Cowboys visit at Philadelphia ended in a brawl with multiple ejectionsSaquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season , backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles (13-3) led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal. McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to A.J. Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol — he didn’t practice all week — which opened the door for Pickett to start. Pickett, acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason, played with extra protection under his jersey after he suffered a rib injury when he was pressed into service against the Commanders. Sore ribs or not, Pickett was pumped for this start all week. He was raised a diehard Eagles fan in central New Jersey about 80 miles from Lincoln Financial Field and recalled “great memories” of going to games with his dad and grandfather since he was 5 years old. The 26-year-old Pickett said he had plenty of family at the Linc to cheer him on against Dallas (7-9). More than 60,000 other Eagles rooted him on, too, but Pickett’s dream day ended prematurely. He finished 10 of 15 for 143 yards. The Philadelphia Eagles celebrate strides in gun violence prevention during community partner summit Philly city leaders report a 40% drop in homicides with a gun. Advocates say, “It is not by accident.” 3 months ago With the Eagles no longer having a division title to play for, it’s likely Hurts will rest another week ahead of the playoffs. Now, Pickett could be sidelined as well — possibly forcing McKee into the starting lineup. Barkley had 31 carries and his last one went for 23 yards to push him over 2,000. He could also sit out rather than risk injury chasing Dickerson’s record. Barkley, who left the Giants and signed a three-year deal with the Eagles for $26 million guaranteed, set the NFL mark for most yards rushing in a player’s first season with a new team. The friends and family that traveled to see Pickett play had to wait a bit after Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned an interception 69 yards for a score on Dallas’ opening drive. Cooper Rush — who threw for 147 yards and had two interceptions — followed on the next drive for Dallas with a 4-yard TD pass to Jalen Tolbert. Pickett connected with Grant Calcaretta for 34 yards and then hit Smith — who had six catches total for 120 yards — for a 22-yard score and a 14-7 lead. The Eagles’ defense broke the game open for Pickett when a recovered fumble led to Jake Elliott’s 31-yard field goal and Gardner-Johnson’s second pick of the day set up Pickett’s rushing score on a tush push. Just like Hurts. Pickett, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards, took two tough shots on the same drive on the third: Odighizuwa was flagged for roughing the passer on a late hit and Parsons delivered the knockout blow. The Eagles were thrilled to have a capable backup QB who went 14-10 as a starter with the Steelers. His performance prompted Pittsburgh legend and Fox broadcaster Terry Bradshaw to say the Steelers never should have gotten rid of him. Injuries Cowboys: S Donovan Wilson suffered a knee injury ... Played without All-Pro WR CeeDee Lamb, who was shut down for the final two weeks with a sprained right shoulder. Eagles: DE Bryce Huff briefly left with a shoulder injury sustained in his first game back since he was activated off the injured list. He had wrist surgery. Up next The Cowboys host Washington next week in their final game of the season. The Eagles tune up for the playoffs with a home game against the Giants. Saturdays just got more interesting. Busy week? Our weekend newsletter will catch you up on the best local stories of the week. Sign up for the WHYY News Wrap-Up today. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.
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State officials have selected a Des Moines-based health care association to manage Iowa's new behavioral health system that’s meant to better coordinate care and improve access for patients. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that the Iowa Primary Care Association was selected to serve as the organization to oversee the new system statewide. The organization is a nonprofit membership association that supports Iowa's 14 federally qualified health centers, which provide primary care and preventive services to low-income and underserved populations regardless of their ability to pay. Gov. Kim Reynolds in May signed into law a plan to overhaul and combine Iowa’s delivery system for mental and behavioral health services — which advocates hope will improve access for patients. It combines Iowa’s 32 disparate mental health and substance use regions into seven unified behavioral health districts, while placing disability services under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. People are also reading... The plan aims to improve a system that both state officials and advocates agree is badly fractured. Some, though, have worried the proposal does not go far enough to address underlying issues that hinder access to treatment and services in the state — including Iowa Medicaid reimbursement rates. Others have expressed concerns whether a large state-run system would have enough resources to fully address the needs of all Iowans. The legislation states the new behavioral health services system shall provide equitable statewide access to all services and offer specialized services with a focus on at-risk populations. That includes children, young adults, individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, older Iowans and those with limited financial resources. The bill passed the Iowa Legislature with large bipartisan support, and was backed by the Iowa Hospital Association, Iowa Mental Health Advocacy, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Coalition for Family and Children's Services in Iowa and others. “By bringing services together in this way, we will enable better coordination of care supporting the best possible outcomes for each individual. It’s what Iowans deserve, and it’s what we intend to deliver,” Reynolds said in a statement Friday. Details about the new behavioral health system, however, still are forthcoming. The Iowa Health and Human Services Department did not immediately provide a copy of the association’s contract. The Iowa Primary Care Association will be responsible for establishing a statewide network of providers and “ensuring that all Iowans have clear, consistent pathways to care and support they need,” state officials said in a statement. The nonprofit will be responsible for overseeing the management and operations of all behavioral health services in each of the new system's seven districts, starting July 1. State officials said the association will work with local leaders, school officials, law enforcement, health care providers and public health professionals to develop strategies to meet the distinct needs of communities within each district. Iowa Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia, in a statement, said Iowa Primary Care Association was selected as “an established and trusted