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The top 10 Bay Area stories of 2024 — and what they mean for 2025
Raymond Gerald “Gerry” Biggs Funeral services for Raymond Gerald “Gerry” Biggs, 92, of Lufkin will be held Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Brother Kent Childers officiating. Interment will follow in the Garden of Memories Memorial Park. Mr. Biggs was born August 9, 1932 in Aransas Pass, Texas to the late Gladys (Thigpen) and R.H. Biggs, and died Sunday, November 24, 2024 in a local hospice facility. Mr. Biggs attended school in Sinton, Texas and college at the University of Houston. He retired from the Texas Highway Department in May 1991 following 38 years of service. Mr. Biggs was a longtime member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and was a Past President and member of the Lufkin Area RC Modeler’s Club. Mr. Biggs and his first wife, Janette, had a wonderful marriage, but didn’t have the opportunity to have children in Janette’s lifetime. However, when he married Pat, he took on a whole crowd of children and grandchildren all at once! He fell into his role as father and grandfather seamlessly, always spending as much time as he could with his family, attending many baseball and basketball games across many states, and sharing his hobbies and time with everyone. He counted many blessings in his lifetime but was most grateful for taking on the title of father and grandfather. Survivors include his wife of 24 1/2 years, Patricia “Pat” (Patterson) Biggs; daughters, Brandy Ponson and husband Michael, and Cheraline Canida; grandsons, Chase Ponson and Lane Ponson; brother-in-law, Red Jordan; special nephew, Cody Nichols; “adopted” son, Allen Street; his constant shadow, Tipper; along with numerous other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Janette Biggs; and sister, Judy Jordan. Pallbearers will be Michael Ponson, Lane Ponson, Chase Ponson, Allen Street, Troy Parker, and Kirk Jordan. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Lufkin Area RC Modeler’s Club. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice in the Pines, 1504 W. Frank Avenue, Lufkin, Texas 75904. The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon prior to the services. Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed, at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com . Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.None
Century-old series resumes as South Carolina hosts PresbyterianWhile My Gaze Was ElsewhereNone
ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon
Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’
The Arcata Tigers outlasted and outgunned the Petaluma Trojans on Friday night in the Redwood Bowl 69-34 to advance to the Division 6 North Coast Section championship game, where the No. 1 seed Tigers will host the No. 2 seed Miramonte Matodors next week. It was a story of two halves for the Tigers’ defense, after allowing 28 points in the first half, Arcata put the shackles on the Trojans’ offense allowing just six points after halftime. The first half was one of the most thrilling halves of football you’ll find, that is unless you’re a defensive coordinator, with nine touchdowns being scored. “I had been saying that we were going to have a shootout or a shutout,” Tigers’ head coach Matt Magers said. “If we could stop their Wing-T, it’s done. We had trouble with our ends and we were really asleep that first half until that punt return.” Arcata led 35-28 at the break thanks to a touchdown by Tigers’ senior Jackson Strand. After a rare defensive stop, Petaluma punted for the first time all night and Strand made them pay taking the kick all the way to the end zone with only 48 seconds left in the second quarter. The game opened with a successful onside kick by the Trojans, who then marched down the field and scored a touchdown. Arcata matched that with a touchdown of their own, as senior running back Alex Greenway found the end zone from two yards out. Petaluma didn’t blink, and led another touchdown drive to jump in front 14-7. Arcata then turned the ball over on downs, as junior quarterback Luke Lemke wasn’t on the same page as his receiver on the fourth down play, in what was the only miscue for the Tigers offense on Friday. The Tigers’ offense had to wait on the sideline long, with senior Cal Tucker intercepting a pass to gift the ball back to Lemke and the offense. The drive ended with another Greenway touchdown rush, with Arcata’s PAT being blocked to keep Petaluma in front 14-13 late in the first quarter. Petaluma again found the endzone, this time missing a PAT of their own to keep their lead at seven. Arcata kept pace with the Trojans, with Lemke finding the end zone from 26 yards out before finding Tucker on the 2-point try to take a 21-20 lead. Both teams almost exclusively went for onside kicks, giving the opposing offenses great field position each drive which helped lead to the offensive onslaught. After another failed Tigers’ onside try, Petaluma drove and scored a touchdown against the Arcata defense before converting a 2-point try of their own to take a 28-21 lead with 6:50 to play in the first half. On the next drive, senior Lennon Gieder’s took his turn in the end zone, with Lemke connecting with the receiver for a 20-yard touchdown. The 2-point try appeared to be a failure with Lemke surrounded in the backfield but the reigning Little 4 Offensive MVP channeled his inner David Blaine and escaped the pocket and scrambled his way into the endzone to put Arcata up 29-28. The Tigers’ defense then forced the punt which turned