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Families and local vendors say the annual festival remains a summertime tradition.
The Soccer Gods owe us an apology. France vs. Spain, the two teams with the best odds of winning the tournament — the reigning World Cup finalists against the reigning European champions — is happening Tuesday in Dallas, and it’s a semifinal. This is the game the whole world has been waiting to see, arriving one round too soon. Let’s be honest about recent form: France has the upper hand, and it isn’t as close as we thought it was two months ago. Didier Deschamps’ side has been an impenetrable machine. Five multi-goal wins in six matches, a third consecutive semifinal (only Germany and Brazil have ever done that), and a 2-0 dismantling of Morocco in Boston that never once felt in doubt. Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty in that game, his first failed spot kick for France since Euro 2020, shrugged, scored anyway, then assisted Ousmane Dembélé six minutes later. That’s the tournament he’s having. When the mistakes turn into brilliance, the rest of the field is playing for second. And what about the history aspect? Mbappé sits on 20 career World Cup goals, one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 21 — a record Messi has been extending in real time. Mbappé has scored in every knockout game France has played. His 12 career knockout-stage goals are already a record on their own. He could equal or pass the greatest scoring mark in World Cup history on Tuesday, against Spain, with a final on the line. It’s a scriptwriter’s dream. Spain, meanwhile, did not have a cakewalk against Belgium. Luis de la Fuente’s team dominated the ball in Los Angeles — 68% possession, more than two expected goals to Belgium’s 0.38 — and still needed an 88th-minute gift to survive. Charles De Ketelaere’s header just before halftime was the first goal Spain had conceded all summer, snapping a record 650-minute World Cup scoreless streak. Then Thibaut Courtois limped off in tears, backup Senne Lammens spilled a routine save, and Mikel Merino, the match-winner against Portugal, did it again and buried the rebound. La Roja are in their first semifinal since 2010, riding a 36-game unbeaten run that sits one short of Italy’s all-time record of 37. Impressive numbers, eh? But Fabián Ruiz’s opener aside, this was a team struggling to turn possession into goals or excitement. Which brings us to Lamine Yamal The 18-year-old tore his hamstring scoring a penalty against Celta Vigo in April, missed the rest of Barcelona’s title run, and arrived at this World Cup racing against the calendar. He’s played six matches, the most ever by a player 18 or under at a World Cup, and he’s had his moments, testing Courtois and Lammens repeatedly on Friday. But the full Euro 2024 version, the kid who bent entire defenses sideways? We’ve seen flashes, that’s about it. Whether that’s rust, the hamstring, or the natural caution of a teenager managing his own body, Spain needs him at 100% on Tuesday. The evidence says he isn’t there. That’s the tension in this game. Spain will have the ball (they always have the ball) and France will wait, coiled, with Mbappé and Dembélé ready to turn one loose touch into a sprint at goal. Michael Olise, quietly the tournament’s best creator with five assists, will find them. Ask Morocco how that ends. Spain’s control is real, but control without conversion against this France team is just a longer way to lose. One more thing, because the Soccer Gods clearly have a sense of the occasion: Tuesday is July 14. France will play for a place in the World Cup final on Bastille Day. Storm the castle or defend it. Either way, don’t blink.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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One month old twins are seen in April 2026 (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
More Alaska infants and toddlers who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities can be eligible for early intervention services under a new law now in effect. But service providers say more funding is critical to meet the needs of Alaskan children and families.
The bill expands eligibility criteria that proponents say will allow earlier, targeted interventions for children from infancy to age three who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. The Alaska Legislature approved the legislation with bipartisan support by a vote of 59 to 1. Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed Senate Bill 178 to go into law without his signature last month.
Previously, Alaska children had to demonstrate a 50% delay in order to be eligible for early intervention services. Under the new law, the requirement was reduced to a 25% delay, thus expanding eligibility and allowing more children to receive services and interventions.
Statewide, there are 17 infant learning programs that provide early intervention services funded by the state and federal Medicaid, at no cost to families. Intervention services can include screenings and assessments; targeted speech, feeding and movement therapies; and education and counseling for families on child development.
Amy Simpson is the executive director of the Program for Infants and Children, Inc. the largest provider of infant learning program services serving the Anchorage area, as well as rural communities in the Lake and Peninsula Borough approximately 200 miles southwest across Cook Inlet.
“It’s very exciting,” Simpson said of the bill’s passage in an interview Friday. “This will allow us to serve families and children sooner, so they don’t have to fall so far behind before we’re able to give them some support and help in learning, and you know catching up on their developmental milestones.”
Infant learning programs serve an estimated 1,800 families in Alaska each year, and Simpson said it’s been very difficult to turn children away who did not meet eligibility requirements.
“It’s a really difficult thing to sit with a parent and say, ‘Oh, you know, we’re really worried about your child’s development, and they are clearly behind their peers, but they’re not behind enough.’ And so then we give them referrals to private therapists in the community, but you know, in most communities in Alaska, there’s not a list of private therapists to help families,” she said.
