Mizzou softball adds infielder Jana Want through transfer portal

(The Center Square) – Microsoft says that it has 550 full-time employees on site at the recently completed Fairview data center in Mount Pleasant.

The company also says that the number of employees will “grow over time” to an expected 800 when a second data center comes online in 2028.

The employers were defined as "on site" employees of both Microsoft and its contractors.

The project is the first of the $20.6 billion in data centers that the company has planned in the state.

Microsoft says that it spent $4.7 billion between 2024 and 2028 on the construction of hyper scale data centers in the state.

Microsoft is building an adjacent second data center that is scheduled to open in 2028. The company said that 10,000 construction workers were involved in the Fairview project.

“With our Fairwater data center now fully operational, Wisconsin is now home to the world’s most powerful supercomputer,” Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said in a statement. “This campus will help power the next generation of AI innovation globally and provide long-term economic opportunity locally through hundreds of highly skilled jobs and continued investment in the region.”

Data centers have been unpopular in polling both with Wisconsin voters and nationally.

A recent Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll showed that voters believe data centers on not worth the strain on local electricity, water and infrastructure and that the negatives outweigh the importance for national security and competing with China.

The poll also found that voters believe local governments should be cautious about new data centers and those concerns outweigh the jobs, tax revenue and support for America’s digital economy that they bring.

Microsoft is expected to be the largest beneficiary of a wide-ranging Wisconsin sales tax exemption on everything from construction materials to electricity that is estimated to lose the state $1.5 billion in initial foregone state sales tax from four data center projects, according to a new Legislative Audit Bureau report.

In addition, the state will lose $369 million annually once construction on the projects are complete.

Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue originally estimated the value of the incentives would be $8.5 million for the full multi-year construction of a facility and $735,000 recurring afterward.

But hyper-scale data centers have changed that math with Microsoft alone announcing more than $20.6 billion in data centers in the state.

The state is expected to have $36.9 billion in data centers from just four companies with the state forgoing an estimated $40 million in sales tax for every $1 billion in company investment.

OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers have announced more than $15 billion in data center investments in Port Washington. Epic Hosting is expected to spend $347 million in Verona. Meta has announced a $1 billion project in Beaver Dam.

(The Center Square) - A vast majority of Americans reject the idea of giving legal rights and 'personhood' to artificial intelligence, according to a new poll.

The Center Square’s Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found 77% of registered voters think AI should always be treated as a tool controlled by humans, not an entity to confer legal rights. Only 11% of registered voters said advanced AI systems should eventually be eligible for legal rights or personhood.

As AI systems become more advanced, some argue that they display more "human-like" behaviors such as emotion, intention and moral responsibility, sparking a debate among some scholars.

The poll, conducted from June 1 to June 4, surveyed 2,585 respondents on a wide array of political issues. Among the respondents, 915 are Republicans, 1,013 are Democrats and 297 are true independents, which indicates voters who do not lean toward either major party when asked.

Across political persuasions, voters agreed that AI should not be afforded legal rights or personhood. Only 11% of both Democratic and Republican respondents said artificial intelligence should “eventually be eligible for legal rights and personhood.” About 12% of true independent voters said the same.

Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, said the data show Americans are not comfortable conferring rights to AI. He said the issue is clear across partisan lines.

“For AI to become their own individuals, or get their own rights, or basically be considered humans, that’s not going to happen anytime soon,” Noble told The Center Square.

Overall, about 12% of registered voters said they were “not sure” whether AI should simply be treated as a tool or eventually given legal rights and personhood.

“A lot of people have watched a lot of sci-fi movies, but I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Noble said, referring to movies such as The Terminator series, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Ex Machina, and Her. “We’re not going to be there for a long time.”

Respondents ages 18-29 were most likely to say AI should receive legal rights and personhood. Even still, only 21% of respondents ages 18-29 agreed with the sentiment.

“They’re a long way away from any of that,” Noble said.

Black respondents were also most likely to agree that AI should be given legal rights and personhood at 24%, one of the highest levels across all demographics. About 14% of Black respondents were not sure about legal rights for AI and 62% said it should only be used as a tool controlled by humans.

