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UNO launches $1.95M youth rec program to expand sports, jobs

A new youth program at UNO will give more than 6,000 kids across Greater New Orleans access to sports, mentorship, and job opportunities year-round. NEW ORLEANS — The University of New Orleans is launching a major new program aimed at giving young people across Greater New Orleans more access to recreation, sports, and job opportunities. […]

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A new youth program at UNO will give more than 6,000 kids across Greater New Orleans access to sports, mentorship, and job opportunities year-round.

NEW ORLEANS — The University of New Orleans is launching a major new program aimed at giving young people across Greater New Orleans more access to recreation, sports, and job opportunities.

Local civic leaders gathered in the rain on Friday at UNO’s Maestri Field to celebrate the launch of the Recreation for Youth Partnership, which is a $1.95 million public-private initiative that’s expected to provide year-round programming for more than 6,000 kids in its first year.

The initiative is being led by The 18th Ward, a youth development nonprofit, and supported by a broad civic coalition, with support from UNO, which is providing access to its athletic and recreational facilities.

“It started with one idea: that every kid in New Orleans deserves access to opportunity, structure, and support,” said project leader Laura Rodrigue. “And it grew into a coalition of people who said, ‘We can do this.’”

The program will include team sports, mentorship, and workforce opportunities for local students. In addition to benefiting youth across the region, officials said the program will also create jobs tied to the year-round programming at UNO.

University leaders said the goal is to create sustainable, community-driven opportunities that help young people thrive both on and off the field.

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Youth Baseball Coaches Caught On Video Apparently Running Naked In Front Of Children

Two youth baseball coaches have been fired after a video apparently showed them running naked on the field in front of children, CBS News in Chicago reported. The Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association from suburban Chicago sought law enforcement’s involvement in the matter, but the two men will not be charged, the Otsego County Office […]

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Two youth baseball coaches have been fired after a video apparently showed them running naked on the field in front of children, CBS News in Chicago reported.

The Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association from suburban Chicago sought law enforcement’s involvement in the matter, but the two men will not be charged, the Otsego County Office of the Sheriff (New York) said in a statement Thursday to HuffPost.

The office received word that the men were “streaking” on the field at Cooperstown All-Star Village in Oneonta. Authorities eventually obtained the video and were able to identify the men while interviewing witnesses, according to the statement.

The district attorney declined to prosecute “due to the level of criminality involved” and because the men live out of state.

The incident occurred during a tournament weekend and got the 12-and-under team disqualified, CBS previously reported.

The edited-for-decency snippet (watch it below) shown by the outlet shows one coach sliding nude into home plate as kids ― perhaps players ― laugh and one says “Oh my god” while another says “Wait, is he naked?”



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DVIDS – News – U.S., Afghan Officials Forge Olympic Partnership

An expansion of youth sports programs nationwide and the potential for future training opportunities for Afghan athletes and coaches are among the benefits of a developing partnership between the national Olympic committees of the United States and Afghanistan, and other U.S. sports associations, officials said. The partnership, announced during a news conference at the Ghazi […]

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An expansion of youth sports programs nationwide and the potential for future training opportunities for Afghan athletes and coaches are among the benefits of a developing partnership between the national Olympic committees of the United States and Afghanistan, and other U.S. sports associations, officials said.

The partnership, announced during a news conference at the Ghazi National Olympic Complex yesterday, was facilitated by a military sports diplomacy program led by the International Security Assistance Force and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The public diplomacy department at the embassy funded the effort, which was facilitated by the Amateur Athletic Union in the United States.

“This program is about the future of Afghanistan. We seek to capitalize on the increased security in Afghanistan to expand youth sports in-theater,” said Navy Rear Adm. Harold “Hal” Pittman, a senior ISAF communications official who participated in the news conference with Lt. Gen. Muhammad Zahir Aghbar, Afghanistan National Olympic Committee president.

The two men had just returned from a trip to America. They traveled with Afghan sports officials and Afghan Deputy Youth Affairs Minister Taimoor Eshaqzai as a delegation that Pittman described as “the first of its kind to travel to America from Afghanistan.”

