DETROIT – The Motor City Cruise, an NBA G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, will participate in a lineup of engaging, family-friendly events throughout the summer designed to bring the community together through sports, games, and fun activities.

The Cruise’s summer festivities tip off with a Motor City Cruise takeover of the Pistons’ Neighbors Program at Chandler Park on June 29 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The organization will also participate in Northwest Goldberg Cares’ Hoopfest on July 19 and conclude with an appearance at the Detroit Youth Sports Showcase on Aug. 16.

The Motor City Cruise mascot, Nitro, will join Pistons Academy and select Cruise and Pistons’ developmental coaches at select events throughout the summer, teaching kids across Detroit fun basketball drills.

The Neighbors Program, Hoopfest, and Detroit Youth Sports Showcase events are open to the public, with registration required to attend basketball clinics.

There are limited spots available for the Motor City Cruise’s inaugural “Mini-Cruisers” Pistons Academy Camp.

The camp will take place at Wayne State Fieldhouse from June 30 to July 2 for youth in grades 1-3.

Click here for more information on the “Mini-Cruisers” camp.

June 29 – Motor City Cruise Neighbors Program

What: The Motor City Cruise will take over the Pistons’ Neighbors Program at Chandler Park, providing interactive tent stations, fun activities, and giveaways to fans with Cruise mascot Nitro and DJ HiDefStef on site. Motor City Cruise Associate Head Coach and Detroit native Marcus Stout will also lead a basketball clinic with Pistons Academy from 2–3 p.m., with media availability to follow.

Click here to register for the basketball clinic.

When: June 29, 2025, from 1–4 p.m.

Where: Chandler Park, 12200 Chandler Park Dr, Detroit, MI 48213

Who: Pistons Academy staff, Associate Head Coach Marcus Stout, Motor City Cruise’s DJ HiDefStef, Nitro, Detroit residents, and Motor City Cruise staff.

June 30 – July 2 – Pistons Academy Mini Cruisers Camp

What: The Cruise will host its first Pistons Academy Camp, a three-day basketball camp led by Pistons Academy, featuring drills and a chance to meet the Cruise Mascot, Nitro. On July 2, from 12-1 p.m., Motor City Cruise Head Coach Jamelle McMillan will lead a session and speak to young athletes about their journey, insights, and dedicaƟon to basketball. Media availability will follow the session.

Click here to register for the basketball clinic

When: June 30–July 2, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Where: Wayne State Fieldhouse, 1290 Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48201 Who: Pistons Academy, Head Coach Jamelle McMillan, Nitro, Pistons Academy students (grades 1–3) and Motor City Cruise staff.

July 19 – Northwest Goldberg Cares Hoopfest

What: The Cruise will join Northwest Goldberg Cares at Hoopfest, providing interactive tent stations, fun activities, and giveaways with the Cruise mascot, Nitro. Detroit Pistons Player Development Coach Vasu Gupta and Pistons Academy will also lead a basketball clinic from 12-1 p.m.

Click here to register for the basketball clinic.

When: Saturday, July 19, from 11 a.m.– 3 p.m. ET

Where: 1941 Ferry Park St, Detroit, MI 48208 Who: Pistons Academy staff, Detroit Pistons Development Coach, Vasu Gupta, Nitro, and residents of Northwest Goldberg and Motor City Cruise staff.

Aug. 16 – Detroit Youth Sports Showcase

What: The Cruise will join the Detroit Youth Sports Showcase, providing interactive and fun activities and giveaways to all attendees, with Nitro in attendance.

Cruise Associate Head Coach Marcus Stout, along with Detroit Pistons’ Player Development Coaches Vasu Gupta and Assane Sene and Pistons Academy coaches, will also lead a basketball clinic from 12-1 p.m.

Click here to register for the basketball clinic.

When: Saturday, Aug. 16, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. ET

Where: 1340 Atwater St, Detroit, MI 48207 Who: Associate Head Coach Marcus Stout, Pistons Academy staff, Detroit Pistons Player Development Coaches Vasu Gupta and Assane Sene, Nitro and Motor City Cruise staff.

