HOLLIDAYSBURG — The state Department of Human Services has issued another provisional license — the sixth in 3.5 years — to Blair County’s Children, Youth & Families office.

The latest provisional license, which reflects correctional plans approved in May to address shortcomings identified in March, is valid through Nov. 23.

Blair County CYF Director Shannon Tucker, who was promoted to that job after being named interim director in September, said she was disappointed but not disheartened by the state’s decision to issue another provisional license.

“I think that we have made dramatic improvements since last year,” Tucker said last week in her office. “Am I disappointed in the state’s decision to give us another provisional license? Yes. But in no way am I disheartened because I think we’ve shown that we are on an upward track.”

While the state singled out one Blair County CYF case and indicated that more than 180 days passed without a caseworker visiting what had been identified as a high-risk family, many of its other citations were based on record-keeping issues that reflected late reports and/or no reports.

Tucker said those record-keeping citations can be addressed through ongoing efforts to increase and train staff in ways that reduce their individual caseloads and allow more review of records to catch the shortcomings.

She also said efforts to date are already paying off as the latest report contains about half the citations of the November report.

“I think the state wants to see us make continued progress, and we are,” Tucker said.

In a June 5 letter to Blair County that accompanied the latest provisional operating license, state DHS Deputy Secretary Laval Miller-Wilson pledged the office’s cooperation and technical assistance.

When asked for further comment, the state DHS press office issued a statement indicating that Blair County CYF is making progress through improved staffing levels, fewer areas of non-compliance and engaged leadership.

“While DHS cannot speculate a timeline for when the county’s full license will be restored, DHS continues to work closely with Blair County CYF, its staff and county leadership,” according to the statement.

In May 2022 — when the state issued the first provisional operating license to Blair County CYF — the county office was operating at low staffing levels and it had no applicants to fill vacant jobs created by resignations and retirements that increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. At that time, Blair County’s pay levels for CYF were among the lowest in the state.

Blair County now advertises for CYF caseworkers — who must be Civil Service qualified — at $40,170 annually.

“We are getting applicants,” Tucker said.

CYF’s first provisional license was followed by three additional provisional licenses during a two-year period — the most the state can award. So in May 2024, the state revoked the county’s CYF license and the county appealed. To resolve the appeal, commissioners and the state negotiated a settlement agreement, which mapped out goals, including the continued assignment of a state DHS operations manager to the county CYF office and required consultants.

While the state restored CYF’s operating license for six months as part of that agreement, it replaced it with a fifth provisional license in November 2024. That license was valid through May, when the state issued the sixth provisional license.

Tucker said she remains confident that CYF’s improvements will continue and encourages local residents to rely on the agency’s personnel to do their jobs.

“On any given day, something could go terribly wrong because somebody made a horrible decision,” Tucker said. “But with the increase in drugs, the fentanyl, the meth … and the violence that comes with drugs, we remain the agency tasked with helping to protect the children.”

In adhering to that goal, Tucker said CYF staffers are now distributing materials to discourage adults from the unsafe practice of sleeping with babies.

“We’ve seen a rise in co-sleeping issues … which creates the potential for tragedies that could be prevented,” Tucker said.

She also spoke of CYF’s efforts to help local families with unstable housing and food insecurity, both related to the rising costs.

“We’re getting some new families that haven’t been affected in the past,” Tucker said.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.

Youth sports can run hot. Enraged players foul on purpose. Parents shout at referees. Coaches with limited understanding of child development may attempt to motivate players via public humiliation—a behavior that would never be allowed in the classroom.

The Boston Globe recently reported a need for more girls’ lacrosse referees as “hostile interactions with coaches, parents, and even players are driving officials away.” A referee reported that one coach upset withg their decision “went psychopath. He was screaming and screaming about….how I’m insane.” Parents have followed referees to their cars to yell about a particular call that irked them. Somehow, the overarching reasons that children participate in sports have been lost: to acquire a skill, to work with a team toward a common goal, and to become comfortable competing, winning, and losing.

Hiding in plain sight is one sport that manages to be highly competitive and emotionally intelligent, both on the field and on the sideline. As an expert in child development, I recommend checking out Ultimate Frisbee.