Aghbar said officials from Afghanistan were able to gain information about the types of athletic fields to develop and invest in, as well as cementing a potential Olympic partnership between the two nations.

“The president of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the president of the U.S Paralympic Committee want to help the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee,” Aghbar said. “Now it is up to ANOC’s capability to help the U.S Olympic Committee and Paralympics committee help ANOC.”

He added that Pittman would assist the ANOC plan for youth sports development and work with U.S. sponsoring organizations to provide coaching and sports mentorship assistance.

The AAU is among organizations planning an almost immediate follow-on trip to Afghanistan to assist community-based youth sports.

The delegation visited about a dozen U.S. athletic sites, including the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.; the University of Central Florida’s athletic facilities in Kissimmee; the largest YMCA in central Florida; the IMG Academies sports training facility in Bradenton, Fla.; and Miami-Dade County Recreation Department facilities.

“Our goal was to orient Afghan leaders to the type of youth sports available in the U.S., as well as establish potential partnerships with sports organizations that have the capacity to help them,” Pittman said.

Aghbar said the two Olympic Committees are working closely on agreements that eventually may send Afghan athletes to America for training, and could bring U.S. Olympic coaches to
Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan will be the 86th country to have athletes trained in this school,” Aghbar said of IMG Academies, an organization that claims numerous professional athletes in multiple sports as alumni. “This is a huge achievement.”

Pittman said Aghbar and his staff will work with the deputy youth minister and ISAF officials to identify the Afghan priorities for assistance to youth sports programs nationwide. That assistance likely would start in a few Afghan cities, he added, and then would spread to smaller communities, stressing that the effort is intended to be nationwide and serve all Afghans.

“We’re developing the strategy now,” Pittman said. “It’s not yet fully developed, but it will be designed to connect Afghan youth with sports facilities in the different provinces.”

The announcement, he added, may cover a number of sports efforts. “We’re looking to partner with several different organizations,” Pittman said.

With the ISAF sports strategy now beginning to take hold, Aghbar stressed that cooperating with ISAF on athletic programs is a “strategic partnership.”

Pittman added that discussions regarding partnership had gone on for some time, but that the relationship is entering a new phase.

“Now it’s time for the real work to begin in developing community-based youth sports programs,” he said. “This will take time, and we have to crawl before we can walk [and] before we can run. But the intent is there to do good things for the youth, and for the future of Afghanistan.”

Story by Erika Stetson, U.S. Forces Afghanistan







Date Taken: 11.14.2011
Date Posted: 07.03.2025 14:02
Story ID: 512001
Location: WASHINGTON, US






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Community Rallies Together to Help Clinton Youth Hockey Player | Sports

CLINTON, N.Y. — Gavin Mosher, 14, a hockey player on the Clinton Comets 16U team, plays by the mantra of “Win Each Battle.” Now, he faces the biggest battle of his young life. The local hockey community is banding together to help him win this battle at all costs. Mosher, who also competes on the modified […]

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Community Rallies Together to Help Clinton Youth Hockey Player

CLINTON, N.Y.  Gavin Mosher, 14, a hockey player on the Clinton Comets 16U team, plays by the mantra of “Win Each Battle.” Now, he faces the biggest battle of his young life.

The local hockey community is banding together to help him win this battle at all costs.

Mosher, who also competes on the modified track and field team at the Clinton Central School District, was recently diagnosed with a form of Leukemia after a mass was discovered behind his heart via chest X-rays during a visit to the emergency room.

He is currently undergoing inpatient treatment at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, beginning last Thursday, and will remain there for at least the next 30 days as he continues the process.

In order to help offset the cost of travel, child care and medical bills, the Clinton Youth Hockey Association—led by Danielle Furlong—started a GoFundMe page, which has quickly accumulated over $20,000 via more than 200 individual donations in just two days.