“The main takeaway is that, it needs to be a tool, it’s not going to be its own thing,” Noble said. “We're not going to let it run around, do its stuff, we need to have control on this.”

Here are 5 ways to spend less on running

If you feel like joining the 50 million Americans who are runners, you might have the impression that the sport is basically free. You have a T-shirt, you have shorts, you have sneakers, and out the door you go. Right?

Let Andrew Huynh disabuse you of that notion. The financial planner from Tolland, Connecticut, is an “avid” runner, and he wants you to know: Being a serious runner is most definitely not free.

“The costs can add up quickly once you actually get started,” Huynh tells Current, a consumer fintech banking platform. “I’ve seen many people underestimate the investment before even registering for a race, including shoes, nutrition, recovery tools, gym memberships, and training gear.”

Total it all up, and the costs can get pretty eye-popping. According to a survey from Running USA, runners spent an average of $1,748 in the previous year on the sport.

Add in so-called “runcations” — trips to marquee marathons around the world like London, Berlin, or Tokyo — and your hobby can truly start to heat up your credit cards.

Since many runners right now are aiming toward races in the fall (longer distances typically take a few months of training), now is the perfect time to start planning things out. Some key advice, to get a handle on costs before they start to run away from you:

Plan early, plan often. There are a host of reasons why preparing as early as possible will save you a significant amount of money. First, most races offer early discounts on entries, which ramp up over time as you get closer to the start date. Second, many races book hotel blocks for participants at special rates, which, for popular events, get booked up quickly. The same logic holds true for flights: The closer you get, the higher prices will go, if you can find anything available at all.

One tip: Some specialty operators, like Marathon Tours & Travel, offer package deals that include flights, hotels, and guaranteed entries into hard-to-get races.

Just be careful of the classic runner’s habit of signing up for too many races, which is money down the drain if you don’t end up participating. Instead, be selective and realistic about how many you will undertake.

Also, it’s wise to click on the insurance option that almost every race offers: Life happens, you get derailed by work or illness, or an injury makes it impossible to compete. With insurance, at least you know you’ll be financially covered.

Don’t go crazy on apparel. The fancy brands of the world won’t want to hear this, but there’s no reason to go overboard on pricey athletic wear. You do need synthetic materials, especially socks — cotton chafes, as every runner knows — but the reality is that entries in most races come with giveaways, such as tops or shorts. As a result, you can assemble a “free” wardrobe in a pretty short order.

One place to splurge: Shoes. You should absolutely not skimp on running shoes by buying used gear, even though it may be tempting to do so. The reasons are both performance and injury related: Individual gaits require certain types of shoes, with particular cushioning. (You should ideally be filmed and analyzed on a treadmill, which they can do at many running specialty shops, or some stores also will analyze your patterns with a short jog and measurements.) So if you’re buying a random shoe, which has already been worn down over time, you’re just asking for trouble.

“Great shoes are the only true ongoing requirement, and you shouldn’t skimp on cost,” says Ralph Bender, a financial planner with Enduring Wealth Advisors in Temecula, California. “Rotate several pairs, log the miles, and use them for casual wear after retiring them; 400-500 miles is my running limit.”

Use free apps. Sure, tech tools like GPS smartwatches look pretty darn cool. That’s why 12% of runners spent more than $400 in the previous year on tech gear, according to the Running USA survey.

But do you really need one? The Garmin version picked in Runner’s World’s 2024 “Gear of the Year” feature, for instance, runs almost $1,000. Most runners don’t really need that level of functionality, so consider apps you can install on your phone, like Runkeeper, Strava, or MapMyRun. Some even have a coaching element, like Nike Run Club, which can save costs on individualized in-person training.

Save in advance. If you’re aiming for a longer race, such as a half-marathon or full marathon, then you have a built-in time runway. Proper training takes a few months, so that you can ramp up training distances slowly and not risk injury from going too far, too fast.

In a similar way, you can also use that period to prepare your finances. Save a little bit every week in a higher-yielding savings account and automate a portion of your paycheck to it each time you get paid. The resulting stash can help with running-related expenses as you get closer to the starting line.

