HoopStars adds shoe drive to tourney

ROCKFORD – State Senator Steve Stadelman is expanding his popular Labor Day basketball tournament to include a drive to collect gently used athletic shoes for needy young sports enthusiasts.

Now in its fourth year, the free 3-on-3 competition also is adding two more courts to accommodate an anticipated increase in players over the 400 who participated in 2015. Boys and girls in 3rd through 8th grades will face off on 10 courts in Davis Park during Senator Stadelman’s HoopStars 2016.

Registration is open until Aug. 31 at www.senatorstadelman.com/hoopstars.

Stadelman announced at a Sunday news conference that HoopStars has teamed up with Sole Ballers to supply “legit kicks” to kids from low-income families. Christian Life High School sophomore Treye Tucker has collected and distributed 500 pairs of athletic shoes since he founded Sole Ballers as a 7th-grader.

Tucker joined Stadelman in inviting the public to visit the HoopStars event, watch a game or two and drop off spare athletic shoes. Players’ families also were encouraged to donate shoes for any sport in reasonably good condition.

“I’m grateful to be able to offer a positive, no-cost, end-of-summer activity for kids, especially those from inner-city neighborhoods,” Stadelman said. “With the shoe drive, I’m asking those who can to help pay that generosity forward.”

Families attending the tournament may again enjoy music and kids rides courtesy of Rockford United Labor, which holds its annual picnic for union members at the same time and place. Event sponsors also operate interactive courtside information booths with giveaways, and all players receive free commemorative event T-shirts.

Stadelman-backed bill protects children from lead poisoning

As concerns about lead contamination in homes and drinking water continue to capture attention across the country, legislation supported by State Senator Steve Stadelman was signed into law last week.

Senate Bill 2300 prohibits the sale and lease of properties with high lead levels until the problem is mitigated and the property is considered safe. Beginning Jan. 1, it will no longer be legal in Illinois to sell and lease contaminated properties without warning owners and tenants of the hazardous effects.

Children are the most susceptible to brain damage caused by lead poisoning, and low-income families who live in older homes with lead pipes and lead-based paint are disproportionately at risk.

New legislation aims to help domestic violence victims

Police in Illinois will undergo more comprehensive training to respond to domestic violence under a bill signed into law last week. Current law recommends but does not require police departments to coordinate domestic violence response training with service organizations and develop appropriate arrest procedures.

Training under the new legislation is intended to prevent further victimization by looking beyond physical evidence of domestic violence and giving officers an understanding of deeper psychological aspects of abusive relationships. The law takes effect Jan. 1.