Donations have come from all over the local hockey community, with Whitestown Youth Hockey, New Hartford Youth Hockey, Oneida County Hockey Club, Mohawk Valley Jugglers Varsity Ice Hockey, Hamilton College Men’s Ice Hockey, and more, joining the effort on social media to spread the word about fundraising efforts.

Plans to raise funds in other ways, including “Win Each Battle” wristbands, benefit hockey games in the coming winter and more, are also in the works.

To make a donation, visit the GoFundMe Page here.  

According to those close with the Mosher family, Gavin is responding well to early treatment efforts and remaining in high spirits despite his battle.

NEWSChannel 2 has been in contact with Gavin’s family directly as well, and will continue to provide updates on this developing story.



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Supreme Court will take up a new case about which school sports teams transgender students can join | Politics-national

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join. Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West […]

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join.

Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia.

The nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls on girls sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.

More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court.

At the federal level, the Trump administration has filed lawsuits and launched investigations over state and school policies that have allowed transgender athletes to compete freely. This week, the University of Pennsylvania modified a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by her participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case.

Republican President Donald Trump also has acted aggressively in other areas involving transgender people, including removing transgender troops from military service. In May, the Supreme Court allowed the ouster of transgender service members to proceed, reversing lower courts that had blocked it.

The new case will be argued in the fall.

West Virginia is appealing a lower-court ruling that found the ban violates the rights of Becky Pepper-Jackson, who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade. Pepper-Jackson sued the state when she in was middle school because she wanted to compete on the cross country and track teams.

This past school year, Pepper-Jackson qualified for the West Virginia girls high school state track meet, finishing third in the discus throw and eighth in the shot put in the Class AAA division.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Pepper-Jackson in two areas, under the Constitution’s equal protection clause and the landmark federal law known as Title IX that forbids sex discrimination in education.

Idaho in 2020 became the first state in the nation to ban transgender women and girls from playing on women’s sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the women’s rights group Legal Voice sued Idaho on behalf of Lindsay Hecox, who hoped to run for Boise State University.

The state asked for Supreme Court review after lower courts blocked the state’s ban while the lawsuit continues.

The justices did not act on a third case from Arizona that raises the same issue.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



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Molina Healthcare honors Barstow resident as ‘Community Champion’

Molina Healthcare of California recently recognized three community leaders, including one from Barstow, for their dedication to addressing social health issues.  Molina officials said the three individuals were honored for their dedication in the Inland Empire through the MolinaCares Community Champions program. Each honoree received a $5,000 grant to pay forward to the nonprofit organization of […]

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Molina Healthcare of California recently recognized three community leaders, including one from Barstow, for their dedication to addressing social health issues. 

Molina officials said the three individuals were honored for their dedication in the Inland Empire through the MolinaCares Community Champions program.

Each honoree received a $5,000 grant to pay forward to the nonprofit organization of their choice. The champions were:

Leonard Williams, Barstow

Molina officials said Inland Empire MolinaCares Community Champion Leonard Williams of Barstow made significant contributions to advancing equity and addressing disparities in health care and social services, in an area with high rates of poverty and food insecurity.

“His dedication to improving the lives of others is evident in the numerous projects he has spearheaded or supported,” Molina said in a written statement. “Through Kiwanis International, Williams helped organize a fundraiser that supported the Clothes for Kids program, which provides financial support for select kids in every school in the Barstow Unified School and Silver Valley School districts.”

As executive director of the Barstow Youth Sports Coalition, Williams helped raise $100,000 to ensure kids have proper playing fields.

As Barstow Community Coalition Chair, Williams organized symposiums on critical issues such as fentanyl abuse, youth and teen suicide and human trafficking. 

“Williams inspires collaboration among many, including local elected officials,” Molina said. “His grant will be donated to Barstow Youth Sports Coalition.” 

Karena Zermeno, Hemet

Champion Karena Zermeno of Hemet serves as the driving force behind the Student of the Month Program, a nonprofit organization that honors and uplifts students who have overcome significant life challenges, according to Molina.

Through this program, Zermeno helps to recognize kids in six school districts whose stories of resilience and character often go unnoticed, according to the health care company.

