Latest news with #Lowery
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
5 questions with Will Lowery on The Underrated Tour
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- As a golf personality and broadcaster, Will Lowery has his hands in a lot of cookie jars, so-to speak. How many in the golf industry can say they work with Steph Curry, Tiger Woods, cover PGA Tour events for PGA Tour Live and host a show for Golf Channel's Golf Pass, which given Rory McIlroy's investment in that business endeavor means he sort of works with him too. There's a podcast he co-hosts too (Beyond the Fairway with Doug Smith) and other irons in the fire when he's not handling the social media for Tiger's TGL franchise, Jupiter Links, and doing Tiger's grunt work. "I do all the stuff he doesn't want to do," he said with a smile. But nothing gets the 40-year-old who calls Charlotte home more fired up than talking about the Underrated Tour, his brainchild that is backed by Curry, the Golden State Warriors star who has become one of golf's biggest supporters. Here at TPC Sawgrass, where 96 junior golfers competed on the famed Stadium and Valley courses Aug. 5-6, Lowery, whose title technically is tour ambassador, is enjoying the latest opportunity to see his version of "growing the game" come to fruition. It's already the fourth season of the Underrated Tour, which is "dedicated to enacting real change by creating lanes for youth from underserved communities to gain access to all of the opportunities the sport golf offers." The top 28 boys and girls on the Underrated Tour will advance to The Curry Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, Sept. 10-12. Shortly before the hardware was handed out to the winners of the event at the home of the Players Championship, Lowery took a break to chat with Golfweek about his role as a youth advocate. GWK: How did you become involved in the Underrated Tour? WL: I brought this to Steph in 2018. I was in his kitchen and I said I think you can change the way golf can be perceived. I think you can do more than helping kids get on the PGA Tour can. We can do find a specific space, not just an introduction, First Tee programs, they've got that. I told him he belongs in this sweet spot of the AAU portion of golf. But more importantly, how can we increase our participation rates? That was it. That's what we are. I had this idea of the tour and he's all in. He's been involved heavily ever since. GWK: What do you dream of the Underrated Tour becoming? WL: We want to make sure that we reach those who don't have a voice in the game, those who come from a different clubhouse, those who have been underserved. I feel that at this movement that we have, we can understand what's going on in the hearts and minds of these kids. I want to help be the bridge. I feel like I can be a liaison, a gatekeeper in teaching this younger generation. GWK: What's been your proudest moment with the Underrated Tour? WL: It's the education portion of Underrated. We have kids come to panel discussions with CEOs of every industry, everybody who is in Steph's Rolodex. I think one of the moments that got me was at the end of our first session, you see the CEO is handing his card out. He's exchanging numbers with the kids. I don't care about how many birdies they make. But when I see the kids have the opportunities with the CEOs that are hard to get in touch with, that's the moment for me. GWK: How were you able to find golf without something like the Underrated Tour? WL: I played golf professionally for 10 years. I played PGA Tour Latinamerica, I was on the show Big Break 10-15 years ago (in 2011 and known for his cross-handed grip). I'm from the hood, the other side of the train tracks and at an early age, I had an understanding of what culture capital and connected capital meant. And so when I see a lot of these kids who come from the same neighborhood that I come from, I don't think they realize how powerful golf is and I, for one, for myself, I can speak personally and from experience that golf has taken me to the four corners of the world. Golf has done that. I want to somehow show these young men and women that golf is a means to upward social mobility. And I told Steph, I can deal with it if these kids don't play golf professionally, but I need them to have golf in their life so it can help them in so many other ways. They can just be the beacon of those kids that want to do right in the world. GWK: What's your best Steph story pertaining to golf? WL: He thinks he can beat me. That's one thing. You might want to call that a fictional story but he thinks he can beat me. But he's somebody who loves the game and we're sitting one time in his office and the golf was on and I said, Mackenzie Hughes is in the top five. And while he's on the computer, he looks up and goes, 'Oh, the Canadian.' And that's when I realized, he's different. I know everything there is to know about the game because I'm endemic to golf and it's my job. I've got to know that stuff. I got to understand what's going on, when I go on the air or I'm talking about it on a podcast or whatever. But for him it's a passion. For him to say, oh, yeah, he's Canadian. That's when I realized, he's a student of the game.