Laura Norton-Cruz is a social worker, filmmaker and advocate who produced a film spotlighting infant learning program successes in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough region to push for the legislation for expanding eligibility, more awareness and funding for early intervention services in Alaska. “I was elated,” she said, of the bill becoming law on Friday.
“Being able to see and hear from families about what a big difference it made, both because it’s highly effective and because sometimes they’re on wait lists forever to get into other kinds of therapies,” she said. “Every day, if there’s a developmental issue or a delay, it can get worse, and so it’s very, very important to have timely support.”
But now with the new expanded eligibility, Simpson with the Program for Infants and Children said they are expecting a 77% increase in children who are eligible and funding is limited to help provide those services.
Dunleavy vetoed $3 million in additional state grant funding approved by the Legislature to support infant learning programs. Legislators also approved a $2.7 million funding increase intended to offset inflation which Dunleavy did not veto. State funding for the program totals $10.1 million this fiscal year.
“So this might be a little bit of a hollow victory for kids and families if funding doesn’t permit us to expand eligibility, which really could make a huge difference,” Simpson said.
The legislation does provide for over $450,000 for the Alaska Department of Health to implement the changes in policy, including two new full time positions to manage expanded eligibility, billing and statewide staff training. The bill also expands the services eligible for Medicaid reimbursement, which Simpson said will be helpful.
In particular, she said, serving rural communities only accessible by boat or plane requires more expensive travel for specialists and therapists to visit families to provide services. “So we’ll have to kind of see how that goes… if billing for services for all early intervention services will provide enough income for us to expand our staffing,” Simpson said. “I’m hopeful that it will, but I’m not certain.”
The Senate Health and Social Services committee sponsored the legislation, which was backed by the bipartisan Alaska Children’s Caucus of House and Senate legislators.
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, cited research on the Senate floor ahead of a vote on the bill in May that found nearly half of children who received early intervention services at age three did not require special education services when they reached kindergarten.
“That equates to an average of $229,071 of potential savings over the course of that child’s K-12 education,” she said. She estimated state savings at $39 million per year.
“But the most important piece of this is helping support children and families,” she said.
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Spain advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, but its latest victory joined a list of unimpressive performances that it’s had during this tournament. “I don’t know if it’s a great team,” Alexi Lalas said on Friday’s “State of the Union.” “The rhythm and the beauty, for lack of a better word, that we’ve associated with them has not yet really found its way in this tournament. Spain narrowly beat Belgium 2-1 in their quarterfinals matchup on Friday, with goals from Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino, the latter of whom scored the 88th-minute match-winner. In the background of it all was Lamine Yamal, who went a fourth-straight match without recording a goal contribution. “Lamine Yamal, once again, was stymied,” Lalas said. “That’s a credit to Belgium, but he’s yet to have a breakout type of game.” Luis de la Fuente has continued to count on Yamal due to the 18-tear-old’s unquestionable talent, but Yamal’s teammates have put pressure on him with their performances off of the bench. “He plays on a team with plenty of talent, including the ability to make changes that come on and obviously affected the game here,” Lalas said. But Spain’s problems on offense go far beyond Yamal. The goal Spain gave up on Friday was the first it conceded all tournament, but Yamal and the Spanish attack have largely underwhelmed. Spain has scored 11 goals in six matches, but has scored two or fewer goals in four of its matches. Yamal has been front-and-center of those scoring struggles. He’s only scored once in this tournament and has yet to record an assist, logging an xG (expected goals) of 1.54 and xA (expected assists) of 1.01. And even though Yamal won Man of the Match on Friday, he struggled to get quality touches in the box. Just two of his six shots were on target, too. Lalas didn’t go as far as to say that Yamal should be benched against France. However, he implied that Spain got lucky with its win on Friday, considering that Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois departed the game in the 71st minute due to injury. “It’s not just taking off a goalkeeper; it’s taking off one of the great goalkeepers in the world,” Lalas said. “And, as the soccer Gods would have it, it ultimately leads to the goal that Spain wins the game on. Spain goes on. What more can you say about this game?” As Lalas alluded to, Spain scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute when Mikel Merino buried a rebound opportunity after Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lemmens failed to corral a save. Still, Spain is in the semifinals for the first time since it won the World Cup in 2010. It’s also going up against a France squad that it has fared well against in recent years, winning its last two matches against France. One of those matches was the semifinals at UEFA Euro 2024, and Yamal has won all five knockout stage matches against Kylian Mbappé in his career (including club). But as Yamal and Spain might feel confident ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal, France has arguably looked like the best team of the tournament. Les Bleus have won their first six matches, outscoring their opponents by 14 goals so far. That’s why Lalas believes Spain is an underdog to France in the semifinal. “Based on this tournament’s performance, I wouldn’t put it at 50/50, but I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility that Spain wins,” Lalas said. “You can even hear them in the way they were talking after the game about what is to come. They certainly don’t fear France, nor should they. They’ve matched up well against them. “But this particular version of Spain, in this particular moment, if you compare and contrast with what France is, I think the logical conclusion is that the favorite is France. So, I don’t think it’s a 50/50 proposition.”Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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