Originated at a New Jersey high school in 1968, the sport is accessible and inexpensive; players only need a field and a disc to get started. It requires speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination, but physical stature is not a requirement to be competitive. Players throw the disc through tight defenses to receivers who sprint, dive, or leap to make a catch. The sport welcomes creative self-expression; athletes might wear tutus or pajamas on the field. As a player isn’t allowed to run with the disc, the ballhogs of youth basketball and soccer don’t exist here—and it’s non-contact so concussions are rare. Also, it’s a blast to watch.

As a bookworm mother who somehow gave birth to two sporty kids, I have spent numerous hours watching youth sports. When my children both joined Ultimate Frisbee teams in college, I became more attuned to the distinctive psychological aspects of the sport.

Within its counterculture, Ultimate celebrates inclusivity and prioritizes team spirit and sportsmanship. Players on the sideline are considered critical assets. In addition to cheering on the team, the “bench” provides alerts, calling out information that athletes on the field may not be able to see from their vantage point. The Wesleyan men’s club team brought 30 players to the 2025 Ultimate D3 National Championship, and all were considered essential even though only seven were on the field at a time. To lift spirits during tough moments, the sideline athletes borrowed a cheer from another team, rushed the field after every lost point, pointing their fingers upward and yelling “Yes, yes, yes!” Have you ever seen this in any other sport?

USA Ultimate has a welcoming Gender Inclusion policy that allows athletes to play in the division that feels most aligned with their gender identity: women’s, men’s, or mixed. Full stop. Ultimate Canada, UK Ultimate, and the European Ultimate Federation follow the same guidelines. I have watched multiple tournaments of all types of teams, and this approach has never been an issue.

Ultimate Frisbee, even in its national championships, doesn’t employ referees; players are expected to work out any disagreements on the field, following the Spirit of the Game (SOTG) a mandate that directs players to follow the rules and treat each other with mutual respect. At high level tournaments, “Observers” are included, but they play a passive role unless they are asked to resolve a dispute.

Sportsmanship and communication are so valued that each team has a designated “Spirit Captain” in charge of facilitating communication if there is a misunderstanding of rules, or conflict between players or teams. In the 2025 Division 1 women’s collegiate finals between University of British Columbia (UBC) and Carleton College, Carleton players called a Spirit Time-Out with Spirit Captains (and Observers) to discuss UBC’s rough play which they did not consider to be consistent with the SOTG. The players talked it through; UBC agreed to change their play approach; and the game resumed.

Some families may shy away from youth frisbee if they are harboring hope that their child may be able to secure college admission and/or a scholarship within a more mainstream sport. While I empathize with that goal, most children playing soccer, basketball, etc. will not access the golden ticket that boosts their chance of admission or a college scholarship. As noted in Tom Farrey’s book Game On: The All -American Race to Make Champions of Our Children, the likelihood of a high-school athlete obtaining a scholarship to play men’s Division 1 college basketball is 1 in 111, worse odds than being admitted to Harvard. Two percent of high school female soccer players will play at D1 college programs, below the admission rate of the most prestigious U.S. colleges. For most kids, sports will provide innumerable life lessons, but an athletic scholarship, discussed among families as early as middle school, remains quite rare.

Ultimate has found a way to be welcoming, fun, low-key, and highly competitive all at once. While youth opportunities depend on one’s local region, college teams are widespread, with an expectation that many interested players may be new to the sport. Local adult club teams exist in many urban areas, providing companionship and community after college. In a world where virtual connections can dominate, here’s a real-life opportunity for connection.

We live in a time of polarization. People feel comfortable yelling and threatening each other, online, behind the wheel, and on the field. But frisbee has created a pocket of joy. People are accepted as they are; play is intense but fun; and civility is prioritized. It’s a model for youth sports and, frankly, for life.

CHICAGO — Youth sports are a big part of Karli Casamento’s life. Her son, Jax, 15, golfs and plays on three baseball teams. Her youngest son, Colt, 6, plays baseball and basketball.

The costs, especially for Jax, add up in a hurry. That’s why Casamento, 48, and her husband, Michael, 46, are watching closely for the ramifications of tariffs on their rising youth sports budget.

“All of their equipment I’m sure comes from China,” said Karli Casamento, a second-grade teacher in suburban Philadelphia. “As they get bigger, they need new equipment. So that is definitely a concern.”