Many of us grow up playing sports. It teaches children the importance of hard work, discipline, hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination, athletic ability, and teamwork. Playing sports is good for children, even if it is for only a season or two to see if they like it or not. Many of us grew up playing it and while most have fond memories, some hated it and quickly found out sports was not their thing in life. Nowadays, odds are you are watching your children play, and while it should be a fun time for the kids, there is a dark side to youth sports in Idaho as well. 

The Dark Side of Youth Sports in Idaho

Kid sports are supposed to be fun and teach kids important values that sports teach, and while some parents believe in the participation trophy era and playing for fun, some believe it is only about winning and nothing else. While most kids want to win, they also want to have fun, and it is the parents who seem to care more than their children. Through playing and being around many sports in my life, there is one sport in particular that seems to bring out the worst in parents and that is youth baseball. Idaho is a big baseball state, and the parents can be a huge problem when it comes to certain teams. More parents get kicked out of baseball games than any other youth sport, and the problem isn’t going away. 

Bad Coaches and Parents in Idaho Youth Baseball

There are different types of leagues when it comes to baseball. Some leagues are for fun and teaching and then there are leagues that are competitive and cost money to be in, typically known as travel baseball and softball. Some leagues hold tryouts and kids have to be selected, whereas other leagues have kids randomly assigned to teams or placed to play with a certain friend. In travel ball, coaches train their kids and treat them like athletes who one day hope to pursue baseball, whereas recreational leagues are more about teaching fundamentals and getting familiar with the game. Some coaches and parents have taken it upon themselves to cheat and bring in players who aren’t eligible for recreational league baseball, as well as hand-pick their team instead of the common draft other teams hold, and refuse to allow girls on their team when most are intergender teams. 

While kids in these fun leagues often care more about what snacks they get after the game or what friend is on their team, some parents and coaches are deciding to use this league to teach their kids unsportsmanlike behavior, embarrass other kids that are learning, and break rules to boost their ego when they should be coaching a travel ball team instead. Sadly, far too many parents and coaches can’t accept they didn’t have what it took to become a pro athlete once upon a time and are using their children to try and live the dream they failed to succeed. The only ones suffering in these instances are the kids, and the parents and coaches are sadly the reason behind it and are the dark side of youth sports. Let the kids play and have fun, instead of making it about yourself. 

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has released details in the re-arrested the owners of Pace Pharmacy,  along with the initial arrest of their adult daughter.

Pharmacy owners Stephen Allen Burklow and Monique Hunter Burklow were arrested this week on drug possession charges, as was their daughter.

FDLE previously arrested Stephen and Monique Burklow on May 14 on racketeering and drug charges.  The arrests are a result of FDLE’s ongoing pill mill investigation.

• Stephen Burklow, 54, was arrested on 10 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, five felony counts of identity theft and 10 misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs without a prescription.
• Monique Burklow, 58, was arrested on one felony count of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and four misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs without a prescription.
• Laikyn Burklow, 22, was arrested on one misdemeanor count of possession of drugs without a prescription.

FDLE obtained arrest warrants for the Burklows and the trio turned themselves in to the Santa Rosa County Jail on June 23. The cases will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit.

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) today arrested Pace Pharmacy pharmacists Stephen Allen Burklow and David Barron Winkles and pharmacy office manager Monique Burklow. The suspects are charged with conspiring to traffic prescription drugs including trafficking over 22 kilograms (48 pounds) of oxycodone, over 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of hydrocodone and just shy of one kilogram of hydromorphone. The Burklows are the owners of Pace Pharmacy LLC.

The arrests are the result of a multi-year, multi-agency investigation led by FDLE with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Financial Services, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

“In our communities, there is no room for criminals that greedily profit from the opioid epidemic by trafficking illicit drugs under the guise of a legitimate pharmacy,” said FDLE Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Chris Williams. “I am proud of the complex and dedicated work demonstrated by FDLE’s agents, crime intelligence analysts and forensic scientists, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office investigators, and the work of all of our partners to get these thugs off our streets.”

