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NO ONE EVER thinks a brain injury will happen to them, but it people in this country each year – that’s 52 people every single day. Globally, neurological conditions – including acquired brain injury (ABI) – are of ill health and disability. Brain injuries happen overnight. It could be as the result of a stroke, a fall, road traffic collision or brain tumour, among many other causes. In an instant, the lives of the person and their family are turned upside down. The effects of any brain injury are life-changing. Some people live with long-term challenges – many hidden, others not: chronic fatigue, loss of sight or speech, memory loss, difficulty managing emotions, reduced capacity to work, or carry out everyday activities like cooking, washing and managing family life. Advances in medical care and technology have resulted in more people surviving the trauma of a brain injury, but survival is just the beginning of a long and often complex recovery journey. For these reasons and many more, timely neuro-rehabilitation is of the essence. Neuro-rehabilitation is a clinical and social process to help recovery after a brain injury. It is about relearning, compensating and regrowth, so the person lives a meaningful life of their own choosing – the WHO describes it as a problem-solving process. Each person is assessed, a personalised plan is put in place and, gradually, they are supported by an expert team to regain independence and adapt to their environment. We know that life after a brain injury can be so much better if the person has access to the rehabilitation they need as soon as possible. tells us that “early access to specialised, intensive neuro-rehabilitation services enables people with ABI to recover faster and achieve the best outcome for them, their families and society at large.” Timely access shortens the length of hospital stays, and reduces the burden of care on families, and the cost to the state. Most importantly, it lessens the impact of the brain injury and maximises the potential of the person to rebuild a new life. that neuro-rehabilitation is a necessary part of recovery and adjustment. But despite all the evidence, neuro-rehabilitation services in Ireland continue to be substantially under-resourced. While some recent and welcome investment has been made in short-term, post-acute services, the reality is that there is still very limited neuro-rehabilitation available to survivors, especially over the long-term in the community. Even the Government’s acknowledges that “services in the area of neuro-rehabilitation have been underdeveloped in Ireland and where they exist, they have been developed in an ad hoc manner”. The result, for survivors and their families, is a lottery of age and geography where access to rehabilitation and potential for recovery depends on where you live, or how well your family can advocate for services. This is a fundamental contravention of the human right to rehabilitation as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ( ). Some stay months, or even years in hospital beds waiting for a rehabilitation placement. Others are discharged without a plan for follow-up supports, to homes that are not accessible and with families unable to cope. Young survivors are still being placed inappropriately in nursing homes for older people because there is simply no alternative available. Once there, there is no equitable system in place to review and support their case. Behind closed institutional doors, many are forgotten about. However there are solutions to the pathway problem, and sustainable state investment in long-term neuro-rehabilitation is one of the cornerstones. Currently, 21 brain injury survivors previously placed in nursing homes are living in Acquired Brain Injury Ireland community-based houses with 24/7 specialist rehabilitation support. Our Case Managers and rehabilitation teams have supported 41 more to transition out of nursing homes back to community living. Some of them have since moved into their own homes. Over two years, our vocational rehabilitation programme supported 234 survivors: 53% returned to work, 21% to education. All of them are making a meaningful contribution to the communities of which they are a part. Our Clubhouses, providing group rehabilitation, promote independence and offer members structure, community and camaraderie. Education resources and peer support groups are available to families and carers coming to terms with a new way of life. With access to ongoing neuro-rehabilitation it is possible for survivors of brain injury to rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. But it must be available on an equitable basis for everyone who needs it. And ultimately – what is the alternative? Incidences of ABI will continue to increase in the years to come in line with increased survival rates. So too – – will demand for neuro-rehabilitation. It is incumbent on those elected to our next Dáil to address the lack of political priority and slow policy implementation process in this area to date, as the “inhumane mistake of many national governments”. In advance of Friday’s vote, we at Acquired Brain Injury Ireland are calling on candidates to fight for the lives of brain injury survivors. We are asking them to commit in the Programme for Government to fully implement the . We want to see our elected representatives: In the course of our election campaigning, we spoke to author and survivor Phil Quinlan who described his lived experience after suffering a traumatic brain injury on the football field at the age of 15. To this day he asks if he could have achieved so much more, had the system kept him and supported him. He talks about the impact on his parents who took over his rehabilitation when he was discharged from hospital, ‘left to his own devices’. And he affirms – as we know too well from our work in the field – that “After the devastation of a brain injury when families have their loved one back home, they’re emotionally so relieved and simply exhausted that often they don’t have the energy to seek help.” On behalf of Phil, and the 120,000 other people in Ireland living with a disability after brain injury, we invite you to ahead of this Friday’s election. Please ask the candidates in your locality if they will ‘fight for the lives’ of brain injury survivors and sustain vital rehabilitation services. None of us know when we may need the support.
