When Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler first brought the idea to manager Rocco Baldelli, it set off a long conversation between the two filled with plenty of questions.

The general concept is simple enough: The Twins want to be more aggressive on the base paths. But could they actually do this? What would it look like?

Over the past week or so, players have been more empowered to make their own decisions on the bases rather than waiting for signs from the coaching staff. The Twins are not a particularly fast team — they have ranked near the bottom of the league in sprint speed and stolen bases in recent years — but that doesn’t mean they can’t run the bases smartly and aggressively, taking extra bases when they see chances to.

“You’re not going to begin that process unless you just simply do it one day — you just wake up and do it,” Baldelli said. “As a group, we want to go first to third as many times as we can. We’re going to have more guys with the green light going forward, and we’re going to be making a lot of decisions out there on the field using our vision and our awareness.”

Baldelli first mentioned the concept to the team’s group of position players before the Twins’ Aug. 20 game against the Athletics and has seen an immediate response since then.

It’s also come with more outs on the bases, which is to be expected. The Tampa Bay Rays, a team Baldelli has pointed to as an example, had run into more outs on the bases than anybody as of Thursday morning. They also lead the league in stolen bases by a wide margin — at 172 stolen bases, they have stolen exactly 100 more bags than the Twins — and are near the top of the league in other metrics that measure baserunning aggression.

“Along with some of the extra bases we get, there could be some outs, as well. But I’d rather play aggressive than passively,” Baldelli said.

The new shift has been well-received from the team’s position players.

Kody Clemens, for example, cited the Milwaukee Brewers — the team that has the best record in the majors — and how hard it was to play against them because they were “running everywhere.”

“I do think it’s a plus to have that attribute as a team, to have some good baserunning, first to third and stuff like that,” Clemens said. “It can open a lot of doors.”

Utilityman Austin Martin said he now feels like he has “more free range,” to be himself and “just use more of my instincts.” Martin, who stole two of the Twins’ five bases in their 9-8 loss to Toronto on Wednesday, was one of the players Baldelli said he was hoping could take advantage of this type of opportunity, citing his aptitude and instincts for the game.

Before, Martin said, he would get the green light to steal in certain situations but it could be taken off the very next pitch. Now, it’s more about players being smart and reading the game, he said.

“I think being able to put ourselves in those situations helps long term in terms of learning and understanding the game better,” Martin said. “When’s the right time to run? When’s the wrong time to be too aggressive? I think we can err on the side of being aggressive, but also err on the side of being a lot smarter at the end of it, too.”

And while there may be some growing pains, Baldelli has also said he is encouraged by what he has seen as the Twins try to transform this aspect of their game, a move they believe will benefit them both now and in the future.

“Giving our players responsibility to watch and learn and react and use their awareness, instincts, and show us their ability to play the game … really puts a lot of the onus on them,” Baldelli said. “And I think they want that. I think they actually feel good about it, and it gives them chances to just play, to just show what they can do on the field, show their ability. .. And that’s what we’ve seen.”

Related Articles

Addison Barger hits go-ahead double in 8th as Blue Jays rally to beat Twins 9-8

Brooks Lee adapting as Twins’ every day shortstop

Twins stun Blue Jays with four-run rally in ninth

Here’s a look at the Twins’ 2026 schedule

Blue Jays pound Ryan, Twins from the start

By GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Rwanda has become the third African nation to receive deportees from the United States as the Trump administration expands its program to send migrants to countries they have no ties with.

Related Articles

Trump administration asks military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations

Closure of Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center can proceed, judge says

Trump’s power challenged in court by a key member of the Federal Reserve that he’s trying to fire

Japan’s chief trade envoy postpones US trip as Tokyo calls for faster action on its tariffs deal

Louisiana urges Supreme Court to bar use of race in redistricting, in attack on Voting Rights Act

A Rwandan government spokesperson said Thursday that seven deportees arrived in the East African country earlier this month. No announcement was made at the time.

Rwanda did say in early August that it had agreed to take up to 250 deportees but declined then to say when the first would arrive.

Two other African nations, South Sudan and Eswatini, have already accepted a small number of deportees from the U.S. in what have also been secretive deals, while Uganda said last week it has an agreement in principle to take deportees.

Here’s what we know about the deportations of migrants from the U.S.

Rwanda

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the seven deportees are being visited by representatives from the United Nations’ migration agency and Rwandan social services.

Three of them want to return to their home countries while the other four “wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda,” she said. The Rwandan government didn’t say where the deportees are being held.

FILE – Rwandan President Paul Kagame, left, and his wife, first lady Jeannette Kagame arrive for a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, in Kigali, Rwanda, Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

There was no information on their identities, nationalities or if they have criminal records.

Deportees previously sent to South Sudan and Eswatini were all described by U.S. authorities as dangerous criminals.

