Died

Sammy Lee, the first Asian-American to win Olympic gold, died Dec. 9 at age 96. When he was a boy he lived with discrimination and racial abuse from neighbors and fellow students, but he grew up to represent his country as a diver during two Olympics. He won a gold medal in platform diving during the London Olympics, the first ever for an Asian-American. Four years later, in Finland, he won another gold. He also served in the military during the Korean War, worked as a doctor for 35 years in California, and toured Asia for the State Department. He was sometimes asked about discrimination in America: “I said Americans had their shortcomings, but they had guts enough to advertise them, whereas others try to cover them up.”

Dropped

A court in Nepal on Dec. 6 dropped a case against eight Christians accused of illegal proselytizing. Last year, the country implemented a new constitution, after its decision to remain a secular state instead of becoming officially Hindu. Christians hoped this would lead to more freedom, but the government has continued pushing anti-Christian legislation. This recent dropped case was the first religious freedom controversy under the new constitution. The seven men and one woman had been asked to counsel students in a Christian school after the 2015 earthquakes. They passed out a pamphlet with information about Jesus, and authorities arrested them.

Declined

For the first time in 20 years, life expectancy in the United States has declined, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The drop for men and women is less than a year, but there have been rises in several causes of death, including heart disease, dementia, and accidental infant deaths. The last times such a drop occurred were during the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1993 and during a flu epidemic in 1980. Since World War II, American life expectancy has steadily risen from around 68 years in 1950 to around 78 years, even after this recent drop.

Died

Luis Carlos Montalván, an advocate for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, died on Dec. 2 at age 43. Authorities did not immediately indicate a cause of death. Montalván joined the Army for the first time when he was 17 but hated it. Later he would re-enlist and complete officer training. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and served two tours of duty, earning a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, and was discharged with a wound that would later force doctors to amputate his leg. Montalván suffered from PTSD, even being unable to leave his apartment, until Tuesday, a golden retriever service dog, gave him companionship and the courage to walk among people again. Montalván went on to write a best-selling book about Tuesday and tour the country as an advocate for soldiers with PTSD.

Dropped

A court in Nepal on Dec. 6 dropped a case against eight Christians accused of illegal proselytizing. Last year, the country implemented a new constitution, after its decision to remain a secular state instead of becoming officially Hindu. Christians hoped this would lead to more freedom, but the government has continued pushing anti-Christian legislation. This recent dropped case was the first religious freedom controversy under the new constitution. The seven men and one woman had been asked to counsel students in a Christian school after the 2015 earthquakes. They passed out a pamphlet with information about Jesus, and authorities arrested them.

Declined

For the first time in 20 years, life expectancy in the United States has declined, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The drop for men and women is less than a year, but there have been rises in several causes of death, including heart disease, dementia, and accidental infant deaths. The last times such a drop occurred were during the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1993 and during a flu epidemic in 1980. Since World War II, American life expectancy has steadily risen from around 68 years in 1950 to around 78 years, even after this recent drop.

Died

Luis Carlos Montalván, an advocate for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, died on Dec. 2 at age 43. Authorities did not immediately indicate a cause of death. Montalván joined the Army for the first time when he was 17 but hated it. Later he would re-enlist and complete officer training. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and served two tours of duty, earning a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, and was discharged with a wound that would later force doctors to amputate his leg. Montalván suffered from PTSD, even being unable to leave his apartment, until Tuesday, a golden retriever service dog, gave him companionship and the courage to walk among people again. Montalván went on to write a best-selling book about Tuesday and tour the country as an advocate for soldiers with PTSD.