Douglas County leads statewide increase

Juvenile facilities began reporting quarterly room confinement data to the Nebraska Legislature after senators passed Legislative Bill 894 in 2016. Since then, the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare has compiled data in an annual report, which is provided to the Legislature. That four-person office investigates incidents and misconduct in the entire state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems. 

The 2023-24 facility data revealed “concerning trends” in room confinement use, according to the report. Compared to the previous year, there was a 110% increase in total confinement hours and a 48% increase in total confinement incidents.

“Based on the data alone, it appears that these increases are contrary to Nebraska law,” the report said. 

Seven of the eight juvenile facilities in Nebraska reported increases in confinement hours, including the Douglas County Youth Center. It alone was responsible for 57% of the total 119,300 confinement hours, according to the report, meaning youth at the Omaha facility spent a combined total of nearly 8 years in confinement.

Douglas County is Nebraska’s largest county by population.

The center also holds youth in confinement for the longest of any Nebraska facilities, the 2023-24 report shows. 

Douglas County Youth Center’s average incident time was 145 hours and 42 minutes, or roughly six days, which is the longest average in Douglas County’s history, dating back to 2016 when record keeping began. 

‘Making it all worse’

The increases in confinement use raise alarm bells for youth advocates like Anahí Salazar, policy coordinator at the nonprofit Voices for Children. Salazar said the data leads her to believe that facilities aren’t following current law.

“If you’re using it as a timeout, then a young person doesn’t need to be in there for six hours,” Salazar said.

Facilities are also required to report the reason a youth is in confinement. In 2023-24, Douglas County reported that 221 room confinement incidents were used to address fighting; another 189 addressed assault or attempted assault.

Salazar said she hopes facilities are working to calm youth before putting them directly in confinement after engaging in aggressive behaviors.

Failing to speak with youth about their behavior while keeping them confined only increases the likelihood they’ll repeat the behavior, she said. 

“If you’re not providing that for these young people…within, you know, an hour, two hours, three,” Salazar continued, “then I just think it’s making it all worse.”

The 17-year-old central Omahan, who said he was confined six times, said there aren’t many opportunities for youth to speak with staff about coming out of lockdown.

“We don’t really have much of a voice in it,” he said. “Whatever they say happens. There isn’t really nothing that we can say that’s going to change it.”

Woodard said that while his staff tries alternative methods to resolve issues with youth, confinement is sometimes necessary for safety – especially when violence stems from gang-related issues and conflicts that started outside of the facility.  

“A lot of the violence that takes place in the Omaha community is generational,” Woodard said. “It comes from things that have happened years ago.”

If teens get into a conflict over a basketball game, staff can usually help them work it out through conversation, he said. 

When a gang-affiliated teen in the facility sees someone they consider an enemy, Woodard said the teen is more determined to cause harm. In these cases, he said, talking things through or using positive rewards often isn’t enough to keep everyone safe.

“If a kid is really angry, they really don’t care about it,” Woodard said. “We can only give them so many bags of chips and positive reinforcement.”

‘Really big trigger’ for youth with mental health issues

Over 70% of youth in the U.S. juvenile justice system have mental health conditions, with 30% of those youth having severe conditions, according to The Council of State Governments Justice Center. 

Monica Miles-Steffens, compliance coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Juvenile Justice Institute, said it’s important that facilities recognize the psychological impact of confinement. 

“Putting a kid in isolation can be really harmful,” Miles-Steffens said. “Especially young people who have mental health concerns.”

In 2024, the American Psychological Association formally opposed the use of “harmful individual isolation” in juvenile facilities and adopted 10 recommendations, several of which Nebraska has already incorporated into state law, such as documenting its use and using it in a time-limited manner. 

Miles-Steffens said facility staff also need to recognize past experiences of youth, such as trauma during childhood. 

“Some of these kids with crossover issues in child welfare, they were removed from their families because of very traumatic neglect and abuse situations where they might have been placed in isolation for extended periods of time,” Miles-Steffens said. “It can be a really big trigger for those kids in that trauma.”