Rwanda’s deal with the U.S. follows a contentious migrant agreement it reached with the U.K. in 2022 that collapsed and was ruled unlawful by Britain’s Supreme Court. That deal was meant to see people seeking asylum in the U.K. sent to Rwanda, where they would stay if their asylum applications were approved.

Uganda

Uganda, which borders Rwanda, said it would accept deportees from the U.S. as long as they don’t have criminal records or are unaccompanied minors.

FILE – Drivers of motorcycle taxis, known locally as boda-bodas, ride with passengers on a street of Kampala, Uganda, on July 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda, File)

The U.S. has said it wants to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, to Uganda.

Like the other countries, Uganda didn’t give any other details of its deal with the U.S. or what it might gain from accepting deported migrants. African nations might get a range of benefits for accepting deportees and improving their relations with the Trump administration.

“We are sacrificing human beings for political expediency, in this case because Uganda wants to be in the good books of the United States,” Ugandan human rights lawyer Nicholas Opio said when his country announced it was seeking a deal with the U.S.

South Sudan

The U.S. sent eight men from South Sudan, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan in July after their deportations were held up by a legal challenge. That led to them being kept for weeks in a converted shipping container at an American military base in nearby Djibouti.

U.S. officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S.

South Sudan’s government said it would ensure their “safety and wellbeing” but has declined to say where the men are being held and what their fate might be.

South Sudan has been wracked by conflict since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and is teetering on the edge of civil war again.

Eswatini

Two weeks after the South Sudan deportations, the U.S. announced that it had sent five other men — citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos — to the small kingdom of Eswatini, in southern Africa.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security described them as violent criminals whose home countries had refused to take them back.

FILE – Matsapha Correctional Complex is seen in Matsapha, near Mbabane, Eswatini, Thursday July 17, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

Eswatini’s government said the men would be held in solitary confinement until their repatriation, and later said that might take up to a year.

A human rights lawyer in Eswatini has taken the authorities to court alleging the men are being denied legal representation while being held in a maximum-security prison.

Eswatini, which borders South Africa, is one of the world’s last absolute monarchies. King Mswati III has ruled since he turned 18 in 1986 and authorities under him are accused of violently subduing pro-democracy movements.

By Alexis Benveniste, Bloomberg News

Hotel spas were once sanctuaries of adults-only serenity, where frazzled executives and exhausted parents could escape, leaving chaos outside. But step into that same tranquil space today, and you might find a different scene: a mother and her 12-year-old daughter in matching robes, preparing for side-by-side massages. Mom opts for deep tissue, while her daughter enjoys a gentle “mini-me” massage. Nearby, a teenager waits for a specialized treatment that targets muscle tension caused by her phone use.

Related Articles

Beach on a budget: Greeks settle for day trips, priced out of iconic destinations

New eGates at US airports promise faster screening under Trump’s ‘vision’

Pennsylvania’s Chautauqua is a summertime haven for lifelong learners

Southwest Airlines’ new policy will affect plus-size travelers. Here’s how

Travel: Plan a getaway in Colorado wine country

What was once an exclusively grown-up domain is now being marketed as a multigenerational wellness experience appropriate for stressed teenagers, curious elementary schoolers and even toddlers and babies.

Gone are the days of dropping your children off at a “kids club” so you could enjoy a few child-free hours—parents now expect to share most experiences with their kids. And there’s a consensus, among the wealthiest parents at least, that spending money on these bonding activities, no matter how luxurious, is worth it. The wellness and travel industries have taken note, identifying the under-16 crowd as their next lucrative frontier, blazing ahead with offerings that go well beyond “Mommy and Me” manicures.

At Le Barthélemy hotel in St. Barths, home to the Caribbean’s only La Mer spa, alongside $390 moisturizer and $450 night cream you’ll find TooFruit products, a French skin-care line specifically formulated for children. And the hotel’s spa menu features a 30-minute “relaxing back massage” for kids for 80€ ($93) and a 25-minute kid’s facial for 70€. The hotel wants to offer its youngest guests “a gentle, joyful introduction to self-care,” says Spa Manager Karine Valdenaire.

At South Bank in Turks and Caicos, which opened last November, the spa’s treatments for kids mirror those on the adult menu, with age-appropriate modifications. The most popular offering, for example, is a back, neck and shoulder massage designed to help youngsters relax after a day of adventure. “Children truly engage with the experience,” says Gamze Gunay, the hotel’s director of rooms and spa, adding that kids “take their spa treatments seriously, especially when it is a shared experience with a family member.” South Bank has leaned into small touches to help kids feel celebrated. There are pillows that help them relax on the massage table, and staff will weave sparkly strands into braids for kids who get facials or massages. To cap it all off, the spa gives kids mango sorbet at the end of the treatment.

