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Published 06:52 IST, December 30th 2024 The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100. PLAINS, Ga. : Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter’s in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Defying expectations Carter’s path, a mix of happenstance and calculation, pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That’s a very narrow way of assessing them,” Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” ‘Country come to town’ Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn’t suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he’d be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter’s tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter’s lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” A ‘leader of conscience’ on race and class Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924, Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor’s race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama’s segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival’s endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King’s daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn was Carter’s closest advisor Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters’ early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Reevaluating his legacy Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to “move to a very liberal program,” lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan’s presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan’s Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on family property alongside Rosalynn. Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. Pilgrimages to Plains The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” (This story is not edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed) Updated 06:52 IST, December 30th 2024A real-life "Succession" battle for Rupert Murdoch's media empire has ended with a Nevada court commissioner denying the billionaire's bid to change a family trust and give control to his eldest son. The case pitted the 93-year-old against three of his children over who would gain the power to control News Corp and Fox News when he dies. It has been reported that Mr Murdoch wanted to amend a family trust created in 1999 to allow his son Lachlan could take control without "interference" from his siblings Prudence, Elisabeth and James. A Nevada commissioner ruled Mr Murdoch and Lachlan had acted in "bad faith" and called the efforts a "carefully crafted charade", . In a statement, a spokesperson for Prudence, Elisabeth and James, said: "We welcome Commissioner Gorman's decision and hope that we can move beyond this litigation to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members." Adam Streisand, a lawyer for Mr Murdoch, told the New York Times they were disappointed and planned to appeal. The BBC has contacted Mr Streisand for comment. The famous family was one of the inspirations behind the hugely popular TV series Succession - something the Murdochs have always refused to comment on. But, according to the New York Times report, which is based on a copy of the sealed court ruling, the billionaire's children had started discussing their father's death and how they would handle it after an episode of the HBO series where "the patriarch of the family dies, leaving his family and business in chaos". The episode led to Elisabeth's representative to the trust writing a "'Succession' memo" that sought to prevent this from happening in real life, said reports. Mr Murdoch, who has been married five times, also has two younger children, Grace and Chloe, who do not have any voting rights under the trust agreement. The case was launched after Mr Murdoch decided to change the trust over worries about a "lack of consensus" among the children, the Times reported. Lachan is thought to be more conservative than his siblings and would preserve the legacy of his media brands. From the 1960s, Mr Murdoch built up his media empire into a globe-spanning media giant with major political and public influence. His two companies are News Corporation, which owns newspapers including the Times and the Sun in the UK and the Wall Street Journal in the US, and Fox, which broadcasts Fox News. Mr Murdoch had been preparing his two sons to follow in his footsteps, beginning when they were teens, journalist Andrew Neil told the 2020 BBC documentary The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty. "Family has always been very important to Rupert Murdoch, particularly from the point of view of forming a dynasty," the former Sunday Times editor said. In 1999, the Murdoch Family Trust, which owns the media companies, was supposed to largely settle the succession plans. It led to Mr Murdoch giving his eldest children various jobs within his companies. The trust gives the family eight votes, which it can use to have a say on the board of News Corp and Fox News. Mr Murdoch currently controls four of those votes, with his eldest children being in charge of one each. The trust agreement said that once Mr Murdoch died, his votes would be passed on to his four eldest children equally. However, differences in opinions and political views were said to lead to a family rift. The battle over changes to the trust were not about money, but rather power and control over the future of the Murdoch empire. The commissioner's ruling is not final, the Times reports. The court filing acts as a recommended resolution but a district judge will still weigh in and could choose to rule differently.

Rockland Trust acquires Enterprise BankJimmy Carter: a challenged presidency, a life of moral courage

