GRIF MAG

While accepting an award at the Hope Rising Benefit in NYC on March 12, Emma Heming Willis announced the launch of the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund

NEED TO KNOW

• The first grant will support the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), a leader in research, education and family support for those affected by FTD

• Willis was diagnosed with the heartbreaking disease in late 2022 at age 67

Emma Heming Willis iscontinuing to advocate for dementia patientsand families navigating neurodegenerative disease.

While accepting the Susan Newhouse & Si Newhouse Award of Hope atThe Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's Hope Rising Benefit in New York on Thursday, March 12, the author, 47, announced the launch of theEmma & Bruce Willis Fundfor Dementia Research and Caregiver Support.

The philanthropic fund — which is housed at theEntertainment Industry Foundation— is "dedicated to advancing understanding of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) by raising awareness, supporting promising scientific research and strengthening support for caregivers," according to a press release.

At the event, Heming Willis accepted the award on behalf of both herself and her husband, who was diagnosed with the heartbreaking disease in late 2022 at age 67.

"This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia," says Heming Willis. "I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day.

"Through this fund, my hope is to help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone. Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease."

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TheDie Hardstar's family— including Emma, daughters Mabel and Evelyn, along with theactor's ex-wife Demi Mooreand daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — first sharedhis aphasia diagnosisin March 2022. Then in February 2023, Heming Willis confirmed he had received a morespecific diagnosis of FTD.

Frontotemporal dementia is an all-encompassing term for a group of brain disorders that threatens thefrontal and temporal lobes of the brain, causing speech issues, changes in personality and loss of motor skills.

In aPEOPLE cover story last fall, Heming Willis — who channeled her own experience and extensive guidance from experts into a new book,The Unexpected Journey, to provide a roadmap for other families facing similar diagnoses — opened up about finding purpose while navigating her new normal as a caregiver.

"Early on, I was very isolated, and it felt like what was happening was only happening to us. Over time, I realized it would be beneficial to talk about it and raise awareness so people get to the doctor sooner, can be diagnosed sooner, get into clinical trials," she said.

"I wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me on the day we received the diagnosis. Caregiving is hard, and there are many people doing it with little to no support," Heming Willis added. "The only way I can get through this is to help someone else feel less alone."

Read the original article onPeople

A Kentucky mother and daughter rejected multimillion-dollar offers for their farmland from unidentified developers

NEED TO KNOW

• The proposed data center project could bring 400 full-time jobs and over 1,500 construction jobs to Mason County

• Both women cited concerns about transparency and the impact on their community as reasons for refusing the offers

A mother and daughter have together rejected over $26 million for their farms in Kentucky.

Ida Huddleston has turned down multiple offers from a tech giant, consisting of $60,000 per acre for her 71-acre property, according toLEX 18.

The proposed buyers? Developers for a large data center project that have not publicly been identified.

But Huddleston, who, according to theDaily Mail, is 82 years old, isn't budging, calling the offers "mind harassment," per LEX 18.

Following suit is her daughter, Delsia Bare, who has turned down a $48,000-an-acre offer for her 463-acre property, the local news outlet reported.

"When they will not reveal who they are, that's a major player in what you're going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here," said Bare. She is 54, per theDaily Mail.

In a similar fashion, Huddleston has one message for the Fortune 100 company: "I don't want your money, I don't need your money."

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She is concerned, though, about those who live around her as she says, "They're gonna be affected by it."

The data center would be located at Big Pond Pike in Mason County and would create 400 full-time positions, along with more than 1,500 construction jobs, according to LEX 18.

Mason County Fiscal Court is still reviewing the project, per the outlet.

Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, however, told LEX 18 that "As far as jobs would go, they would become if not our largest employer, definitely top three."

Bare guesses there won't be "over 50 and they won't even be here at this building when it's said and done."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

But regardless of what happens, Huddleston told LEX 18 one thing is clear: "I'm staying put."

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Blake Lively's lawyers argue the case should proceed based on evidence gathered, not just the written complaint

NEED TO KNOW

• A recent federal appeals court ruling supports Lively's position to keep her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni alive

• Both actors are expected to testify if the trial, currently scheduled for May 18, moves forward

Blake Livelyis urging a judge to rejectJustin Baldoni'slatest effort to dismiss her claims as their legal battle overIt Ends With Uscontinues to move toward trial.

In a letter filed Thursday to Judge Lewis J. Liman in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Lively's lawyers pointed to a recent federal appeals court ruling they say supports keeping her lawsuit alive.

The decision, issued earlier this week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, said courts should not dismiss a case based only on the wording of a complaint if evidence has already been gathered during the lawsuit.

Quoting the ruling, Lively's, 38, attorneys wrote that dismissing a complaint at that stage "would hardly serve the efficient or just resolution of disputes" if evidence collected during the case may be enough to support the claims.

