Dan Cooper sat in a locker room at Clarkson Field for three weeks in July waiting to recruit young football players.

The days passed and only a few kids signed up at the practice site for the Jeannette Midget Athletic Association.

As a July 21 deadline approached, Cooper, president of the association and head coach of the 11- and 12-year-old team, knew the program was in jeopardy.

“It’s just getting tougher and tougher to get kids to come out and play,” said Cooper, 61, who has been involved with the program for almost 50 years.

Located on the outskirts of town, Clarkson Field is a staple of the 73-year tradition of Jeannette youth football.

Inside the locker room, football pads are stacked high in front of wooden lockers containing generations of signatures from young Jayhawks.

In black lettering, a signature from Terrelle Pryor — who is a symbol of Jeannette’s football success for his time in the National Football League — is etched on a corner locker.

As news spread of the youth season’s uncertainty, the community rallied together to keep the tradition alive.

A woman offers prayer in the rain at the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park, as Japan commemorates the 80th anniversary of the day an atomic bomb was dropped on its southwestern city, in Nagasaki, Japan Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

NAGASAKI, Japan (AP) — The southern Japanese city of Nagasaki on Saturday marked 80 years since the U.S. atomic attack that killed tens of thousands and left survivors who hope their harrowing memories can help make their hometown the last place on Earth to be hit by a nuclear bomb.

The United States launched the Nagasaki attack on Aug. 9, 1945, killing 70,000 by the end of that year, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima that killed 140,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II and the nearly half-century of aggression by the country across Asia.

About 2,600 people, including representatives from more than 90 countries, attended a memorial event at Nagasaki Peace Park, where Mayor Shiro Suzuki and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke, among other guests. At 11:02 a.m., the exact time when the plutonium bomb exploded above Nagasaki, participants observed a moment of silence as a bell rang.

“Even after the war ended, the atomic bomb brought invisible terror,” 93-year-old survivor Hiroshi Nishioka said in his speech at the memorial, noting that many who had survived without severe wounds started bleeding from gums and losing hair and died.

“Never use nuclear weapons again, or we’re finished,” he said.

Doves released

Dozens of doves, a symbol of peace, were released after a speech by Suzuki, whose parents are survivors of the attack. He said that the city’s memories of the bombing are “a common heritage and should be passed down for generations” in and outside Japan.

“The existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth,” Suzuki said. “In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site now and forever, we will go hand-in-hand with global citizens and devote our utmost efforts toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace.”

‘A world without war’

Survivors and their families gathered Saturday in rainy weather at Peace Park and nearby Hypocenter Park, located below the bomb’s exact detonation spot, hours before the official ceremony.

“I simply seek a world without war,” said Koichi Kawano, an 85-year-old survivor who laid flowers at the hypocenter monument decorated with colorful origami paper cranes and other offerings.

Some others prayed at churches in Nagasaki, home to Catholic converts who went deep underground during centuries of violent persecution in Japan’s feudal era.

The twin bells at Urakami Cathedral, which was destroyed in the bombing, also rang together again after one of the bells that had gone missing following the attack was restored by volunteers.

Despite their pain from wounds, discrimination and illnesses from radiation, survivors have publicly committed to a shared goal of abolishing nuclear weapons. But they worry about the world moving in the opposite direction.

Passing down lessons

Aging survivors and their supporters in Nagasaki now put their hopes of achieving nuclear weapons abolition in the hands of younger people, telling them the attack isn’t distant history, but an issue that remains relevant to their future.

“There are only two things I long for: the abolition of nuclear weapons and prohibition of war,” said Fumi Takeshita, an 83-year-old survivor. “I seek a world where nuclear weapons are never used and everyone can live in peace.”

In the hope of passing down the lessons of history to current and future generations, Takeshita visits schools to share her experience with children.

“When you grow up and remember what you learned today, please think what each of you can do to prevent war,” Takeshita told students during a school visit earlier this week.

Teruko Yokoyama, an 83-year-old member of a Nagasaki organization supporting survivors, said that she thinks of the growing absence of those she had worked with, and that fuels her desire to document the lives of others who are still alive.

The number of survivors has fallen to 99,130, about a quarter of the original number, with their average age exceeding 86. Survivors worry about fading memories, as the youngest of the survivors were too young to clearly recall the attack.

“We must keep records of the atomic bombing damages of the survivors and thier lifetime story,” said Yokoyama, whose two sisters died after suffering illnesses linked to radiation.

Her organization has started to digitize the narratives of survivors for viewing on YouTube and other social media platforms with the help of a new generation.

“There are younger people who are beginning to take action,” Yokoyama told The Associated Press on Friday. “So I think we don’t have to get depressed yet.”

Nagasaki hosted a “peace forum” on Friday where survivors shared their stories with more than 300 young people from around the country. Seiichiro Mise, a 90-year-old survivor, said that he’s handing seeds of “flowers of peace” to the younger generation in hopes of seeing them bloom.

Japan’s security dilemma

Survivors are frustrated by a growing nuclear threat and support among international leaders for developing or possessing nuclear weapons for deterrence. They criticize the Japanese government’s refusal to sign or even participate in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as an observer because Japan, as an American ally, says it needs U.S. nuclear possession as deterrence.

In Ishiba’s speech, the prime minister reiterated Japan’s pursuit of a nuclear-free world, pledging to promote dialogue and cooperation between countries with nuclear weapons and nonnuclear states at the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons review conference scheduled for April and May 2026 in New York. Ishiba didn’t mention the nuclear weapons ban treaty.