For families like the Casamentos and businesses in the marketplace, there is continued uncertainty surrounding the possible effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — the 10% baseline tariffs, along with a 30% rate on Chinese goods — on youth sports.

Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Puma were among 76 companies that signed an April 29 letter to Trump asking for a footwear exemption from reciprocal tariffs. The Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America letter warned tariffs would “become a major impact at the cash register for every family.”

Amer Sports, the parent company of Wilson Sporting Goods and Louisville Slugger, downplayed the effect of tariffs when it announced its first-quarter earnings on May 20. But looking beyond this year, chief financial officer Andrew Page mentioned pricing as one way the company could offset higher import tariffs.

Dick’s Sporting Goods reaffirmed its earnings guidance for 2025 when it provided its first-quarter update on May 28. CEO Lauren Hobart said Dick’s had no plans to trim its product assortment in response to tariff costs, and that its guidance confirmation was based on its belief it can manage the situation.

“We are constantly assessing our pricing down to the item level, SKU level, and we do that based on consumer demand and the profitability of the business,” Hobart said in response to a question on possible price increases. “We have a very advanced pricing capability, much more advanced than we used to have, and much more enabled to make real time and quick decisions.”

The U.S. has been the largest importer of sporting goods since 2010, accounting for 31% of the world’s imports in 2022, according to a 2024 World Trade Organization report. Boosted by racket sports, China is the most significant exporter of sporting goods at 43% in 2022.

Fueled by golf, badminton and tennis equipment, Vietnam and Taiwan experienced rapid expansion in exporting outdoor sports equipment to the U.S. from 2018 to 2024, according to data from the consulting firm, AlixPartners. Vietnam increased 340% to $705 million, and Taiwan was up 16% to $946 million.

Tariffs of 46% for Vietnam and 32% for Taiwan could go into effect next month after a 90-day pause.

Hockey skates, sticks and protective gear are often imported. Same for baseball gloves and composite and aluminum bats, which are often imported or use materials that are imported, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Soccer goals, lacrosse nets and cones are often sourced from low-cost labor markets.

“You can’t get around the fact that a lot the stuff that we use in youth sports is coming from abroad,” said Travis Dorsch, the founding director of the Families in Sport Lab at Utah State University. “So surely if the tariffs go into effect and in any long-term or meaningful way, it’s going to affect youth sports.”

The Casamento family cheers for the Philadelphia Phillies, and that’s how Jax and Colt got into baseball. Karli Casamento called sports “a safe way to socialize, and it gets them active.”

But equipment has become a major expense for the family. Jax has a $400 bat and a $300 glove, Karli Casamento said, and his catching equipment is $700. There is an additional cost for registration for his travel team, in addition to what it costs to travel to tournaments.

“We’ve tried to say to Jax, ‘Well, you’re in ninth grade now, do you really need to play tournament ball? You’re not going to grow up and be, you know, the next Mike Schmidt,’ things like that,” Karli Casamento said, “because it’s just, it’s $5,000 a year and now we have two kids in sports.”

That effect most likely will be felt by middle- and low-income families, threatening recent gains in participation rates for youth sports.

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation by sport, found in 2023 there was a 6% increase in young people who regularly participated in a team sport, which it said was the highest rate (39.8%) since 2015. An Aspen Institute study released in October showed participation for girls was at its highest levels since at least 2012.

“I’m really concerned that we’re going to spike this great momentum because families, who are already saying that sports is getting increasingly more expensive, equipment’s getting more expensive and they’re continuing to stretch to make that work, like this might be the one that just kind of puts them over the sidelines,” said Todd Smith, the president and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

Smith was in China in April for a World Federation of Sporting Good Industries board meeting. He visited some manufacturing facilities while he was in the country.

“The ones that I went to are really, really impressive,” Smith said. “First class, high tech, like highly skilled. And the thought that tariffs are all of a sudden just going to allow a 10-plus million dollar facility to just pop up the next day in the U.S. is just, it’s not feasible.”

Low-income families were already feeling a financial strain with youth sports before Trump was elected to a second term. According to the Aspen Institute study, 25.1% of children ages 6-17 from households earning under $25,000 played a sport on a regular basis in 2023, down slightly from 25.8% in 2022. That’s compared to 43.5% of children from households earning at least $100,000, up slightly from 42.7% in 2022.

