BOZEMAN, Mont. Residents of Bozeman have voted against two significant funding measures aimed at enhancing local emergency services. The first measure, the General Obligation Bond Election for Fire Station 4, was intended to finance the design, construction, furnishing, and equipping of a new fire station. The bond would have allowed the City of Bozeman
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Donald Trump has been reelected to the White House while awaiting sentencing in his hush-money case in New York where he was convicted on 34 counts and still working to stave off prosecution in other state and federal cases. It’s an extraordinarily unique position for him to be in: Never before has a criminal defendant been elected to the nations highest office, just as an ex-president had never been criminally charged until last year.Trump has said multiple times he plans to fire special counsel Jack Smith and end the federal cases against him for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and mishandling classified documents.As of Wednesday, Smith is in active talks with Justice Department leadership about how to end the federal cases against Trump, a DOJ official familiar with the discussions told CNN and The Associated Press.”It clearly paid off to aggressively push to delay these cases as long as possible,” said Jessica Levinson, a constitutional law professor at Loyola Law School.In the meantime, a judge in New York is set to sentence the former president later this month after holding off on handing down the punishment ahead of Election Day to avoid any appearance of affecting the outcome of the presidential race though Trumps lawyers are expected to ask the judge to put off the sentencing now that he’s the president-elect.Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Heres what to know about the four criminal cases:New York sentencingTrump is scheduled to appear in a New York courtroom on Nov. 26 to receive a sentence for his conviction earlier this year on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment made during the 2016 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleged a prior affair with the president-elect. Trump denies the affair.Whether that sentencing happens at all remains an open question.Judge Juan Merchan has given himself a Nov. 12 deadline to decide whether to wipe away the conviction because of the Supreme Courts decision this summer granting a president some presidential immunity. If Merchan does that, the charges would be dismissed, and Trump would not be sentenced.But if the judge decides to keep the conviction intact, the former presidents lawyers are expected to ask Merchan to delay Trumps sentencing so they can appeal. And if thats not granted, his attorneys are planning to appeal the immunity decision to state appellate courts and potentially all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to ask the courts to delay Trumps sentencing until all appeals are exhausted, which could take months.Should Merchan move ahead with sentencing, Trump could be ordered to serve as much as four years of prison time, but the judge is not required to sentence the president-elect to prison, and he could impose a lesser sentence, such as probation, home confinement, community service or a fine.Any sentence, of course, will be complicated by the fact that Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20, 2025. Trumps lawyers are likely to shape their appeals to raise constitutional issues challenging whether a state judge can sentence a president-elect, which could tie the case up in courts for years.Since it is a state case, Trump does not have the power to pardon himself next year after he is sworn into office.Federal cases in DC and FloridaTrumps election victory is poised to have the greatest impact on the two federal criminal cases brought against him by Smith in Washington, D.C., and Florida.Since the cases were brought in 2023, Trumps main legal strategy has been to delay the trials until past the election so that, if elected, he could fire Smith, leading to the end of the two cases. In late October, the former president said he would take such a step without hesitation.”Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy,” Trump said when asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt whether he would “pardon yourself” or “fire Jack Smith” if reelected.”I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump said.Dismissing Smith would allow the Department of Justice and Trumps attorney general to move to drop the charges against him and end the court cases.But until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, Smith has time to weigh his options on issues the department has never had to confront before.One early hurdle is whether the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel considers a president-elect to be covered by the same legal protection against prosecution as a sitting president. That guidance would determine the next course of action, people briefed on the matter told CNN.More than half a dozen people who are close to the special counsels office or other top Justice Department officials told CNN they believe Smith doesnt want to close shop before being ordered to do so or being pushed out by Trump.Under federal law, Smith must provide a confidential report on his office’s work to the attorney general before he leaves the post.In the D.C. case, Smith charged Trump over his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. The