The Star-Ledger’s recent editorial, “New Jerseyans suffer from toxic diesel fumes. Trenton seems fine with that,” opposing legislation calling for a two-year delay in implementation of the state’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, misses the point. We all want to improve New Jersey’s air quality to protect everyone’s health. New Jersey truck dealers want to sell what customers want to buy, and they don’t want California mandating they buy only electric trucks. (The rule requires an increasing percentage of new trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles.) There are obstacles to widespread adoption of electric heavy-duty and medium-size trucks, including affordability and charging infrastructure. The price of an electric heavy-duty truck is as much as $500,000, two or three times more than a new cleaner-diesel truck, and there is virtually no publicly-available charging. Everything delivered to your doorstep or local store arrives by truck. If consumers think groceries are expensive now, wait until the ACT rule brings more expensive trucks and more trucks on the road, due to range and payload challenges. Many New Jersey dealers will have only a few diesel trucks available in 2025 because manufacturers are withholding them and sending them to states that haven’t adopted an ACT rule. Rushing into the ACT Rule on Jan. 1, 2025, will only cause industries that rely on heavy-duty trucks to hold onto their older trucks longer. We should use every tool to help industries update their fleets with trucks that have the latest emission technologies, as well as electric options. Delaying the rule for two years will not disadvantage anyone. We all win when the state is prepared to help its EV mandates succeed instead of seeing a fast failure on electric trucks deter future adoption. Laura Perrotta, president, New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, and Eric DeGesero, lobbyist, New Jersey Motor Truck Association I’ll be home(less) for Christmas? “Kudos” to Sheriff Armadno Fontoura of Essex County and Sheriff Shaun Golden of Monmouth County for having residential foreclosure classified ads run in the Christmas Day print edition of the Star-Ledger. And, even bigger “kudos” to the staff of the paper who were so tone deaf as to allow that to happen. Class acts, one and all. This cruel foolishness, combined with the apparent decision to keep non-promotional Star-Ledger subscription prices the same, while eliminating the print edition as of Feb. 3, displays a startling degree of cynicism and greed. Keep up the good work. Paul Weinstein, Asbury Park Keep those letters coming Congratulations to my fellow 2024 letter-to-the editor writers. Most newspapers will print letters submitted by any writer regardless of where they live, so long as the topic is relevant to readers. It helps to have a snappy introduction, good hook, be timely, precise, have an interesting or different viewpoint to increase your odds of publication. Newspapers generally welcome letters commenting on their own editorials, articles or previously published letters to the editor. I’m grateful that the Star-Ledger afford both me and my fellow letter writers the opportunity to express our views, as well as differing opinions on issues of the day. Please join me along with your neighbors in reading the Star-Ledger. Patronize their advertisers; they help provide the revenue necessary to keep them in business. This helps pay to provide space for your favorite or not-so-favorite letter writers. Larry Penner, Great Neck, N.Y. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion . Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion . Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion . Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters .
Business Leader Chooses to Live and Work in Downtown St. Paul Mark Henneman, longtime leader of the investment advisory firm, has undergone three major transitions in his life since 2022. Two of them demonstrate his confidence in the future of downtown St. Paul, which has been beset by a . For two decades, Henneman served in a variety of leadership roles at Mairs & Power, which was founded in St. Paul in 1931 by George Mairs Jr. Much of Henneman’s time was spent working in the firm’s office in the First National Bank Building in downtown St. Paul. When Henneman was CEO, the firm conducted an extensive study process to identify a new office location. Sites outside of St. Paul were considered, but the firm’s leadership . In 2022, the Mairs & Power office moved from First National to the 25th floor of Wells Fargo Place at 30 East 7th Street. This year, Henneman has experienced two major changes in his life. In October, . Henneman will remain with the firm as chairman through the end of 2026. In late summer, Henneman and his wife moved from a single-family home to a condo in downtown St. Paul. In a recent interview at the Mairs & Power office, Henneman talked with about the decision to live downtown. “I love downtown St. Paul,” Henneman said. “The things that we love about it are the thriving arts [scene.]” Henneman and his wife enjoy theater and music offerings downtown, which include events at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. “My wife and I, we just walk to all these different venues,” he said. He noted substantial investments that have been made in cultural venues downtown. “They’re vast and that’s just created a great way of life for us.” Henneman isn’t naïve about the fact that downtown faces economic and social challenges. He also recognizes that not everybody views downtown St. Paul the way that he does. In some instances, when people learned that he now lives downtown, Henneman said he got reactions such as: “Why would you move downtown? It’s dangerous.” Often, he said, the people who have the harshest views of downtown St. Paul spend little or no time there. “The impressions of downtown St. Paul are not the reality of downtown St. Paul,” Henneman said. “We’re very comfortable down here. We know there are areas you don’t want to go to at night. But that was true where we lived before.” Henneman is among the business, government, and nonprofit leaders who serve on the board of the , which is a coalition that’s focused on making downtown a better place to live, work, and play. “There is a homeless issue for sure,” Henneman said. “That doesn’t make us feel unsafe down here. It makes me feel bad, and it feels like a problem that we’d love to help solve.” There are many unoccupied office spaces in downtown St. Paul, including in the First National Bank Building where Mairs & Power previously was headquartered. The office vacancy rate in St. Paul’s central business district was 31% in the third quarter of this year, . “We’re in the midst of a commercial real estate meltdown,” Henneman said. “But I think that’s presenting an incredible opportunity, and one that I want to participate in and help with.” In mid-November, the Downtown Alliance released a report from architectural and design firm Gensler concluding that . The Gensler report focused on the elements of the buildings’ physical structures and their locations. It provided some baseline data for developers, government officials, and other stakeholders who now need to determine the financial feasibility of housing conversion projects. “There are issues that are coming up in the short term,” Henneman said. “It looks, frankly, kind of bleak. But I feel strongly that the long term [outlook] is excellent, and that the things that are going to be happening over the next few years will make downtown something special.”