System crossover is common. A 2021 study led by criminologist Denise Herz found that two-thirds of youth involved in Los Angeles County’s justice system had previously interacted with the child welfare system. 

Tarika Daftary-Kapur, a researcher at Montclair State University in New Jersey, has focused her work on juvenile justice and adolescent decision making. 

Research shows that confinement can have lasting mental harm on young people, she said. 

“Solitary or room confinement for children, and even adults, for long, sustained periods of time can lead to depression, it can lead to anxiety,” Daftary-Kapur said. “Because they have higher levels of developmental vulnerability…they are at an even heightened risk of having these sorts of adverse reactions.”

Educational access limited

Nebraska law requires juveniles in confinement to have the same access to education as the general population. 

Douglas County Youth Center’s daily schedule includes classes in the morning and afternoon, during which teachers instruct youth in person and through learning packets. 

The central Omaha teen said teachers were his favorite staff. 

“They’ll sit there and talk to you about anything,” he said. 

During a 30-day period he spent on lockdown, he said he didn’t interact with teachers or fill out the daily packets, because he wasn’t allowed a pencil in his cell.

Christine Henningsen, associate director of Nebraska’s Center on Children, Families and the Law, previously worked as a public defender in Douglas County. She said staff at the Douglas County Youth Center have told her that youth in confinement aren’t allowed to leave their rooms for classes. 

“If you’re in room confinement, what I was told is you’re not let out, but you can listen (to teachers) at the window,” Henningsen said. “And you could knock on the window and hold up a worksheet and try and get feedback from the teacher from the other side of your door.”

Douglas County Youth Center provides additional reading materials to youth through its library services, but the Bennington teen said the library is unavailable to youth while in lockdown.

“You got to just hope somebody will go get a book for you,” he said. “And then hope it can fit under the door.”

Each situation is handled individually, Woodard said. Teens who write on the walls or make weapons with pencils may get items taken away, he said. 

“There’s way more factors than this just being simple,” Woodard said.

Family visits

The law also states that youth in confinement must have the same access to visits with legal guardians. 

However, the Douglas County Youth Center’s website specifies that youth in “restrictive housing” are only allowed to have visits in the facility’s admissions area, and these visits may be restricted from an hour to 30 minutes due to “space availability.” Youth who are not in confinement receive two one-hour visits each week, according to the facility’s website. 

The main visitation area, the North Omaha teen said, has multiple tables and vending machines, and multiple youth are able to have visits at a time. He said the admissions visit area is only large enough for one youth and two visitors at a time.

“In the other room, it’s like the cell,” the 16-year-old said.

Youth in confinement are strip-searched before a family visit, which the central Omaha teen said doesn’t occur with general population visits.

“A lot of kids would miss out on their visit, because they know they’re going to get strip-searched,” he said. 

The Benson teen said strip searches are typically only used when youth first arrive at the facility. During his time in confinement, he said he passed up multiple visits with family to avoid going through the experience. 

“Some people might not be comfortable with it,” he said. “There may be trauma behind it.”

The North Omaha teen said certain staff members made him feel especially uncomfortable during those searches.

“I don’t know if a strip search is supposed to go like that, but they just get to looking all at you and stuff,” he said. 

Woodard said youth in confinement are strip-searched after visits because these visits happen in a room that is not supervised by staff, nor is the room monitored with a camera. Strip searches are necessary to prevent contraband from entering the facility, he said. 

“We already have parents who are in regular visitation who are bringing in contraband,” Woodard said.

The Nebraska Crime Commission, a state government agency, defines a strip search as “an examination of a resident’s naked body for weapons, contraband, injuries or vermin infestations,” and the commission’s juvenile standards say all searches shall be the least intrusive type necessary for a facility’s safety. A pat search, with clothes on, should be the initial way to search youth, according to the juvenile standards.

