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BATTLE CREEK — Different year. Same result. The Traverse City St. Francis Gladiators made it back to the Division 3 volleyball state championship final at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena for the second straight year. And they left as the runner-up for the second straight year. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central swept the Gladiators in Saturday’s title bout, winning by a 25-21, 25-20 and 25-15 final that broke the hearts of the St. Francis players, coaches and fans once again. “We’re second in the state. There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” St. Francis head coach Kathleen Nance said. “St. Mary’s played better than we did today. They earned that first-place spot, and we earned second. We were the last two standing. What’s to be ashamed about?” The Gladiators (35-13-3) fought back to tie the first set at 18-18, but the Kestrels (30-4-2) rattled off five consecutive points to take control in the waning moments. St. Francis got to within three at 24-21, but a service error into the net gave St. Mary the 1-0 lead. Riding the momentum, St. Mary quickly jumped out to a 4-0 advantage and maintained control through most of the second set, leading 7-1, 11-4, 18-11 and 21-14 before the Gladiators rallied back to get within three at 22-19. That rally ended as another St. Francis service error into the net gave the Kestrels the set win and a 2-0 lead. With their season on the line, St. Francis came out strong in the third set and grabbed a 2-0 lead. But St. Mary tied it quickly at 2-2 before getting some distance from St. Francis at 9-4. The Gladiators never got back to within striking distance the rest of the way, falling by 10 points in the final set. “St. Mary’s is just an amazing team. They’ve got great ball control. They’ve got great hitters,” Nance said. “We just weren’t able to have an answer for that today.” With her squad down 24-15 in the final set, senior libero Avery Nance pulled her team together and — even with the outcome all but settled — let her fellow Gladiators know how much they mean to her. “I told them that I loved them and that I was proud of them,” she said. “Let’s go out fighting for that last point because that’s who we are. We’re a gritty team, so let’s make it a gritty point. No matter what happens, I love them and we’re going to go out together as a team.” Quinn Yenshaw led the Gladiator attack with 12 kills followed by Lola Brown with eight, Reese Muma with six, Landry Fouch with four, Harper Nausadis with three, and Reese Jones with one. “I’m just grateful for what we’ve accomplished these last two years,” Yenshaw said. “We are so close as a team and love each other so much. ... I’m going to miss the girls who are leaving, but I know we’ll keep the legacy going and keep Gladiator volleyball strong.” Jones was tops in aces with two and in assists with 14 as Avery Nance pitched in with seven assists and Tessah Konas had six helpers. On defense against the high-powered Kestrels, Nance led in digs with 14 followed by Fouch with nine, Yenshaw with eight, Jones with seven, Grace Mason with six, Coco Miller with five, and Nausadis with three. “I feel like we were a little underestimated this year,” Coach Nance said. “This was our only loss to a D3 team this season — this loss today. I don’t think we’ll be underestimated anymore.” The lone D3 loss ends the high school volleyball careers of four senior Gladiators — Avery Nance, Landry Fouch, Tessah Konas and Grace Mason. “No one wants to lose, especially for those that this is their last time to play,” Coach Nance said. “No one wants that, but I’m proud of everything we accomplished this year.” St. Francis brings back a wealth of talent with Jones, Muma, Yenshaw, Brown, Miller, Nausadis and Aubrey Lesinski to go along with a strong JV program and promising stars at the middle-school level, giving the Gladiators a long window to remain contenders. “I want St. Francis volleyball to continue to be an amazing program. There’s so much talent we’re still going to have and so much talent that nobody even got to see today,” Coach Nance said. “We’re going to get there.” Nausadis believes that as well. “Obviously it sucks to lose, but we’re all really proud of each other,” Nausadis said. “This is a huge accomplishment just to make it here. It’s hard to see it right now, but there’s a lot to be proud of. We wanted to win it, but we did this for each other and proved we can make it back.” Nausadis hopes the Gladiators can make it back in 2025. “It will be a different team next year, but we’re going to work as hard as we can,” she said. “We’re going to do our best.”Before his death today in hospice care at his home in Georgia , Jimmy Carter defied illness and death for years. When his melanoma spread to his brain in 2015, he drew praise for announcing it publicly. Even as he underwent treatment, he continued to teach Sunday school in his home town's Baptist church. Within months, he announced that he was cancer-free. Four years later, Carter fell at least three times, at one point breaking a hip and at another requiring 14 stitches. Each time he bounced back, even showing up for a Habitat for Humanity home-building project shortly after one stumble. Jimmy Carter's