Younger guests book treatments about 10 times per week, Gunay says. “We are seeing a significant shift, where wellness is becoming a family activity rather than an individual pursuit.”

The Family That Spas Together

Children notice when they’re treated as more than an afterthought, says Gia Lee, a Chicago-based travel consultant and mother of three who recently visited South Bank. Her daughter wasn’t just “some kid” at the spa there—she was welcomed and pampered. “I could see it in how poised she was when she walked in her robe to the relaxation area for her post-facial mango ice cream,” Lee remembers. “Yes, she’s a kid, but the experience made her feel special.”

At the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Mexico, parents can even sign their youngest children up for treatments. The hotel’s Babies for All Seasons program is designed for families with children from newborn to 18 months old. Parents can take their littlest ones to baby yoga and baby reflexology, which uses light pressure to “support circulation, strengthen the immune system and promote restful sleep.” Says John O’Sullivan, regional vice president and general manager: “We believe wellness is a lifelong journey that can begin as early as infancy.”

At the other end of the age cohort, the Beverly Hills Four Seasons runs a dedicated Teen Spa for guests ages 12 to 17, where LA teens can book treatments alongside hotel guests. Designed to introduce young guests to the world of relaxation and skin care, the offerings include Max Relax, a $295 hourlong treatment that includes a face and body treatment with aromatherapy, and Sweet Little Face, a $180 30-minute facial that includes cleansing and a massage.

Services aimed at teens and tweens are not just capitalizing on a vague instinct toward self-care—they often target a very specific anxiety that parents are wrestling with: the harmful effect of screens. At the Mandarin Oriental in Canouan, in St. Vincent & Grenadines, kids can sign up for a $160 “Texters Treat,” which targets muscle tension triggered by frequent phone use. The Well, a health-focused members club that’s expanding from New York to South Florida, plans to offer monthly teen programming, including yoga and wellness workshops, at its soon-to-open Bay Harbor Islands location. “The pressures on kids today are intense, in large part due to social media,” says Meg Mulholland, the Well’s senior vice president for brand and marketing. “Helping them disconnect from TikTok and reconnect with themselves—learning to slow down, breathe and feel grounded—isn’t just cute, it’s foundational.”

Maybe so, but it’s also a good sales pitch. Teens and tweens, in particular, are notoriously difficult to entice into family activities. “We are providing services for a category that has some very real generational-harmony issues,” says Gunay of the South Bank in Turks and Caicos. “More families want to vacation together but struggle to find activities that genuinely appeal across age groups. Junior wellness is becoming the solution.”

Vandana Gupta, a mom from Pennsylvania, found that out first hand. She took her three daughters, twin 13-years-olds and a 15-year-old, to the spa at Mandarin Oriental Canouan. “When I’m on vacation, I always try to plan a couple of visits to the spa, and now that my daughters are teenagers, I try to include them and take them with me,” she says. All three of her daughters got facials on their recent vacation. “They’re at that age where they’re into makeup and skin care, so they love a good facial,” Gupta said.

The Sephora Tween Effect

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed the exploding interest in skin care and makeup among members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, but experts believe that even the youngest beauty enthusiasts are searching for something more than the latest Tiktok trend. “When you look beyond the hauls and get-ready-with-me routines, what’s really happening is a return to ritual and connection,” says Erina Pindar, the chief operating officer at SmartFlyer, a full-service luxury travel agency. “These beauty practices become a way for young people to bond with siblings, parents or friends, and to explore self-expression, much like fashion once was.”

Sephora tweens may be trending, Pindar points out, but a multi-general interest in wellness is nothing new. “People have gathered in spaces like the hammam for centuries—not just for cleansing, but for community,” she says. “Today’s spa treatments for kids aren’t so different. They’re simply a modern evolution of a timeless social ritual.”

Working with kids calls for extra care, of course. Many properties require a parental presence for guests younger than 16, and children’s treatments are usually shorter than adult versions. The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, for example, offers an “Alpha Menu” with 45-minute versions of the standard 60- to 90-minute adult treatments.

Luxury properties are also investing in specially trained staff focused on children’s safety and well-being. At the Four Seasons Punta Mita, “any therapist working with our youngest guests is specially trained in age-appropriate engagement, safety and communication,” O’Sullivan says. The spa therapists at the hotel are certified through Conocer, a professional training program in Mexico that prepares professionals to support guests at every life stage, from newborns to older adults. And the KidsWell program at the resort is led by Erika Ibarra Zepeda, who brings more than 15 years of experience in children’s wellness, along with academic training in psychology and childhood development.