Advocates: More oversight needed

Reflecting on her previous work as a public defender, Henningsen said she wasn’t fully aware of the prevalence of room confinement before the annual reports started in 2016. 

“Looking back, I wish it was something I would have been regularly asking my clients about, but it was not anything that anyone even talked about,” Henningsen said. 

Mandating the annual reports was a step in the right direction in holding facilities accountable to the law, she said.

“That, in and of itself, I think dramatically reduced the amount it was used, because they’re like, ‘Oh, somebody’s looking at it,’” Henningsen said.

While the inspector general for Nebraska’s adult prisons conducts regular in-person facility visits, the child welfare inspector general relies on self-reported facility data when creating the juvenile room confinement report.

“We don’t have the authority right now to go in and say, ‘When there was this confinement, what really happened?’ and make sure it was a safety and security reason,” said Jennifer Carter, the state’s inspector general for child welfare. “We’re just looking at what the facilities are self-reporting.”

Editorial of June 5, 2025

The Paul Bunyans are Coming Back

Next weekend, June 13-15, in Cherry Valley, the Cherry Valley Outdoor Games returns for its eighth season of mind-boggling lumberjack and lumberjill competitions, festive music, tempting gastronomical delicacies, non-timber sports battles and some added Father’s Day entertainment as well. This packed three-day event has become, in less than a decade, a go-to festival for our entire upstate community, something on a par with the traditional state fair.

The Cherry Valley Outdoor Games features one of America’s best timber sports competitions, drawing top-ranked athletes from many states across the country, as well as from nearby Canada and far-away Australia, to test their mighty skills and, if all goes well, rake in a national title.

The Cherry Valley games are recognized nationally, right up there with industry leader STIHL’s Lumberjack World Championship in Wisconsin, with attendance here reaching a record 8,000+ in 2019, just before the rise of the pandemic. The village ran out of parking spaces. The event has been the largest held in northern Otsego County and one of the largest in the county, drawing attendees primarily from the tri-county area, but also attracting a significant number of people from other areas and states. In those early years, CVOG ran on a budget of $10,000.00; now that budget is $45,000, enough to meet the fast-rising popularity of timber games.

The mission and focus of these games is to bring people and attention to Cherry Valley and the bucolic area of northern Otsego County that surrounds the village; to promote and support youth sports in a place that has limited organized sports programs; to provide the juniors and seniors of the Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School as well as other worthy local organizations with on-site fundraising opportunities, with banners, banter and displays; and to bring the community together to voluntarily plan and voluntarily produce a top-notch event that maintains a free admission for all.

The first day of the games is for the local schoolchildren, who are introduced to the extreme timber sports that will take place on the other two days, with an afternoon of demonstrations, discussions and activities.

On Saturday (Flag Day) and Sunday (Father’s Day) the real battles take place, with prize money and national titles on the line. There are competitions in Hot Saw, Speed Carving, Axe Throwing, Speed Climbing, Single Buck, Logrolling, Underhand Chop, Springboard Chop, and an Obstacle Pole Relay Race. Further, as in past years, the Outdoor Games will continue to feature a two-day cornhole tournament, a bandstand that will host a multitude of musicians, a car show, an archery shoot and, on Sunday, the Diamond Dash “Run to the Bases,” a 5K jaunt that supports the Cherry Valley Youth Baseball/T-Ball program.

There’s a lot going on. Let’s go to Cherry Valley. Maybe Babe will be there, too.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (June 5, 2025) – Hosted by the Fiesta Sports Foundation, the 2025 Rate Bowl returns to downtown Phoenix on Friday, December 26, at 2:30 p.m. MST. Televised on ESPN’s linear television and digital platforms, this year’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten postseason matchup will be broadcast live from Chase Field.

For college football fans who love offense, the Rate Bowl, returning to downtown Phoenix for the 10th consecutive season, has provided its share of fireworks the last two seasons. The 170 combined points between the 2023 and 2024 games are the most of any bowl game during that span.

“Arizona is a staple for college football fans across the country,” said Fiesta Sports Foundation Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. “The Rate Bowl is one of the Bowl Season’s most unique experiences as we transform a Major League Baseball ballpark into a football field. On top of the spectacular climate here in the Valley during the winter holidays, the Rate Bowl has proven to be a special experience, not only for the two teams we host, but their dedicated fan base as well as our college football fans here in Arizona.”

 

Fans can reserve their seats now for this year’s 36th Annual Rate Bowl by placing a $50 deposit per seat by clicking this link. The Rate Bowl also has a variety of premium seats and experiences available for purchase. Interested fans may inquire at 480-350-0911 or premium@fiestabowl.org.

For general questions regarding this year’s Rate Bowl, please contact the Rate Bowl Ticket Office at 480-350-0911 or tickets@fiestabowl.org.

Fast Facts about the Rate Bowl:

• 2025 will be the 36th annual game in bowl history
• The Rate Bowl is Bowl Season’s only Big 12-Big Ten matchup
• The Rate Bowl became the first bowl to be regularly played at an MLB ballpark when it was staged in downtown Phoenix in 2000
• An MLB ballpark turns into football field for the game (Watch field transformation)
• 2025 will be the 16th game, including 10 consecutive, played at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix
• Since 2015, each year following the game, the 75,000-plus square foot natural grass playing field is donated to an Arizona community in need. The 2024 playing field was donated to Western School of Science and Technology servicing the Maryvale neighborhood. Previous fields were installed at elementary schools, nonprofit organizations and city parks in Phoenix, Avondale, Laveen, Glendale, Bullhead City and Fort Mohave.
• The 170 combined points over the last two Rate Bowls are the most of any Bowl Season game during that span
• The 2023 installment was Bowl Season’s highest-scoring game (85) that season
• The Big Ten and Big 12 conferences faced each other eight times from 2006-13 before revival of bowl matchup in 2021
• The Big 12 has won seven of the 11 bowl matchups between the conferences
• The Rate Bowl’s three-most highly attended games have featured Big Ten vs. Big 12 pairings
• The 2011 matchup between Iowa and Oklahoma was played in front of a bowl-record attendance of 54,247
• The Big 12 Conference has 23 appearances in the game’s 35-year history with the most appearances and victories (16) than any other conference
• The Big Ten is 6-9 all-time in the Rate Bowl in 15 appearances
• Kansas State (Big 12) has appeared in the Rate Bowl a record five times including 2024
• Minnesota (Big Ten) ranks second with four appearances
• Notable players to take the field in the game’s 35-year history include Larry Fitzgerald, Aaron Rodgers, Le’Veon Bell, Drew Bledsoe and Ron Dayne

ABOUT FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION

Since its inception in 1971, the Fiesta Sports Foundation has been a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision to create unforgettable experiences through world-class sporting events, unparalleled hospitality and life-changing community impact. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Rate Bowl and its year-round events, including the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the Foundation provides charitable resources to support Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through a focus on youth, sports and education. Learn more at www.FiestaSportsFoundation.org and @Fiesta_Bowl on X/Instagram.
 
ABOUT RATE
Rate Companies is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, Rate has over 850 branches across all 50 states and Washington D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Rate has helped more than 2 million homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates, and delivering unparalleled customer service. Honors and awards include: Top 5 Mortgage Lender by Inside Mortgage Finance for 2024; Best Mortgage Lender for First-Time Homebuyers by NerdWallet for 2023; HousingWire’s Tech100 award for the company’s industry-leading FlashClose? digital mortgage platform in 2020, MyAccount in 2022, and Language Access Program in 2023; the most Scotsman Guide Top Originators for 11 consecutive years; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for seven consecutive years; and Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list for seven straight years.

SALT LAKE CITY — There’s an art form that one Salt Lake City resident is keeping alive and inviting youth to give it a whirl — a sport you may not have seen or heard of in a while… It’s baton twirling!

School’s out for most districts by now, which means some parents are looking for ways to keep their children active this summer.

