Registration for fall soccer, football, cheerleading and volleyball is opening this week for children ages 5-14 through the Ramstein and Vogelweh youth sports program. (Areca Bell/U.S. Air Force)

Registration for fall cheerleading, football, soccer and volleyball is now open for children ages 5-6 through the youth sports program serving Ramstein Air Base and Vogelweh Housing Area.

Registration for ages 7-8 begins Tuesday, followed by ages 9-10 on Wednesday and ages 11-14 on Thursday. Sign-ups close for all age groups at 5 p.m. July 25.

An active account with the Air Force’s child and youth program business modernization system and current sports physical are required. Homeschooled children must also provide an immunization record.

Registration costs $80 and space is limited. More information is available on the Ramstein and Vogelweh youth sports program website.

Since its launch, Dakar en Jeux has brought together thousands of people across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, celebrating sport and Senegalese culture through concerts, art and sports demonstrations. Past editions have featured highlights such as slam poetry battles, a 300-metre mural by African graffiti artists, and the introduction of the Brevet Olympique Civique et Sportif, an Olympic values-based education programme for schoolchildren.

The third edition in 2024 saw attendance grow to 20,000 people, with sporting highlights including Senegal’s victory in the boys’ 3×3 basketball tournament. It also featured the launch of Impact Spark, a new initiative by Dakar 2026 and the Lausanne-based SPARK/innov-action association, supported by the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, aimed at promoting health and well-being through physical activity in a fun and inclusive environment to combat lifestyle-related diseases.

Looking ahead, the fourth and final edition in November 2025 will set the scene for Dakar 2026, continuing to inspire youth engagement and community celebration.

Dakar en Jeux is delivered by the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC) in partnership with the Senegalese Olympic Committee (CNOSS), the Senegalese government, the International Olympic Committee, and the local authorities in the three host cities.

UPMC Orthopaedic Care – Lititz is offering free sports physicals to local youth athletes participating in sports during the 2025-2026 school year.

The event will take place on July 28, 2025 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the UPMC Orthopaedic Care office at 1555 Highlands Dr., Suite 190, Lititz, PA 17543.

It is estimated that hundreds of students in the Lancaster area participate in more than 20 different sports each year. Annual physicals can provide parents, children, and coaches with reassurance that an athlete is ready to participate in sports.

Parents can fill out this form or call 717-291-8345 to register for a physical.

Hotel and rental car taxes that pay for the Cardinals’ stadium in Glendale, spring training baseball parks and promote Arizona tourism also fund youth and amateur sports.

This year, $6.3 million is being shared by dozens of groups, including one with plans to make physical movement part of grief support.

One service offered by Billy’s Place in the northwest Valley is peer-support groups for children with a parent, sibling or loved one who has died.

But frustration born out of trauma can keep kids from getting the most out of sessions.

So with grant money from the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, Billy’s Place will turn an old bathroom in the nonprofit’s future headquarters into a space for blowing off steam.

“It’ll have padded walls. It’ll have a punching bag. A space for kids to let go of those big emotions,” said Kris Friedman, the organization’s executive director.

Grant money will also pay to outfit an outdoor play area at the new Billy’s Place, a feature that does not exist at the current location.

“And this grant is going to turn it into our dream space with stuff for them to climb on a firepit for the parents to sit around,” said Madelyn Vincent, associate executive director.

Voter-approved hotel and bed taxes that fund projects like this one are scheduled to sunset in 2031.

November 20, 1943 – February 20, 2025

In loving memory ~

It is with great sadness that the family of Chuck Wallace, a longtime resident of Nelson, announces his passing on February 20, 2025, at the age of 81.

Chuck was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was pre- deceased by his loving wife of 58 years, Pat Wallace, and survived by sons Chip (Stephanie), Justin (Brenda)

and Christopher. Chuck was a proud, loving grandfather of four: Jackson, Maggie, Jana and Jake, and was a great-grandfather to Mackenzie Ann. Chuck has four surviving sisters: Betty, Linda, Kathryn, and Mary.

Chuck was born in Houghton, Michigan to Robert and Mary Wallace on November 20, 1943. As a child, his family moved to Hibbing, Minnesota. He met Pat in Hibbing, and they were high school sweethearts. Chuck graduated from Oregon State University with majors in Forestry Engineering and Civil Engineering. After college, Chuck and Pat were married and moved to Corvallis, Oregon. They later emigrated to Canada and after forestry jobs in Kitimat, Pemberton, and Campbell River, they settled in Nelson where they found the town and community they loved and wanted to raise their family.

Chuck was a long-time employee of Kootenay Forest Products and spent a lot of time logging in the Lardeau and Meadow Creek area. When KFP closed down, he was a founding member of Timberland Consulting with some other former KFP employees. Chuck loved forestry and logging and working in the woods of the Kootenays.

Chuck was a very devoted father. He was a regular at the rink, ball and soccer fields and on road trips supporting the sports pursuits of his 3 boys. He coached Minor Hockey and was a great supporter of all youth sports in Nelson, doing whatever he could to support fundraisers and travelling near and far with the teams. He was always there for the boys and their teams.

He loved spending time outdoors, getting in as much hunting as he could between sports seasons. He loved hunting, especially duck hunting, and was very active with the local Ducks Unlimited chapter for many years. He loved spending time at the lake, especially with his labs and goldens, Viking, Buck, Mac and Loki, and taking them for walks in the woods behind their house. Later in life, he loved seeing his grandkids, travelling to Florida and Alaska to spend time and go on adventures with them.

Chuck enjoyed woodworking and made many unique pieces for Pat and his kids and grandkids. He liked playing golf and went on a very memorable golf trip to Scotland with his father. He also travelled to Brazil, Finland & Sweden, Germany, Italy and Austria as well as around the U.S. Chuck enjoyed travel and was always up to go somewhere and see something new. More than anything, Chuck was a devoted husband and father and put his family’s needs and well-being above everything else. He was a great example of what a father and a family man is. He was a wonderful person, husband, father, and grandpa, and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the amazing nurses and staff at Jubilee Manor and Mountain Lakes Senior Center for helping keep Chuck comfortable and safe during his last few years as he battled Alzheimer’s disease.

The family will hold a small Celebration of Life on July 20, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the beach he loved across the lake in Nelson.

For more information and to leave a message of condolence, please see the Thompson Funeral Service website at https://www.thompsonfs.ca

Thompson Funeral Service Ltd.