Scrawled on a piece of lined paper is a date, April 27, 2023, and the time, 8:50 to 9:51.

“One hour and one minute,” it says. “Too damn long.”

Over the next five pages, the girl describes witnessing a friend being beaten by guards at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, one of San Diego’s two juvenile lockups.

“(She is) screaming that they are hurting her. (She is) screaming for help for 5 minutes. 8 officers on (her), holding her down. (She is) not struggling, just laying still and telling them they are hurting her.”

“(She) is cuffed the whole time, not resisting,” her friend wrote.

The teen gave the written account to Elizabeth Uremovic, a substitute teacher at the facility who had encouraged her students to speak up if they believed their rights were violated.

Over the next year, Uremovic — affectionately known by her students as “white grandma” — collected more such written complaints.

One youth described blacking out after being “punched and kneed in the head” by probation officers. Another described being kicked, punched and slammed to the ground.

“I still have PTSD from this moment,” she wrote. “I really thought I was going to die.”

Several described being denied phone calls home as punishment.

“I get lonely because I’ve been down for so long and away from my family,” one boy wrote. “Me not calling home every day like I always do worries my people because they don’t know if I’m doing good or dead.”

Last week Uremovic learned that California Attorney General Rob Bonta had opened an investigation into San Diego juvenile detention facilities. She was sure it was because of the complaint she’d sent to Bonta’s office. Last September, she’d received a letter saying her complaint had been forwarded to the Bureau of Children’s Justice.

“BCJ uses complaints like yours to develop information about patterns or practices that might indicate the need for formal investigation or law enforcement action by our office, including in the juvenile justice area,” the letter read.

Bonta’s office declined to say what prompted the investigation, saying only that it aims to determine whether any “unlawful activity or practices” occurred in the facilities and to identify potential reforms.

Probation Department spokesperson Chuck Westerheide told The San Diego Union-Tribune that all allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and probation officials were aware of Uremovic’s complaints.

“The department thoroughly investigated allegations made by Ms. Uremovic and none were substantiated,” Westerheide said via email.

In an interview, Uremovic described three instances when she saw students with visible injuries to their faces that they told her were from altercations with guards. She said she was fired in May 2024, more than a year and a half into her role teaching at East Mesa, after telling her boss she had filed complaints with multiple state agencies.

Her allegations echo those made in complaints submitted to local oversight agencies and findings from a civilian panel’s inspections.

A 2023 report by the Juvenile Justice Commission, a court-appointed citizens’ panel that conducts annual inspections of San Diego County’s two juvenile detention facilities, said parents had reached out to commissioners to complain about “abuse by the guards” at East Mesa.

“Recently a number of families have said there have been incidents where correctional staff are beating up detainees,” commissioners wrote.

The families didn’t complain to the Probation Department because they feared their children would face retaliation, the report said.

Commissioners said parents told them that probation officers had used restraints on their children and that their kids had faced unexplained cuts to visiting hours and had lost weight because they weren’t getting enough food.

“One parent’s youth experienced excessive force when put in his cell, was physically abused by officers and told he should go to county (jail) and learn some manners,” commissioners reported.

In a response dated June 5, 2024 — more than a year after commissioners’ April 27, 2023, inspection, and one day before their scheduled 2024 inspection — the probation department said it had met with parents over these concerns.

“The Probation Department appreciates the JJC bringing these grievances and complaints to our attention,” the letter says. “We will investigate to the extent we have enough information and will address these issues as may be warranted.”

The county’s Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board, or CLERB, has also fielded complaints from parents alleging misconduct San Diego County juvenile facilities.

CLERB findings from June 2023 show that a woman identified as “Veronica B” submitted a complaint on behalf of her son, alleging that while he was detained at East Mesa, a probation officer used profanity against him, dared the boy to hit him and placed his knee on the boy’s neck.

The board voted to sustain the profanity finding but determined there was not enough evidence to prove or disprove the other allegations.

Last May, the board found that two probation officers used excessive force against a developmentally disabled boy housed at the Youth Transition Campus in Kearny Mesa.

One officer grabbed the boy’s head and “smashed it down on the concrete floor,” said CLERB’s summary of the case.