health care provider in the state.” “With an existing footprint embedded in communities across our state, and a comprehensive IT infrastructure to help streamline service delivery, Iowa PCA has demonstrated that they are uniquely qualified to fulfill the vision of this new system,” Garcia said. Marissa Eyanson, the department’s Behavioral Health Division director, said the association “laid out a robust plan to ensure continuity of services to Iowans throughout the transition period and into the launch of the new system.” “Iowa Primary Care Association embraces innovative delivery models of care and promises to expand that approach in order to provide a standard set of core services consistently systemwide,” Eyanson said in a statement. The state solicited proposals from existing agencies that oversee mental health regions, as well as from other public and private nonprofit entities to administer the seven new regions. The Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region — a partnership between nine counties, including Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones and Linn counties, to provide comprehensive mental health and disability resources, referral and funding to individuals in Eastern Iowa — was among those groups that submitted proposals. With the selection of Iowa Primary Care Association, the Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region will cease to exist as an organization on June 30, per Iowa law. The region will now be part of the new District 7, comprised of Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Linn, Jones, Jackson, Johnson, Cedar, Clinton, Muscatine, Scott, Louisa and Des Moines counties. “To not be selected is a blow to our organization,” said Mae Hingtgen, chief executive officer of the East Central Region. “ ... Me and my staff have over 265 years combined experience working in this system, and we thought we were the best candidate.” Hingtgen said East Central Region staff began working on their proposal — including meeting with providers, county supervisors, law enforcement, educators and health care professionals across the new 14-county district and creating an interim plan — as soon as Reynolds announced plans for the new behavioral health system during her Condition of the State address last January. She said the change will affect 35 employees across the East Central Region. “I recommend all of my staff to any provider or (health care) system that is looking to hire, because we have very dedicated and passionate and skilled staff who will need to find new jobs,” she said. “It will be my work for the next six months to help them to make that transition.” While not as intimately involved in the delivery of government-funded mental health and disability services in Iowa, Hingtgen said the Iowa Primary Care Association is “a great organization” that will “do good work” administering behavioral health services in Iowa. The association did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday. Hingtgen said the East Central Region will continue to administer mental health and disability services over the next six months to ensure access to services are not compromised in the transition to the new behavioral health system. She said employees will work with providers and the association to facilitate a seamless transition. Hingtgen said Iowans should not see a disruption in services. “I want to express confidence in the fact that the people who will be administering behavioral health services in the Iowa are people who are fully committed to the work and have the best intentions,” Hingtgen said. “And we will, as we transition out of this work, we will do whatever we can to help them to get there.” Emily Blomme, chief executive officer of Foundation 2 Crisis Services in Cedar Rapids, said the organization looks forward to working with the Iowa Primary Care Association. “They have been thoughtful and curious to learn about our history, services, and the crisis system as a whole,” Blomme said in a statement to The Gazette. “We are excited to continue to provide crisis services to Iowans in partnership with Iowa PCA and the realigned behavioral health system.” Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.U.S. stocks slipped below their records in the runup to a big jobs report due on Friday. The S&P 500 edged down 0.2% Thursday after setting an all-time high for the 56th time this year the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%. The crypto market had much more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before falling back toward $99,000. It’s climbed dramatically since Election Day on hopes President-elect Donald Trump will be more friendly to crypto. Airline stocks were strong, while Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. On Thursday: The S&P 500 fell 11.38 points, or 0.2%, to 6,075.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248.33 points, or 0.6%, to 44,765.71. The Nasdaq composite fell 34.86 points, or 0.2%, to 19,700.26. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 30.39 points, or 1.3%, to 2,396.17. For the week: The S&P 500 is up 42.73 points, or 0.7%. The Dow is down 144.94 points, or 0.3%. The Nasdaq is up 482.09 points, or 2.5%. The Russell 2000 is down 38.56 points, or 1.6%. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,305.28 points, or 27.4%. The Dow is up 7,076.17 points, or 18.8%. The Nasdaq is up 4,688.91 points, or 31.2%. The Russell 2000 is up 369.10 points, or 18.2%.CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 26 points, RJ Davis added 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and North Carolina beat Campbell 97-81 Sunday night in the Tar Heels' final nonconference game of the season. Elliot Cadeau added 12 points and a career-high 12 assists, Drake Powell also scored 12 points and Jalen Washington added 10 for North Carolina (8-5). Cadeau made a jumper to spark a 15-3 run, Davis followed with a 3-pointer that gave UNC the lead for good with 16:09 left in the first half and Cadeau capped the spurt with a layup that made it 22-12 with 12:41 to go until halftime. Colby Duggan responded with back-to-back 3-pointers for the Fighting Camels to make it 22-18 less than a minute later and Nolan Dorsey's tip-in again trimmed the deficit to four points with 7:51 left in the first half. North Carolina scored 12 of the final 17 points to take a 40-29 lead into the intermission and Campbell got no closer than nine from there. Duggan hit a jumper to open the scoring in the second half, but Washington threw down a dunk with 18:53 to play and the Tar Heels led by double figures the rest of the way. Duggan led Campbell (5-8) with a career-high 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 5 of 9 from 3-point range. The rest of the Camels combined to make 17 of 45 from the field (37.8%). Jasin Sinani scored 15 and Cam Gregory 14 for Campbell. Seth Trimble (upper-body injury), who is averaging 14.8 points per game this season, did not play for North Carolina. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college basketball: and The Associated Press
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