“Planning ahead makes a huge difference,” says Huynh. “Buying gear during holiday sales, registering during early-bird pricing windows, and budgeting for travel upfront can help runners feel excited for race day instead of financially stressed by it.”

This story was produced by Current and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

(The Center Square) – Medical journals’ tripled engagement with non-health related factors such as environmental, economic, and social well-being over the past decade as well as the phrase’s broadening scope may allow harmful ideologies to influence healthcare overall, a new report from medical watchdog Do No Harm warns. 

Senior director of Do No Harm’s Center for Accountability in Medicine Ian Kingsbury told The Center Square that “the expansion of the social determinants of health framework is a serious cause for concern.”

The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health (SDOH) as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age,” and states that “these circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices.”

Kingsbury told The Center Square that “introducing new areas outside a physician’s scope is a tool to advance a leftist political ideology rather than allowing providers to focus on high-quality patient care.”

“As the concept of SDOH becomes overly inclusive and addresses complex social and economic issues, we increasingly burden physicians with solving problems far outside their clinical expertise,” Kingsbury said. 

“Do No Harm is committed to ensuring the medical field is not influenced by political agendas and remains focused on recruiting and educating excellent healthcare professionals who can deliver top-tier care,” Kingsbury said.

In its report, Do No Harm listed what it considers some “striking trends” as it relates to medical journals’ engagement with SDOH.

First, the “sheer volume of SDOH-related articles has more than tripled over the past decade, rising from 69 articles in 2016 to 216 in 2024, even as the total number of journal articles increased by only 1.7 percent,” the report said.

The report noted that “articles mentioning SDOH fell to 155 in 2025, possibly indicating a slowing or reversal of the trend.”

Second, “the composition of the SDOH conversation has shifted markedly.” 

The report said that “perhaps the most striking finding is the surge in discussion of race/ethnicity, racism/racial discrimination, and discrimination” as it pertains to SDOH, with sharp elevations beginning “more broadly” in 2019–2020. 

Third, the report stated that “the scope of SDOH has expanded.”

“While income, poverty, and socioeconomic status remain the most commonly cited determinants, the scope of SDOH has broadened to more frequently include environmental and climate-related factors, which rose from 4 percent of articles in 2016 to roughly 14 percent in 2024,” the report said.

The report stated that these findings “suggest that the medical literature’s engagement with social determinants of health is not only growing in volume but evolving in scope and emphasis, reflecting broader social and political developments.”

Further, the report warned that the “risk” of “influential policymakers are framing an extraordinarily wide swath of issues as matters of healthcare” in the name of “social determinants of health” is “not merely imprecision but overreach.” 

“Physicians and researchers making causal claims about complex social systems they are not equipped to evaluate and lending the authority of medical science to policy prescriptions whose effectiveness and feasibility have not been established,” the report said. 

For its report, Do No Harm examined “1,597 journal articles published between 2016 and 2025” from the “five most prominent medical journals,” which includes the BMJ, the Lancet, JAMA, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Nature Medicine.

HELENA, Mont. — City officials are asking residents to weigh in as Helena updates its Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

A new survey was launched on Tuesday to gather feedback on parks, recreation facilities, programs and urban pathways across Helena.

According to city officials, the survey went out via mail to a limited group of residents to gather diversified feedback.

"A statistically valid survey has been mailed to a random sample of Helena households to help ensure feedback reflects the community as a whole, including residents from different neighborhoods and demographic groups," Helena officials stated.

Despite the limited mail surveys, all residents are encouraged to participate in the online version of the survey.

The city also planned a pop-up booth at the Helena Farmers Market on July 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., where community members can stop by and learn more about the project.

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Downtown Missoula Partnership announced a community celebration for the completed Caras Park canopy project and Beartracks Underbridge Playspace on Tuesday, June 24, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Caras Park during Out to Lunch.

The group said the projects wrapped up two major updates in downtown gathering spaces, making the areas more welcoming for people to gather, play and connect.