Youth sports participation has a wide range of ramifications for public health, said Tom Farrey, the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program.

“This incredibly virtuous cycle can be engaged if you can simply get kids off their phones and off their couches and into the game and they have a sustained experience into adolescence,” Farrey said. “And if you don’t, then you’re at risk for a range of health consequences, including obesity.”

Going along with playing on three baseball teams, Jax Casamento has workouts for his travel squad and also takes hitting lessons. The Casamentos turned a baseball trip to South Carolina into a family vacation last year.

Michael Casamento is a physical education teacher in an elementary school, so the family’s concerns about the effect of tariffs on the cost of youth sports go beyond their two boys.

“I work with a lot of kids that are a lower socio-economic status,” Karli Casamento said. “It really makes it harder for those types of families to be able to afford to play sports.”

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

SUMTER, S.C. (WIS) – A beloved youth sports umpire in the Midlands died over the weekend while working in the midst of a heat wave.

The Sumter County Coroner’s Office said 61-year-old Mitchell Huggins died Saturday after being taken to a hospital. His cause of death was later ruled as a heat stroke.

His sister, Pamela Rufus, told WIS that Huggins passed out while officiating a softball tournament Saturday afternoon at Patriot Park. She said she first got the news through a phone call from her son.

Rufus said she was able to FaceTime with her brother when he regained consciousness, but then he passed out again.

“He was just lifeless,” said Rufus. “He didn’t even look like himself.”

Rufus added that everyone on the field tried everything to resuscitate her brother, as players and parents began praying for him. Huggins was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Parents have reached out to WIS, saying they’re concerned why the tournament was allowed to go on in such extreme weather conditions.

Sumter County released a statement to WIS:

Meanwhile, Rufus said her brother truly died doing what he loved, being an umpire for kids on the diamond for over a decade. She said Huggins would often be called “Uncle Mitch” or “Mr. Mitch” by some players.

“That was his whole passion…that was his second home,” she said. “He loved those kids.”

According to Rufus, Huggins did mention that it was hot but that “he was going regardless” and was excited to umpire at another tournament.

“He just did what he did. I don’t think he looked at temperature. He felt temperature, but he didn’t look at temperature,” she said.

But she did say his death could have been prevented.

“They said he was telling them, ‘It’s hot, it’s hot.’ I think with anybody with any conditions, rough conditions, that heat was not a good day for anybody,” said Rufus.

Huggins was also passionate about his work with Top Gun Sports, a nonprofit focused on youth sports. Rufus said that the organization was another home for him.

Rufus added she’d like for Huggins’s death to raise awareness about extreme heat and illnesses. But she ultimately wants her brother to be remembered for loving what he did and caring for all the kids he served as an umpire for.

“He just loved the game,” she said.

A celebration of life for Huggins is being held Saturday at the former Timmonsville High School, located at 304 Kemper Street in Timmonsville.

WIS did reach out to Perfect Game tournaments, the organization that hosted the weekend tournament. We are still waiting to hear back.

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MCMINNVILLE Ore. (KPTV) – A former Yamhill County sports coach and referee has been charged with sexually abusing a teenager more than a decade ago, the sheriff’s office said on Wednesday.

According to YCSO, Jeremy Roy Nettrouer allegedly abused the teen while the victim worked for Nettrouer’s family as a babysitter between 2011 and 2012 in rural McMinnville.

YCSO said detectives began to investigate after receiving a report of the alleged abuse on June 18. On Wednesday, Nettrouer was arrested in McMinnville and booked into the Yamhill County Correctional Facility, where he faces one charge of first-degree sex abuse.

Because of Nettrouer’s involvement with youth sports in the area, detectives said they believe he may have had more victims, and asked anyone with information to contact them at (503) 434-7470.

Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.

The Webster City Rotary Club is selling raffle tickets for a Summer Fun Raffle to raise money to support youth leadership in Webster City.

You could win a pizza oven, a smokeless fire pit or an all-terrain cart filled with adult beverages.

You can purchase a raffle ticket at the Rotary Booth at Market Nights tonight or from any Rotary member. Each ticket is $10. The drawing will be held on Monday, June 30.

Rotary promotes leadership in youth by sponsoring students attending RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) — an intensive leadership experience each summer. Rotary also recognizes student leaders through our Annual Leadership Banquet and by providing scholarships to deserving students.