tragic 10-word dying wish as he faces death's door in hospice in Plains, Georgia Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter celebrates her 96th birthday with Jimmy and ice cream But he has slowly retreated from public life lately, making fewer and fewer appearances or statements and was unable to attend President Biden's inauguration in January 2021. However, he lived long enough to outlast two presidents who followed him and his own vice president, Walter Mondale. He became the longest-living president in March 2019 when he passed former President George H.W. Bush, who died four months before. Although Carter, nicknamed Jimmy Cardigan after once wearing a jumper for a televised speech, left the White House after one of the biggest landslide defeats of the modern era, he was one of very few US leaders to be memorialised while still alive. The evolution of his legacy was unusual as he had such a long period between the end of his unpopular presidency and the announcement at the weekend that he would undergo no further treatment to die peacefully at his home. Carter's time in the White House was marred by his struggles to respond to formidable challenges, including a major energy crisis, high inflation, and unemployment. He took office after Gerald Ford left the entire US government in disarray. Carter entered the Oval Office facing mounting challenges - an energy crisis, Soviet aggression and, above all, a deep mistrust of leadership by voters. In foreign affairs, he reopened US relations with China and tried to broker peace in the historic Arab-Israeli conflict, but was damaged late in his term by a hostage crisis in Iran. Carter's diagnosis of America's "crisis of confidence" did little to boost his flagging popularity, and in 1980 he was defeated in the general election by Ronald Reagan. Over the following decades, Carter built a distinguished career as a diplomat, humanitarian and author, pursuing conflict resolution in countries around the globe. He was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 2002 "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." Born in Plains, Georgia, in October 1924, Carter attended the US Naval Academy graduating in 1946. Already, he had a solid moral compass installed in him by his nurse mother, "Miz" Lillian. She set an example for her son by crossing the strict lines of segregation in 1920s Georgia to counsel poor African American women on health care. Shortly after passing out of the navy, he married Rosalynn Smith, having four children together. But tragedy struck in July 1953 as while he was preparing to serve as an engineering officer on the submarine Seawolf, his father, Earl, died from cancer. Carter returned home and was able to rebuild his family's struggling peanut warehouse business after a crippling drought. Ironically the legume became the symbol of his presidential campaign. Active in community affairs and a deacon at the Plains Baptist Church, he launched his political career with a seat on his local board of education. In 1962, he won the election to the Georgia State Senate as a Democrat, running for the governor's office four years later, finishing a disappointing third. The loss sent Carter into a depression, which he overcame by finding renewed faith as a born-again Christian. He ran again for the governorship in 1970 and won. A year later, Carter was featured on the cover of Time magazine as one of a new breed of young political leaders in the South, known for their moderate racial views and progressive economic and social policies. Initially, Carter was a political phenomenon, a new-generation Democrat who, after a single term as governor of the Peach State, shocked the political world by beating a host of better-known rivals to capture his party's presidential nomination in 1976. A year later, he would oust the incumbent Republican president, Ford. Over four years in office, he sought to restore trust in government following the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, ushering in reforms meant to transform politics. He mediated the historic Camp David Accords, making peace between Israel and Egypt, an agreement that remains the foundation of Middle East relations. But a sour economy, rocketing inflation, and a 444-day hostage crisis in Iran where 52 American diplomats were held captive undercut his public support. Ultimately, it cost him his re-election bid, losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Carter spent his post-presidency, however, on a series of philanthropic causes around the world, like building houses for the poor, combating disease, promoting human rights in places of repression, monitoring elections and seeking to end conflicts. His work as a former president in many ways came to eclipse his time in the White House, eventually earning him the Nobel Peace Prize and rehabilitating his image in the eyes of many Americans. "Between the time he left office and entered hospice care, he got to sit back and enjoy the adulation of a grateful nation," Jeffrey Engel, the director for the presidential history centre at Southern Methodist University, said. "The passage of time smoothed out the rough edges of his political career. If Carter had died in 1982, there would be less adulation than he is receiving right now." Joseph