I don’t care how old you are, everyone deserves an Easter basket—feel free to send this to your mom as a friendly (and not-so-subtle!) reminder!
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Month: March 2026
Tiger Woods is maintaining his innocence.
Four days after the golfer was arrested for driving under the influence and refusing a drug test following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., he entered…
E! Online (US) – Top Stories
The Alaska State Capitol seen on the first day of the second session of the 34th Alaska State Legislature on Jan. 20, 2025 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
As someone who was lucky to succeed through foster care, it’s hard to watch a neglected foster care system that allows so much damage to Alaska’s most neglected children. Alarmingly, the state has chosen to violate the most important of the comprehensive foster care reforms the Alaska State Legislature passed, across party lines, in 2018. Those reforms added studied, state-of-the-art practices to improve youth health and success.
Fortunately, right now many legislators are asking questions. The current version of the House Finance Subcommittee budget responsibly fixes much of what’s broken at the Office of Children’s Services, which runs the state’s foster care system. A huge amount of what needs to be done can be directed by the Legislature, which is debating the budget right now.
Today Alaska foster children, already agonized by being taken from their parents, sometimes find themselves sleeping in OCS offices. Some wait for a home in lonely motel rooms. That’s because OCS lost almost 500 foster homes since 2018.
The state is required by law to actively recruit foster families in “times of shortage.” This ongoing shortage has demanded action for years. Many of the best families have quit out of frustration. OCS has done little to let Alaskans know they need help.
Doing the work to advertise the dire need for foster families is a first step. But it’s just a small part of fixing a system that will create as many scars as we allow it to.
Here are a few of the gold standard practices OCS still doesn’t follow eight years later.
The evidence is clear we should replace “traditional foster care” whenever possible with loving extended family placements. Familiar relatives and responsible family friends make the best foster parents when that’s safe. Youth don’t suffer as much trauma being placed with people who already love them.
In 2018 many caseworkers weren’t doing comprehensive, detailed work to identify and work with family members to take in foster youth. The law now requires OCS supervisors to meet with caseworkers to confirm, in writing, that the hard work to achieve family placements has occurred. If not, the supervisor must make sure the work gets done.
It’s been eight years. OCS is still violating this important provision.
State auditors stated in a recent audit of the department that OCS leadership should ensure supervisors “certify in writing whether OCS staff has searched for an appropriate placement with a relative or family friend as required by law.”
OCS argues they do better than many other states on family placement. That’s both possible and irrelevant to illegal OCS conduct. If we want to cherry-pick statistics, let’s also note that after an encouraging increase in family placements for one year after the reforms passed, with strong OCS support at the time, today we place 150 fewer youth with relatives than in 2019, according to state data. The reality is most states do poorly on foster care work. Comparing bad apples to bad apples isn’t much of a goal.
It’s undeniable that if OCS followed the law, more relative homes would be found, more youth would live with loving families, and fewer youth would live in hotel rooms and OCS offices.
Here’s the root of OCS’s dysfunction.
In 2020, OCS argued it was faced with a shortage of qualified caseworkers. If so, it had two choices. One was to pay what the market demanded to attract professional workers for complex work. The chosen, reckless option was to eliminate all professional job requirements to keep pay as low as possible. That decision came from somewhere between OCS and the Governor’s office.
We came to a fork in the road and chose the one with the impassable ruts.
Today, a caseworker doesn’t need any relevant work experience, or any social work, master’s or any college degree, to be hired. A recent high school graduate can be hired if they’ve never had a full-time job. That has reportedly happened. In 2018, 80% of caseworkers had a college or master’s degree in social work. Today that’s 50% of caseworkers, officials with OCS told senators at a presentation on Mar. 24.
That means half of child welfare case workers now working in Alaska do not have relevant professional or academic degrees.
The complex work of deciding whether to separate a family, how to put that family back together, how to get help for a traumatized child, and convince relatives to take a child into their home is not for someone without qualifications, at poor pay. It’s not fair to well-meaning caseworkers, roughly half of whom quit within a year.