case was stalled for months as Trump pressed federal courts to grant him presidential immunity, and in July, the Supreme Court issued a historic ruling that said he had some immunity from criminal prosecution.The federal judge overseeing the trial has been deciding how much of Trumps conduct at the center of the case is shielded by immunity after prosecutors last month laid out their arguments for why the ruling should have no impact on the case.The charges brought by Smith against the president-elect in Florida accuse Trump of illegally taking classified documents from the White House and resisting the governments attempts to retrieve the materials. That case was thrown out in July by Judge Aileen Cannon, but prosecutors have appealed her ruling, which said that Attorney General Merrick Garlands appointment of Smith violated the Constitution.Georgia RICO caseThe immediate fate of Trump’s criminal case in Georgia largely hinges on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, is disqualified from prosecuting the matter after her prior romantic relationship with a fellow prosecutor. But even if she is allowed to continue prosecuting Trump, the case would almost certainly imperiled now that he has been elected.The criminal charges against Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results are effectively on hold while the appeals court decides whether to disqualify Willis, a decision that is not expected until 2025.If Willis is removed, sources told CNN they think its unlikely another prosecutor will want to take up the case, and it will effectively go away.Sources familiar with the case said it is unlikely that a state-level judge would allow proceedings to continue when Trump is president and, in that scenario, Trump’s attorneys would certainly move to have the case dismissed.There is no clear answer as to whether a state-level prosecutor, like Willis, can prosecute a sitting president. Trump’s victory now forces Willis to confront that constitutional question in addition to the existing legal issues that have already cast uncertainly over the Georgia cases future.Civil suitsThe former president is also defending himself in a litany of civil lawsuits, including ones concerning his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, two E. Jean Carroll defamation cases, and a civil fraud case brought by the New York attorney general where Trump was ordered to pay nearly $454 million in damages.In September, state and federal appeals courts in New York heard arguments for two of Trumps civil appeals.Trump lost two defamation cases to Carroll in 2023 and 2024 in federal court after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing the onetime columnist and subsequently defaming her. Two juries awarded Carroll $5 million and $83 million.A federal appeals court heard Trumps appeal to dismiss the first Carroll verdict in September. The court has yet to issue a decision.Later in the month, a state appeals court heard arguments in Trumps efforts to dismiss the $454 million civil fraud judgment against him, in which a judge found he, his adult sons and his company fraudulently inflated the value of Trumps assets to obtain better loan and insurance rates.The five-judge appeals court appeared open to at least lowering the fine levied against Trump, though it also has yet to issue a decision. That ruling can be appealed to New Yorks highest appellate court.Trump is also still facing civil lawsuits brought by Democratic lawmakers and others over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.Its possible that all these cases continue to play out even as Trump serves his second term in the White House. In a 1997 Supreme Court ruling stemming from a civil lawsuit in which then-President Bill Clinton was involved, the justices unanimously decided that sitting presidents could not invoke presidential immunity to avoid civil litigation while in office.
Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration.The former president and now president-elect often skipped over details but through more than a year of policy pronouncements and written statements outlined a wide-ranging agenda that blends traditional conservative approaches to taxes, regulation and cultural issues with a more populist bent on trade and a shift in America’s international role.Trump’s agenda also would scale back federal government efforts on civil rights and expand presidential powers.A look at what Trump has proposed:Immigration”Build the wall!” from his 2016 campaign has become creating “the largest mass deportation program in history.” Trump has called for using the National Guard and empowering domestic police forces in the effort.Still, Trump has been scant on details of what the program would look like and how he would ensure that it targeted only people in the U.S. illegally. He’s pitched “ideological screening” for would-be entrants, ending birth-right citizenship (which almost certainly would require a constitutional change), and said hed reinstitute first-term policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” limiting migrants on public health grounds and severely limiting or banning entrants from certain majority-Muslim nations. Altogether, the approach would not just crack down on illegal migration, but curtail immigration overall.Video below: World leaders congratulate TrumpAbortionTrump played down abortion as a second-term priority, even as he took credit for the Supreme Court ending