Crespino, the Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University, called his resilience "remarkable." "Instead of sulking about not winning the second term, he used his influence and prominence from his position in politics to help millions of people and win the Nobel Peace Prize," he said. When asked about regrets, Carter spoke of his in his autobiography "A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety." The former president said he was upset by how his kiss with the Queen Mother was portrayed. He wrote how he didn't regret puckering up to Her Majesty, describing it as "lightly on the cheek" as the pair said goodnight after dinner at Buckingham Place in May 1977. However, much like his presidency, its impact never left those affected most by his actions. To her dying day, the Queen Mother had two hates, as detailed in her 2009 biography - oysters and being kissed by a US president.By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission . He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars’ worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior . Ferguson is already one of the FTC’s five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? The replacement of Khan likely means that the FTC will operate with a lighter touch when it comes to antitrust enforcement. The new chair is expected to appoint new directors of the FTC’s antitrust and consumer protection divisions. “These changes likely will make the FTC more favorable to business than it has been in recent years, though the extent to which is to be determined,” wrote Anthony DiResta, a consumer protection attorney at Holland & Knight, in a recent analysis . Deals that were blocked by the Biden administration could find new life with Trump in command. For example, the new leadership could be more open to a proposed merger between the country’s two biggest supermarket chains, Kroger and Albertsons, which forged a $24.6 billion deal to combine in 2022. Two judges halted the merger Tuesday night. The FTC had filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this year to block the merger, claiming the deal would eliminate competition, leading to higher prices and lower wages for workers. The two companies say a merger would help them lower prices and compete against bigger rivals like Walmart. One of the judges said the FTC had shown it was likely to prevail in the administrative hearing. Yet given the widespread public concern over high grocery prices, the Trump administration may not fully abandon the FTC’s efforts to block the deal, some experts have said. And the FTC may continue to scrutinize Big Tech firms for any anticompetitive behavior. Many Republican politicians have accused firms such as Meta of censoring conservative views, and some officials in Trump’s orbit, most notably Vice President-elect JD Vance, have previously expressed support for Khan’s scrutiny of Big Tech firms. In addition to Fergson, Trump also announced Tuesday that he had selected Jacob Helberg as the next undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.

Toby Fournier powers No. 8 Duke over Virginia Tech 81-59

The Eagles are looking to clinch the NFC East title while completing a rare sweep of the rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in Philadelphia. The Eagles (12-3) will have to play without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who sustained a concussion during last weekend's 36-33 loss at Washington that snapped their team-record 10-game winning streak. He was ruled out on Friday after missing practice all week. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a rib injury against the Commanders, but he was a full participant at Thursday's practice and was limited on Friday. Pickett is expected to start, with Tanner McKee his backup on Sunday as Philadelphia tries to sweep Dallas for the first time since 2011. Meanwhile, the Cowboys (7-8) are clicking with their own QB2 at the controls. Cooper Rush has guided Dallas to wins in four of the last five games, throwing nine touchdown passes and just one interception in that span. The Cowboys are in the unfamiliar position of playing spoiler, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Two more wins would give Dallas its fourth straight winning season under fifth-year coach Mike McCarthy. "It's hard to win games in this league. It's definitely an end goal just to have a winning season," Cowboys right guard Brock Hoffman said. "... But definitely where we've been at on this journey, take it week by week, win these last two games, have a winning season, and it's definitely a big boost going into next season." The Eagles cruised to a 34-6 win over the Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, in the first meeting in Week 10, with Hurts throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two scores. Rush finished with just 45 yards on 13-of-23 passing. Pickett replaced a woozy Hurts in the first quarter against Washington and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown. "I thought it was so cool for our guys to have the confidence in (Pickett) to just hop in there and handle a third down, handle another completion, throw a third-down touchdown in the red zone," Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Tuesday. "I