Axios PM: Office spending spree

Plus: 🕷 Giant spiders drop from sky | Wednesday, March 09, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Amazon   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Mar 09, 2022 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 429 words, a 1.5-minute read.     1 big thing: Reimagining school sports Data: SFIA; Note: Respondents could select multiple venues; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios COVID created an opportunity to reverse the decline in youth sports, Jeff Tracy reports for Axios Sports. The big picture: 30% of students said their interest in sports grew during the pandemic. Just 16% said it decreased. The Aspen Institute spent two years compiling its "Reimagining School Sports" report that included strategies schools can use to capture some of the 60% of students who don't participate. Align sports with school mission: Winning isn't everything. If athletics aimed to achieve similar goals as the school itself, it would create more well-rounded student-athletes. Understand your student population: Survey students, find out what they want and make an effort to provide it. Create personal activity plans: Counselors help students map out their academic goals. Why not do something similar with athletics? Bolster coaching education: Continually train and recertify coaches to ensure they understand their importance beyond X's and O's. Prioritize health and safety: 31% of public high schools lack access to an athletic trainer. Share this story.     2. Back-to-office spending spree Data: MasterCard SpendingPulse; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios American office workers are having their own back-to-school spending moment, Nathan Bomey reports for Axios Closer. What's happening: Outlays on "return-to-office attire" are soaring as workers head back amid a sharp nationwide decline in COVID-19 cases, according to a MasterCard SpendingPulse report released today.     A message from Amazon "Amazon has allowed me to live a comfortable life"     Getting great health care benefits was Luv-Luv's top priority during her job search. That's why she chose Amazon. Thanks to Amazon's starting wage of at least $15 an hour and comprehensive benefits, she lives life on her own terms. Watch her story.     3. Catch up quick Aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after a Russian attack severely damaged the children's hospital and maternity ward. Photo: Mariupol City Council via AP Russian shelling in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has killed at least 1,170 people and destroyed a children's hospital that also housed a maternity ward, Deputy Mayor Sergiy Orlov said today. Go deeper. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant that's now controlled by Russian forces no longer has electricity, threatening efforts to safely store radioactive material, the Ukrainian government warned. Go deeper. A grand jury indicted Colorado election official Tina Peters on seven felony counts as part of an investigation into tampering with the results of the 2020 election. Peters is a Republican candidate for secretary of state. Go deeper. Volkswagen is reviving the microbus as an electric vehicle, scheduled to release in the U.S. in 2024.     4. 🕷 Giant spiders drop from the sky A Joro spider in Georgia. Image courtesy of the University of Georgia An invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand is expected to "colonize" the entire East Coast this spring by using its webs as tiny, terrifying parachutes to travel with the wind. Large Joro spiders — native to Japan — are expected to begin "ballooning" as early as May, reports Karri Peifer of the soon-to-launch Axios Richmond. The spiders can tolerate cold weather, but are harmless to humans as their fangs are too small to break human skin, researchers at the University of Georgia have determined. Go deeper.     A message from Amazon Amazon expands fully paid education benefits for employees     Amazon now funds full college tuition as well as high school diplomas, GEDs, and ESL proficiency certifications for its front-line employees. More info: As of January, more than 750,000 employees are eligible, including hourly workers who've been on the job for as little as three months. See all the benefits.   Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: