Cooper and Ace Flagg are running it back with another two-day camp for youth basketball players. This is the second year in a row that the twin brothers are hosting the event at the University of Maine in Orono.

This year’s camp will be held on Aug. 9-10 with a morning and afternoon session each day. The event costs $249 and will give participating kids a chance to learn from the Flaggs, and also includes a camp team photo with the brothers and a limited-edition camp t-shirt.

Like last year, the camp is open to kids in grades first through sixth.

“Throughout the two-day camp, Cooper and Ace Flagg and our coaches will offer tips and hands-on instruction, including lectures, fundamental basketball skills stations, contests, and non-contact games in a high-energy, fun, and positive environment,” according to the description from event management company ProCamps.

The camp will be staffed by top high school and college coaches in the area, and campers will be placed in small groups based on age, according to the event page.

The camp will take place in UMaine’s Memorial Gym, the same gym that Ace Flagg will launch his college career in this season as a new member of the Black Bears squad that reached the America East Conference championship earlier this year. Ace Flagg’s highly anticipated arrival has already played a role in surging  season tickets.

And this year’s camp will also give participants a chance to learn from a current NBA player, with Cooper Flagg set to start NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in Las Vegas.

Cooper Flagg’s ascendance to the top of college basketball and now the NBA, and Ace Flagg’s high school championships in three different states and now his return to Maine, have already been inspiring the next generation of Maine basketball players.

Hundreds of kids showed up to meet the Flaggs at their camp last year, many wearing Cooper Flagg and Duke University apparel.

Both Ace and Cooper Flagg posted on Instagram on Wednesday about the camp. Online registration for the event was still open as of Wednesday afternoon.

Dixie Youth Baseball

WINCHESTER — For 12 years, high school teams through Shenandoah Valley Youth Lacrosse (SVYL), a nonprofit that offers lacrosse programming for area kids starting as young as 2 years old, have played under the “Handley lacrosse” banner.

“We are careful with the trademarks. We don’t call ourselves John Handley High School lacrosse. We always say Handley lacrosse,” said Steven Phillips, who coaches the high school boys’ team. “… We always put lacrosse sticks in an X formation behind the logo when we use the JH logo, and most of my team gear and things like that just say Handley lacrosse.”

But the teams now face losing access to Handley’s name and logo, which advocates say would be detrimental to the program.

As they urge Winchester Public Schools to reconsider the decision, SVYL officials are also pushing for a plan that would reinvigorate what they say was the original goal of forming a varsity lacrosse team made up of solely Handley students.

“We’re so thankful for the years that we have had so far,” said Phillips. “… It’s just, this decision doesn’t make any sense to anybody that’s involved, and we’re obviously pretty upset about it.”

Handley lacrosse was started as a club team in 2014. The Winchester Star previously reported that the school secured two grants from U.S. Lacrosse totaling $11,000 and generated another $30,000 through fundraising to get the program started.

The goal, according to Phillips, was to eventually make lacrosse a varsity sport at Handley.

However, The Winchester Star reported in 2017 that since there was originally only a boys’ club team, going varsity risked violating federal Title IX rules. And while a girls’ club team has since been formed, Phillips indicated that Handley’s current field capacity also poses potential Title IX risks.

“We practice at the lower field at Daniel Morgan [Middle School], which is kind of a rough field, and obviously, track and soccer get the whole bowl complex,” Phillips said.

So for 12 years, the club program continued in what Phillips said he thought was “business as usual,” using the Handley name and logo.

Players largely come from Winchester, Frederick County and Clarke County, an official said recently.

Then last spring, a rule change from the Virginia High School League (VHSL), which governs high school sports in the state, sparked confusion over Handley lacrosse’s future.

The rule was in regard to players playing for multiple-school programs. Phillips said Handley lacrosse officials reached out to VHSL and got clarification that Handley lacrosse is considered a community club team, and therefore the new rule would not impact the program.

“And so we brought that back to them (Winchester Public Schools). They said, ‘Well, we still need to make arrangements for, you know, this agreement to end,’” Phillips said.

