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Mind the Gap: Six Tips to Assess Your Healthcare Coverage Before the New YearOn Monday, the Los Angeles Rams claimed former Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. off the waiver wire. This came just a day after the former first-round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was waived after playing just two defensive snaps in five weeks. Los Angeles may be just the place to rejuvenate the young defensive back’s career after a less-than-stellar start at the professional level. Former First Rounder Emmanuel Forbes Joins Rams Forbes’ addition to the Rams secondary adds more youth and talent to the mix. However, the former Mississippi State Bulldogs’ biggest red flag is still his status as an undersized player at the cornerback position. Forbes stands at six feet, average for the modern NFL corner. However, his 180-pound frame is around 10-15 pounds lighter than the ideal weight for the position. His physical advantage comes from his speed and long arms, which allow him to deflect passes in coverage. The Rams’ newest edition bolsters a secondary that ranks around the league average. The team ranks 17th in passing yards allowed, 11th worst in passing touchdowns allowed, and 10th in interceptions. With the team in a playoff push, Forbes’ raw talent can aid the Rams in press coverage and off-man schemes. By coming to LA, Forbes also rejoins former teammate safety Kamren Curl . Curl and Forbes both played together in Washington from 2023-2024. Head Coach Sean McVay’s team was able to revive the seemingly dead career of another first-round pick. When quarterback Baker Mayfield was without a team after being dropped by the Carolina Panthers, the Rams claimed the former Sooner off waivers. Mayfield’s five-game stint in Tinsel Town included a game-winning drive against the Las Vegas Raiders two days after signing, as well as a 51-14 win over the Denver Broncos. Mayfield’s run with the Rams revitalized his career, leading to him signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. If the Rams can work their magic on Forbes, they can turn another doomed career around. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.If you want to sit around griping about the state of the world, don’t do it at a meeting of the St. Paul Optimist Club. They don’t call themselves “optimists” for nothing. The club members are “people who want to share the attitude of optimism,” said Margie Bodas, a member and one of the club’s many past presidents. “You need optimism or nothing will get done. If you don’t have optimism, you kind of just stagnate.” The Optimist Club of St. Paul , one of nearly two dozen chapters in Minnesota of Optimist International , definitely has not stagnated. One of the state’s oldest local groups, it celebrates its 100th anniversary this month. At a gala the club held a few weeks ago, a couple of dozen past presidents attended. The club has had a different president every year throughout that century, Bodas said, with the exception of a year during COVID-19. Also attending were young people who’ve received scholarships from the club, one of its most important projects. But underlying their array of community volunteering projects, the Optimists emphasize the importance of maintaining a positive outlook. It’s even written into the club’s official creed, which asks members to commit to a list of upbeat promises, such as “Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true,” and “Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.” The strong emphasis on optimism subtly distinguishes the Optimists from other community service organizations, said Diane Koch, another member. Not that members of other groups are pessimistic, but if the Lions are known for recycling eyeglasses and Rotary places more focus on local economic growth, the Optimists are all about being hopeful for the future. “Optimism isn’t necessarily that you’re walking around giddy and smiling,” said Koch, who sometimes plucks a tenet from the creed to put at the end of an email. “It’s an attitude that ‘This too will pass. We’ll get through it.’” And the Optimist Club should know, having made it through the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era in the 1930s, World War II the following decade, the arms race in the decades after that, and assorted assassinations, protests and economic ups and downs over the years. Most current members don’t remember the early decades. But they may find it comforting to remember that the nation has faced challenges at least as potentially worrisome as conflicts going on today. In fact, it’s the club’s ability to rise above such conflicts that Bodas likes most about being a member. Unlike in many social situations, she gets an opportunity to meet people whose politics may differ, and engage in a shared passion for helping youth. For instance, club members get together monthly to cook a meal for members of the Jeremiah Program, an organization that supports single mothers and their children. “If you start with your differences you’re not going to get far,” Bodas said. Club members don’t spend much time debating differences of opinion, “but they’re there and we all know who thinks what,” she said. “And we still find things that we share together that are important to us. Neither of us is going to be able to change the other person. We are able to talk about it and still get together and do stuff. I just