Axios
29-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Indiana's college-going rate continues decline
The share of Hoosier students who chose to go to college after graduating high school hit a new low in 2023. Why it matters: Indiana's college-going rate has been declining for a decade, despite efforts to reverse the trend. The state previously set a goal to increase the share of adults with higher education to 60% by this year but was only at 53% by the end of 2024. What they're saying: "We know the need for more individuals with some form of training and education beyond high school is only going to increase," Chris Lowery, Indiana's higher education commissioner, said during a meeting last week. Driving the news: The Indiana Commission for Higher Education posted the 2023 college-going rate report earlier this month showing 52% of students who graduated from an Indiana high school in 2023 went on to some kind of post-secondary education. The rate's been declining since 2012, when it was 66%. State of play: During last week's meeting, Lowery said more recent data indicates the trend may be starting to turn around. The Commission adopted new strategies in spring 2023, which would not have had much impact on that year's graduating class. He said initiatives like automatically enrolling students in the 21st Century Scholars program, increasing the number of high schools offering core general education college classes and requiring high school seniors to complete the FAFSA should start to pay dividends. "We're starting to bend the curve," he said, "but a lot of work remains."
26-07-2025
- Politics
Lumbee tribe of North Carolina sees politics snarl recognition by Washington
Since the 1980s, the Lumbee Tribe has lobbied Congress to acknowledge it as a sovereign nation. There was renewed hope last year when both major party candidates in the presidential election promised to intervene on behalf of the Lumbee. In his first week in office, President Donald Trump appeared to be making good on his endorsement. He issued an executive order directing the Interior Department to create a plan for federal recognition, a move Lumbee Chairman John Lowery called a 'significant step forward.' But several months later, it remains unclear if Trump will take further action. The plan was submitted to the White House in April, according to the Interior Department. However, a White House official told The Associated Press last week that the Lumbee will have to achieve its goal through legislation — which the Interior Department also confirmed. 'We anticipate the tribe will work with Congress on a path forward to be formally recognized,' Interior spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement. Federal acknowledgement comes with a bevy of resources owed to tribal nations through treaty rights and acts of Congress, including health care through the Indian Health Service, access to certain federal grants, and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the land-to-trust process. Many of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. have been acknowledged through legislation. Dozens more have been recognized through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, which determines if applicants have a documented history of political and social existence as a tribe. Critics of the Lumbee Tribe, including several tribal nations, argue that it has not been able to prove its historic and genealogical claims and it should do so through the formal federal process. The tribe is recognized by the state of North Carolina. 'The gaps in the Lumbee's claims are staggering,' said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks. He said the Lumbee have yet to show who they descend from and that recognizing them through legislation would open the door for fraudulent groups to gain federal acknowledgement. 'Congress wouldn't be recognizing a tribe, it would be manufacturing one,' he said. Lowery argues that the Lumbee can prove who they descend from but that the application and vetting process through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement is too long and arduous and could take decades complete. He has been working closely with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina to pass a bill that would federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe. 'For anyone, from any tribe, to somehow think that a tribe that receives federal recognition via legislation is somehow circumventing the process,' Lowery said, 'is being disingenuous.' The Lumbee Tribe applied for recognition in 1987. But Arlinda Locklear, a Lumbee attorney who has worked on the issue for decades, said staff at the Office of Federal Acknowledgement offered conflicting opinions because a 1956 congressional act acknowledged the Lumbee exist but denied them access to federal resources. She said they asked the office to issue a formal opinion regarding the 1956 bill. 'If we're not eligible then tell us at the beginning so we can ask for it from Congress,' she said. The Office of Federal Acknowledgement determined the Lumbee Tribe was ineligible for recognition, but that decision was reversed in 2016 by Interior's Office of the Solicitor. Despite being allowed to reapply since 2016, both Locklear and Lowery said that process remains too lengthy and have opted instead to urge Congress to pass legislation. That could prove difficult in the current climate, as Trump and Republicans lawmakers are slashing federal spending. In 2011, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that recognizing the Lumbee Tribe and providing the necessary federal resources would cost the U.S. more than $840 million in the first four years. A 2022 CBO estimate put that number at more than $360 million. This month, a Brookings Institution report found that the Trump administration's directive to freeze federal grants could disrupt $24 billion that go to tribes. Tillis, the author of the bill, has also been the subject of the Trump's ire recently, after he voted against the president's tax bill in June. Trump threatened to campaign against him, and Tillis said he would not seek reelection. His bill, the Lumbee Fairness Act, was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in January. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who chairs the committee, said she will work with Tillis on the bill. David Wilkins, a Lumbee author and professor at the University of Richmond, has advocated for federal recognition for decades. But, he said the Lumbee face opposition across Indian Country, and he's concerned that gaining it with Trump's endorsement will add to that. 'The way he's battering Indian Country with his cuts or with his layoffs,' Wilkins said. 'If we do slip through because Trump convinces his Secretary of Interior to either expedite the acknowledgement process or get Congress to find a move on the Lumbee bill and get it through, I worry about how that's going to be received in Indian Country.'