Two subsequent meetings were held between WPS and SVYL officials. Then in September, SVYL received a letter from WPS Superintendent Jason Van Heukelum maintaining the division’s request that Handley lacrosse cease using Handley’s name and logo by the end of August 2025.

The teams were offered free field use through August of 2026.

“While I recognize this decision may not be the outcome desired by the local lacrosse community, we believe it is the right choice for Winchester Public Schools and John Handley High School,” the letter reads. “Please be assured that this decision does not reflect any lack of enthusiasm or support for the sport of lacrosse within our broader community.”

In a written statement to The Winchester Star, Van Heukelum said WPS is “committed to successful youth athletic programs and values the opportunities our students have in the division and within the local community.”

“The Shenandoah Valley Lacrosse Club (which oversees SVYL), originally associated with Handley with the intention of building a formal lacrosse program, is now primarily made up of non-City residents,” he continued. “In a recent survey, 15 Handley students out of 1,350 expressed interest in lacrosse. We do not have enough interest to field boys and girls lacrosse teams at JHHS, and it is no longer accurate to allow the Shenandoah Valley Lacrosse Club to use the JHHS name and logo.”

During the most recent lacrosse season, four out of 31 players on the boys’ team were Handley students. On the girls’ team, 6 out of 21 players were Handley students.

“I think it’s also fair to point out that the concentration of a percentage of Handley athletes that play for the for the club team has never really been something that has been discussed,” said Phillips. “It wasn’t a requirement in the past. … [W]e were a little blindsided by the fact that that was a requirement to stay in existence.”

Van Heukelum added in his statement that field space at Handley is currently “extremely limited,” and that the division needs to prioritize Handley teams.

“We have offered use of the Handley field free of charge for SVLC through August 2026 to ensure a smooth transition,” he stated.

In what Phillips described as a “Hail Mary,” a group of lacrosse supporters filled the Winchester School Board’s meeting room during the most recent board meeting, and speakers urged the board to reconsider the change.

Hudson Phillips, a former Handley lacrosse player, said that he transferred from Millbrook High School to Handley in 2021 and that being on the team helped him with a tough transition.

“I knew in the spring I always had two hours out of every day to kind of forget about all that, to be with my friends, to be with people who I knew cared about me. And I made a lot of friends, and I still foster those connections to this day,” he said.

Bo Summers, who currently plays on the team, emphasized that while it is a club team, the players are highly competitive and represent the school’s name well.

“We bring a good team to the name,” he said. “… All we do is compete. We’re guys of grit, guys that have gone through strife, and I think that’s what the Handley lacrosse team represents.”

During the most recent season, the boys’ lacrosse team finished with a 10-2 record, and the girls were undefeated in their eight games. Handley lacrosse largely plays school teams from Northern Virginia.

Garrett Watkins, who coaches the girls’ team, said that, as a former student athlete, he learned important lessons and attributes many of his life’s successes to those experiences.

He also said that his daughter hopes to play lacrosse in college, and that he wants to foster opportunities for her, and other area students, to do so.

Watkins’ daughter, Amelia Cooper, told the board that lacrosse has helped her learn to be a leader and has made her a generally better person.

“[A]fter I started playing for SVYL, I started having dreams of playing in college,” she said. “I wanted to hear the crowd chant when we won. I wanted to walk onto a college field and hear my name announced. I want recruiters to see me play in high school. It’s important to me to play in high school because it’s one step closer to college.”

Speakers also emphasized that the SVYL high school teams don’t require funding from Handley, as nonprofit fundraising covers the costs.

In the interest of offering a solution, Watkins presented a six-year plan for implementing a varsity lacrosse program at Handley. Physical copies were provided to board members.

“When we sat down with the superintendent and the principal and the AD (athletic director), there were some questions that came up. And he, the superintendent, used the word ‘on ramp,’ like, we need an on ramp to get to that varsity goal. And I think they all acknowledge that that was and is a goal, has been the goal,” said Carissa Dueweke, chair of Shenandoah Valley Lacrosse Club. “… So now we’ve got that 1-3-6 plan that Garrett presented in the hopes that the [Winchester] School Board will, maybe, change their mind …”

The plan outlines steps like using cut lists from other sports in Winchester Public Schools to foster interest in lacrosse among middle and high schoolers and offering after-school programming through SVYL for elementary schoolers.

SVYL would cover the costs of the programming for the first five years, during which time lacrosse would, in theory, become more ingrained in WPS.

By year six, the goal would be for Handley to have its own varsity lacrosse teams. Another team would be formed for the non-Handley students who played on the club lacrosse team.

“We’re hoping to, at minimum … get a three-year extension, and get some increased cooperation and efforts around executing on the plan that we laid out,” said Phillips.

There also are thoughts among lacrosse advocates that the land recently purchased by the Handley Board of Trustees to build practice fields could alleviate some of the field usage concerns. Van Heukelum declined to comment when asked about that possibility.

In the meantime, the hope is that the club teams will continue to have access to the Handley name while work toward a varsity program gets underway, as losing name recognition would pose challenges for the program’s future, according to the coaches.

“I would say, over 60% of our games each year come from other high school teams, that that [Handley] name is the only reason they’re playing us,” said Watkins. “The second we lose that name, and they can’t say that they played Handley High School, and they’re saying that they’re playing a club team, it no longer is a benefit to them and their athletics.”

Beyond that, for kids aspiring to play college lacrosse, playing for a club team doesn’t look as strong on applications, Watkins said.

“The next option for us is to rebrand under just a general club name, and that would lead to the loss of the VHSL opponents,” said Phillips. “… We’d basically be starting over everywhere … We lose the brand. We lose, you know, over a decade of hard work and building that brand. So lacrosse is going to take a hit in the area. … [I]t’s going to be a major blow. It’s going to set lacrosse back a decade, and it might even kill it.”

SVYL officials said that they’re hoping to set up a future meeting with Van Heukelum to discuss the 1-3-6 plan. The organization has until Nov. 1 to decide its next move, whether that be continuing on under Handley’s name, moving forward with a new partner or otherwise.

Van Heukelum declined to answer follow-up questions on the matter, deferring to his written statement and the letter issued to SVYL last September.

Saturday Proclaimed “Roger G. Brown Day” in Lewis County

The Lewis County community is mourning the loss of a beloved educator, coach, and civic leader. Roger G. Brown, a lifelong resident of Vanceburg and a pillar of service in the region, passed away peacefully Monday, July 7, 2025, at Southern Ohio Medical Hospice Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. He was 77.

Brown’s impact on Lewis County spanned decades, with a career dedicated to public education, youth sports, and community service through the Vanceburg Lions Club. In recognition of his legacy, Lewis County Judge Executive George Sparks has officially proclaimed this Saturday, July 12, as “Roger G. Brown Day.”

Born April 24, 1948, in Vanceburg, Roger was the son of the late Bertram H. and Juanita Edington Brown. He graduated from Lewis County High School in 1966, then went on to play basketball on scholarship at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. He later earned his Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Morehead State University and returned home to begin a 27-year teaching and coaching career.

Brown was widely known for his dedication to youth sports, coaching football, basketball, and baseball throughout his career. His former players often credit him with shaping their character as much as their athletic ability. He also earned a reputation as an accomplished softball player and a steady presence in local athletic circles. Off the field, he enjoyed raising gardens—particularly taking pride in his tomato plants—and spending time outdoors with friends at trap shoots.

His commitment to service was perhaps most visible through his work with the Lions Club. Brown served multiple terms as President of the Vanceburg Lions Club and held district-level leadership positions, including Zone Chair, Region Chair, Deputy District Governor, and District Governor for Lions Club District 43Y from 1990 to 1991. He was deeply involved in charitable initiatives and played a key role in sustaining the local club through difficult periods.

“Roger was the glue that held things together,” said Vanceburg Lions Club Member Bill Tom Stone. “He led with humility and purpose, always showing up for his community.”