The American Athletic Conference is the only Football Bowl Subdivision league whose championship game matchup is set: Army vs. Tulane. The final week of the regular season will determine pairings for the other eight conferences. Here's a look at the possible matchups in the Power Four and Group of Five. All championship games are Dec. 7 except in the AAC, Conference USA and Mountain West, which will be played Dec. 6. SMU vs. Miami or Clemson. Miami is in if it beats Syracuse. Clemson is in if Miami loses. Oregon vs. Ohio State, Penn State or Indiana. Ohio State is in if it beats Michigan or if Penn State and Indiana lose this week. Penn State is in if it beats Maryland and Ohio State loses. Indiana is in if it beats Purdue and Ohio State and Penn State lose. Arizona State vs. Iowa State if both win this week. Multiple scenarios including BYU, Colorado and other teams exist otherwise. Georgia vs. winner of Texas-Texas A&M game. Army vs. Tulane. Jacksonville State vs. Liberty, Western Kentucky or Sam Houston. Liberty is in with a win over Sam Houston. WKU is in with a win over Jacksonville State and a Liberty loss. Sam Houston is in with a win over Liberty and a Jacksonville State win. Miami, Bowling Green and Ohio are tied for first place and control their destinies. Miami-Bowling Green winner is in, as is Ohio if it beats Ball State. Other scenarios exist that include those teams and Buffalo. Boise State vs. UNLV or Colorado State. If UNLV and CSU both win or lose their final regular-season games, the tie would be broken by either College Football Playoff rankings or results-based computer metrics. Louisiana-Lafayette at Marshall if both win their games this week. Other scenarios exist if one or both lose. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Fortnite down: Server downtime for update 33.10 - here's when Fortnite is back onlineOdegaard adds ‘different’ element in Gunners return; Chelsea survives late scare — PL Wrap

In a landmark case that has drawn widespread attention across Spain, four men were convicted on Sunday for their roles in the homophobic murder of Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old nursing assistant. The conviction comes after the brutal assault outside a nightclub in A Coruna in July 2021, which led to nationwide protests against hate crimes. The accused, Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire, and Kaio Amaral, were found guilty of aggravated murder. Montaña, identified as the ringleader, mistakenly believed Luiz to be gay due to his mannerisms and clothing, hurling homophobic slurs before and after the attack. Meanwhile, Alejandro Míguez was convicted of complicity. The jury's verdict followed an intensive deliberation spanning five days after a trial lasting nearly a month. Sentencing is forthcoming, with the prosecution seeking prison terms ranging from 22 to 27 years. The case highlights broader issues as recent data from Spain's Interior Ministry reports 364 hate crimes related to sexual orientation in 2023, reflecting persistent challenges in addressing such offenses. (With inputs from agencies.)

NoneNORMAN, Okla. — Xavier Robinson ran for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Oklahoma stunned No. 7 Alabama 24-3 on Saturday night to become bowl eligible and deal a severe blow to the Crimson Tide's chances of receiving a College Football Playoff berth. Jackson Arnold ran for 131 yards on 25 carries and completed 9 of 11 passes for the Sooners (6-5, 2-5 SEC), who got coach Brent Venables off the hot seat on Senior Night. It was Oklahoma's first Southeastern Conference home win after leaving the Big 12 this summer. Sooners fans rushed the field with 28 seconds remaining, knocking down both goalposts. After the field was cleared, Oklahoma took a knee, and the fans returned to the field to celebrate. Alabama's Jalen Milroe, who had been one of the nation's best players, had his worst game of the season. He completed 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards with three interceptions and gained just seven yards on 15 carries for Alabama (8-3, 4-3, No. 7 CFP). The Sooners held Alabama to 234 yards. Robinson's 18-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left in the second quarter put the Sooners up 10-3, a score that held up until halftime. Oklahoma outgained the Crimson Tide 242 yards to 97 before the break. Milroe completed 2 of 7 passes for 62 yards and ran nine times for minus-2 yards before the break. Oklahoma outgained Alabama 118 yards to 15 in the second quarter and kept the ball for just over 11 of the 15 minutes. Oklahoma's Eli Bowen intercepted Milroe on the third play of the second half and returned it 25 yards to the Alabama 14. Robinson's 1-yard touchdown run increased Oklahoma's lead to 17-3. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) is tackled by Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) during the second quarter of a NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman, Okla. Credit: AP/Alonzo Adams On the next possession, Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis intercepted Milroe and ran it back 49 yards for a touchdown to put the Sooners up 24-3 with 8:05 left in the third quarter. The Takeaway Alabama: The Crimson Tide have been up and down this season, and they picked the wrong night to be down. Alabama lost this game in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma: The Sooners found out what happens when they don't hurt themselves. They started to find their identity as a run-heavy offense that complements its defense two weeks ago against Maine and stayed true to it against Alabama. Poll Implications Alabama will take a steep drop for losing to an unranked team it was heavily favored to beat. Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) gestures to his team before a play against Alabama during the second quarter of a NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman, Okla. Credit: AP/Alonzo Adams Up Next Alabama: Visits Auburn on Saturday. Oklahoma: Visits LSU on Saturday.

