide this for somebody who's going to eat for the very last time. And that makes us feel better about ourselves. At the same time, it does seem very strange. Of the 19 states where capital punishment is legal and practiced, a USA Today analysis found 12 allow special last meals. And two of those impose a price limit. Six serve only prison food, no matter what a condemned person asks for. In other words, nothing outside what is in the prison kitchen. Kansas Department of Corrections spokesperson, David Thompson, said the state's death rope meal policy is under review and noted the state has not carried out an execution since 1965. In April, hours before convicted murderer Brian Dorsey was executed over the objections of dozens of correctional officers and Missouri's governor, the state served him two bacon double cheeseburgers, two orders of chicken strips, two large orders of seasoned fries, and a pizza with a sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushroom, and extra cheese. Tuesday, Missouri executed death row inmate David Hozier, making his the second execution in the state this year and the seventh in the nation. His last meal consisted of steak, a baked potato, Texas toast, apple pie, milk, and orange juice. The infamous final meal that a condemned prisoner chooses before execution has fascinated the American public and is a source of controversy within the already controversial topic of the death penalty. Some criminal justice advocates say it serves as a final act of compassion before inflicting the most severe punishment, while others argue it is a disgrace to the people forever hurt by the crimes and the taxpayers picking up the tab. USA Today with the government officials and experts find out how the debate has played out in the 19 states where capital punishment is practiced. How the last meal ritual originated in the United States has not been confirmed, but some researchers trace it back to the historic final feast from the famous Last Supper that Christians believe Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion to ancient Greece, where people on death row were fed before their execution out of fear that they would return as hungry ghosts. The U.S. experts say the last meal represents the nation's own ambivalence toward capital punishment, as well as a shared interest about the end of life. We're human beings. We all fear death. It's something we're all going to face, Demo said, noting most people won't know how or when. The fact that your last meal is documented in a way for the great majority of us is probably not going to be. It's something of fascination. The special meal also is a recognition of a person's humanity before their end, Demo said, and a means to assuage the guilt of bystanders, though even the most lavish final feasts ultimately amount to a pentance. When compared with the overall cost of convicting and executing a death row prisoner, the idea that taxpayer dollars could be spent on their pleasure is horrifying. It's horrifying to even think about for the victims, Demo said. There are going to be people who look at the death penalty and think that any measure beyond bread and water is too much for somebody who may have killed someone. A longing for normalcy. In the years leading up to the final breath, prisoners on death row often discuss what they will request for their final meal, said Cyril Gerwig, a law professor at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, who, as a post-conviction attorney, has been visiting people in prison since 1998. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found prisoners executed in 2020 had been on death row for an average of 19 years. The men and women who are in prison are longing for normalcy and their memories of a time that felt more normal, when they could have a craving for food and just go get it. That becomes a luxury and a long for luxury, Gerwig told USA Today. A lot of prisoners requested last meals that would have felt like home-cooked meals that they had in their childhood, or food that was evocative for them or memorable in meaningful ways. Gerwig, who wrote in 2014, a paper examining special last meals after Texas abolished the praxis, said that prisoners know their requests will be described in news reports, and that some take the opportunity to make a final statement. Victor Forger ordered a single olive with the pit intact for his final meal, symbolizing peace. The Telegraph-Herald reported, Tennessee death row inmate Donnie Edward Johnson declined a special meal before his execution in 2019, instead requesting that his supporters donate meals to the homeless. States have their own rules. A chosen last meal may have a centuries-old tradition, but it's not federally protected right. The rules vary by state. Some have banished the practice, and others have imposed restrictions after an outcry from lawmakers. South Dakota allows condemned inmates to request a last meal from items that are accessible to the facility food service provider, said Department of Correction spokesperson Michael Winder. Charles Rines, executed in 2019 for the murder of Donovan Schaefer, requested fried chicken cantaloupe, the Norwegian flatbread lefse, strawberry and cherry yogurt, butter, black licorice, cookies and cream ice cream, root beer, and a coffee with cream and sugar, Winder said. Nevada limits inmates to the prison system's menu, but it doesn't have to be the meal of the day. The Department of Correction spokesperson said, For your last