think that’s something pretty special these days.” Optimist Club members tend to skew middle-aged or older, most ranging from 40 to 80 but with a few members in their 20s and 30s (daytime meetings can be a hurdle for people with jobs and kids at home). There’s some ethnic diversity, Bodas said. Socioeconomically, most members are in the middle-class-and-up brackets. Beyond that, though, they include “real-estate people, morticians, construction people,” said Karl Olson of Minneapolis, who has been in the club for 48 years. (There was a Minneapolis group previously, but it’s no longer operating.) “My insurance agent was in the original chartered club and said ‘Karl, you’d be a real good person to be in Optimist Club,” said the 81-year-old Olson, who retired from 3M in 2004 and became a wine representative. “So I went to a meeting. ... It was the best decision I ever made,” Olson said. “I wanted to work with children.” Through the club, Olson volunteered in a program at a St. Paul high school for students who’d been missing class, and a different project involving kids in recovery. “We’d go there once a month and have pizza with these kids. We were role models, we’d play board games, play cards, once in a while go cross-country skiing or take them on hay ride,” he said. For 30 years the St. Paul Optimists have operated a Youth Appreciation program that this year provided $3,000 post-high-school scholarships for 15 students who’d overcome some substantial challenge and have plans for continuing their education. “A lot of these kids are immigrants, the first in their family” to pursue education past high school. “It could be culinary school, it could be a trade school, it could be Macalester College, could be anything,” Olson said. Many volunteer projects struggle to find participants who can make a long-term commitment; people’s schedules are busy and many would prefer a one off. One advantage of the Optimist Club is that it lets members pitch in on volunteer opportunities as their schedules permit, without requiring long-term commitments by individuals. “Let’s say you want to do bell-ringing for Salvation Army; that’s a four-hour commitment,” Olson said. “We meet with the Jeremiah Program every month. You can go whenever your schedule’s free. ‘You always have enough people that you don’t have to say, ‘Yeah I’m going to do that for the next year.’” And members do sincerely want to find ways to help their communities. That’s what has kept the club going for its first 100 years, Bodas said. “There’s just such a similarity in belief that you can do something,” she said. “There are just so many shared values that keep us together.”
A special alcohol-free zone will be created in South Albury to stop anti-social behaviour linked to the annual Chryslers on the Murray car show. or signup to continue reading A temporary ban on boozing in an area bounded by Union Bridge in the south, Smollett Street in the north, Wodonga Place in the west and Townsend Street in the east is set to apply for the next two March weekends when the event is held. There would also be a non-permanent alcohol prohibited area in the nearby parks alongside the Murray River over the same dates. Albury Council will vote on a recommendation supporting the new measures at its meeting on Monday, November 25, with an opportunity for feedback with the proposals to be publicly exhibited for 30 days. The crackdown on alcohol follows a brawl during an unsanctioned cruise along Wodonga Place as part of this year's Chrysler gathering. The parade of vehicles has been occurring for years, but in Albury Wodonga Chrysler Club president Rod Taylor welcomed the council adopting the alcohol-free area, which will be in force from 5pm to 9am across the Friday and Saturday nights. "We 100 per cent support that," Mr Taylor said. "It will just calm things down a bit more, it's a move in the right direction. "Most of the people understood that it was getting a bit out of hand and something had to be done because it was getting a bit dangerous." Mr Taylor said he would also like police to have a mobile random breath testing unit in the area as a deterrent. He attended the and saw police there rotating around such a unit and believed it should be replicated in Albury. Albury Council has already committed to having its mobile security camera trailer in the cruise area to allow police to monitor behaviour and communicate with crowds via onboard loud speakers. In their report to Monday night's meeting, the council's community safety partner Julia Vesval and acting team leader communities Diane Small note NSW police have concerns about spectator safety and their resources being strained. Police stated roads, such as Wodonga Place, could not be closed due to the need for emergency access and their heavy vehicle route status. The council staff conclude the proposed CCTV trailer deployment and alcohol-free zones "will ensure the streets and open spaces are available equally for the enjoyment of everyone, while remaining relevant to contemporary community expectations, and continue to provide a collective vision that supports cohesive growth and enhancement of our city". Chryslers on the Murray, which is centred on Wodonga's Gateway Island, is tipped to attract 7000 car fans and inject $2.8 million into the Border economy. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementClarke Reed, who helped Gerald Ford win the 1976 Republican nomination, has died at 96