Latvia’s two top women’s basketball teams have joined forces to take on local teams during a tour of Australia.

The Latvian women, from the Rīga Technical University RTU Klondaika squad and from TTT Rīga, are scheduled to begin their tour Aug. 26 in Adelaide.

The tour is sponsored by Basketball Australia, in conjunction with state leagues, and by the Adelaide Latvian Sports Club, according to Valdis Jaudzems, a member of the sports club’s organizing committee.

In the Adelaide area, games are scheduled Aug. 26 in Underdale, Aug. 27 in Evanston and Aug. 28 in Mount Barker. In the Melbourne area, a game is set Aug. 31 in Templestowe. And in the Sydney area, games are planned Sept. 3 in Sutherland and Sept. 4 in Crows Nest.

Local police and officials at the Gaŗezers campground are continuing their investigations into two crimes that have made an already busy summer season even more hectic.

Officials of the Gaŗezers summer high school discovered July 25 that USD 3,000 in cash was stolen from a safe in the high school office, high school director Elisa Freimane said. The safe was not broken into, leading officials to suspect that someone may have learned the code needed to gain access to the safe.

The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department still is investigating the case.

Meanwhile, Gaŗezers officials had posted a USD 500 reward for information about an Aug. 2 vandalism to several buildings in the camp, including the kitchen, said Gaŗezers Administrator Pēteris Burģelis. The vandalism apparently occurred between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. after a staff party.

A total of 34 students have finished the Gaŗezers high school program this year and were honored in a commencement ceremony at the Latvian camp near Three Rivers, Mich.

Students in the six-week summer program study Latvian language, literature, history and geography, as well as participate in such activities as folk singing, folk dancing, theatre, sports and art. In addition, the entire school this summer also participated in the 11th Latvian Song Festival in Chicago.

Most of the students hail from the eastern United States and Canada.

The graduates this year are Gints Aldiņš, Arianna Apelgren, Maruta Auģe, Artūrs Bērziņš, Linda Bilsēna, Dāvis Bolšteins, Maxwell Burkett, Nikolajs Burvikovs, Karīna Čunčule, Māra Dajevska, Maris Gudrā, Egija Irbe, Tamāra Kalniņa, Andrejs Kances, Māris Kancs, Marlīna Kauliņa, Miķelis Kramēns, Andra Krautmane, Krista Kubuliņa, Jānis Ķīsis, Māra Lazdiņa, Āris Lazdiņš, Ērika Lebedeva, Jūlijs Liepiņš, Larisa Līzenberga, Aina Lorberga, Anna Lucāne, Sandra Memene, Ēriks Miklašēvica, Aldis Raisters, Lāra Šķiliņa, Laura Šteinmane, Katrīna Veidiņa and Melita Zušēvica.