Brown’s influence stretched beyond the classroom and civic life. His legacy is reflected in the many lives he mentored, coached, and encouraged along the way.

Survivors include his son, Jeremy (Rachel) Fraley of Greenfield, Ohio; grandson, Hudson Fraley; granddaughter, Mia Fraley; double cousins, Mike (Rachel) Edington of Vanceburg and Rick (Pam) Edington of Elida, Ohio; cousin, Ann Hurst of Sterling, Virginia; and Jeanna (Bill) Melton and their children, Bubby and Emily, of Vanceburg.

Services for Roger G. Brown will be at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, July 12, 2025, at Gaydos Funeral Home with Pastor Tom Cox Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in Lewis County Memory Gardens at Black Oak.

Visitation will be after 10:00 a.m. Saturday at Gaydos Funeral Home, 159 Second Street, Vanceburg.

Pallbearers will be Steve Hedleston, Bill Tom Stone, Benjamin Brown, Austin Rucker, David Lucas, Sammy Holder, and Nate Stone.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Vanceburg Lions Club, PO Box 205, Vanceburg, KY 41179.

Gaydos Funeral Home at Vanceburg is caring for arrangements.

Condolences may be sent at www.gaydosfh.com.

V V V V V V

PROCLAMATION

IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF ROGER G. BROWN

BY THE LEWIS COUNTY JUDGE EXECUTIVE

WHEREAS, the citizens of Lewis County mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Roger G. Brown, a lifelong resident of Vanceburg who passed away on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 77; and

WHEREAS, Roger Brown was born in Vanceburg on April 24, 1948, to the late Bertram H. and Juanita Edington Brown, and dedicated his life to the service of others through education, athletics, and civic leadership; and

WHEREAS, Roger was a proud 1966 graduate of Lewis County High School and a collegiate athlete at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, where he played basketball on scholarship before returning home to earn his Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Morehead State University; and

WHEREAS, Roger Brown served as a beloved teacher in Lewis County for 27 years, inspiring generations of students and athletes through his work in the classroom and on the playing field, coaching football, basketball, and baseball; and

WHEREAS, Roger’s impact extended far beyond the school and ball field. He was an active outdoorsman who enjoyed gardening—especially growing his renowned tomato plants—and he found joy and camaraderie through the sport of trap shooting; and

WHEREAS, Roger devoted much of his life to the mission of the Lions Club, serving faithfully for decades as a lifelong member, local president on multiple occasions, District Governor for Lions Club District 43Y (1990–1991), Deputy District Governor (1989–1990), Region Chair (1988–1989), and Zone Chair (1987–1988). He was the glue that held the Vanceburg Lions Club together during times of challenge, and his leadership lifted countless community causes and charitable efforts; and

WHEREAS, Roger most recently completed a term as President of the Vanceburg Lions Club and continued to serve as a mentor and pillar of the organization until his passing; and

WHEREAS, Roger Brown was known throughout the county as a man of kindness, humility, service, and strength, who led by example and left a lasting legacy in the lives of all who knew him;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, George Sparks, Lewis County Judge Executive, do hereby proclaim:

Saturday, July 12, 2025, as “Roger G. Brown Day” in Lewis County

In honor of his lifetime of service, his dedication to education and athletics, his leadership in civic life, and his immeasurable contributions to our community. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends and encourage all citizens to remember and celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Roger G. Brown.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of Lewis County to be affixed.

George Sparks

Lewis County Judge Executive

Moller Field is Sitka’s sole artificial-turf ballfield. (KCAW/McKenney)

Sitka’s athletic facilities could get a major upgrade if a proposal the Sitka Assembly is considering gains traction. Sponsors of the initiative to build a sports and recreation complex have identified funding that could support its construction, but freeing up the money will require a vote of the people to amend the city’s Home Rule Charter. While it’s an exciting proposition for some, others wonder whether it’s the best use of the funds. 