The number of case workers leaving the job has remained high since 2019, with 45% quitting last year.
The centerpiece of the 2018 reforms was a requirement that caseworkers carry an average of 13 or fewer cases. That’s an evidence-based, crucial tool to reduce burnout and turnover, and allow caseworkers the time to do real social work. Instead, OCS wastes money to train people who quit, and to pay overtime to the overburdened workers who remain.
Today, the average caseload is double what’s legal at OCS’s largest office in Anchorage, and 50% higher than what’s legal statewide.
The 2018 reform law also requires six weeks of comprehensive training for new case workers. To cut the training budget, OCS has replaced much of the comprehensive in-person training with ineffective Zoom meetings.
State auditors questioned the training time in their 2024 audit, and a state legislative consultant rightly called the job qualifications and training reductions “woefully insufficient” to protect children.
This year we should implement the reforms we’ve already passed, hopefully across party lines again.
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Gavin Rossdale is staying in his lane when it comes to co-parenting with Gwen Stefani.
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The 2026 World Cup hasn’t officially kicked off yet, but Tuesday’s final qualifying matches brought us plenty of excitement and drama that made the day feel like a World Cup day. All four UEFA playoff matches were either decided by a goal or in penalty kicks. Four-time World Cup champion Italy was among the eight European nations looking to secure its bid for the 2026 World Cup, but the Azzurri fell short of qualifying for a third straight tournament with its loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday. Elsewhere, Turkiye, Sweden and Czechia each punched their tickets into the 2026 World Cup in thrilling fashion. DR Congo also advanced, defeating Jamaica in one of the intercontinental playoff matchups. Iraq will face Bolivia later in the other intercontinental playoff matchup. Here’s a closer look at the final six matches of qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 (4), Italy 1 (1) Italy’s curse continues. In dramatic fashion, Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced in penalties, 1-1 (4-1 on PKs), to secure the final spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group B. The result ensured that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. Italy missed its first and third penalty kicks during the shootout, which left the door open for American-born Esmir Barjaktarevic to step up and nail the deciding kick and send Bosnia and Herzegovina to Group B, where it will face co-host Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. The opening goal began with a poorly placed pass from Bosnian goalie Nikola Vasilj, which was intercepted by Nicolo Barella, who dished it toward a sprinting Moise Kean, who placed his right-footed shot in the top far corner to make it 1-0 in the 14th minute of the match. Right as it appeared the Azzurri would make its return to the World Cup, the match took a dramatic turn before the break. Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card in the 42nd minute after taking down Amar Memic without making a clear attempt at the ball, which meant Italy had to finish the match with 10 men. Italy held on to its lead for most of the second half, before Bosnian captain Edin Dzeko flipped the match on its head as he headed in the equalizer in the 79th. Amar Dedic sent a cross into the area, applying the same strategy Bosnia and Herzegovina had applied following the red card as Dzeko received the cross in the perfect spot to get his header past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Bosnia and Herzegovina will be making its second appearance at the World Cup, the first coming in 2014, which saw the nation exit in the group stage. Türkiye 1, Kosovo 0 Türkiye is back in the World Cup! Türkiye ended its 24-year World Cup absence, defeating Kosovo, 1-0, to advance to qualify for the World Cup. Türkiye’s win now solidifies Group D alongside Australia, Paraguay and tournament co-host USA. While the United States was looking like the top dog in its group stage next to Paraguay and Australia, adding Türkiye to the mix shifts the competition level. The Turkish lineup, including Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz and Fenerbahce’s Kerem Aktürkoglu, helps make it a formidable opponent in Group D. Kosovo entered the match with the chance to make history, with a first-ever World Cup berth on the line since becoming a FIFA-sanctioned country back in 2016. Türkiye’s heroic 2002 World Cup run with a third-place finish was its most recent appearance. Point being, Tuesday’s match was meaningful for both countries. In a back-and-forth first half