Sharon Kalish, the boy’s mother who filed the complaint, testified that her son’s disability had made it difficult for him to process what he was being told by officers.

And in October, the board dismissed a case involving an incident at East Mesa partly because probation officials declined to turn over records.

A summary of the complaint alleged that a probation officer repeatedly used the N-word and showed explicit films to boys. It said another officer had considered documenting the violations but didn’t out of fear of retaliation.

The Union-Tribune also recently reviewed three videos, apparently from 2022, that depict what appears to be excessive force used by probation officers to break up fights at East Mesa.

The Juvenile Justice Commission has repeatedly flagged the use of pepper spray to break up fights at East Mesa.

“The number of violent incidents involving (pepper spray) are still concerning to the Juvenile Justice Commission, especially when recognizing the staff Mandt training and lack of programming for youth,” the 2023 report said. “The Mandt system helps develop a culture that provides for emotional, physiological, and physical safety for everyone involved. The number of (pepper spray) incidents should be decreasing, not remaining steady.”

California is an outlier in allowing the use of pepper spray in juvenile detention facilities at all. According to a survey by the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrations, by March of this year two-thirds of states had banned it.

Commissioners who inspected East Mesa last year again flagged the use of pepper spray. They noted that it was used primarily to stop fights, but also that the reports probation officers must submit after using it didn’t say whether any effort were made to prevent the fights in the first place.

“The fights seemed to stem from ongoing issues between youth, but few reports mentioned any steps taken by staff to intervene or mediate before a fight broke out,” commissioners found.

There’s evidence that conditions at East Mesa are improving.

Westerheide, the Probation Department spokesperson, sent the Union-Tribune a graph that appears to show that after steadily rising for years, earlier this year incidents involving use of force and pepper spray at East Mesa have begun to decline.

“One way we have reduced use of (pepper) spray and/or force is to train staff on de-escalation techniques,” he said. “Probation facilities have also increased the number of Senior and Supervising Probation Officers in each unit to provide on the job training, guidance, and mentorship to new staff.”

Data provided by the Probation Department show 54 uses of pepper spray from January through April, compared to 167 uses over the same period last year.

The Juvenile Justice Commission’s 2024 report commended the Probation Department for its changes to how use-of-force incidents are reviewed and for establishing a youth advisory council that allows one youth per pod — the facility is split up into multiple such living areas — to meet with the facility supervisor to discuss complaints and make suggestions for improvement.

“The youth feel heard as some things suggested by youth are incorporated,” the report says. “Youth did however express a need for respect from probation staff.”

Uremovic doesn’t recall seeing many positive interactions between youth and staff during her time at East Mesa, something she said is desperately needed. Many of her students were in foster care — some cycling in and out of juvenile detention — or had parents who’d been incarcerated.

“So your whole life is just, there’s no structure, there’s no family,” she said. “A little bit of attention, kindness, to those kids — it just completely changes them.”

Originally Published: May 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT

AKRON, Ohio — Akron opened applications for new sports and wellness grants for youth-serving organizations.

The organizations must be a registered 501c3 entity and serve Akron youth. Akron has committed $100,000 toward the program to provide more opportunities for youth and combat youth violence.

The grants will range from $500 to $5,000 and can be used toward program fees, mental health services, coaches’ training, certifications and safety and equipment.

The funds cannot go toward staffing.

“We know that sports participation is a fantastic tool to address a range of larger challenges, including public safety,” said Mayor Shammas Malik. “Giving our youth an opportunity to work as a team, learn new skills, develop coping strategies, and see the impact of their hard work and determination can help as a springboard to safe, healthy lives. We’re excited for these grants help support our local organizations to empower more young people to get involved and stay active.”

Malik recently said the city is signing the Aspen Institute’s Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, which is focused on creating an understanding that youth should have the opportunity to develop through sports. The city will partner with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play and aim to get at least 64% of young people playing sports within the next decade.

“Akron has such an incredible legacy around sports and athletics,” said Youth Opportunity Strategist Denico Buckley-Knight. “That legacy is so important as we work to build up a sports and wellness ecosystem that empowers our youth to lead healthy lifestyles. Other cities have seen the benefits of an increased focus on sports including obesity prevention, cancer risk reduction, gender equity, the social inclusion of people with disabilities and so much more. We’re excited to see the benefits Akron will get from this effort.”   

Applications are open until May 31 by 11:59 p.m. The application can be viewed here. Once completed, online applications can be emailed to dbuckley-knight@akronohio.gov.

Physical copes can be picked up from City Hall on the second floor, Suite 200, and returned to the same location.

4-H members were evaluated on their sewing as well as their modeling abilities. Commentators for the evening were Everett LeBarron, Canadaway Club, Gianna Valone and Serenity VanVleck from the Country Critters Club, and Logan Ellsworth and Mitchell Tauzel from the Harmony Haystackers Club.

Cloverbuds receiving special awards were Harper Feldt, Michael Hollman, Brant Joy, Cora Anne Joy, Raven Lindsey, River Long, Kason Reed, and Olivia Reid. First Year 4-H sewers were Maya Cradduck, Kiah Dean, Raelynn Ellsworth, Owen Lindsey, Remi Lindsey, Addie Meyers, Isaiah Nagel, Serena Overstreet, and Violet Walker.

The Martha Carlson Memorial Award sponsored by Ethan and Nancy Johnson is given to any male sewer who has participated in the sewing project for over 3 years and has shown continual improvement in their sewing skills. This year Rowen Liskow from the Country Critters club received the award.

Outstanding sewing awards were given to the following sewers. In the Canadaway 4-H Club it was Drake Joy, Myra Rose Joy, Everett LeBarron, Harrison LeBarron, Malcom Long, and Serena Overstreet. The Country Critters Club had Lukas Liskow, Rowen Liskow, Addie Meyers, Isaiah Nagel, Gianna Valone, Serenity VanVleck, and Violet Walker. Harmony Haystackers Club and Claudia Almekinder, Fiona Cartwright, Maya Cradduck, Landen Ellsworth, Logan Ellsworth, Owen Lindsey, Remi Lindsey, Cody Nickerson, and Mitchell Tauzel. Silver Creek Grapestompers Club had Kiah Dean.

Chautauqua County 4-H youth are pictured participating in the annual 4-H Fashion Revue.

The Western District Fashion Revue will be hosted this year by the Chautauqua County 4-H on June 21, 2025, at Jamestown Community College. The following 4-H’ers have been chosen to attend that event: Claudia Almekinder, Fiona Cartwright, Kiah Dean, Landon Ellsworth, Logan Ellsworth, Everett LeBarron, Rowan Liskow, Mitchell Tauzel, Gianna Valone, and Serenity VanVleck.

Chosen for the 2025 NY State Fair were Claudia Almekinder, Rowen Liskow and Gianna Valone.

Arrangements were made by the County 4-H Clothing and Textile Committee; Debbie Caruso, Dawn Comstock, Joyce Edwards (Chair), Suzanne Harper, Nancy Johnson, Opal Sprague, Claudia Skal and Linda TeCroney.

Judges were Joyce Edwards, Nancy Johnson and Linda TeCroney. Starting the Fashion Revue for the evening with an opening introduction was Debbie Caruso, who was the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Special award sponsors were Canadaway Club, Debbie Caruso, Country Critters Club, Dawn’s Daycare, Joyce Edwards, Johnson Plumbing and Heating, Harmony Haystackers Club, Sue Harper, Ethan Johnson, Nancy Johnson, and Opal Sprague.

For more information on the 4-H Club Program for youth ages 5-19, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension phone 716-664 9502.

Durango plays on Monday and Tuesday on Broadlands Golf Course

The Durango High School girls golf team poses for a picture at the Warrior Tournament at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction on May 6. From left to right: Coach Kirk Rawles, Jayden Craig, Ellie White, Dylan Livingston, Raimee Brant and Riley Harms. (Herald file)

All of the work on the driving range, putting green, practice rounds and previous tournaments all come down to two rounds of golf for the Durango High School girls golf team.

The Demons are traveling up to Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield to compete in the 4A state championship on Monday and Tuesday. If things go well after 36 holes, Durango could capture its first girls golf team state championship in history.

Durango has been well-balanced all year with senior Ellie White, junior Jayden Craig, sophomore Dylan Livingston and senior Raimee Brant. Any of those Demons can lead the team and pick up the slack when one struggles. Craig is ranked 10th in 4A, White is 12th, Livingston is 14th and Brant is 20th. Durango is the only team in 4A with four players in the top 20.

“I like our chances, because when you look at a lot of those teams have two really good players and then their third and fourth player might struggle a little bit,” Durango head coach Kirk Rawles said. “So if we stay balanced and get three out of the four scores we need each day, we’re going to be able to contend.”

Broadlands Golf Course is expected to play around 5,700 yards for the girls in both 18-hole rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Rawles said Broadlands reminds him of The Meadows course at Pagosa Springs Golf Club. The fairways are pretty generous, wide-open and the greens are pretty big. It’s a pretty flat course but a lot of the greens have water surrounding them.

Rawles has made a point of telling the girls that things won’t go perfectly. They can make 10-14 mistakes a round and shoot in the low 80s. As long as the Demons take it shot-by-shot, they’ll be fine.

Durango is ranked first in 4A with a team average of 33.74 strokes above par. Pueblo West is second at 36.42, Windsor is third at 37.20, Riverdale Ridge is fourth at 37.88 and Ponderosa is fifth at 38.61. Rawles believes any of these teams can capture the team title.

The Demons and the rest of the teams have more time than usual to prepare for Broadlands. At almost every other tournament this season, Durango has shown up on the day of the tournament and played without any practice rounds. The Demons plan on playing on Saturday and Sunday to get comfortable with the course. The weather might throw a curveball at the golfers with wind and rain expected on Monday.

Rawles thinks if the girls can shoot six rounds of 82 over the two days, then the Demons should be really close to the top.

“I’m optimistic; I don’t think they’ve played their best golf yet,” Rawles said. “We have a real opportunity here. We’ll just see what the course is, what we can take from it, where we just minimize and don’t compound mistakes … We’ll get some of the nerves out of the way, because we get to see it today and putt on the greens. The biggest thing is get on the greens and see how they’re rolling … so we’ll get up there and break it into two days and we’ll be pretty comfortable by the time we tee it up Monday morning.”

White is excited to tee it up at state as Durango’s most experienced golfer. She wasn’t feeling well at regionals and had to battle through a sickness. She’s feeling better now and feels good about the Demons’ chances.

This Durango team reminds White of her sophomore team in 2023; that team finished second at state. She’s happy with how her putting is and her approach shots.

White hopes to finish in the top 10 individually at state; she said she’ll need to shoot around the high 70s and low 80s to accomplish that.

Her experience of playing 36 holes at state in the past should give her an advantage over some of her inexperienced competitors.

“It’s tiring on the second day,” White said. “But the push is Tuesday because it is a mental game, but it’s also tiring because it’s a lot of walking.”

Craig is entering the state tournament in great form after winning her first high school tournament at regionals. Although she’s feeling a little under the weather, she’s confident she can continue her momentum from regionals into state. Her putting saved her at times at regionals and she thinks that can be a strength of her game.

Shooting in the 70s has been Craig’s goal since her freshman year and she’s been so close to achieving that with seven rounds between 80-83 this year. That’s one of her goals for state and she wants to finish in the top 10 individually.

Along with White, Brant has a good amount of experience as a senior and is feeling good about her game. She’s been driving the ball very accurately and her irons have been more consistent as the season has progressed.

It would mean a lot for Brant if the Demons win state because she remembers the Demons not playing very well last year and finishing sixth at state. She hopes to finish inside the top 20 to finish her high school golf career.

Livingston learned a lot at state last year as a freshman. She knows not to beat herself up after a bad hole and not to take the hero shot and play smart.

She’s excited to play better this year with her iron game on point and she’s feeling good about her short game around the green.

Regardless of how things finish for the Demons, Livingston will have good memories from this year.

“It’s just such an amazing year,” Livingston said. “We’ve done so well throughout; we’ve won a lot of our tournaments this year. The team culture is so amazing and everybody is so close with everybody … We’re all capable of shooting low 80s, high 70s and that’s really awesome going into state, that we have the chance to possibly win it.”

bkelly@durangoherald.com

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May 19 Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, along with Youth Week, is being enthusiastically celebrated across the country under the organization of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Engineering students from universities throughout Türkiye will travel to Samsun aboard the pride of the nation, the TCG Anadolu warship. Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with young people as part of the celebrations.

Various events are being organized across the country under the coordination of the Ministry’s General Directorate of Youth Services, continuing through May 21.

Celebrated as the national day of youth and sports, May 19 is marked with simultaneous festivals in city squares across Türkiye under the theme “Türkiye’s Strength is its Youth.”

These festivals bring together citizens of all ages with youth and sports activities, including workshops, sports events, performances by young artists, children’s activities and shows by athletes.

As part of Youth Week, 182 young people, one male and one female representative from each of Türkiye’s 81 provinces and from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Kyrgyzstan, and France, will first gather in Istanbul.

These youth representatives will take part in visits and programs in historically significant cities related to the Turkish War of Independence, including Istanbul, Bursa, Bilecik, Eskişehir and Ankara.

On May 17, selected university engineering students from across the country will embark on a symbolic journey aboard the TCG Anadolu, Türkiye’s largest military ship, departing from Istanbul en route to Samsun.

The journey aims to showcase the advancements of Türkiye’s national defense industry while also commemorating the spirit and historical importance of May 19. The TCG Anadolu will arrive in Samsun on May 19, where the young passengers will participate in official celebration programs.

In addition, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will receive 40 young people in Istanbul, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak. On May 20, the youth representatives will also be welcomed by the speaker of the Grand National Assembly, Numan Kurtulmuş.

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Sage Hill celebrates the CIF title Saturday in Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy Sage Hill School).

It was a happy trip home Saturday from Santa Barbara for the Sage Hill School boys volleyball team.

The Lightning captured a 15-8 victory in the fifth and deciding set of the CIF Division 4 final over host Santa Barbara to earn the program’s second straight CIF title. Sage Hill won the Division 5 crown last season.

Santa Barbara won the first set 25-15, Sage Hill won the second set 25-14, Santa Barbara won the third set 25-18 before Sage Hill tied the match with a win in the fourth set 25-20.

“Truly a blessing, number one,” first-year Sage Hill Coach Jordan Hoppe told OC Sports Zone in a phone interview. “Number two, I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work our guys put in. Me being in the program a little bit later and everyone buying in and forming our culture and having Jackson (Cryst) coming back from his CIF basketball run, getting the team closer to form and then getting the opportunity to have an at-large bid and getting into these CIF Division 4 playoffs.

“I just think the timing was perfect and I think the guys put in the work to make this result happen.”

Lightning setter Connor Gapp started the fifth set off with an ace.

“Then we got a second point and then we made a hitting error and from there, it was kind of back and forth, back and forth and then we made some pivotal game-altering digs from our freshman libero Ethan McNutt and we were able to transition them out through our senior Jackson Cryst and it was just a culmination of everyone on the team working hard and not letting the Santa Barbara Dons back in and credit to their team and their abilities,” Hoppe said.

“They didn’t go away the whole game and the played us extremely hard and well.”

Cryst, a 6-10 senior outside hitter who has committed to Long Beach State to play volleyball, led Sage Hill (19-11) with 31 kills.

Cryst may have been inspired after Long Beach State won the national championship with a victory over UCLA earlier this week.

“I think that really gave him a lot more fuel,” Hoppe said. “He’s going there next year and his team just won the national title, I think that added a little fuel to his fire. He did some things on the court that you don’t see from 99 percent of volleyball players as an outside hitter. Your jaw drops, it’s pretty incredible.”

Ryan Manesh had 11 kills and McNutt had 19 digs.

A large contingent of Sage Hill fans cheered on the Lightning.

“We had our section like we usually do, Santa Barbara had about five different sections around us, they were super loud and energetic and everyone was just cheering us on,” Hoppe said. “They all did an incredible job, we couldn’t do it without their support for sure.

“Going up a level is no joke (in CIF) and it was really cool for my first year to be able to lead young men and hopefully leave an impact greater than just winning is kind of what I was aiming for and win, lose or draw, I told the boys from the beginning, even if we do win this thing, I would rather make young men more disciplined and just better.”

Sage Hill moves on to the Southern California regionals beginning Tuesday. Pairings will be announced Sunday.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com