DENVER, Colo — Last weekend, a 15-year-old girl was shot and killed, with the suspect identified as a 14-year-old boy from Colorado Springs. One of the many organizations trying to find a solution to youth violence in the state is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBS CO).

Denver7 was able to sit down with BBBS CO to learn how a new bill that was recently signed into law can help the organization further combat youth violence.

While the investigation into that shooting continues, amendments to an existing law could help keep our young people safe during both the school year and the summer.

“It helps us to maintain our school-based program, which right now makes up about 45% of how we serve youth, and that’s so important because we’re able to meet kids where they are inside of the classroom,” said Lakeasha Smith, vice president of marketing and communications with BBBS CO.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Colorado on how a new law will help combat youth violence

Smith said Senate Bill 25-197, titled Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program, now opens up other programs to receive funding. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed it into law in late May.

“Our Big Futures Program, which services kids from ages 13 to 18 — these are really critical times in a young person’s life, and so through this type of programming, we’re able to do some of these career exploration activities,” Smith said.

Funds will also support the youth mentoring program, student dropout prevention and intervention program, and additional initiatives for organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“What we have found is that when we connect a young person with a caring adult, they just have better outcomes overall,” Smith said.

While the work continues in the community, BBBS CO is focused on unlocking the potential of all youth.

MITCHELL — 40 youth softball teams made the trip to the Cadwell Sports Complex for the Lowell Rang Memorial fastpitch tournament over the weekend.

Teams were split across three age divisions — 10-and-under, 12-and-under and 14-and-under — and played two days of pool play games before being seeded into a single-elimination bracket. Teams in each division were placed into either the gold bracket or silver bracket depending on their pool-play performance.

The South Dakota Players programs claimed two of the three gold bracket titles for the tournament in the 10-and-under and 12-and-under divisions, while the Dakota Dynamite under-13 team was the gold champion in the 14-and-under division.

Here’s how the action unfolded across each division:

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

Scoring 34 runs across its three pool games, the South Dakota Players under-10 black squad won a close gold semifinal contest against the 712 Stars under-10 team out of Sioux City, Iowa, 8-7 before holding the Yankton Fury Storm under-10 offense to one run en route to the title by a final of 4-1.

Keeping up the momentum of its final pool-play game, the Brandon Valley Blitz under-10 Halling squad scored a combined 39 runs over its last three games, cruising to the silver bracket championship with an 11-1 victory over the Brookings Outlaws under-10 team.

After giving up a combined two runs across its pool-play competition, the South Dakota Players under-11 Red’s offense did more than enough to hold off a charge from the Dakota Dynamite under-11 squad, which only allowed one run in pool competition, to take home the gold bracket championship 11-6.

The South Dakota Players also finished with the silver bracket championship in the division courtesy of their under-12 White team. The program scored 35 runs in bracket play, including a 16-1 dispatch of the Brandon Valley Blitz Skibsted under-11 program in the title game.

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

The Dakota Dynamite under-13 team allowed more than four runs in a game once en route to the gold bracket championship. Scoring a total of 37 runs in the single-elimination bracket, the Dynamite took down the Brandon Valley Venom under-14 team 12-4 in the title game.

In the silver bracket, the Sioux Falls Panthers under-14 squad allowed a combined five runs to score from their opponents, winning the title following a 6-1 victory over the Fusion Heat under-14 team out of Brandon.

The Mitchell Renegades under-14 team qualified for the silver bracket, falling to the Sioux Falls Strikers under-14 team 10-9 in the bracket quarterfinals.

Blake Durham is a Sports Reporter for the Mitchell Republic, having joined in October of 2023. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in December of 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Durham can be found covering a variety of prep and collegiate sports in the area.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Retailers, artists and creators were showcased Sunday at the Louisville Independent Business Alliance’s annual Buy Local Fair.

There were more than 100 booths, a cooking competition and a kids zone at the free event at Lynn Family Stadium in the Butchertown neighborhood.

According to LIBA, a study of Louisville-area businesses shows that for every $100 spent at locally, $55 is reinvested locally, while only $14 is reinvested locally when that same money is spent at a national chain.