a womans federal right to terminate a pregnancy and returning abortion regulation to state governments. At Trumps insistence, the GOP platform, for the first time in decades, did not call for a national ban on abortion. Trump maintains that overturning Roe v. Wade is enough on the federal level.Still, Trump has not said explicitly that he would veto national abortion restrictions if they reached his desk. And in an example of how the conservative movement might proceed with or without Trump, anti-abortion activists note that the GOP platform still asserts that a fetus should have due process protections under the 14th Amendments equal protection clause. That constitutional argument is a roadmap for conservatives to seek a national abortion ban through federal courts.TaxesTrump’s tax policies broadly tilt toward corporations and wealthier Americans. Thats mostly due to his promise to extend his 2017 tax overhaul, with a few notable changes that include lowering the corporate income tax rate to 15% from the current 21%. That also involves rolling back Democratic President Joe Bidens income tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans and scrapping Inflation Reduction Act levies that finance energy measures intended to combat climate change.Those policies notwithstanding, Trump has put more emphasis on new proposals aimed at working- and middle-class Americans: exempting earned tips, Social Security wages and overtime wages from income taxes. It’s noteworthy, however, that his proposal on tips, depending on how Congress might write it, could give a back-door tax break to top wage earners by allowing them to reclassify some of their pay as tip income.Video below: Trump gives acceptance speechTariffs and tradeTrump’s posture on international trade is to distrust world markets as harmful to American interests. He proposes tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods and, in some speeches, has mentioned even higher percentages. He promises to reinstitute an August 2020 executive order requiring that the Food and Drug Administration buy “essential” medications only from U.S. companies. He pledges to block purchases of “any vital infrastructure” in the U.S. by Chinese buyers.DEI, LGBTQ and civil rightsTrump has called for rolling back societal emphasis on diversity and for legal protections for LGBTQ citizens. Trump has called for ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government institutions, using federal funding as leverage.On transgender rights, Trump promises generally to end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists, without evidence, is widespread. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth.Regulation, federal bureaucracy and presidential powerThe president-elect seeks to reduce the role of federal bureaucrats and regulations across economic sectors. Trump frames all regulatory cuts as an economic magic wand. He pledges precipitous drops in U.S. households utility bills by removing obstacles to fossil fuel production, including opening all federal lands for exploration even though U.S. energy production is already at record highs. Trump promises to unleash housing construction by cutting regulations though most construction rules come from state and local government. He also says he would end “frivolous litigation from the environmental extremists.”The approach would in many ways strengthen executive branch influence. That power would come more directly from the White House.He would make it easier to fire federal workers by classifying thousands of them as being outside civil service protections. That could weaken the governments power to enforce statutes and rules by reducing the number of employees engaging in the work and, potentially, impose a chilling effect on those who remain.Trump also claims that presidents have exclusive power to control federal spending even after Congress has appropriated money. Trump argues that lawmakers budget actions “set a ceiling” on spending but not a floor meaning the president’s constitutional duty to “faithfully execute the laws” includes discretion on whether to spend the money. This interpretation could set up a court battle with Congress.As a candidate, he also suggested that the Federal Reserve, an independent entity that sets interest rates, should be subject to more presidential power. Though he has not offered details, any such move would represent a momentous change to how the U.S. economic and monetary systems work.EducationThe federal Department of Education would be targeted for elimination in a second Trump administration. That does not mean that Trump wants Washington out of classrooms. He still proposes, among other maneuvers, using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers and to scrap diversity programs at all levels of education. He calls for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”In higher education, Trump proposes taking over accreditation processes for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the Marxist Maniacs and lunatics he says control higher education. Trump takes aim at higher education endowments, saying he will collect “billions and billions of dollars” from schools via “taxing, fining and suing excessively large private university endowments” at schools that do not comply with his edicts. That almost certainly would end up in protracted legal fights.As in other policy areas, Trump isnt actually proposing limiting federal power in higher education