AP Business SummaryBrief at 4:06 p.m. EST76ers win city council nod to build $1.3B downtown stadium and leave South PhiladelphiaPaul Sommer named Good Neighbor for Valparaiso The city of Valparaiso has named Paul Sommer as its Good Neighbor recipient for 2024, recognizing his exemplary commitment to the community. Sommer is a Valparaiso podiatrist who has lived in Valparaiso for more than 50 years. He has translated his talent for endurance sports into ways to raise funds for philanthropic causes. In 2011 he carried Kyle Polhemus through the Valpo triathlon to raise money for those with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy. The city of Valparaiso introduced the Good Neighbor recognition program in 2020 to promote neighborhood involvement and community service. To learn more about the annual Good Neighbor recognition, view the nominees and learn how to nominate someone, visit the Community Engagement page at Valpo.us . ‘Superintendent’s Spotlight’ series starts with Mount Baldy program Indiana Dunes National Park Superintendent Jason Taylor is kicking off his “Superintendent’s Spotlight” series on Dec. 16 with a program on the history and status of Mount Baldy. The free, one-hour program starts at 7 p.m. at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center located at 1215 N. Indiana 49 in Porter. During this spotlight, there will be a presentation on the history and status of Mount Baldy, a discussion of current challenges, a range of potential solutions, and the park’s intended path forward, along with a panel Q&A session. If you can’t attend in person, a virtual option via Teams is available at: https://tinyurl.com/mmp5f3z7 . Additional public programs will be announced later in 2025 and may take place at other locations in the park. For more information on this and other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call 219-395-1882 or visit www.nps.gov. PNW College of Technology recognized for cybersecurity workforce development Purdue University Northwest’s College of Technology earned a 2024 Academia Circle of Excellence Award from the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consults (EC-Council) in recognition of high-quality teaching that prepares and qualifies students and professionals to enter the cybersecurity workforce. PNW’s College of Technology has partnered with the EC-Council since 2019 by incorporating two of the council’s accredited certifications, Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator, into its program curricula. Working professionals, including military members, law enforcement and other first responders, have benefitted from PNW’s Cybersecurity Workforce Certification Training by earning both certifications. The certifications qualify students and professionals to understand proactive network protection and digital forensics analysis techniques. PNW Computer Information Technology and Cybersecurity undergraduate students are also eligible to earn the certificates through their degree paths. Students and program participants are led by Michael Tu, director of PNW’s Center for Cybersecurity and professor of Computer Information Technology, and Chuck DeCastro, lecturer of Computer Information Technology, in preparing to take the certification exams. PFAS webinar set for Thursday Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future & Hoosier Environmental Council will host a Thursday webinar entitled “PFAS — Forever Chemicals: Everywhere, Everyday & What They Mean to You! Examining Risks, Regulations, and Resilience.” The webinar starts at 10 a.m. Thursday. Join experts to discover how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as PFAS – are a part of our daily lives, understand the health risks they pose, and get up to date on the levels and impacts here in Indiana. The webinar will also explore developments in PFAS-related policies. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/32e6d8yy . DSC Early Learning to host Family Fun Night Duneland School Corporation’s Early Learning team will host a Family Fun Night entitled: Join the Journey ALL ABOARD! for Early Learning Connections from 5 – 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the DSC Trojan Learning Center, 601 W Morgan Avenue in Chesterton, Entrance Door 9. Families can attend a free, informational, fun-filled evening to explore the world of early childhood opportunities.

The Fairbanks fentanyl problem: A crisis that isn't slowingSAN MARCOS, Texas — Christian Veilleux threw three touchdown passes to Dorian Fleming, Freddie Brock ran for three TDs and Georgia State scored 31 consecutive points Saturday night to beat Texas State 52-44 and snap a seven-game losing streak. Georgia State (3-8, 1-6 Sun Belt Conference) won for the first time since it beat Vanderbilt 36-32 on Sept. 14. Jordan McCloud threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chris Dawn Jr. that gave Texas State (6-5, 4-3) a 14-7 lead with 12:26 left in the second quarter. Georgia State answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a 30-yard TD pass from Veilleux to Fleming. Three plays from scrimmage later, Kenyatta Watson intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards to the 8 to set up an 11-yard TD catch by Fleming that gave the Panthers the lead for good at 21-14 with 1:14 left in the first half. K.D. McDaniel's strip-sack of McCloud was recovered by Christian Lorenzo at the Texas State 39 with 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter and Braeden McAlister kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired to make it 31-14 at halftime. Brock, who scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter, added a 57-yard TD run in the third and his 16-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter gave Georgia State a 52-29 lead. McCloud finished 28-of-44 passing for 302 yards and three touchdowns, all to Dawn, with two interceptions for Texas State. Dawn had five receptions for 42 yards.