Lively's legal team argues the same principle applies in her case. They say the court should evaluate the claims based on the evidence already gathered through discovery — including documents and testimony — rather than focusing only on the written allegations in the complaint.

Baldoni, 42, and other defendants have asked the judge to throw outLively's claims through a series of legal motions, including a request for summary judgment— a step that asks the court to decide the case based on the evidence already gathered rather than sending it to trial.

But Lively's lawyers argue the case should move forward and be evaluated using the full record of evidence developed during the lawsuit.

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PEOPLE has reached out to both Baldoni and Lively's representatives.

The filing is the latest development in the ongoing legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni tied to their work on the filmIt Ends With Us.

In December 2024, Lively, 38 sued herIt Ends With Usdirector and costar Baldoni along with other defendants, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation — claims he has denied.The actress is seeking more than $160 million in damages.

Baldoni previously filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively of extortion and defamation, but that case waslater dismissed by the judge.

The update comes weeks after theIt Ends With Uscostars attended a court-ordered mediation session in New York. On Feb. 11, Lively and Baldoni spent about six hours with Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave as part of a required settlement meeting, but the session ended without an agreement in Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against the director and actor.

Both actors are expected to testify if the case goes to trial, which iscurrently scheduled to begin May 18.

Judge Liman has not yet ruled on the defendants' request to dismiss the claims.

Read the original article onPeople

A man previously convicted of providing material support to a terrorist group has been identified as theperson responsible for a shooting at a Virginia college Thursdaythat left one person dead and two injured.

The gunman, identified by an FBI spokesman as Mohammed Bailor Jalloh, 36, was also killed. He opened fire in an Old Dominion University classroom, leaving one person dead and two injured, authorities said.

The mortally wounded victim has not been identified. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the two people injured at the Norfolk university were Army personnel.

FBI officials said the shooting is being investigated as an act terrorism. Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the agency's Norfolk field office, said that he shouted "Allahu Akbar" and was subdued by students who "rendered him no longer alive."

Jalloh served in the Virginia National Guard from 2009 to 2015 as a combat engineer, military officials said. He had no deployments and was honorably discharged, the officials said.

He was arrested the following year on allegations that he attempted to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, ISIS, court documents show.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in prison and five years of probation. Jalloh was released in 2024. The federal probation office that appeared to oversee his supervised release did not immediately respond Thursday to a message seeking comment.

According to agovernment sentencing memo, Jalloh sent gift card codes to an undercover FBI employee who he believed was a member of ISIS. He traveled to North Carolina in 2016 to try to buy an AK-47 for what the memo described as a "plot to murder US military personnel."

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The owner refused to sell it, according to the memo, and he bought an AR-15 at a gun store. Jalloh was arrested the next day.

In a separate sentencing memo, his defense team described his "radical ideals" as a shallow search for identity and purpose that did not represent a commitment to violence. He took responsibility for the crime, the memo argues, and his interactions with ISIS operatives and the FBI demonstrated his "gullibility, impressionability, lack of sophistication, and passivity."

Jalloh's life was marked by "war, trauma, violence, sexual abuse, and significant cultural and familial dislocation," the memo states, adding that he was a "bright, capable, hard-working, and kind man who had a promising future prior to his dalliance with extremism."

One of his attorneys, Ashraf Nubani, said Thursday that he'd had no contact with Jalloh since he represented him and he had no information about the shooting at Old Dominion.

"Any loss of life is tragic, and violence against innocent people is completely contrary to Islamic teachings and basic human morality," Nubani wrote in an email.

At hissentencing, Jalloh told the judge that "this entire crime is not who I am, it's not who I plan to be, and it's not who I have been."

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but this mistake of giving any support to the violent and extreme organization ISIS has been the most devastating one I have ever decided to make in my life," Jalloh said.

Jalloh apologized to the court, the military and the people of the United States and said: "Every time I see any atrocities that ISIS commits, I am disgusted by it because I know this is not what I want to be a part of."

(Corrects the day of the week in paragraph 1 to Thursday, ‌not Tuesday)

March 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Prime ‌Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ​bin Salman in Jeddah on Thursday, where the two leaders discussed regional developments, the prime minister's office said.

The meeting ‌comes as the ⁠Middle East grapples with escalating conflict, including tensions involving Israel, ⁠the United States and Iran.

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"The Prime Minister expressed Pakistan's full solidarity and ​support for ​the Kingdom of ​Saudi Arabia in ‌these challenging times," Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Sharif, shared a press release from his office on X, adding that the two leaders held an ‌in-depth exchange of views ​on recent regional developments ​and agreed ​to work together for peace ‌and stability.

Sharif also assured ​the crown ​prince that Pakistan would always stand firmly with Saudi Arabia, the post ​read.

(Reporting ‌by Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City ​and Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Editing ​by Franklin Paul)