“Zermeno’s efforts go far beyond logistics — she creates a space where young people feel seen, valued and inspired to keep pushing forward,” Molina said. “In a world that often celebrates the loudest voices, Zermeno is a quiet force for good, consistently showing up, giving back and empowering the next generation with dignity and heart.”

Zermeno personally connects with students, families, educators and community leaders, Molina representatives said, adding that the ripple effect of her work impacts many people in the broader community. 

Zermeno’s grant will be donated to the Student of the Month Program.

Ana Karina Suchanek, Claremont

Champion Ana Karina Suchanek of Claremont is the co-founder and chief financial officer of the nonprofit Project Boon, which has addressed food insecurity in the Inland Empire. 

Through Project Boon, Suchanek has collaborated with dozens of organizations to provide 381,500 hot meals, groceries and other critical resources, Molina said.

As owner of The Hitch Burger Grill, Suchanek provides Project Boon with free access to the restaurant’s facilities and staff.  

As a result, over 15,000 Thanksgiving dinners have been prepared and served to area families. 

“Suchanek’s passion and dedication inspires hundreds of volunteers to serve the community year after year,” Molina said. “Suchanek’s grant will be donated to Project Boon.

Incredible dedication

Molina Healthcare of California President Abbie Totten said the three champions have shown incredible dedication to improving the health and well-being of the Inland Empire community.

“Molina is pleased to honor them for their selfless work and further empower the missions of the community organizations these recipients support,” she said.

Molina Healthcare of California provides government-funded, quality health care, serving members through Medi-Cal, Medicare, and Marketplace (Covered California) programs. 

Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces.  

More information about Molina Healthcare of California is available online at MolinaHealthcare.com.

Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at The Daily Press, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. 



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Wa Wui Ltd. working to upgrade, revitalize SARA Park facility

By Jalen MakiTomahawk Leader Editor TOMAHAWK – A local organization has launched a fundraising campaign to upgrade and revitalize a Tomahawk facility used for a variety of purposes. Wa Wui Ltd. is a volunteer group that oversees the operations of SARA Park, which for years has served as a hub for community recreation and events. […]

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By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor

TOMAHAWK – A local organization has launched a fundraising campaign to upgrade and revitalize a Tomahawk facility used for a variety of purposes.

Wa Wui Ltd. is a volunteer group that oversees the operations of SARA Park, which for years has served as a hub for community recreation and events. The group is currently working to raise $5 million to give the facility a facelift.

The group’s “Bacon and Beer Bash” will kick off the fundraising campaign. The event will be held at SARA Park, 900 W. Somo Ave., Tomahawk, on Saturday, Oct. 4.

In a release, Wa Wui Ltd. said the Bacon and Beer Bash will be a “celebration of local flavor, fun and philanthropy, offering attendees a unique experience featuring craft beer tastings, bacon-inspired dishes, live music, open skate, raffles and more – all in support of a facility that hosts thousands of individuals each year.”

“We’re incredibly proud to launch this campaign with an event that brings the community together in the same way SARA Park has for decades,” said Chris Bembinster, President of the Wa Wui Board. “This is more than just a fundraiser – it’s an investment in the future of youth sports, local events and a place where our community connects.”

Wa Wui Ltd. said the $5 million campaign will fund critical upgrades and improvements, including modernizing electrical systems, installing a new energy-efficient ice plant, replacing aging bleachers and much more to improve accessibility, efficiency and comfort throughout the building.

“SARA Park Arena is home to the current Division 2 High School Hockey State Champions, more than eight youth hockey teams, a figure skating club and a pickleball group,” Wa Wui Ltd. stated. “They continually host bingo, open skate, baseball and softball concessions, as well as rent the facility out year-round for events.”

Wa Wui Ltd. said its 100% volunteer board is “committed to preserving the facility’s legacy while preparing it for the future.”

To learn more about the fundraising initiative, become a sponsor or make a donation, contact the board at saraparkarena@gmail.com.





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