Emily Jansen turned her passion into a youth team: the Salt Lake City Twirlers. She told FOX 13 that she doesn’t want to let this sport die out.

When Jansen moved to Salt Lake City two years ago, she noticed there was no baton twirling team.

“I felt like it was my responsibility to share my passion with the community,” said Jansen.

“I love that she keeps us on going and never lets us give up,” said Lila Hathaway, an SLC Twirler.

They’re a team of eight and hoping to grow this summer. Team members said a bigger stage presence sounds exciting.

“I love learning new routines,” said Retta Cartee, another SLC Twirler.

The Salt Lake City Twirlers have performed on several stages already and are looking ahead to performing on the Utah Jazz court next season. Twirlers described how each time they get to take the stage, it builds their confidence.

“’I’ve got this. I can do this.’ It helps people feel more confident,” said Hathaway.

Jansen said the art teaches them skills they’ll use outside of baton twirling, too.

“If you keep going, you’re eventually going to catch it, and that can be applied to so many other aspects in life,” said Jansen.

She encourages kids to be strong and always give it their best.

“Keep going because then you’ll get better at it,” said SLC Twirler Retta Cartee.

Jansen says it’s not too late for kids to give twirling a try. Summer lessons start June 11 for ages 5-12. They’re excited to grow their team and keep the sport alive in Salt Lake City.

The sign-up form can be found HERE.

LOS ANGELES, June 05, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This summer, PlayLA Youth & Adaptive Youth Sports Program, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks signature youth sports program, is engaging families with a new season of inclusive, low-cost sports activities designed to uplift the next generation of athletes. Backed by a historic $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), PlayLA is a movement celebrating the Olympic and Paralympic spirit in every neighborhood.

Now through summer’s end, families can explore dozens of PlayLA activities at more than 120 recreation centers and pools across Los Angeles. Youth ages 3 – 17 can play Olympic and Paralympic sports like swimming, skateboarding, flag football and more for as low as $10 per season. Scholarships are available for eligible families. Registration is open for programming across the city. Learn more at LAParks.org.

“PlayLA is a community-powered pipeline to LA28,” said Veronica Polanco, Chief Innovation Officer at the Department of Recreation and Parks. “When our young people have access to sports and adaptive recreation close to home, we’re not only promoting healthier lives, we are planting seeds for a lifelong connection to the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship.”

This momentum will build toward PlayLA Day on July 14, a citywide celebration, hosted by The Friends of the Coliseum, marking exactly three years until the LA28 Opening Ceremonies. Families are invited to enjoy free sports clinics, meet local athletes and take part in community fun that showcases the power of youth sports in shaping a brighter, more equitable future. PlayLA is not just preparing kids for the Games, it’s helping them build important skills such as leadership, teamwork and discipline to succeed across various areas of their lives.

As the countdown to the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games continues, PlayLA stands as a living legacy providing real-time impact while creating a more inclusive and active Los Angeles. The program offers young Angelenos of all backgrounds and abilities the opportunity to gain confidence, build community and discover their passions through play.

About PlayLA Youth and Adaptive Youth Sports Program:

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks PlayLA Youth & Adaptive Youth Sports Program is a city-wide initiative that provides access to quality sports programming for youth of all abilities between the ages of 3 – 17. Made possible by an investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), PlayLA is the single largest commitment to youth sports development in California and serves as a legacy before, during and after the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Learn more at LAParks.org and stay connected for updates and announcements on Instagram at @laparks.playla and @lacityparks.

Recently, we watched the NFL draft at home. My son was very interested in the spectacle the draft has become. This year, you couldn’t watch any part of the three-day event without hearing the names Shedeur or Deion Sanders. 

If you did not follow the draft, let me give you a quick summary. Shedeur Sanders thought he would be the No. 1 pick, but he was picked closer to the end of the draft with the 144th pick by the Cleveland Browns. Not only did this include a loss of almost $50 million in guaranteed income over the next four years for Shedeur, but he also had to deal with the fact that many people were blaming his father/coach, Deion, for the national embarrassment he suffered.