The Beartracks Underbridge Playspace changed a former parking area under the bridge over the last three years, according to the Downtown Missoula Partnership. The space now includes cornhole boards, bike racks, a basketball hoop, picnic tables and table tennis.

The area also added painted ground features, colorful bridge pillars and painted dumpsters. New color-changing lights turned on nightly at 5:00 p.m. 

“These projects are exactly the kind of community investments the Missoula Downtown Foundation is proud to support,” said Hailey Kern, president of the MDF Board of Directors. “From the transformation beneath the Beartracks Bridge to the renewed Caras Park canopy, these improvements create inviting spaces where people can gather, play, celebrate and experience the heart of Downtown Missoula.”

The Caras Park project replaced the park canopy and bandshell and repainted the pavilion structure and bandshell, the partnership said. It explained the older canopy was installed in 1997 and had reached the end of its lifespan after nearly 30 years of weather exposure.

The Downtown Missoula Partnership said Caras Park will host community celebrations, concerts, markets, cultural events and family activities for decades and that the upgrades are meant to keep the space functional, safe and ready for continued public use. 

More than $1.8 million came from the Missoula Downtown Foundation and donors over the last six years, along with $317,500 from Missoula Parks & Recreation with more than 150 businesses and individuals supporting the work, the partnership added. 

(The Center Square) – The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the revised 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, sending the bipartisan bill to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature.

The legislation, which aims to boost housing supply and home ownership nationally, cleared the lower chamber in a 358-32 vote Tuesday evening after sailing through the Senate the night before.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., who helped shape the package, called it “one of the most significant bipartisan housing reforms in recent memory.”

“This final product advances practical, bipartisan, and bicameral solutions to modernize federal housing programs, reduce regulatory burdens, streamline the development process, and help build more homes to meet that growing demand and keep the American dream within reach,” Hill told lawmakers.

At 381 pages, the long-delayed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act largely focuses on simplifying or changing regulations that can slow new home building.

Among other regulatory reforms, the bill streamlines environmental reviews for new housing construction, raises the income eligibility for Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) project grants, and makes affordable housing construction eligible for Community Development Block Grant funding.

It also encourages community bank investments in housing by raising banks’ public welfare investment cap from 15% to 20% of their total capital and expanding access to third-party funding sources for financing mortgages and home construction loans.

To expand manufactured housing, the legislation eliminates the current requirement that all manufactured homes be built on a permanent chassis. It also authorizes a specialized grant program for areas with manufactured housing communities and updates mortgage lending standards through the Federal Housing Administration for manufactured homes.

In a slightly controversial move, the bill ties some municipalities’ Community Block Grant Development funding to the rate of their homebuilding, decreasing funding for recipients that lag on housing production and rewarding localities that accelerate it.

The legislation also incentivizes local governments to reform permitting and zoning laws in favor of housing construction by establishing a seven-year, $200 million annual competitive grant program for municipalities that significantly add to their housing supply.

While lawmakers ultimately stripped a provision that would have required large institutional investors to sell rental homes they built to individuals within seven years of construction, they included some restrictions on corporate home ownership.

Nearly 27% of all home sales in the first quarter of 2025 went to investors, both corporate and individual, according to a recent analysis by BatchData.

To help address the problem, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act institutes the first federal ban on large institutional investors – defined as entities that own more than 350 housing units – from buying single-family homes for the next 15 years. Manufactured housing, multifamily homes, and build-to-rent properties are exempted from the ban.

Republicans also obtained a four-year ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency, though it exempts “any dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency.”

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the bill gives Republicans an opportunity to showcase Trump-endorsed legislation as evidence they are tackling affordability issues, which Democrats have made a pain point for the party.

The median home price in the U.S. sits above $405,000 while the median annual household income is below $84,000, according to the most recent federal statistics.

Meanwhile, the median age of first-time buyers jumped to 40 in 2025, seven years older than the median age just five years prior, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis.

“We promised the American people we would fight to make homeownership attainable again, and today we delivered,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said on social media following the House vote. “Republicans have been laser-focused on lowering costs for working families, and the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a pivotal part of making that a reality.”