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ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter.Ondo election a model for future polls, says The Electoral Hub
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen may be hard-pressed to top 4,000 yards passing for a fifth consecutive season. And that’s not a bad thing. As much as the five-time defending AFC East champion Bills (12-3) rely on Allen to run what’s still a highly productive offense that’s averaging 31.3 points per outing, a James Cook-led running attack has provided Buffalo an added dimension. Take Buffalo’s 24-21 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, for example. In a first half in which the defense struggled to get the Pats off the field and Allen went 9 of 17 for 78 yards, Cook injected the necessary spark with a 46-yard touchdown run in helping Buffalo rally from a 14-0 deficit. The touchdown was Cook’s 14th rushing of the season, moving him into a tie for the NFL lead entering Monday. And it was Buffalo’s 29th TD rushing of the season, matching the team record set in 2016. Allen’s passing numbers have dipped — he’s averaging 237 yards per outing, as opposed to 284 in 2020 when he shattered the Bills single-season record. The run game has picked up the slack. Buffalo is averaging 366.5 yards per outing — down slightly from last season (374.5). And yet it hasn’t dented the team’s record. The Bills have 12 wins for the eighth time in team history, and third since 2020. RELATED COVERAGE Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. His status for Sunday is uncertain Steelers WR George Pickens returns to practice, hopeful to play against Chiefs Heavy ground game gives Anthony Richardson a chance to shine in Colts’ latest victory This is the balance coach Sean McDermott not only envisioned, but demanded when changing offensive coordinators midway through last season by replacing Ken Dorsey with Joe Brady. McDermott has always emphasized his belief of games being won at the line of scrimmage. And the Bills have been a different team with Brady overseeing the offense and incorporating six-man fronts to help open holes for the running game. Buffalo’s running attack takes the pressure off Allen having to win games with his arm. It also gives the Bills a ball-control dimension to ease the load from a patchwork and injury-depleted defense , which should be McDermott’s most pressing concern entering the playoffs. The defense — missing four starters including three in the secondary — overcame its depleted ranks against New England with takeaways on the Patriots first three possessions of the second half. The turnover run was capped by cornerback Taron Johnson falling on a loose ball for a touchdown to put the Bills ahead 24-14 with 10:10 left after rookie Drake Maye’s backward pass glanced off the hands of Rhamondre Stevenson. The Bills improved to 24-2 against quarterbacks with 16 or fewer starts since 2019. But that won’t matter much if Buffalo envisions a deep playoff run in an AFC bracket that already includes the experienced likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. Meantime, McDermott has another growing concern on his hands involving a mistake-prone special teams unit. Three weeks ago, in a 44-42 loss to the Rams, Buffalo couldn’t muster a punt block in the final seconds because it only fielded nine players. Against New England, the Patriots caught Buffalo sleeping with a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-1 at its 23. “We got to do a better job there in making sure we get the right grouping on the field,” McDermott said, before acknowledging the decision fell on coordinator Matthew Smiley. What’s working Generating takeaways. The defense has forced a turnover in all but one outing this season. Buffalo enjoys a league-best 20-plus turnover differential entering Monday. What needs help An injury-depleted defense that allowed 379 yards to New England — the ninth time this season an opponent has topped 350 yards. In its past three games, Buffalo has allowed a combined 1,357 yards and 86 first downs, with opponents going 24 of 40 on third downs. Stock up Cook. The third-year running back’s 14 rushing TDs rank third on the team’s single-season list. Only Allen, with 15 last season, and O.J. Simpson, with 16 in a 14-game season in 1975, have more. Stock down Smiley. Special teams breakdowns continue to grow for a coordinator who was promoted to the job after Heath Farwell left Buffalo following a 42-36 OT loss to Kansas City in the 2021 playoffs. The Bills were second-guessed for kicking off into the end zone, allowing the Chiefs to gain 44 yards on two plays in the final 13 seconds to set up Harrison Butker’s game-tying 49-yard field goal. Injuries Allen hurt his throwing elbow but did not miss a snap. Buffalo’s defense was minus LB Matt Milano (groin), safeties Taylor Rapp (neck shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (ribs), and cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee). LB Baylon Spector, starting in place of Milano, is week to week after hurting his calf on Sunday. Key number 4 — Number of times the Bills have finished with 13 wins. Next steps Have a chance to finish 8-0 at Orchard Park for just the second time in team history in closing their home schedule against the New York Jets on Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflPHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He's 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Faisalabad Literary Festival ended on a high note with powerful performance of Ajoka’s Bala King. The biting political satire was well received by a full Nusrat Fateh Ali auditorium and was given a prolonged applause. Written by Shahid Nadeem and originally directed by Ajoka icon Madeeha Gauhar, the play revolved around a gangster from inner city of Lahore who enters politics and goes to the top with a combination of bribery, intimidation and propaganda. Bala King was played by Usman Raaj and other cast included Naseem Abbas, Mohammad Qaiser, Muzammil Shabir, Azka Latif, Haifa Ibrahim, Shehzad Sadiq, Shujaat Haider, Bilal Mughal, Rabeel, Bilal Hassan, , jazib, Meesam, Luke, Anish, Hammad, Ahmad and Kaif. Live musin was presented by Naseem Abbas, Kanwal Christopher and Thomas Yousaf. Speaking on the occasion Ajoka director Shahid Nadeem said the play was a warning for the people to resist gangsters and goons becoming political leaders.
