Conor Duffy

1 week ago | news.soxprospects.com | Conor Duffy

On a night in which the Red Sox affiliates went 3-1, there was no shortage of excellent performances on both sides of the ball. Roman Anthony and Marvin Alcantara both reached base five times in wins for Worcester and Greenville. Yoelin Cespedes tripled twice and Franklin Arias collected two hits in Salem, though the Red Sox were unable to come away with the win. A pair of top-20 prospects in Connelly Early and Payton Tolle each delivered four impressive innings.

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Conor Duffy

Helen Spurgeon is worried about her son Alex Chambers' future. He followed his passion to pursue an arts degree but that's left him with an enormous HECS debt even as the value of the degree falls. "$50,000 — that is a lot of money for someone who's only 21 and that is before the cost of going on to ever buy their own property," Ms Spurgeon said. It's an increasing concern for parents as the cost of some degrees skyrocket and their own HECS debts look paltry compared to those of their children.

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Conor Duffy

Three million Australians have a HECs debt - that's a loan from the federal government to help pay for tertiary study. Labor is promising to wipe 20 per cent of that debt if it's re-elected next month. The Coalition says that policy is elitist and unfair, while also being economically reckless. Featured:Alex Chambers, Arts graduateHelen Spurgeon, Brisbane residentDr Melinda Hildebrandt, Policy Fellow at the Mitchell InstituteDavid Karoly, Climate scientist on the Climate Council

1 week ago | news.soxprospects.com | Conor Duffy

Highly touted draftees make professional debutsA pair of promising left-handed pitchers selected in the 2024 draft, second-rounder Payton Tolle and fifth-rounder Brandon Clarke (pictured), took the mound for the first regular-season appearances of their professional careers last week. Clarke's start last Thursday was arguably the highlight of the week for the system, as the 19th-ranked prospect threw four perfect innings and struck out five batters, generating nine whiffs on 40 pitches.

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Evan Young |Conor Duffy

One in three Australian school students are failing to achieve proficiency in maths, according to the last two years of NAPLAN results. A new Grattan Institute report has also found Australia has a "maths problem", which the thinktank puts down to "faddish and inconsistent" teaching. Problems start in primary school and kids fall further behind in high school, according to the report. But how are your maths skills? Have a crack at these questions for Year 8 students and see how you compare.