Hundreds of organizations have expressed support for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, including the National Association of Homebuilders, the National Association of Realtors, the National Housing Conference, the National Association of Counties, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.

"The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passing both chambers is a milestone not just for housing policy, but for what's possible when Congress works together,” Dennis Shea, Executive Vice President of BPC’s Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, stated. “For the families who've been priced out, squeezed out, or left behind by a broken housing market, this is a meaningful step—and it's long overdue.”

Trump is expected to sign the bill into law Wednesday at the Capitol.

(The Center Square) - Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District primaries have been defined by changes in President Donald Trump's endorsement, a late challenger and environmental concerns.

The pair of June 30 contests feature two Republicans and two Democrats, as incumbent Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, looks to hold onto his seat after an endorsement by Trump. That follows the Republican president's earlier criticism of Hurd and endorsement of a different candidate in the GOP primary. The winners of the two partisan races will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election. 

Candidates in the largely rural district are going head-to-head on the economy and environment. The state’s largest district geographically wraps around much of rural and mountainous western and southern Colorado.

“Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, should in no way, shape, or form, be impeded from winning the District in that the Democrat alternative is a DISASTER for our Country,” said President Donald Trump in a social media post on Truth Social from March. “Therefore, I will be fully supporting Jeff’s Re-Election to the House of Representatives, giving him my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Trump’s endorsement of the incumbent Hurd for the Republican primary coincided with the announcement of Republican primary challenger Hope Scheppelman’s exit from the election. It came as a sharp turn from a month earlier when Trump had berated Hurd and endorsed Scheppelman to unseat the freshman congressman.

“[Hurd is] more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America,” Trump said in a February Truth Social social media post, calling the freshman congressman a RINO (Republican in name only). The post had itself reversed an even earlier endorsement of Hurd from late 2025, citing Hurd’s lack of support for Trump’s tariffs.

Scheppleman did not respond to questions from The Center Square about her withdrawal from the campaign. Hurd also did not respond to a request for comment, but said in a March social media post on X that he was grateful for the president's endorsement. 

Following Trump’s endorsement of Hurd, former state Rep. Ron Hanks launched a last-minute campaign bid in April. Hanks and Hurd previously ran against each other for the Republican district primary in 2024, which Hurd won to replace Rep. Lauren Boebert. Hanks did not respond to a request for comment by The Center Square but has echoed criticism of Hurd for dissent against Trump.

Amid the endorsement whirlwind surrounding the Republican primary is a policy argument focused on the economy and environment.

According to his campaign site, Hurd supports the expansion of oil and gas in the state along with competitively priced renewable energy to bring down energy costs. He also has said he would fight to prioritize the state’s Colorado River water rights amid ongoing negotiations between western states over the valuable water source.

Hurd’s Republican and Democratic challengers have criticized his support for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which critics say are increasing healthcare costs for Americans.

“I will not vote for another Big Beautiful Bill if something similar is brought forward,” Hanks said in a statement critical of Hurd.

While Hanks has repeatedly criticized Hurd for breaking with Trump’s leadership, he has stated that in addition to his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill, he would oppose the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran. He blamed the conflict started by Trump for high gas prices and inflation.

Across the aisle, the district’s Democratic primary features Alex Kelloff and Dwayne Romero. Kelloff is a businessman who cofounded skiing brand Armada Skis, while Romero is an Army veteran and former city council member in Aspen.

Kelloff told The Center Square that the two largest issues the state was facing were the cost of living and the rule of law, particularly Congress’ ability to act as a balance of power to the President.

He said he would be open-minded to legislation that would ban institutional investors from buying up large numbers of single-family homes. He also advocated for the end of the conflict with Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Protecting our public lands and water are critically important in this district because public lands make up so much of the landscape here,” said Kelloff. “Water is so critically important to our agricultural industries as well as outdoor recreation, which are the two largest economic drivers [for the district].”

Kelloff added that while Colorado River water rights negotiations are not currently decided by the federal government, he would support a third-party moderator to find a solution to the issue if it came to that point.

Romero did not respond to a request for comment by The Center Square.

Hurd has received over $3.2 million in total campaign receipts, while Hanks has received just over $20,000 since his campaign began in April, including over $9,000 in self-made loans.

