Your weekend must reads🗞️
Many players on post-grad football teams are finding the promises of gridiron glory don't match the reality. A growing number of states are raising the floor on their minimum wage. And survivors of religious cults are warning about their dangers.
👋Hello again! I'm John Riley. The weekend is here again, and so is The Short List weekend edition✨ with its must-reads from Paste BN. Let's get started, shall we?
But first: Send us your pet pix! 🐶 Check out our gallery of pets − dogs, cats, birds, a lizard − in USA's Favorite Pet contest. Enter yours at www.usatoday.com/favpet.
Post-grad football offers players a second chance at glory − for a fee
Thousands of young men nationally play post-grad football, aiming for another shot to play for a college. But many players say the teams, which often cost players thousands of dollars, fail to keep their promises. These programs thrive in the unregulated space between high school and higher education, fueled by the hopes of athletes who garnered little attention from big-time colleges. 🏈 Few players get the offers they're seeking.
- Where did the money go?: His players paid thousands for a chance at college football
Minimum wage set to rise in 23 states. Is yours one of them?
Minimum wage hikes traditionally have been aimed at helping low-paid workers afford the basics, such as food, medicine and housing. But a growing number of states and localities are raising their pay floors to $15 an hour or above, providing workers a larger financial cushion. Twenty-one states and 48 cities and counties are set to raise their minimum wages on Jan. 1, according to a report provided exclusively to Paste BN by the National Employment Law Project. 💵 See which states are hiking wages.
- Inflation rises: Will the Fed cut rates next week?
Growing up inside a religious cult
Brooke Walker grew up in an Arizona church community, where families lived in communion with God and each other. But she says it was a place where members were unable to question leaders "without facing backlash." Those who did ask questions, Walker claims, "were met with gaslighting and sometimes even physical abuse." Despite this, Walker didn't leave the cult for decades. 👉 Learn about the warning signs of cults.
Holiday season highlights
- Musical misery: Many Christmas songs are bad, but these are the 10 worst
- Travel tips: The best, worst times to drive (or fly) for Christmas and New Year's
- Holiday card mistakes: What to know before sharing season's greetings
- Christmas lights: Have a Griswold-size display without racking up your electric bill
Keep scrolling: There are more great stories below.👇 See you next week!