with multiple opportunities in the final third for both teams, the Turkish and Kosovo held it to 0-0. Rallying early in the second half, Türkiye put away an early 1-0 lead, which helped seal its win and its World Cup spot. Following his yellow card in the first half, Aktürkoglu found the back of the net in the 53rd minute to take the lead. Scoring early in the half allowed Aktürkoglu and Türkiye to defend their narrow lead and secure their win. Türkiye’s win also marks the first-ever appearance under current manager Vincenzo Montella. The Turkish are now set to face Australia on June 12 in Vancouver to help kick off Group D competition. Sweden 3, Poland 2 It was a thriller! Anthony Elanga drew first blood for Sweden in the 18th minute, powering in a goal just above Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara. Later, Nicola Zalewski got Poland even in the 33rd minute, squeaking home the equalizer on the right side of the net. Poland was the aggressor in the first half, getting off six shots on goal, compared to Sweden’s two shots on goal. The problem for Poland? Gustaf Lagerbielke’s goal in the 44th minute gave Sweden a 2-1 lead at halftime. Poland evened up the scoreboard in the 55th minute when Karol Swiderski knocked in a close-up shot following a pair of crisp passes. But heartbreak awaited Poland. Following a flurry of Swedish shot attempts, Viktor Gyokeres sent in a contested shot in the 88th minute, which gave Sweden the lead for good and put it in Group F — and the polarity of emotion ensued for the two sides mere minutes later. Czechia 2 (3), Denmark 2 (1) After two decades away, Czechia is back in the World Cup. Czechia needed penalty kicks, but it took down Denmark on Tuesday to advance to the World Cup. Attacking midfielder Pavel Sulc scored off a corner kick in the 3rd minute to open up an early 1-0 lead for Czechia, hitting where Denmark’s keeper, Mads Hermansen, could not get to it. Czechia put the pressure on again in the first half, nearly scoring on a set piece in the 38th minute, but failed to finish. Denmark would control the ball throughout, but it was even more ineffective at capitalizing on its opportunities to score: Denmark had five attempts on target and 10 total attempts in the opening half, while Czechia’s mere 4 total attempts resulted in a score. Denmark continued to control the ball in the second half — entering the 70th minute, it had possession for 80% of the second half and 75% overall — but again and again was repelled by Czechia’s defenses. The Danes finally broke through with a goal off a free kick in the 72nd minute, with centre-back Joachim Andersen knocking in a header past Czechia keeper Matej Kovar, knotting it up 1-1. Czechia almost immediately attempted a response with its first shot of the half in the 75th minute, but Hermansen fell on that attempt. Denmark threatened again and again, but with less urgency – Czechia would eventually push the ball back the other way and get a corner kick in the 90th minute. Czechia still had the ball at the start of three minutes of stoppage time, but Hermansen intercepted another shot and briefly gave Denmark back possession before Czechia threatened again — the stalemate continued right into extra time. Czechia continued to show the aggressiveness of the late second half, but to no avail despite multiple corners within the first 7 minutes of extra time. In the 100th minute, though, Ladislav Krejci scored from close with a kick that ricocheted off the foot of Denmark right-back Alexander Bah. That wasn’t enough for Czechia to secure its World Cup ticket, though. Denmark scored again in the 111th minute off a header from Kasper Waarst Hogh to even the match at 2-2. The match went to penalties, where Tomas Chory, Tomas Soucek and Michal Sadilek scored to help Czechia move on. Czechia will play in Group A, which features co-host Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. DR Congo 1, Jamaica 0 DR Congo booked its ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Jamaica, 1-0, in extra time. In a winner-take-all final for one of the final two spots in this summer’s tournament, both sides battled through 99 scoreless minutes before Congo’s Axel Tuanzebe finished off a corner kick and scored the winner from close range. DR Congo will now join Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan in Group K this summer. DR Congo nearly had the winning goal on two different occasions in regular time, one in the fifth minute and another in the 85th, when Cedric Bakambu and Theo Bongonda were each called offside and overturned, respectively. Moments after Bongonda’s goal was ruled offside, Jamaica’s Andre Blake made a dramatic save to keep his nation’s World Cup dreams alive. The African nation will open group play against Portugal on June 17 in Houston, followed by a match-up with Colombia in Guadalajara and will finish group stage play on June 27 against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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All of UEFA’s 2026 World Cup spots have been filled, but not before a drama-filled Tuesday. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czechia eliminated Italy and Denmark in shootouts, while Sweden and Türkiye advanced, as well. It was a huge day as two noteworthy European teams were knocked out, while the USA, Mexico and Canada all had their groups completed. Here are our takeaways: 1. Bosnia and Herzegovina Shocks Italy in Shootout For the third straight World Cup, Italy will be watching from home. After taking a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, Italy saw defender Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) sent off before Bosnian substitute Haris Tabakovic scored in the 72nd minute to tie the game. From there, Italy missed two penalties with Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missing the target. Moise Kean (Fiorentina) opened the scoring for Italy in the first half, but the game turned on its head in the 42nd minute. According to Opta, Kean is the fourth Italian player to have scored in six consecutive appearances for the Azzurri, and he has eight goals in that span. From there, the Italian defense was on its heels. Italy had 60% of possession before Bastoni’s red card, but it finished the game at 45%. The Bosnians were on the front foot and whipping crosses in the box toward star striker Edin Dzeko, but nothing could connect. Gianluigi Donnarumma was fantastic, providing a few fantastic saves to rescue the Italians. The Manchester City goalkeeper had 10 saves. Bosnia and Herzegovina has qualified for its second World Cup and first since 2014. The Bosnians will join Canada, Switzerland and Qatar in Group A this summer. 2. Türkiye Becomes USA’s Biggest Competition Turkish striker Kerem Akturkoglu scored in the 53rd minute, and that was all that was required. Türkiye had 65% of possession and created more chances than Kosovo en route to qualification. Türkiye was favored to advance to the World Cup and found itself in the playoff stage because it was in the same group as Spain, which is one of the biggest favorites for this summer’s tournament. The Turks have won five of their last six games, including a pair of 1-0 wins over Romania and Kosovo in the playoff games. The one game in that stretch it did not win was a 2-2 draw in Spain. Türkiye joins the United States, Australia and Paraguay in Group D at this summer’s World Cup. The Turks will be seen as the Americans’ biggest competition in that group. Those teams will face off in the final game of the group stage on July 25 in Los Angeles. 3. Sweden’s Star Striker Steps Up Again Just days after a hat trick that powered Sweden’s win over Ukraine, Viktor Gyokeres delivered again when his country needed him. The Arsenal striker thumped home the match-winning and World Cup-qualifying goal in the 88th minute to break a 2-2 deadlock. It was Gyokeres’ 19th goal for Sweden in his 32nd appearance. Gyokeres especially needed to step up for Sweden in these wins over Ukraine and Poland with fellow striker Alexander Isak (Liverpool) out injured. When both are fit, the Swedes have one of the best 1-2 combinations up top in the tournament. Sweden joins the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in Group F. 4. Czechia Shocks Denmark To Seal World Cup Spot What the Czechs pulled against Denmark on Tuesday is referred to in soccer as a “smash and grab.” Czechia only possessed the ball for 23% of the game and had fewer than half the shots Denmark had, but it took its chances and is now headed to the World Cup. The first goal came early in the third minute when a Czech corner was cleared to the top of the 18-yard box. From there, midfielder Pavel Sulc (Lyon) hammered home a right-footed shot to give his country the lead. Denmark was expected to have the majority of possession, and it had the ball for 72% of the time at halftime. It was one-way traffic for the rest of the 90 minutes. Denmark finally scored in the 72nd minute, when Fulham defender Joachim Anderson got on the end of a cross from winger Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford) to head home the equalizer. It was Czechia that struck in extra time, though. Center back Ladislav Krejci (Wolves) pounced and gave the Czechs the lead. After 120 minutes, Denmark had 77% possession but was unable to build any meaningful lead. Midfielder Michal Sadilek put home the decisive penalty that ensured the Czechs will join Group A, which features Mexico, South Korea and South Africa. That group is wide open, with Mexico sitting as the favorite with all three of its group games to be played in its home country.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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