Romero has received nearly $700,000 to his campaign, which included $350,000 in loans by the candidate, while Kelloff had filed over $1.2 million in total campaign receipts.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 30, Election Day. For more information visit the secretary of state’s website, coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections. Early election results will be published that evening at www.thecentersquare.com/colorado

(The Center Square) – Another company has redomiciled in Texas, again leaving Delaware, continuing a trend known as DEXIT, or “DEXIT to Texas.”

After operating in Texas for 10 years, Axiom Space has redomiciled its legal headquarters in Texas.

A leader in commercial human space exploration, Axiom Space says the move aligns its legal home with its operational headquarters in Houston, where it has been operating since 2016.

“Texas has demonstrated, consistently and deliberately, that it wants innovative companies to thrive here and has built the policy and regulatory framework accordingly,” Axiom Space CEO and president Dr. Jonathan Cirtain said in a statement. “For Axiom Space, establishing Texas as both our operational and legal home puts us squarely in a state that understands our mission, supports our industry, and shares in what we are working to achieve.”

Axiom Space and Gov. Greg Abbott made the announcement after Abbott and Cirtain met on Monday.

"Texas has been the launchpad of spaceflight since its inception,” Abbott said in a statement. "We welcome Axiom Space's decision to make Texas its legal residence and look forward to the progress they will achieve in our state. Those who reach for the stars do so from the great state of Texas."

“Texas is actively transforming into the nerve center of the new space economy,” Axiom Space said. “The state has made bold financial and infrastructural commitments, building a business environment designed to turn ambition into reality.” It also adds that the company “is a growing contributor to the state's economy and workforce, employing approximately 700 people, the majority of whom are in Texas.”

“The company's Houston footprint reflects its mission at every level,” it says. This includes its Assembly Integration and Test Facility, built at the Houston Spaceport, a federally licensed commercial spaceport at Ellington Airport. This is where Axiom Station modules will complete final assembly and integration before ascending to orbit. Its footprint also includes its Space Station Development Facility and its spacesuit lab also in the Houston area. 

Axiom Space credits it’s redomicile to Abbott’s and the state legislature’s commitment to advancing Texas space policy, state regulatory policies and business friendly environment. 

In 2023, the state legislature established the Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) appropriating $150 million toward grants to facilitate research, infrastructure, and technology development. It also allocated $200 million to the Texas A&M Space Institute, a multi-tenant facility designed to advance lunar and Mars systems. In 2025, another $300 million in grants was approved. 

The legislature also established the Texas Space Commission to oversee SEARF, which Axiom Space says created “a powerful gravitational pull for companies committed to long-term growth in space and to delivering the benefits of that growth back to Earth.”

Axiom Space was awarded a $5.5 million SEARF grant to “advance its orbital computing capabilities, expanding Axiom Space's role from hardware builder to comprehensive space infrastructure provider and bringing the processing power of orbit to bear on problems that matter on the ground.”   

Axiom Space has launched four private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS), flown 14 astronauts representing 11 countries and conducted more than 160 experiments and dozens of on-orbit outreach events, it says. Axiom Station, the commercial successor to the ISS, will provide a permanent platform where more countries can participate, conduct research, test technologies, and develop capabilities leveraging the microgravity environment, it says.

In response to the latest DEXIT announcement, Texans for Lawsuit Reform CEO Ryan Patrick told The Center Square, “Today, we’re celebrating the fact that if you want to get to space, you’ll have to go through Texas. Axiom Space has already recognized the Lone Star State for its strong business environment and its ability to thrive in this fast-growing, high-wage industry. By reincorporating to align with its base of operations in Houston, Axiom Space can now focus on innovation and expansion. 

“What’s also clear is that the status quo is being dismantled in real time by the companies that want to grow jobs and expand prosperity for their employees and shareholders. Delaware, you’ve got a problem.”

Texas is home to more than 150,000 aerospace workers. NASA's Johnson Space Center located roughly 30 miles south of Houston generates more than $9.8 billion in annual economic output.