meal, you can choose anything from the menu, said spokesperson Terry Vance. You can mix and match. Darryl Mack, the last person executed in the state, requested a fish sandwich, fries, and lemon-lime soft drink for his final meal in 2006, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, part of the USA Today network. In Wyoming, at the discretion of warden, the condemned inmate may be permitted a last meal of the inmate's choosing, said Department of Corrections spokesperson Stephanie Geiger, but they have to choose from food available to the general population through the Correctional Facility Food Service Department, although adherence to the scheduled menu and or recommended portion sizes will not be required. A hand in your own funeral. The moment of a last meal has symbolic significance for some. Kerry Dean Moore, the last person executed in Nebraska, ordered Pizza Hut, cheesecake, and soda, a request he originally made in jest, said the Reverend Robert Bryant, who shared Moore's final meal in 2018 after coming to know him as his spiritual advisor. Moore got the pizza and cheesecake and shared the meal with about eight friends and family in an infirmary room at the final penitentiary in Lincoln the final night before the execution, said the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America pastor. It was a sacred moment, but not a sappy, teary-eyed thing, Bryant said, recalling how Moore asked one person to stop crying. It was not that kind of meal for him. The former prison minister said, it was, hey, I'm having a meal with my friends, sort of like being able to participate in your own funeral meal. One extravagant example, Texas, which has performed more than one-third of all executions in the U.S. since 1976, famously outlawed special last meals after then State Senator John Whitmire expressed outrage over a 2011 death row prisoner's request. Christine Howe Sellier, Executive Director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said Whitmire was reacting to what was perceived as a very extravagant meal requested by Lawrence Brewer, who, along with two co-defendants, were convicted of torturing and killing a 49-year-old disabled black man in Jasper County in 1998. Brewer requested for his last meal two chicken fried steaks with gravy and sliced onions, a triple patty bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos, a bowl of fried okra with ketchup, one pound of barbecued meat with a half loaf of white bread, three fajitas, a meat lover's pizza, one pint of Blue Bell ice cream, a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts, three root beers. Not long after his execution, amid growing outcry, Texas abolished last meal requests in 2011. Whitmire, now the mayor of Houston, did not return the U.S. Today's request for comment. The worst of the worst. Florida limits its prisoners to $40 for a last meal, and the food must be purchased locally. Oklahoma has a $25 limit. Gilbert Postel, executed in 2022 for shooting four people to death, had a McDonald's-style meal, said Oklahoma Department of Corrections spokesperson Kay Thompson. The meal was 20 chicken nuggets with ranch, barbecue and honey mustard dipping sauces, two large orders of fries with ketchup, two chicken sandwiches, a caramel preppe, and a large cola. The total for the same meal at an Oklahoma McDonald's in 2024 was about $27. The Arizona Department of Corrections has published a list of last meal requests of the 40 prisoners executed since 1992. Maryland abolished the death penalty in 2013, but condemned prisoners before then were given regular prison kitchen meals, the state's former prison spokesperson told USA Today. The sense was, considering these individuals had all been convicted of heinous murders, in many cases multiple homicides, the state was not going to go out of its way to provide special meals, said Leonard Sipes, who now runs a website on law enforcement issues. The former director of public information for the state's public safety department recalled John Thanos saying he enjoyed killing. At one point, leading up to his 1994 execution for a murder spree, Sipes said that Thanos told him, Hell, I'd kill you if I had the opportunity. Loved ones of his victims also preferred he get no fancy meals, Sipes said. He recalled being asked, You're not giving him anything special for dinner, are you? Meals and movies. Some states have given condemned prisoners broad leeway, not just food for the night, but other unusual requests. Utah granted Lee Gardner, in 2010, the last person the state executed a smoggish board of food and other requests, according to the Department of Corrections, but he had the meal two days before the execution to spend his final 48 hours fasting aside from an occasional soda, the document said. Agency spokesperson Karen Tape said moving to meal forward to allow for fasting probably was a religious accommodation. Gardner also spent the last day watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In those final hours, it's not uncommon for them to watch certain shows, something to bring them some sense of calm, said Tape, with a nod to prison staff. They're pretty accommodating. This has been the reading from the Life section. Death row last meals have long fascinated. Tradition also remains a point of contention. By Mana Ashad and Michael Luria of the USA Today. That concludes our reading of the USA Today. This has been Omar for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Thank you for listening to GARS.