San Francisco Chronicle
26-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lumbee tribe of North Carolina sees politics snarl recognition by Washington
Since the 1980s, the Lumbee Tribe has lobbied Congress to acknowledge it as a sovereign nation. There was renewed hope last year when both major party candidates in the presidential election promised to intervene on behalf of the Lumbee. In his first week in office, President Donald Trump appeared to be making good on his endorsement. He issued an executive order directing the Interior Department to create a plan for federal recognition, a move Lumbee Chairman John Lowery called a 'significant step forward.' But several months later, it remains unclear if Trump will take further action. The plan was submitted to the White House in April, according to the Interior Department. However, a White House official told The Associated Press last week that the Lumbee will have to achieve its goal through legislation — which the Interior Department also confirmed. 'We anticipate the tribe will work with Congress on a path forward to be formally recognized,' Interior spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement. Federal acknowledgement comes with a bevy of resources owed to tribal nations through treaty rights and acts of Congress, including health care through the Indian Health Service, access to certain federal grants, and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the land-to-trust process. Many of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. have been acknowledged through legislation. Dozens more have been recognized through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, which determines if applicants have a documented history of political and social existence as a tribe. Critics of the Lumbee Tribe, including several tribal nations, argue that it has not been able to prove its historic and genealogical claims and it should do so through the formal federal process. The tribe is recognized by the state of North Carolina. 'The gaps in the Lumbee's claims are staggering,' said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks. He said the Lumbee have yet to show who they descend from and that recognizing them through legislation would open the door for fraudulent groups to gain federal acknowledgement. 'Congress wouldn't be recognizing a tribe, it would be manufacturing one,' he said. Lowery argues that the Lumbee can prove who they descend from but that the application and vetting process through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement is too long and arduous and could take decades complete. He has been working closely with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina to pass a bill that would federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe. 'For anyone, from any tribe, to somehow think that a tribe that receives federal recognition via legislation is somehow circumventing the process,' Lowery said, 'is being disingenuous.' The Lumbee Tribe applied for recognition in 1987. But Arlinda Locklear, a Lumbee attorney who has worked on the issue for decades, said staff at the Office of Federal Acknowledgement offered conflicting opinions because a 1956 congressional act acknowledged the Lumbee exist but denied them access to federal resources. She said they asked the office to issue a formal opinion regarding the 1956 bill. 'If we're not eligible then tell us at the beginning so we can ask for it from Congress,' she said. The Office of Federal Acknowledgement determined the Lumbee Tribe was ineligible for recognition, but that decision was reversed in 2016 by Interior's Office of the Solicitor. Despite being allowed to reapply since 2016, both Locklear and Lowery said that process remains too lengthy and have opted instead to urge Congress to pass legislation. That could prove difficult in the current climate, as Trump and Republicans lawmakers are slashing federal spending. In 2011, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that recognizing the Lumbee Tribe and providing the necessary federal resources would cost the U.S. more than $840 million in the first four years. A 2022 CBO estimate put that number at more than $360 million. This month, a Brookings Institution report found that the Trump administration's directive to freeze federal grants could disrupt $24 billion that go to tribes. Tillis, the author of the bill, has also been the subject of the Trump's ire recently, after he voted against the president's tax bill in June. Trump threatened to campaign against him, and Tillis said he would not seek reelection. His bill, the Lumbee Fairness Act, was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in January. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who chairs the committee, said she will work with Tillis on the bill. David Wilkins, a Lumbee author and professor at the University of Richmond, has advocated for federal recognition for decades. But, he said the Lumbee face opposition across Indian Country, and he's concerned that gaining it with Trump's endorsement will add to that. 'The way he's battering Indian Country with his cuts or with his layoffs,' Wilkins said. 'If we do slip through because Trump convinces his Secretary of Interior to either expedite the acknowledgement process or get Congress to find a move on the Lumbee bill and get it through, I worry about how that's going to be received in Indian Country.'