(The Center Square) – More work is to be done, including getting a win at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Still, two years into the second term of Republican President Donald Trump, reclaiming Title IX in the spirit as President Richard Nixon signed it 54 years ago to the day on Tuesday remains a challenge accepted by supporters across the nation. North Carolinian Payton McNabb says the administration has backed up their words.

“I think there's still a lot to be done, and I think that the way that they've been moving through this, they obviously care,” McNabb told host Greg Bishop on Tuesday’s edition of The States by The Center Square. “Since Day 1, I mean, they campaigned on it. And then seriously actually followed through, which was encouraging to see.

“I think we're moving in a great speed, and of course, there's still a lot to be done. I think that they're willing to step up and do that.”

On Sept. 1, 2022, at Highlands High School, the trajectory of McNabb’s life forever changed. The state public school athletic association, then led by Commissioner Que Tucker, permitted boys to petition to play in girls sports. One of them spiked a volleyball into the head of McNabb, ending the three-sport career of the Hiwassee Dam High athlete.

Today, she still battles medical issues. Her struggles, she says, are “because of one guy” and adults who were enablers.

Rather than pity or cowardice, or worse still silence, McNabb has risen to successes that – particularly in the summer of ’22 – could never have been imagined. She’s been across the country to state legislatures pushing for protection of women’s spaces and sports, she’s testified in Congress, twice been a guest of Trump for landmark occasions, and she’s grown genuine friendships with other advocates like former college swimmers Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan.

Her story is tragic, her response resilient.

And it’s in a movement with powerhouse names like author J.K. Rowling, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, and Jen Sey, the former front office titan at Levi’s who eventually left and began her own athletic apparel company XX-XY Athletics. The January day at the U.S. Supreme Court included emotional conversations from TV personality Sage Steele, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain.

“I think with the Department of Education under the Trump administration – they have done an incredible job at cracking down on these different stories and giving them a platform and standing up for girls who really felt helpless and like they were crying out for help the last few years and no one was there,” McNabb said on The States.

She said the Biden administration was “actively working against women and we were regressing all this progress that we've made throughout the years by opening it up to everybody and taking away everything that women have fought for and fought to have. It was really disheartening to see the last administration open it up like that and kind of make it seem like they were fighting against us, because that's exactly what it was. I felt like I wasn't protected at all. And you know, there are countless women who felt the same way I did.”

The Supreme Court in January heard the cases known as Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., respectively.

Lindsay Hecox, now 24, didn’t make the women’s track and cross country teams at Boise State. Idaho law, a first of its kind in 2020, says athletes from elementary school through college are to participate on respective male or female teams based on “original birth certificate issued at the time of birth.”

B.P.J., 15-year-old high school student, has identified as female since third grade, using medicine to resist male puberty. West Virginia law, enacted in 2021, is like Idaho in using birth certificate at time of birth.

At stake in the decision of the justices is legal precedent for civil rights, gender identity and school operations.

In a press conference after the arguments, John Bursch of the Alliance for Defending Freedom said, “It means a lot that the other side has to tell the court not to define sex in order to win this case.”

The Supreme Court has identified Thursday as an opinion day.

Title IX says, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The price tag is an estimated $111 billion in gross program costs being paid by the taxpayer – at the federal level. State and local money adds to the total, and varies.

The Education Department in the Biden administration attempted to change those 37 words with 1,561 pages of rewrite. Trump said no on his first day.

McNabb is hopeful for victory at the highest court, even if perplexed the cases have wound up there.

“It's what gave me the opportunities that I had, and let me be able to follow my dreams,” McNabb told Bishop, explaining the personal impact of Title IX. “But it isn't just about celebrating female athletes, it's about protecting the opportunities that make those achievements possible because the next generation deserves a fair shot that the last five decades of women got to have.

“They deserve a fair shot, and that's exactly what Title IX was created to protect. So I love Women's Sports Week. I think that the little girls lacing up their cleats, stepping onto the court, diving into the pool with big dreams – those dreams matter. And the opportunities created by Title IX changed countless lives, and we have a responsibility to protect them, so that every girl can compete fairly, safely, and with confidence.”