but strengthening it. He calls for redirecting the confiscated endowment money into an online “American Academy” offering college credentials to all Americans without tuition charges. “It will be strictly non-political, and there will be no wokeness or jihadism allowednone of thats going to be allowed,” Trump said on Nov. 1, 2023.Social Security, Medicare and MedicaidTrump insists he would protect Social Security and Medicare, popular programs geared toward older Americans and among the biggest pieces of the federal spending pie each year. There are questions about how his proposal not to tax tips and overtime wages might affect Social Security and Medicare. If such plans eventually involved only income taxes, the entitlement programs would not be affected. However, exempting those wages from payroll taxes would reduce the funding stream for Social Security and Medicare outlays. Trump has talked little about Medicaid, but his first administration, in general, defaulted to approving state requests for waivers of various federal rules, and it broadly endorsed state-level work requirements for recipients.Affordable Care Act and Health CareSince 2015, Trump has called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its subsidized health insurance marketplaces. But he still has not proposed a replacement: In a September debate, he insisted he had the “concepts of a plan.” In the latter stages of the campaign, Trump played up his alliance with former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines and pesticides used in U.S. agriculture. Trump repeatedly told rally crowds that he would put Kennedy in charge of “making America healthy again.”Climate and energyTrump, who claims falsely that climate change is a “hoax,” blasts Biden-era spending on cleaner energy designed to reduce U.S. reliance on fossil fuels. He proposes an energy policy and transportation infrastructure spending anchored to fossil fuels: roads, bridges and combustion-engine vehicles. “Drill, baby, drill!” was a regular chant at Trump rallies. Trump says he does not oppose electric vehicles but promises to end all Biden incentives to encourage EV market development. Trump also pledges to roll back Biden-era fuel efficiency standards.Workers rightsTrump and Vice President-elect JD Vance framed their ticket as favoring Americas workers. But Trump could make it harder for workers to unionize. In discussing auto workers, Trump focused almost exclusively on Bidens push toward electric vehicles. When he mentioned unions, it was often to lump “the union bosses and CEOs” together as complicit in “this disastrous electric car scheme.” In an Oct. 23, 2023, statement, Trump said of United Auto Workers, “Im telling you, you shouldnt pay those dues.”National defense and Americas role in the worldTrump’s rhetoric and policy approach in world affairs is more isolationist diplomatically, non-interventionist militarily and protectionist economically than the U.S. has been since World War II. But the details are more complicated. He pledges expansion of the military, promises to protect Pentagon spending from austerity efforts and proposes a new missile defense shield an old idea from the Reagan era during the Cold War. Trump insists he can end Russias war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, without explaining how.Trump summarizes his approach through another Reagan phrase: “peace through strength.” But he remains critical of NATO and top U.S. military brass. “I don’t consider them leaders,” Trump said of Pentagon officials that Americans “see on television.”
Democrat Mo Green has won the race for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, defeating Republican opponent Michele Morrow, according to the Associated Press.Greens victory comes after months of a contentious race against Morrow, a Cary homeschool teacher and former nurse whose previous inflammatory social media posts drew national attention.Green says champions of education helped him get elected. But he says it’s going to take everyone, including teachers, parents and students to help him do the work.”The things we’re going to be focused on are the things I outlined in our strategic directions, plan and vision. Those things include focusing on certainly academic achievement but also character development of our students as well,” he said.What is the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction?The state superintendent of public instruction oversees the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which includes more than 2,500 public schools, approximately $11 billion in funding and hundreds of state employees. The role includes implementing rules and regulations as the chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education.Who is Mo Green?57-year-old Maurice Mo Green lives in Greensboro. Green retired in 2023 after a career in public education and foundation leadership. He worked as superintendent of Guilford County Schools for seven-and-a-half years. Before that, he worked in various roles, including deputy superintendent, in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools for also, seven-and-a-half years.He said he had concerns over student achievement and school funding before entering the race. He said he got a phone call that sealed the deal on his decision to enter the race.It did take a call and ultimately a conversation from Gov. Roy Cooper in which he did ask me to run for this position, he said.Green said his broad vision