Winnipeg Free Press
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Lumbee tribe of North Carolina sees politics snarl recognition by Washington
Since the 1980s, the Lumbee Tribe has lobbied Congress to acknowledge it as a sovereign nation. There was renewed hope last year when both major party candidates in the presidential election promised to intervene on behalf of the Lumbee. In his first week in office, President Donald Trump appeared to be making good on his endorsement. He issued an executive order directing the Interior Department to create a plan for federal recognition, a move Lumbee Chairman John Lowery called a 'significant step forward.' But several months later, it remains unclear if Trump will take further action. The plan was submitted to the White House in April, according to the Interior Department. However, a White House official told The Associated Press last week that the Lumbee will have to achieve its goal through legislation — which the Interior Department also confirmed. 'We anticipate the tribe will work with Congress on a path forward to be formally recognized,' Interior spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement. Federal acknowledgement comes with a bevy of resources owed to tribal nations through treaty rights and acts of Congress, including health care through the Indian Health Service, access to certain federal grants, and the ability to create a land base such as reservations through the land-to-trust process. Many of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. have been acknowledged through legislation. Dozens more have been recognized through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, which determines if applicants have a documented history of political and social existence as a tribe. Critics of the Lumbee Tribe, including several tribal nations, argue that it has not been able to prove its historic and genealogical claims and it should do so through the formal federal process. The tribe is recognized by the state of North Carolina. 'The gaps in the Lumbee's claims are staggering,' said Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks. He said the Lumbee have yet to show who they descend from and that recognizing them through legislation would open the door for fraudulent groups to gain federal acknowledgement. 'Congress wouldn't be recognizing a tribe, it would be manufacturing one,' he said. Lowery argues that the Lumbee can prove who they descend from but that the application and vetting process through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement is too long and arduous and could take decades complete. He has been working closely with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina to pass a bill that would federally recognize the Lumbee Tribe. 'For anyone, from any tribe, to somehow think that a tribe that receives federal recognition via legislation is somehow circumventing the process,' Lowery said, 'is being disingenuous.' The Lumbee Tribe applied for recognition in 1987. But Arlinda Locklear, a Lumbee attorney who has worked on the issue for decades, said staff at the Office of Federal Acknowledgement offered conflicting opinions because a 1956 congressional act acknowledged the Lumbee exist but denied them access to federal resources. She said they asked the office to issue a formal opinion regarding the 1956 bill. 'If we're not eligible then tell us at the beginning so we can ask for it from Congress,' she said. The Office of Federal Acknowledgement determined the Lumbee Tribe was ineligible for recognition, but that decision was reversed in 2016 by Interior's Office of the Solicitor. Despite being allowed to reapply since 2016, both Locklear and Lowery said that process remains too lengthy and have opted instead to urge Congress to pass legislation. That could prove difficult in the current climate, as Trump and Republicans lawmakers are slashing federal spending. In 2011, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that recognizing the Lumbee Tribe and providing the necessary federal resources would cost the U.S. more than $840 million in the first four years. A 2022 CBO estimate put that number at more than $360 million. This month, a Brookings Institution report found that the Trump administration's directive to freeze federal grants could disrupt $24 billion that go to tribes. Tillis, the author of the bill, has also been the subject of the Trump's ire recently, after he voted against the president's tax bill in June. Trump threatened to campaign against him, and Tillis said he would not seek reelection. His bill, the Lumbee Fairness Act, was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in January. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who chairs the committee, said she will work with Tillis on the bill. David Wilkins, a Lumbee author and professor at the University of Richmond, has advocated for federal recognition for decades. But, he said the Lumbee face opposition across Indian Country, and he's concerned that gaining it with Trump's endorsement will add to that. 'The way he's battering Indian Country with his cuts or with his layoffs,' Wilkins said. 'If we do slip through because Trump convinces his Secretary of Interior to either expedite the acknowledgement process or get Congress to find a move on the Lumbee bill and get it through, I worry about how that's going to be received in Indian Country.'