Sitka has one artificial-turf ballfield that was built with state money. Building a new one is a costly endeavor. That’s why assembly members Chris Ystad and Kevin Mosher have proposed that the city take on bond debt to cover construction costs and use the excess revenue from a fund dedicated to the former city-owned hospital to cover payments on those bonds.

Right now, the money is set aside to cover retirement costs for former employees of Sitka Community Hospital, which was sold to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium in 2019. The fund also takes in money from the tobacco tax, and city staff anticipate in the coming years there will be a surplus.

At the Sitka Assembly meeting on July 8, one member of the public and several assembly members wondered if using that surplus for sports and recreation was the best use of the money.   

Lauren Wild is with the Early Childhood Coalition. She said more than a year ago, they identified the tobacco tax as a possible fund to subsidize child care in Sitka. And while she said she supports youth athletics, she feels let down by the city.

“We’re losing kids primarily due to lack of child care and housing,” Wild said. “This body is working on housing, but shows little interest in childcare. Childcare centers need subsidies to operate if we do not invest in it. Now, you’re not going to have any youth left in this community to use the athletic facilities and recreation facilities you want to build and fix with the Sitka Community Hospital Fund.” 

Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz referenced last year’s State of Sitka’s Economy report, in which local business leaders were asked to rank the importance of issues in creating a vibrant business climate. Childcare and attracting and retaining a workforce aged population topped the list. Recreation was at the bottom.

Eisenbeisz said it’s not that the business community doesn’t want recreational facilities, but that those facilities are already sufficiently serviced. 

“We have many fields, we have pools, we have cabins, we have trails, we have playgrounds, but I don’t think there’s anyone at this table that can say that we have sufficient teachers, daycare facilities, and youth education facilities,” Eisenbeisz said. “I have a child in this community who’s going to be a user of athletic facilities, but I think the critically important task right now outweighs the ‘nicer to have’ task for me.”

Several assembly members said while the issue of childcare is incredibly important, there won’t be enough money in the fund to address an issue that large. And, they said, the money won’t be available for years.

“It’s going to take too long,” said assembly member Ystad. “Childcare needs something now, and this is going to be something where there’s not really a decent amount of funding to really make a good impact with childcare for quite some time. But recreation and athletic facilities, they can wait. It isn’t such an urgent thing. We can plan.” 

Assembly member Mosher agreed with Ystad and said sports and recreation facilities will be a major driver in retaining families in Sitka. 

“That’s a very crucial thing that people are interested in,” he said. “They want their children to have things to do.”

Ultimately, after making several amendments to the initiative, including changing the language in the ordinance from “athletic facility” to “athletic and recreational facility” to broaden the use and funding for the facility, the assembly approved it on a 4-2 vote with assembly member JJ Carlson and Mayor Eisenbeisz opposed. It will consider the item again at its July 22 meeting.

If the assembly approves the initiative, it will go before voters in the municipal election this October.

In other business, Lincoln Street will remain open for the rest of the summer. The Sitka Assembly agreed at its meeting Tuesday to keep the street open for the remainder of the cruise season — a decision in line with the most recent recommendation from the city’s tourism commission. 

“We’ve continued to see an improvement in passenger flows in and out of town,” said Amy Ainslie, Planning and Community Development Director. “We have not had any incidents regarding vehicles and pedestrian interactions. And I think the institution of our pedestrian safety guards here at Harrigan [Centennial Hall] has definitely helped with the jaywalking issue.”

As of July 1, Sitka has experienced 29 days with more than 5,000 cruise passengers this season, according to a city memo.

For the past several years, the city closed the downtown thoroughfare on days with high cruise traffic, but the closure policy saw pushback. So this summer, the city began the season with the street open in a two-month trial run. On Tuesday, the assembly extended that trial run through the end of the summer season.  

Assembly members weighed both the pros and cons of keeping Lincoln Street open for the summer, and expressed a desire to review the data after the season wraps up before making a recommendation for next year.

“I’m really, really impartial on this. I see benefits both ways. I see the pros and cons, and I think that they’re both equally important,” Eisenbeisz said. “The one downside, I will say, of keeping the street open is a traffic flow concern that I’ve seen.”