Woodstock High School students and staff mourn senior who died on Lake Allatoona
Woodstock High School students and staff are mourning the loss of a senior who died in an accident on Lake Allatoona.
The school said Jackson Croft, 17, a member of the class of 2026, loved fishing, hunting, rodeo, racing, and being outdoors.
The school said in a post on Facebook:
'He was not a fan of school (great outdoorsmen, cowboys, and race car drivers rarely are), but he was a joy to have in the classroom and someone who made all of us better, someone who made us who we are: unique, honest, and dedicated. His life was cut way too short, but his impact on all those he encouraged, befriended, and connected with will be everlasting. Our community mourns with and prays for his family. Jackson, you are missed!'
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The school also posted reflections from some of his teachers on Facebook, including, 'Jackson was a man of few words, but he made up for that with his spirited determination and gave it his all. He could do anything he set his mind to. He was in Work-Based Learning last year, and during homeroom, he always enjoyed talking about the program and the work he was doing. I was so proud of what he accomplished. I will miss him so much. We all will.'
On Thursday, June 5, Cherokee County 911 dispatchers received reports of a boat spinning in circles on Lake Allatoona.
Croft's body was recovered the next day, several hundred feet away from where his boat was found circling in 22 feet of water.
TRENDING STORIES:
Immigration protest ends with tear gas, fireworks thrown at officers, 6 arrests along Buford Highway
They were once best friends, then one killed the other. We take you inside this bizarre murder case
Fake Uber Eats killing suspect in court, victim's family removed from hearing
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' rapper Silentó gets 30 years for manslaughter of cousin
Silentó, the Atlanta rapper best known for the viral 2015 hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty but mentally ill in the 2021 shooting death of his cousin in Georgia. The rapper, real name Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in addition to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a crime and concealing a death, DeKalb County Dist. Atty. Sherry Boston said in a statement. Read more: 'Whip/Nae Nae' rapper charged in attempted hatchet attack Hawk, 27, confessed to the killing when police took him into custody about 10 days after Rooks, 34, was found in the wee hours on Jan. 21, 2021, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Boston said. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene, the statement said. Video and GPS evidence tied Hawk to the crime, Boston said. A relative of Rooks told authorities that the victim had last been seen with Hawk. The day Hawk was arrested, his then-publicist Chanel Hudson posted a note asking for prayers for her client and explaining that in recent years he had "been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses" and would continue his "efforts of treatment." In 2016, Hawk was nominated under his stage name for the BET Awards' YoungStars Award along with Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, Willow Smith and Yara Shahidi. The honor went to Stenberg, the actor famous for playing Rue in the movie "The Hunger Games." Read more: The strange history behind Brian Wilson's lost rap song 'Smart Girls' Hawk went on the syndicated show "The Doctors" in 2019 wearing a sparkling, Michael Jackson-style jacket and talked about how he was born with "all type of drugs" in his system and had felt depressed his whole life. He moved in with a great aunt in 2014, he said, and was prescribed ADHD medication without an ADHD diagnosis. Viral fame came a few years later. "Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous," Hawk said on the show, which positioned him as a brave inspiration to his peers with mental illness. "It just adds more pressure. And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you." Things took a dark turn next, however, with Hawk getting arrested in Southern California in late summer 2020 on domestic violence allegations of inflicting corporal punishment on a spouse or cohabitant in Santa Ana. Then, while out on bail for that incident the first week of September 2020, he was arrested again in Los Angeles and charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm) after he allegedly entered the Valley Village home of two strangers and threatened them with a hatchet. Read more: Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis dies after battle with breast cancer As of Thursday that case was still ongoing in Los Angeles County Superior Court with the next hearing scheduled for September. The assistant district attorney handling that case did not reply immediately to The Times' request for an update. Also Thursday, nine years after it dropped, Silentó's music video for "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" was in the neighborhood of 2 billion views on YouTube. "Remember when at one point this was playing in every single car around the world," one commenter said four years ago. It was unclear whether that was posted before or after Rooks was killed. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Shaq Signs $1.8 Million Check to End His Crypto Drama
Shaquille O'Neal can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The basketball legend turned businessman and TV personality has agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over his role in promoting the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX. While the payment closes a legal chapter for the former Laker, it also marks a turning point in how courts are treating celebrity endorsements in the volatile world of crypto, a space where stardom once offered both hype and cover. O'Neal is among the first big names to reach a settlement in the high-profile FTX case, which also names football legend Tom Brady, his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, NBA superstar Steph Curry, tennis player Naomi Osaka, and Seinfeld creator Larry David. Some of the claims against these celebrities, who say they weren't aware of the risks, have already been dismissed. But O'Neal's decision to settle stands out. He was accused of promoting FTX to his fans and investors, appearing in a string of marketing campaigns. In return, the company allegedly sponsored his music festival venture, Shaq's Fun House. According to the lawsuit, O'Neal promoted the partnership through social media posts and videos. He was allegedly paid $750,000 for his endorsement. 