Skeptics might point out that a kid-focused spa treatment, while undoubtedly relaxing, can’t replace traditional carefree play and probably won’t magically impart lifelong wellness habits or guarantee future emotional regulation. “No child ‘needs’ a spa treatment,” says Amy Larocca, author of How to Be Well, a new book about the rapacious growth of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry. “I just don’t think spa treatments are an appropriate part of childhood. I would hope that there are better ways to relax as a family than skin care and self-improvement.”

Perhaps the real question isn’t whether children deserve pampering, but whether childhood itself—messy, loud and wonderfully chaotic—is already the perfect antidote to a stressed out world.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

Crossing paths with dogs, cats and other animals is part of campus life for students at Eckerd College, a liberal arts school in Florida that allows pets to live in dormitories.

Sophie Nocera, an Eckerd senior, said she probably knows the names of pets better than her fellow students.

“That’s the case for a lot of the students,” said Nocera, who lives on the campus in St. Petersburg with her Border collie, Zuko. “When I’m walking my dog, I often hear, ‘Oh my god, hi, Zuko!’ It’s like I’m not even there.”

Some colleges and universities around the country welcome pets in campus residences, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to Stephens College in Missouri.

For students, the companionship can help reduce stress, anxiety and homesickness. The colleges also see benefits for student engagement and helping them build connections with one another.

Federal law requires public and private colleges to allow service animals and emotional support animals in student housing. But growing numbers of schools are allowing pets, with various restrictions.

Not all animals are welcome on pet-friendly campuses

MIT allows only cats, in limited numbers and in preapproved spaces. At Eckerd, students can bring their family pets to live with them on campus after their first semester. The college requires pets to have been part of students’ home life at least six months before coming to campus and must not be venomous or aggressive.

Student Molly Cheer’s pet comfort cat, Louie, peers out of his shelter in her dorm room at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

At the University of Northern Colorado, students in three of the more than dozen residence halls on campus are allowed to have dogs and cats. The animals must be at least 6 months old and no more than 40 pounds. Students are limited to one pet. This fall, the school will have the most registered pets on campus since it began allowing them over a decade ago, said Jediah Cummins, executive director of housing.

“One of the markers of adulthood is, ‘Can I not just take care of myself, but can I take care of another living being?’ That’s an important part of this,” Cummins said.

Molly Cheer, a senior nursing major, said she chose Northern Colorado in part because of its pet-friendly policy. When she is stressed about school, she said, it helps coming home to Louie, the cat she adopted during her first year.

“Whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I pick him up and cuddle him, and he just deals with it for as long as I need it,” she said.

Student Molly Cheer sits with her pet comfort cat, Louie, in her dorm room at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert)

Eckerd has had pet-friendly dorms since 1973. Jack Layden, assistant dean for residential life and student engagement, said the college has hosted hundreds of animals, including rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, guinea pigs, bearded dragons, geckos, turtles, snakes, frogs, fish, and even a tarantula.

Pets change the college experience for their owners

Nocera said Zuko has helped her meet other people on campus, as well as emotionally, when she struggled with a decision to change her major.

“I remember coming back to my dorm and just melting to the floor, and Zuko was right there. And I remember thinking, whatever happens tomorrow, I’m going to wake up, and I’m going to take him to the dog park. And, we’re going to go play fetch regardless of what my major is,” said Nocera, who is the staff director of Pet Life, a student-led department on campus tasked with administering the pet policy.

Sophie Nocera, 21, a senior at Eckerd College, poses for a photo with her dog Zuco on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Tina Russell)

At Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, Eva Chatterjee-Sutton saw the difference a pet can make when a first-year student was struggling to make connections before her mother suggested a puppy. After the dog’s arrival, the student became more involved in campus life, said Chatterjee-Sutton, vice president of student life.

“I think it’s absolutely changed her college trajectory and her connection with others on campus,” Chatterjee-Sutton said.

Residence halls set boundaries, get creative to support pet owners

Pet-friendly dorms require colleges to consider things like safety concerns, noise complaints, how to avoid agitating animals during fire alarm tests, as well as additional costs for cleaning, Layden said. Some schools charge a pet fee, which varies by school, type of pet and is often included in housing expenses. For example, at Stephens College, the annual fee for a dog or cat is $220, for a cage- or aquarium-dwelling pet is $50 and free for fish. Others require students to have liability insurance and roommate agreements. Pets are required to be restrained when in public, and most colleges require students to ensure their pets are healthy and vaccinated.

Eckerd and other colleges recognize pets’ role in their students’ lives at graduation ceremonies, allowing them to cross the commencement stage together in some cases.

“Having pets obviously isn’t for everyone, and that is totally OK,” Nocera said. “But for the people that it is a good fit for, it is so worth it. This upcoming year, I’ll be graduating, and Zuko will be in his little pet graduation ceremony, walking across the stage with me.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.