A COUPLE were heading out for a family dinner when they were mown down and killed in a horrific hit-and-run near their home. Georgina Hogg Moore, 39, and her husband Anthony Hogg, 40, were just 180 metres from their home when they were struck by a grey Audi A7. 6 Georgina Hogg Moore and her husband Anthony Hogg were killed in a hit-and-run Credit: Social Media Collect 6 The couple were crossing a road close to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre Credit: RTE News 6 The mum-of-two was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband was brought to hospital before ­passing away Credit: Social Media Collect The couple were crossing a road close to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, west Dublin, around 5.45pm on St Stephen’s Day. The mum-of-two was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband was brought to hospital before ­passing away in the early hours of this morning. The couple’s daughter Becky, who is in her teens, also suffered bruising in the ­shocking crash but her injuries aren’t life threatening. The young woman is tonight being comforted by relatives. Gardai believe she may have been pushed to safety by her brave parents. The mum’s heartbroken cousin, Carly Gray, told The Irish Sun how the family had been left devastated by the tragedy. She said: “All we can say is that Georgina and Anthony are loved beyond measure and will forever be in our hearts. “This is a devastating tragedy that has torn our family apart. Two children have been left without both parents and their daughter witnessed such trauma. Most read in Irish News 'ABSOLUTE TRAGEDY' Tributes pour for beauty tech, 20s, who died suddenly in nightclub FAMILY'S HELL Dad shot in head one week after discovering he was on a six-man kill-list TEACHER'S DARK SECRET Monster killed family after he was caught accessing porn at school “They were just going out for dinner and their lives were taken — they have been taken from us all.” In a social media post, Ms Gray also posted: “If anyone has any information on who did this, please come forward. 'WHOLE NIGHTMARE IS HARD TO COMPREHEND' “My beautiful cousin Georgina and her husband. Two children left without a mother and father over a reckless driver.” The couple, from the Whitestown Avenue area of the capital, also lost their lives just three days after Mr Hogg celebrated his 40th birthday. One resident told us: “Georgina and Anto were brilliant parents and neighbours. It’s awful to think that something so bad could ­happen to a lovely family. “They were just so friendly and decent — and the whole nightmare is hard to comprehend. 'ENTIRE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LEFT DEVASTATED' “The entire community has been left devastated by this and we’re all just heartbroken for their poor children, family and friends.” Another resident said: “Georgina and Anto were devoted to their children — that’s all they lived for.” Following the crash, the driver of the vehicle sped away from the scene. The car was recovered by Gardai in the Tyrrelstown area over an hour after the incident. The suspected driver, aged in his late 40s, later handed himself into Blanchardstown Garda station at about 10.30pm on St Stephen’s night. PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS He’s being quizzed on ­suspicion of dangerous driving causing death. Gardai also ­confirmed they don’t believe the couple were deliberately targeted. He can be held for 24 hours before either being released or charged. The suspect is from the west Dublin area and has previous convictions for drugs but isn’t regarded as a major gangland player. 'COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE' One source told us: “It’s lucky that Gardai aren’t dealing with another death. “The couple’s daughter appears to have been hit by a wing mirror but it could have been a lot worse.” Detectives are also hoping to speak to the couple’s daughter once they have received the all-clear from medics. Fingal County Council Deputy Mayor John-Kingsley Onwumereh offered his condolences to the couple’s relatives. 'TERRIBLE INCIDENT' The Fianna Fail councillor said: “This is such a devastating incident to happen to the families and the wider community. “All our thoughts and prayers will be with those who lost their lives in this terrible incident. As the Garda probe continues, officers have urged anyone with information to come forward. Read more on the Scottish Sun SNOW WAY Weather maps show heavy snow for Scotland in DAYS – with -2C New Year’s chill NO CRIME Orange Order slam cops after Celtic activist was cleared over 'sectarian rants' They said: “Gardai appeal to ­anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them. “Anyone with information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda station at 01 6667000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800666111.” 6 Cousin Carly Gray said: 'This is a devastating tragedy that has torn our family apart' Credit: Journalist Collects 6 Gardai confirmed they don’t believe the couple were deliberately targeted Credit: Journalist Collects 6 Officers have urged anyone with information to come forward Credit: Journalist Collects