'Plaintiffs seek class-wide relief from Mr. O'Neal, who was an alleged influencer and celebrity paid by FTX to present FTX to his followers and event attendees as a safe and legitimate alternative to other cryptocurrency exchanges,' states the court document (FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange Collapse Litigation, Docket No. 1:23-md-03076, S.D. Fla. Jun 5, 2023). An initial settlement was reached last November. It was unveiled in May by the court, and on June 9, the final $1.8 million agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Adam Moskowitz, the plaintiffs' attorney. O'Neal must pay the amount within 30 days. FTX, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 11, 2022, had become a crypto juggernaut thanks in part to its celebrity ambassadors. But behind the scenes, the platform was using customer assets as collateral to borrow funds that were funneled to its sister company, Alameda Research, for trading and investments. When the house of cards collapsed, both companies went under, sparking lawsuits against founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his inner circle, and the stars who endorsed the brand. O'Neal's settlement isn't just about resolving his personal liability. It's a wake-up call to celebrities who cashed in on the crypto boom without fully understanding, or disclosing, the risks. 'I don't understand it,' O'Neal told CNBC in 2021 about cryptocurrencies. 'So, I will probably stay away from it until I get a full understanding of what it is.' He added, 'From my experience, it is too good to be true.' Yet he didn't stay away. Since the FTX implosion, regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission have been cracking down on undisclosed paid crypto endorsements. The SEC now emphasizes 'fair disclosure' and 'financial literacy,' warning that fame is no longer a shield. The message to celebrities is unequivocal: if you promote it, you are now expected to 'own' it, even if the venture collapses. And this isn't Shaq's only crypto-related legal headache. Last November, he was ordered to pay $11 million to settle a separate lawsuit involving Astrals, a failed non-fungible tokens (NFT) project he co-founded with his son Myles O'Neal. (NFTs are digital collectibles that can be owned, sold, or traded online.) The project promised a metaverse experience where users would interact via NFT avatars. But after FTX's downfall, Shaq reportedly distanced himself from the venture, leaving investors to fend for themselves. Now, with $12.8 million in crypto settlements under his belt, O'Neal may think twice before lending his name to another crypto venture.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
YuppTV Initiates Lawsuit Against Major International Piracy Network 'Boss IPTV'
Leading OTT platform's anti-piracy efforts result in multiple arrests and court cases against $84 million illegal streaming operation ATLANTA, June 12, 2025 /CNW/ -- YuppTV, one of the world's leading internet-based TV platform for Indian content, has announced the filing of a lawsuit as part of its continued fight against one of the largest illegal IPTV networks worldwide. The company's comprehensive anti-piracy initiative has resulted in arrests, filing court cases on the piracy network. YuppTV has filed a comprehensive complaint in the United States District Court targeting the extensive piracy network operating under multiple brand names including Boss IPTV, Tashan Punjabi IPTV, Indian IPTV, Brampton IPTV, Boss and Guru IPTV. The illegal operations have caused substantial damage to the entertainment industry, with broadcasters losing an estimated $200-300 million annually. YuppTV's complaint to the Faridabad Cyber Crime Police led to a successful raid in March 2021, resulting in the arrest of six employees involved in illegal streaming operations. The illegal operation involved streaming thousands of premium channels without authorization, including content from major Indian broadcasters and international platforms. Uday Reddy, Founder & CEO from YuppTV, commented, "The identification and prosecution of networks like Boss IPTV will be a huge positive step for the industry in the fight against piracy. As a company that serves millions of viewers globally and has invested decades in building legitimate partnerships with content creators, we at YuppTV refuse to stand by while pirates profit from stolen intellectual property. These recent arrests and our fight against piracy send a clear message that we will pursue every available legal remedy to protect our industry, our partners, and the millions of consumers who choose to support legitimate platforms." According to the Goldstein Law Group representing YuppTV, any subscriber using illegal IPTV pirate services such as Boss IPTV, Guru IPTV, Tashan IPTV, Brampton IPTV, Vois IPTV, Indian IPTV, Punjabi IPTV, Edmonton IPTV, Boss Entertainment IPTV, or UltrastreamTV, their phone number may be linked to illegal piracy and/or copyright infringement which is a crime under the U.S. federal law. Penalties for serious copyright infringement may include felony charges which may render non-citizens deportable under the U.S. federal law. YuppTV warns customers that illegal IPTV services pose serious security risks beyond legal consequences, as pirates can access personal information including credit card details, which are then sold on the dark web. As the largest internet-based TV platform for South Asian content, YuppTV strongly urges all consumers currently using illegal streaming services to immediately discontinue their use and transition to legitimate platforms. About YuppTV YuppTV is one of the world's largest internet-based TV and On-demand service provider for South Asian content, offering more than 250+ TV channels, 5000+ movies and 100+ TV shows in 14 languages. Making the best use of technology, YuppTV enables consumers to experience the convenience of virtual home entertainment anytime, anywhere, through multiple screens. Log on to for more information. View original content: SOURCE YuppTV View original content:
