Chinese sportswear manufacturer ANTA Group has announced the continuation of its three-year philanthropic alliance, known as the ‘Moving for Change’ partnership, with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This follows an initial phase in which the corporate entity contributed $1.5 million in financial aid and over 1.2 million units of apparel and sporting goods to displaced youth populations in several African nations.

The ‘Moving for Change’ corporate social responsibility initiative is designed to support UNHCR’s Sports for Protection programming and Primary Impact education initiative. The first focuses on utilizing structured sports activities for child protection and psychosocial support, while the second aims at sustaining primary education in refugee settings by funding teachers and essential learning materials.

ANTA Group reports that these combined efforts have reached an estimated 300,000 children and adolescents to-date.

Image Credit: UNHCR/Eric Bakuli

The California Department of Education is requiring the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District to follow state law in another clash over transgender athletes in youth sports in the state. 

Currently, student-athletes in Tahoe Truckee Unified play sports in Nevada because of how close they are. But Nevada now bans transgender athletes in girls’ sports, which is against California state law. 

So after decades of playing in Nevada, California’s Department of Education is requiring the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District to compete in California to comply with state laws that allow student athletes to compete based on their gender identity.

David Mack is the co-founder of Tahoe Pride and describes the new youth sports divide in the Tahoe region.

“So no one’s happy, it’s really sad, it’s quite tragic in that way,” Mack said. “People feel really upset that the school moved so fast on this. They feel blindsided, they feel not listened to, and then other people, like the trans kids, are getting steamrolled over like they’re not recognized in this argument.”

Nevada state lawmakers passed a law in April requiring a mandatory physical signed by a doctor to deem the athlete male or female based on their birth sex. 

“This is a politically manufactured issue to try to divide people,” Mack said. 

The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District is responding to the California Department of Education with a solution that the district legally join the California Interscholastic Federation in 2026, but continue to play in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association through 2028.

When asked if transgender athletes would be able to compete while operating in the NIAA, the district said it’s “still in the early stages of this transition, and many details are still being developed.”

In an October letter addressed to the California Department of Education, the school district’s attorney, Matthew Juhl-Darlington, said the Tahoe Truckee Unified is “not aware of any transgender youth who have expressed interest in participating in its 2025-2026 athletic programs.”

“While the NIAA recently updated its polices to define ‘male’ and ‘female’ based on sex assigned at birth and not as reflected in an individual’s gender identity, as required under California law, the District is interpreting and implementing this policy in a manner consistent with California’s legal requirements,” Juhl-Darlington said in the letter. 

California Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley is opposed to the state order, arguing the weather conditions in Tahoe need to be considered.

“So in order to compete in a California league, you have to deal with this snowy weather and the travel dangers and so forth,” Kiley said.

The school board was expected to explain its solution to both join California’s CIF while playing in the NIAA through 2028 to parents and students Wednesday night at a board meeting.

So far, the California Department of Education has not said if it will accept this as a solution.

QUINCY (WGEM) – Quincy University has to pay a $5,000 fine and spend two years on probation after the NCAA issued sanctions tied to more than 120 ineligible student-athletes who were allowed to play for the school.

The problem first surfaced in August 2024 when staff preparing the men’s and women’s soccer roster lists discovered three players had not received the required amateurism certification. That same day, another school alerted QU’s athletics office that a transfer student from Quincy also lacked the certification. The athletic office then launched a broader review.

What began as a handful of missing documents quickly grew. The department found potential eligibility problems for 95 student-athletes during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. In November 2024, the department self-reported the findings to the NCAA and cooperated with an investigation.

The NCAA report names former Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance Taylor Zerbe as central to the violations. Zerbe admitted to changing 74 student-athletes’ eligibility certifications and told investigators she felt overwhelmed by the workload. According to the report, she did not raise those concerns with her supervisor. Zerbe also admitted to knowing some athletes were ineligible when she altered their certification. She was not employed by QU when the problems were discovered.

QU’s internal review reached back to the 2021-22 school year, which coincided with Zerbe’s employment. That review uncovered additional violations. Overall, the NCAA says Zerbe falsified eligibility squad lists and that QU improperly certified 121 student-athletes across 17 sports.

The report details several consequences for those athletes: 93 practiced beyond the allowable 45-day period, 78 competed when they were not eligible, and 26 received financial aid while ineligible. The university also allowed 27 student-athletes to compete before their eligibility was formally reinstated, and two transfer student-athletes competed despite not meeting transfer eligibility rules.

QU and the NCAA agreed to a set of penalties intended to correct the system and increase transparency. In addition to the $5,000 fine and two-years probation, the school must tell prospective student-athletes in writing that the program is on probation and disclose the violations.

• Vacate any wins, records or participation that involved ineligible student-athletes from the time those athletes became ineligible until they were reinstated.
• Prevent head coaches from counting wins from games where ineligible athletes competed toward milestone totals (for example, a coach’s 100th win).
• Allow individuals who were eligible to keep any personal records or awards they earned.
• Undergo a comprehensive external review of certification and eligibility procedures during the probation period.

The NCAA report contains the full list of prescribed penalties.

Regarding Zerbe, the NCAA has barred her for two years from working at a member institution in any role that involves eligibility certification responsibilities.

QU declined on-camera interviews, but Athletic Director Josh Rabe told WGEM the university acted with integrity by self-reporting and taking steps to address the problem. Rabe said the department has tightened procedures and added what he called “a double-check to check the double-check.”

QU released the following statement:

Below is the full case summary:

Copyright 2025 WGEM. All rights reserved.

PRESS RELEASE

Minnesota Legislature

Rochester Delegation

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2025  

HOUSE CONTACT:  Marlee Schlegel  

651-296-9873 or marlee.schlegel@house.mn.gov  

SENATE CONTACT: Jack Vinck

651-440-5056 or jack.vinck@mnsenate.gov 

  

Rochester DFL Legislators to Take Action on Rochester Sports Complex

Rochester, Minn – On Monday, Rochester Mayor Kim Norton vetoed the city council’s plan for a $65 million sports complex that is not reflective of the ballot initiative that funded the project in 2023. The city council is expected to overturn the Mayor’s veto at their December 22nd meeting. 

In response, the DFL Rochester delegation intends to introduce legislation to revoke authorization of the Local Option Sales Tax they previously passed into law to fund the project. The delegation released the following statement:

“Rochester residents deserve to get what they paid and voted for. The updated plan for the sports complex no longer serves the best interests of Rochester residents. Rather, it serves a narrow set of special interests and ignores the community’s need for indoor recreation space — the very reason voters approved the project in the first place.

“Both as legislators who passed the legislation that allows the complex to be funded by the Local Option Sales Tax, and as voters who were excited to support the community-oriented initiative, we feel deceived. The changes made to the project to eliminate the indoor portion of the complex also eliminates the reason that many Rochester residents supported the project.”

Not long after the ballot approval of the complex, a new cost assessment was completed. Updated estimates came back at $120 million, nearly twice the cost of the initial $65 million proposal approved by voters.

“It’s unclear to us how such an expensive oversight was made on cost — and it’s equally unclear why the city council has chosen to prioritize the outdoor complex over the part of the project that won community support in the first place. Whatever the reason, the city council should either find a way to deliver on what voters approved or bring these significant changes back to the ballot. 

“As legislators, we urge the Rochester council to change course and return to the original goal of meeting residents’ needs for indoor recreational space. After many conversations with stakeholders and community members, it is clear to us that as proposed, the project now falls outside of the parameters outlined in the original use of funds request. If the city council does not change course, we plan to introduce legislation to revoke authorization to use Local Option Sales Tax funds for the project. We remain committed to meeting the needs of our community and seeing that the residents of Rochester get what they’ve voted for, and we remain willing to work with the city council toward that goal.

“We want to see this project fully realized in a form that serves the entire community, as we were all assured it would.”

The DFL Rochester Delegation includes Senator Liz Boldon (DFL—Rochester), Representative Kim Hicks (DFL—Rochester), Representative Tina Liebling (DFL—Rochester) and Representative Andy Smith (DFL—Rochester).

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TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/Gray News) – Two children in Idaho are critically injured after a tree fell on them while they were waiting for the school bus.