“Our local businesses really recirculate those dollars,” said Jennifer Rubenstein, director of LIBA. “When you spend at a local you’re not only supporting your local economy, but you’re also supporting what makes our town unique. What makes Louisville, Louisville, what makes our neighborhood feel like our neighborhood.”

The local business fair also featured a youth entrepreneur market, showing off businesses run by young Louisvillians. 

JaLiyah Davis was one of the youth vendors set up at the fair. She runs Paws ‘N Claws, which focuses on animal care.

“It’s been a real inspiration for people to come out and to shop with us,” Davis said. “Everything we sell is an experience for them and us. It’s an opportunity to get our business out there and for them to help their dog stay healthy and in shape.”

Davis was set up next to other young entrepreneurs. 

“It’s good because we can all learn something from everybody and it’s not just our business and their business,” Davis said. “It’s everybody’s business because we’re all on the same page, we’re all growing together, maneuvering in the same world, trying to make a way for ourselves.”

LIBA is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 

The group was started as a grassroots effort to uplift and unite local business owners, and has grown to become one of the country’s largest alliances of independently owned businesses.

LIBA now represents over 850 independently owned businesses, produces numerous events and distributes 25,000 BuyLocal Guides annually.

To learn more about LIBA, click here.

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LAKE MILTON — Seventy-two young anglers cast their lines at the 31st Cindy Dean Memorial Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday — an annual free event hosted by Muskies Inc. Cleveland Chapter No. 23 to teach children the basics of fishing.

“It’s just become a part of the community,” said Chris DePaola, the chapter’s youth director. “I’ve had kids here 30 years ago that now are bringing their kids.”

The fishing derby is named after Cindy Dean, the daughter of one of the chapter’s members, who died from a childhood illness at age 8. She loved to go fishing with her family.

DePaola emphasized the importance of sparking kids’ interest in the outdoors, stating that some families mark the first Saturday of June for the event each year.

Saturday’s furthest travelers came from Linesville, Pennsylvania — more than an hour’s drive to Lake Milton State Park.

This year’s event was the first for 3-year-old Samuel Richards of North Canton, who caught the first fish of the day.

“The kids could not wait. They’ve been talking about it all week,” said his mother, Ashley Richards.

She also mentioned how well the team does the job by organizing the event and providing a free lunch. Samuel’s sister, Peyton, and father Chad were fishing with them as well.

“It’s fun but it’s also relaxing,” said 13-year-old Jacob Gleydura, as he looked out over the lake. He and his brother, Lucas, were fishing side by side. Lucas Gleydura, 11, said he doesn’t let himself get impatient when waiting for a fish to bite.

“It’s a great thing; the kids love it. We’ve got families traveling from all over,” said Bob Basic, chapter president.

The chapter members hope that the annual derby will get more families hooked on fishing year after year.

“We’ve got a lot of happy faces today,” said John Trevelline, state park manager. Trevelline commended the team for helping the kids with fish identification, catch-and-release and the concept of leaving no trace behind by avoiding litter.

DePaola and Trevelline brought up a story from last year when a child reeled in an old cash register drawer. This year, bluegills were the majority of what was on the other end of the line.

The roughly 75 “muskie” members of the chapter hope to teach future generations the importance of learning about and helping keep around the muskellunge, a freshwater fish native to North America.

The muskellunge are also known as the “fish of 10,000 casts” because of their rarity and aggressive nature.

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Academy hosted the first clinic of their Jr. Hawks Shooting Clinic Program on Wednesday.

The program helps boys and girls from ages eight to 15 develop shooting fundamentals through both group and individual skill instruction.

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The first clinic was held at Norcross High School and welcomed 100 young athletes. Hawks legend Sedric Toney made a special appearance and offered the attendees words of encouragement.

The location and dates for the four remaining Jr. Hawks Shooting Clinics include:

• June 11 at Decatur High School (Decatur, Ga.)

• June 25 at Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)

• July 9 at Riverside Epicenter (Austell, Ga.)

• July 16 at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (Atlanta)

To register and learn more about the Jr. Hawks Shooting Clinic Program and other youth basketball programs with the Hawks Basketball Academy, visit Hawks.com/BasketballAcademy.

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