thought that was a really cool moment." A sixth-round pick out of Stanford in 2023, McKee has yet to appear in a regular-season game. "I feel like I've always been preparing to be the starter and preparing to play, and so my preparation is going to stay the same," McKee said Tuesday. "And you know, I'm obviously excited for any opportunity that I do get, but we're going to take it day by day for those guys." No matter who plays QB, the Eagles likely will lean heavily on Saquon Barkley. With a league-leading 1,838 rushing yards, he needs 268 in the last two games to break Eric Dickerson's 1984 NFL single-season record of 2,105. Philadelphia's injury report Friday also included the team ruling out wide receiver Britain Covey (neck), who also returns punts, and running back Will Shipley (concussion), a contributor on kickoff return duty. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (abdomen) is doubtful after limited participation on Friday, while defensive end Bryce Huff (wrist) was a full participant and listed as questionable. He would need to be activated from injured reserve to play on Sunday. The Cowboys have shut down star wideout CeeDee Lamb for the rest of the season because of a sprained right shoulder. Also ruled out for Sunday are cornerbacks Kemon Hall (hamstring) and Amani Oruwariye (foot). Guard TJ Bass (thigh) is doubtful, while those with questionable status are wide receivers Jalen Brooks (knee) and Jalen Tolbert (finger), offensive tackles Chuma Edoga (toe) and Asim Richards (ankle), linebackers Eric Kendricks (calf) and Nick Vigil (foot), and safety Donovan Wilson (knee). --Field Level Media

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DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Toby Fournier scored a season-high 27 points and collected nine rebounds to lead No. 8 Duke to an 81-59 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Fournier, a freshman forward, shot 12 of 17 from the floor in an off-the-bench effort to power the Blue Devils (9-2, 1-0 ACC). Oluchi Okananwa added 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Delaney Thomas chipped in 14 points. Reigan Richardson finished with just five points but dished out a career-high-tying seven assists. Carleigh Wenzel paced the Hokies (7-3, 0-1) with 19 points, while Carys Baker had 11 points and six rebounds. Takeaways Duke: The Blue Devils bounced back from their loss at No. 3 South Carolina with a decisive victory and improved to 24-4 when opening ACC play at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Virginia Tech: Duke's stingy defense kept the Hokies from getting to their offensive actions consistently, leading them to turn the ball over 18 times while shooting a season-worst 14.3% from 3-point range. Key moment After trailing by three points early, Duke outscored Virginia Tech 32-10 on a run that bled into the second quarter. Fournier kickstarted the spurt for the Blue Devils with a layup in traffic, totaling 10 points and five rebounds over the 12-minute stretch. Key stat Duke entered this game ranking 15th nationally in 3-point shooting with a 38.8% clip and 18th nationally in assists per game with an average of 18.5. The Blue Devils had a positive assist-turnover ratio for the eighth time this season, and they improved to 5-0 when shooting north of 40% from behind the arc. Up next Duke hosts Wofford on Dec. 18. Virginia Tech hosts Radford on Sunday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballMr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981, taking over in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the end of the Vietnam War. After his defeat by Ronald Reagan, he spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. His death on Sunday was announced by his family and came more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. He was the longest-lived US president. His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love. “My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.” World leaders have paid tribute to Mr Carter, including US President Joe Biden, who was one of the first politicians to endorse Mr Carter for president in 1976 and said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/aqYmcE9tXi — The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) December 29, 2024 “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. “He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.” Irish President Michael D Higgins said Mr Carter was “a principled man who dedicated his life to seeking to advance the cause of peace across the world”. He added: “On behalf of the people of Ireland, may I express my sympathies to President Carter’s children and extended family, to President Joe Biden, to the people of the United States, and to his wide circle of colleagues and friends across the globe.” Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta and Washington DC before being buried in his home town of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and finally, the White House, where he took office as the 39th president. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked for more than four decades leading the Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center managed to virtually eliminate Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service.