for the states public schools was inspired by his previous experience.To use a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that is, Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education, and combine it with a focus on excellence, being the best. Thats the vision we utilized when I was the superintendent of Guilford County Schools.Greens PlatformGreen ran on a platform that included six pillars: Prepare each student for their next phase in life Invest fully in public education Revere public school educators Enhance parent and community support Ensure safe, secure learning environments Celebrate the good in public educationGreen will assume office in January 2025, replacing the current superintendent Republican Catherine Truitt.Statement from Mo Green:During the early hours this morning, all North Carolina precincts reported and the Associated Press called the race for N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction and declared me as the winner.I am humbled and honored to be elected as North Carolinas Superintendent of Public Instruction. Thank you to every person across the state who believed in this campaign, from those who wrote postcards or hosted events or greeted voters at the polls, and most importantly, who cast their votes for me – every one of you made a difference. We met the moment, together as champions of public education.The work does not end here. Its now upon us to put forth and implement our bold vision, direction, and plan for NC public schools. Our children and the future of our state depend on it. Thank you again for this immense honor and privilege. I am blessed to be your next North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. said Maurice (Mo) Green. Statement from Michele Morrow:”Nearly half of North Carolina voters have made their voices heard, and they called loudly for change in our public schools. I intend to honor the millions of concerned North Carolinians who supported my race by continuing to fight for our children. The election for superintendent may be over, but the need for safe schools and education excellence remains. Our new superintendent made it very clear throughout his campaign that he has no intention of changing anything. His mantra was celebrate the current system as it is. I will celebrate when our children are safe and common sense discipline and hope are restored for all our students. Until that happens, I will stand with the parents, teachers and nearly three million voters who recognize the desperate need for a better system – one that serves the students, not the bureaucrats. To all my supporters, volunteers and staff, thank you for your hard work and dedication to our cause. We nearly overcame incredible odds. Between Mo Greens campaign funding and the support of his special interest groups, we were outspent nearly three hundred to one. The closeness of this race is a testament to grass roots campaigning. And grass roots support like we have is not a campaign product, but rather the symptom of a movement – a movement that carries the cause far beyond the counting of votes. A movement like we have created together cannot be stopped by politics. It cannot be stopped by oppositional media. It cannot be stopped by smear messaging here today and gone tomorrow. A movement like ours can only be stopped by satisfying the need that created it. I said before that if we dont win on November 5th, we will have to fight harder on November6th. And that is exactly what I will do. I will fight harder than ever before to protect our children and save our schools from a system that is failing them. Many may say that we lost this fight. But I say this fight has just begun. This was never about winning a political office. This was always about the children. And so it will remain,” said Michele Morrow. CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO ALL ELECTION RESULTSRELATED COVERAGE
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Democrat Josh Stein defeats Republican Mark Robinson in North Carolina governor’s race.(Watch Stein’s speech above, Robinson’s speech below and scroll down for full story) North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein was elected governor on Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and maintaining Democratic leadership of the chief executives office in a state where Republicans have recently controlled the legislature and appeals courts.Stein, a Harvard-trained lawyer, former state senator and the states chief law enforcement officer since 2017, will succeed fellow Democrat Roy Cooper, who was term-limited from seeking reelection. He will be the states first Jewish governor.Democrats have held the governors mansion for all but four years since 1993, even as the GOP has held legislative majorities since 2011.As with Coopers time in office, a key task for Stein likely will be to use his veto stamp to block what he considers extreme right-leaning policies. Cooper had mixed success on that front during his eight years as governor.Otherwise, Steins campaign platform largely followed Coopers policy goals, including those to increase public school funding, promote clean energy and stop further abortion restrictions by Republicans.Steins campaign dramatically outraised and outspent Robinson, who was seeking to become the states first Black governor.For months Stein and his allies used television ads and social media to remind voters of previous inflammatory comments that Robinson had made about