While Shedeur is still likely set for life and will recover, this is a good opportunity to compare what I’ve seen from Deion Sanders on the national scene over the last two years (and specifically during the NFL draft) to what I see in youth sports today when parents and other leaders make decisions that hinder their kids’ development. Here are a few glaring mistakes that were made that I continue to see over and over in youth sports today:

The focus was exclusively on results, not development. Two years ago, after a successful coaching stint at Jackson State, Deion (and his hand-picked players, including his two sons) chose the University of Colorado over programs in more competitive leagues. In hindsight, it was the perfect move to keep the narrative that his son is a “winner” and produce better statistics against lower-level talent, all while collecting trophies for Shedeur and his teammates that would have never been accomplished had they played in the Big 10 or SEC. 

In youth sports, some parents have chosen to take the path of least resistance to ensure their children become winners. In my 20 years as a coach, I’ve learned that winning is relative to your competition and circumstance, and ultimately, holds no real value without context. Whether it’s stacking a team to play against lesser talent or even putting their much less technically developed child on a team with one player who can take over games (and relegating their child to a mere spectator), parents are focused on collecting their own trophies instead of keeping youth sports focused on development. In the end, NFL teams seemed to believe that Shedeur was not as good as his record or statistics showed.

Social media, talk and hype will never dictate reality. While Deion Sanders was one of the top athletes in the history of the world, his talent as a promoter has now outshined anything he ever did as an athlete. Thus far in his coaching career, he seems to control much of the media around college athletics while producing average results. The astonishing amount of money and attention that he has brought back to CU have largely been a result of Deion being able to edit and post inspirational stories of the “history” they are making in college football. 

At this point, we should all understand that social media is 90% “BS,” and the lack of truth in social media has fueled anxiety, depression and loneliness like we have never seen before in our youth. Yet, parents still use social media to make sure everyone knows “they” made the elite team or won some obscure tournament. While celebrating isn’t bad, it’s the importance that we put on these “wins” that is the problem, and parents don’t understand how harmful this will be in the future for their kids if the wins don’t continue. 

Deion took this type of curated narrative even further by retiring his son’s jersey before he really had a chance to prove himself at the next level, possibly thinking this would help boost his status as one of the greatest football players ever at CU. Sadly, the NFL doesn’t care what hype a player has; they grade you on their own metrics, and NFL coaches graded him as a backup QB. This is where Deion overplayed his influence in the NFL.

Misguided goals lead kids to strive for the wrong things. 

Before the draft, Deion and Shedeur said multiple times that he wanted — and deserved — to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. For any person with a goal, it’s incredibly important that your goal is not out of your control. So, don’t make your goal the result. This is where the youth sports of today have diverged from the sports that we, our parents and grandparents participated in. Players, guided by adults, are focused on the wrong things: winning the championship, garnering awards, going Division I — instead of focusing on the things that influence the result, like hard work, being a great teammate, supporting each other, grit and humility.

This brings me to the real No. 1 pick, Cam Ward. He was a zero-star football player coming out of high school. He was the ultimate underdog that nobody believed in until late. It didn’t matter to him because he was focused on being a great teammate and leader who could influence his peers through his performance. While I’m sure it was a dream to become the first pick in the NFL draft, it wasn’t the focus. Sadly, Deion thought it was a good idea to tell everyone his son deserved to go in that slot, instead of telling his son to show the NFL his dynamic attributes and why those would be a fit.

While Deion Sanders may have cost his son a great deal of money at the beginning of his professional career, I will still say that, ultimately, he should be proud of the fact that he has multiple adult children who are confident and successful people. I know that doesn’t happen without him being a strong, supportive parent and leader who influenced their lives in other ways. Let’s take heed of this lesson and be strong and confident leaders for our kids, but leave all the BS results, social media and misguided goals to the “influencers” to ensure that our young athletes keep the importance of sports in perspective.