The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office said high winds caused rotten trees to fall on power lines before collapsing on the children.

The kids, both under the age of 10, and an older sibling were waiting outside for their bus when the tree collapsed. According to the sheriff’s office, the older sibling was not injured.

Aaron Hudson, the Twin Falls fire deputy chief, told KTVB first responders had to first get the kids out from the tree and downed power lines before they could prepare them for transport.

The sheriff’s office said one of the children was taken to the hospital by ambulance, while the other was airlifted.

According to Hudson, the weather conditions caused difficulties during transport. He said that it prevented the helicopter from going any further than the local hospital.

The family of the children has started a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses.

Copyright 2025 KMVT via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Athletic Director Troy Dannen reflected on another year of Nebraska Athletics, sharing highlights and achievements of the men’s and women’s sports teams and hinting at what’s to come.

In competition, Huskers excelled in multiple sports:

• Nebraska volleyball team just completed a remarkable 33-1 season
• Wrestling finished as the national runner-up as a team and two Husker wrestlers won individual national championships
• Softball made an NCAA Super Regional appearance
• Football earned a second straight bowl berth
• Both basketball teams are undefeated and ranked in the AP Top 25.

This year, student-athletes set a school record with a 3.464 GPA, led the Big Ten Conference with 117 fall Academic All-Conference selections and once again posted a Graduation Success Rate over 90%, among the best in the nation. Dannen said they also made a positive impact in Lincoln and surrounding communities through their volunteer work.

Alcohol and food sales at Husker venues

The start of alcohol sales at all on-campus venues and the addition of new food options resulted in an increase of 75% in total concession revenue compared to last year, Dannen said.

“More than 313,000 alcoholic beverages were served and new food options were added to the menu, resulting in an increase of 75% in total concession revenue compared to last year,” Dannen said.

The introduction of alcohol sales came with concerns about the impact on fan behavior, but Dannen said it remained consistent with the previous five years.

John Cook Arena reseating

The John Cook Arena reseating process planned for 2026 has drawn criticism from longtime season ticket holders.

Dannen said the athletic staff has developed a plan that ensures that season-ticket holders in 2025 will be guaranteed season-tickets next year.

Dannen said 10% of current season-ticket holders did not use their tickets this year but rather sold those tickets through secondary markets. Those tickets, originally purchased for a total of $600,000 by those ticket holders, were then resold for a total of $3.2 million on the secondary market. Ticket use for this purpose is strictly prohibited.

The accounts that resold the entirety of their tickets will be excluded from the ability to purchase season-tickets in 2026, Dannen said.

1890 Nebraska winding down operations

With the implementation of the House settlement, 1890 Nebraska, Husker Athletics’ NIL collective, has begun winding down its operations.

“Hundreds of Husker fans donated millions of dollars over the past 24 months to support NIL for our student-athletes, as the rules at the time permitted,” Dannen said the in the letter.

The House settlement now prohibits much of what 1890 Nebraska provided, but in turn allows the university to share $20.5 million directly with student-athletes as they pay to license their NIL rights.

The five sports primarily supported by the collective include the Nebraska wrestling team, football team, two basketball teams and the volleyball team.

Facility upgrades

Several Nebraska athletic facilities saw enhancements including the completion of the track and field complex, along with new facilities for golf, rifle, swimming and diving and bowling.

In 2026, the athletics department is planning to renovate the softball and baseball clubhouses. Dannen said they are also looking forward to expanding the Devaney Center.

Entertainment

Three shows have been scheduled to take place inside Memorial Stadium next year. Zach Bryan will perform on April 25, the Savannah Bananas on June 13 and The Boys from Oklahoma on Aug. 22.

“Our plan is to continue to utilize our facilities for outside events to bring new events to our spaces and to help drive entertainment options in Lincoln,” Dannen said.

Due to anticipated construction, Nebraska Athletics will hold off on booking events for Memorial Stadium in 2027.

The athletics department is expecting to make two “big announcements on the Husker women’s sports front” early next year that will have a tremendous impact on its female student-athletes.

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Copyright 2025 KOLN. All rights reserved.