FBI warns to stop sending texts; here's what to do instead
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has a golden opportunity in front of him next week in the final game of the regular season. He has the chance to shatter Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing yardage record (even though Barkley will try to do so with one extra game). Barkley has 2,005 rushing yards on 345 carries with one game left. Dickerson ran for an NFL single-season record 2,105 rushing yards on 379 carries. Barkley needs 101 rushing yards in Week 18 to break the record, which he can achieve in less carries. At the beginning of Sunday Night Football, both of the gifted tailbacks spoke with NBC’s Maria Taylor. Saquon Barkley answered a few questions about potentially breaking the record. “It’s an honor to be mentioned in the same category of him and what he’s been able to accomplish. But yeah, I know that I wouldn’t have been able to even be mentioned in that without the guys up front, the tight ends and the wide receivers and our coaches here. So, it’s a blessing but, you know, whatever happens happens,” Barkley explained. “I’m ready if, you know, we have the opportunity to do it or if I rest and get ready for the playoffs too, I’m down for that,” Barkley continued. What are his thoughts on Eric Dickerson not wanting Barkley to break the record? “I can break the record. Let’s say that. But you know, I get it. I wouldn’t want my records to be broken. But to me, it’s all cool. It just I’m a little kid living a dream, to even have those conversations to be mentioned in that. I’m a big fan of position, big fan of the game. You know, I remember when AP, when I watched the game AP came close to doing it,” Barkley noted. “I remember watching YouTube, Barry Sanders rushed for 2000 against the Jets. I’m living the dream, so it doesn’t mean that much to me. But I’m on cloud nine just having fun. And just excited that we’ve clinched the division and get ready for the playoffs,” Barkley explained. As the football gods would have it, Barkley will get the chance to break the record against his former team. The New York Giants. What would it mean for him to break the record against his old team? “If Coach Sirianni made his decision and was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go get it.’ For me, it’s more of the fact that I’m able to put myself in the conversation with a guy like Eric Dickerson. I don’t look at it as to excited to be able to do it against the Giants, but more of the opportunity to put myself in mention with Eric Dickerson. But if that’s not the case either, I’m more than ready to sit out and get my body ready for doing something special,” Barkley finished. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards in 1984, breaking O.J. Simpson‘s record (2,003 yards) which had stood for 11 years. Six tailbacks have rushed for 2,000 yards since Dickerson, but none have been able to surpass his total. Barkley is closing in on Dickerson’s mark, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer doesn’t believe Barkley will break it, nor does he want him to. Regardless, we’ll see if the former Penn State star gets an opportunity to shatter one of the NFL’s most coveted records next week. On3’s Nick Kosko also contributed to this article. This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.CALUMET CITY — Dolton-Calumet City Elementary School District 149 has informed parents a mealworm was found this week on a middle school table where students were eating lunch. Rumors circulated on social media of students coming home sick after finding bugs in their spaghetti. However, District 149 Superintendent Maureen White said Thursday she received no reports of children falling ill and the single mealworm found on the table did not come from the kitchen. “There was absolutely no mealworm in the food or in the food supply, and not even where the food is prepared,” White said. “It was a hoax.” White said students told her the mealworm was brought to the table as part of a social media challenge. However, she said the district took “precautionary measures” to sanitize the cabinets where food trays are stored and clean tables more frequently. “We’re just doing an extra clean to assure that there are no bugs of any kind getting on the table,” White said. This time lapse video by the JG-TC's Herm Meadows shows a cicada molting recently in Charleston. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!