“Countries must move from words to action by strengthening the global disarmament regime,” with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, at the center, complemented by the momentum created by the nuclear weapons ban treaty, said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message read by Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu in Nagasaki.

Nagasaki invited representatives from all countries to attend the ceremony on Saturday. The government in China notably notified the city that it wouldn’t be present without providing a reason.

The ceremony last year stirred controversy because of the absence of the U.S. ambassador and other Western envoys in response to the Japanese city’s refusal to invite officials from Israel.

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Mari Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.

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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___

Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Police Athletic League (PAL)’s new South Bronx center, located at 991 Longwood Avenue, was the venue for the League’s Bronx Regional Day on July 25. Described as an exciting day of games, music and community, it catered to young people in grades K-5 and their families.

PAL officials said over 70 children participated in the high-energy event, featuring classic favorites like three-legged races, a tug of war, relay races and more. Children lined up for fresh popcorn and snow cones while others held dance competitions with PAL staff and NYPD Community Affairs. 

PAL’s Bronx Regional Day also included an educational component with the FDNY‘s simulations truck teaching children about home fire safety. PAL representatives said the PAL Bronx Regional Day builds strong connections between kids, the community, and first responders through teamwork and friendly competition.

Click here to read FDNY’s fire safety tips, and here for details of how to keep your home safe. “During a fire, always close the door behind you!” fire officials say. “It helps contain smoke and flames, giving you precious time to escape.”

Animal Care Centers of New York City shared the following link for the ASPCA of fire safety tips for animals.

AGAWAM — Before they can get better fields, youth sports teams in Agawam are making do with fewer options.

All summer, the town has been without the three baseball diamonds at Shea Field, as workers dig up the surface, smooth it out and replant the grass. It’s the first step to address complaints local coaches aired this spring about Agawam having the worst youth sports fields in the region. All around town, they say, infield dirt is overgrown with weeds, grass fields provide uneven footing and “lips” — ridges where dirt meets grass on baseball and softball fields — cause unpredictable bounces for ground balls.

“Over the years, they kept dumping more clay and more clay and more clay on that infield,” Mayor Christopher Johnson remarked at an Aug. 4 meeting of the City Council. “We had to go in and excavate, because those lips build up.”

Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran in the annual 20 Under 40 magazine which was a part of the LaGrange Daily News July 30 edition. If you would like to pick up a copy of the 20 Under 40 magazine, please visit our office at 115 Broad Suite 101.

For only being 32, Dr. Pauline Skowron has quite the experience.

Raised in Ontario, Canada, she received her bachelor of science degree with honors from McMaster University in Canada and her medical degree from Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland. Skowron came to the United States to complete her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, followed by a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Tyler. She is also a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Skowron came to Troup County in April 2025 to be a physician in the orthopedics and sports medicine department at Emory LaGrange, where she sees patients over age five for acute and chronic musculoskeletal concerns. She is dual board-certified in nonoperative sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation, with a special interest in musculoskeletal ultrasound and minimally invasive procedures. 

“My goal is to help others reach their activity goals safely and pain-free,” Skowron said. “My favorite thing about my current job is the people that I work with and the ability to make a difference in a small community. Everyone in LaGrange has welcomed me with open arms. I am thankful to be able to be a part of an excellent healthcare system such as Emory.”

Skowron wants to see the orthopedics department grow and aims to give back to her new community.

She has already started doing that since moving to Troup County, with volunteer work at the FlowerFest races, LaGrange Cycling Classic and local youth sport physicals. Skowron also plans to volunteer at high school football games and other local sporting events.

Her previous community service experience includes caring for college student-athletes at University of Texas-Tyler and volunteering at the Kona Ironman World Championship, UCI BMX World Championships, Tyler State Park Ultramarathon and Atlanta and Houston marathons.

That community service connects to Skowron’s passion — staying active. She enjoys running, cycling, weight training, hiking and swimming. When not working or exercising, she loves spending time with her family and significant other, who is a resident physician finishing his training in internal medicine.

Beginning Wednesday, Little League players will play for a chance to become world champions — competing against regions in the United States, as well as international teams.

The 2025 Little League Baseball World Series is held every year in Williamsport, Pa. — the home of the world’s largest youth sports tournament since 1959. Held each August, the Little League Baseball World Series is an iconic youth sports event that welcomes teams from around the world to compete for the chance to be named World Series Champion.

The experience includes 38 games over the course of 11 days, providing baseball and non-baseball fans with a variety of interactive experiences that create lifelong memories.

There are 10 regions in the U.S. — which means 10 teams will make it to the Little League Baseball World Series.

Those regions include Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, New England, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and West. These regions will compete to become the U.S. World Series champion.

International teams from 10 regions will also compete, including Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Cuba, Europe-Africa, Japan, Latin America, Mexico, and Panama regions. These regions will compete to become the international World Series champion.

The U.S. and international World Series champions will then compete against each other for the world champion title.

The World Series tournament games begin on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The big game — the Little League Baseball World Series Championship — is slated for Sunday, Aug. 24 at 3 p.m.

HOW TO WATCH LITTLE LEAGUE REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

If you are watching on cable, catch the Little League 2024 action on ESPN.

Or, if you’re a cord-cutter or don’t have cable, you can watch on one of the following streaming platforms that carries ESPN, and get it for free via a trial offer:

• Fubo TV — seven-day free trial. This service also appeals to the pro. sports fan.
• Direct TV Stream — five-day free trial.

Also available for cord-cutters is ESPN+ — but this service doesn’t offer a free trial, and sign up is $10.99 per month. The service can be cancelled at any time. Those interested in subscribing to ESPN+ and getting access to their exclusive content can do so here.