into the Strand return touchdown before half. “We made our adjustment at the end of the second quarter,” Majers said of his defense. “We pinched our defensive tackles and switched the responsibilites between the pitch man and the quarterback with our outside ‘backers and they had to go away from the veer option.” The momentum stayed with Arcata into the third quarter, with Petaluma fumbling their first possession away to the Tigers. Needless to say, Arcata took advantage of the mistake with Lemke finding senior Dayquan Dunn for a 12-yard touchdown to push their lead to 41-28. Petaluma’s offense did the majority of their damage on the ground, and once they got behind multiple scores they ran out of answers against the Tigers’ defense, as the Trojans were again forced to punt. Lemke then proved that his legs were key, with a 51-yard touchdown as Petaluma just could not bring down the junior quarterback. Lemke’s second rushing touchdown pushed the Arcata lead to 48-28 but it didn’t stay there for long. “He just makes things happen; he’s electric,” Majers said of his quarterback Lemke. Gieder intercepted Petaluma on their next possession, as the Arcata offense took over at their own 30-yard line. It didn’t matter where Arcata began their drives on Friday, it just allowed Lemke to have longer rushing touchdowns, following up his 51-yarder with a 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. “We’re up three scores, it’s time to run the clock out,” Majers said. “He takes it on the 70-yard run, and I go ‘Oh, well there goes running the clock out.’ He’s like another running back for us, he can hit the home run at any point.” Arcata’s defense got another stop which set up the play of the night for the Tigers’ offense. Lemke went deep to a tightly covered receiver down the sideline, but Tucker rose for the ball and caught it around a Trojans’ defender back, squeezing the ball as he went to the ground for the most frustrating hug of the Petaluma defender’s life. “Cal had that crazy catch,” Majers said. “I’ve seen some crazy things but that was the first time I’ve seen that in-person. That was spectacular.” The drive would end with another Greenway touchdown. Both teams added touchdowns in garbage time but it was the performance of a lifetime for the Arcata offense. Arcata’s 69 points was a season-high, as was their 34 points allowed but regardless, their ticket to the NCS championship has been punched. The 11-1 Tigers will now host a 6-6 Miramonte team, who had a very different win Friday night, beating Benicia 7-0 at home setting up an interesting contrast of styles for the Division 6 section title. “We love playing together. That group of guys have been here for three years on varsity, they’re all good friends,” Magers said. “We’re out there to have fun, at the end of the day it’s just a game.” Now the Tigers will host Miramonte Saturday at McKinleyville High at 1 p.m. Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.South Carolina has won six straight games, and one of the catalysts has been the improved free-throw shooting of Nick Pringle. When South Carolina (9-3) faces Presbyterian (7-7) in the final nonconference game for both teams on Monday in Columbia, S.C., the Gamecocks won't have to hold their breath when Pringle toes the line. During South Carolina's surge, which includes wins over three power conference teams, Pringle has made 26 of 30 (86.7 percent) free-throw attempts. It's a remarkable improvement from his 51.7 percent career success rate entering the season. Last month, in his South Carolina debut after transferring from Alabama, Pringle's foul shooting woes continued as he shot 3-for-8 in stunning 74-71 upset at the hands of the visiting North Florida. But video work with coach Lamont Paris convinced Pringle that he needed to quicken his routine and tweak his set point, which is where a player's eyes focus on the rim. "How long it was taking him to release the ball once he started his free throw process was really long, really, really long," Paris said. "So he shortened it." In a 74-48 win over Radford on Dec. 22, Pringle made all 10 of his free throws. His work at the line is no small matter, as he has taken the second-most free throws on the team (61). Pringle averages 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, combining with Collin Murray-Boyles (16.2 points, 9.3 rebounds) to give the Gamecocks a formidable duo inside. Presbyterian enters after suffering its first home loss this season, 86-81 in overtime to Manhattan on Dec. 21. It was a frustrating defeat after the Blue Hose led by 19 points in the first half. There was a positive, however, as Carl Parrish delivered 23 points and nine rebounds, both career highs. It was a performance that sixth-year coach Quinton Ferrell has been awaiting. "Seeing him play like that offensively is not a shock to me because that's really what he's capable of," Ferrell said. "He's a big-time offensive player." Parrish combines in the backcourt with the Blue Hose's top two threats: Kory Mincy, who averages 14.9 points and 4.6 assists per game, and Kobe Stewart, who scores at a 14.4 ppg clip. Located just 60 miles apart, South Carolina and Presbyterian (Clinton, S.C.) have a long history, with their first game coming nearly 108 years ago. The Gamecocks lead the series 33-8. --Field Level MediaJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes meanwhile carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, and Aamer Madhani in Washington, contributed. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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