abortion, women and LGBTQ+ people that they said made him too extreme to lead a swing state.Robinsons campaign descended into disarray in September when CNN reported that he made explicit racial and sexual posts on a pornography websites message board more than a decade ago. Robinson denied writing the messages and sued CNN and an individual for defamation in October.In the days following the CNN report, most of his top campaign staff quit, many fellow GOP elected officials and candidates including presidential nominee Donald Trump distanced themselves from his campaign and outside money supporting him on the airwaves dried up. The result: Stein spent millions on ads in the final weeks, while Robinson spent nothing.The son of a prominent civil rights lawyer, the 58-year-old Stein grew up in Chapel Hill and went to Dartmouth and Harvard Law School. He managed John Edwards winning 1998 U.S. Senate campaign and worked in the 2000s as Coopers consumer protection chief while Cooper was attorney general.Stein succeeded Cooper as attorney general, but his 2016 and 2020 general election victories were extremely close: fewer than 25,000 votes both times.While attorney general, he promoted his efforts to protect citizens from polluters, predatory student loans and high electric bills.Stein took credit with lawmakers for eliminating the backlog for testing thousands of sexual assault kits in police custody, saying it led to additional DNA matches for unsolved crimes. He also sued TikTok, alleging the company designed the app to be addictive and misrepresented the risks it posed to young users.Stein angered Republicans with his decision to end the states defense of a 2013 voter ID law that was struck down and of some abortion restrictions. And while he co-chaired a task force in 2020 that offered scores of recommendations on how to eliminate racial inequities in criminal justice, liberal activists complained the next year that his office failed to do enough to protect civil rights.PGlmcmFtZSBjbGFzcz0iYXAtZW1iZWQiIHRpdGxlPSJMaXZlIGVsZWN0aW9uIHJlc3VsdHMgdmlhIHRoZSBBc3NvY2lhdGVkIFByZXNzIiBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmVzLmFwLm9yZy9lbGVjdGlvbi1yZXN1bHRzL2N1c3RvbWVycy9sYXlvdXRzL29yZ2FuaXphdGlvbi1sYXlvdXRzL3B1Ymxpc2hlZC81ODcwOS8xOTg3MC5odG1sIiB3aWR0aD0iMTAwJSIgZnJhbWVib3JkZXI9IjAiIHNjcm9sbGluZz0ibm8iIG1hcmdpbmhlaWdodD0iMCI+PC9pZnJhbWU+PHNjcmlwdCBkZWZlciBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmVzLmFwLm9yZy9lbGVjdGlvbi1yZXN1bHRzL2Fzc2V0cy9taWNyb3NpdGUvcmVzaXplQ2xpZW50LmpzIj48L3NjcmlwdD4= Can’t see the interactive map above? Click here for the best viewing experience.BACK TO FULL RESULTSFULL RESULTS: PRESIDENT RACE RESULTS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA | PRESIDENTIAL RACE RESULTS FOR NORTH CAROLINA| PRESIDENTIAL RACE RESULTS FOR GEORGIA | U.S. HOUSE- SOUTH CAROLINA | SC HOUSE AND SENATE | SC LOCAL COUNTY-BY-COUNTY | GEORGIA STATE AND LOCAL | NORTH CAROLINA STATE AND LOCAL | NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR
Republican Rep. James Baird won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Indiana on Tuesday
Republican Rep. James Baird won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Indiana on Tuesday
Published: Nov. 5, 2024 at 1:46 PM CST|Updated: 23 hours ago
New revumenib and Niktimvo clinical data will be highlighted at 66th ASH Annual Meeting
One little boy’s dream to make sure everyone feels included is continuing to change lives in the community he loved and now that mission is getting a big boost. The Challenger Sports Program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester was founded by the Martin Richard Foundation in memory of the youngest victim of the Boston Marathon bombings. This fall, the program received a B.A.A. Gives Back grant from the Boston Athletic Association. For kids like Donovan Casey, the program has been nothing short of life-changing. “Sometimes there’s just no words,” Andrea Casey, Donovan’s mom, said. “It’s unbelievable. We just never thought we would ever get to this point where there would be things out there just for him.”Donovan struggled to communicate. But since he started going to the Boys and Girls Clubs, Casey said she’s seen progress she never imagined. “When he was younger, it was a little isolating,” she said. “They didn’t have a whole lot, but it’s been absolutely awesome. And we’ve actually noticed his behaviors are better, too. I think just because he does have things for himself and kind of his own friends.”Erin Ferrara, the director of Behavioral Health Services at the Dorchester club, said inclusion is embedded in everything they do.”Aside from the obvious benefits of sports, kids also get a sense of community and a true sense of belonging,” Ferrara said. “They don’t just get soccer instruction or basketball instruction. They also get lifelong friendships and social skills.”She added that the B.A.A. grant has been a game-changer. “The average soccer ball costs $4.99. But a power soccer ball that’s bigger and compatible with wheelchairs actually costs close to $90.”And the benefits go beyond the athletic fields. Jessica Martin started with the Challenger Sports Program when she was in eighth grade. She’s now an assistant art teacher at the club. “It’s been a huge impact on my life. Just showing them that they can be a part of something that’s so special and so meaningful and just allowing them to just be themselves,” she said. “Everybody deserves to be loved and welcomed for who they are.”