“These arrests are a result of excellent teamwork between law enforcement agencies,” said Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson. “This sends a clear message that no one is above the law, not even those entrusted with our community’s health. The illegal distribution of controlled substances puts lives at risk and fuels addiction. We will continue to hold individuals accountable who choose to profit from this type of criminal behavior.”

Stephen Burklow, 54, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic oxycodone, conspiracy to traffic hydrocodone, conspiracy to traffic hydromorphone, conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of identity theft.

Winkles, 69, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to traffic schedule II-controlled substances and conspiracy to commit racketeering.

Monique Burklow, 58, of Pace, was arrested on conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to sell controlled substances.

FDLE’s investigation began in December 2020, after learning that a local obstetrician-gynecologist, later identified as Dr. Elaine Sharp, was writing an excessive amount of controlled substance prescriptions and recommending her patients fill the prescriptions at Pace Pharmacy. During this same time, FDLE was working jointly with multiple state, local and federal agencies to investigate numerous allegations of a pill mill operation in the area.

Agents say the Burklows and Winkles accepted and dispensed illicit prescriptions (including oxycodone, hydromorphone and hydrocodone) outside the course of professional practice and not intended for medical purpose or need. Additionally, Mr. Burklow, through the Pace Pharmacy, billed multiple insurance companies, using various physicians’ National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers without their knowledge or consent to do so, for prescriptions that may or may not have been provided to patients.

The Bexar County Commissioners Court approved a $5 million investment Tuesday for the creation of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s $35 million athletics center slated to open in late 2026.

Dubbed the Roadrunners NEST — Nurturing Elite Sports Talent — the 52,000 square-foot center will be located on UTSA’s main campus on Loop 1604 next to the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence, which opened in 2021. 

The county’s contribution was part of a partnership between the university, the City of San Antonio and the county. The city approved a $5 million investment for the project in May.

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. (7News) — Four-year-old Amari “Chopo” Maybin picked up a basketball the moment he started walking, his father, Rashad Maybin, recalled.

Amari is shooting for the sky, literally. The Capitol Heights native plays with lowered and average-sized rims, making 10 shots before going to the next drill.

The kid prodigy is turning heads one game at a time. His dribbling and shooting ability appear to be far advanced considering his age. But Amari’s love and interest in the game caught his dad’s eye.

“He started getting into dribbling around when he first started walking, from about nine months to one, he started playing,” Rashad said.

Rashad coaches other local AAU teams, including basketball.

“He [Amari] was always in the gym with me. He would see me with coaching, and he’d be sitting on the side. He picked up a basketball and started dribbling,” he said.

Rashad said that his son is competing in several basketball conferences, including the 8-year-old age group.

“I practice so I can get better,” Amari told 7News.

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Rashad said while coaching other students and growing up playing with athletes who now compete in the NBA, he has never seen anything like Amari.

“When we go to basketball games, he’s watching the game. He’s saying, ‘Oh, they traveled,'” Rashad told 7News. “I never seen it at that young, at any other age, and I have other children. They’re older, but he’s a little different when it comes to sports. It’s just he has a genuine love for it,” he said.

Amari said his favorite techniques are shooting and defense.

“We come in the morning, and he goes to school, goes to daycare, and he says, ‘Dad, are we practicing?’ He practices after school, then he has his other practices,” Rashad said.

Rashad said great athletes come out of the DMV all the time, such as Kevin Durant — with Amari’s size, his parents said he tends to get “picked on” sometimes, but nevertheless, he’s still an inspiration to dozens of kids in his community.

Maybin celebrated his birthday this past Saturday. As much as he loves basketball, he said he wants to become a firefighter. Rashad added that while professional basketball could be in the cards, his main focus for Amari is college.

“To be honest, he’s so young, and he picks up so fast, the biggest thing is just for him to continue to play, to continue to have a love for the game, and I don’t want to want him to ever lose that,” Rashad added.