E-sports SM, unclear boards and bus driver suspended

The e-sports SM was held in Älmhult over the weekend, while the administrative boards of two municipalities in the county are still not ready. A bus driver has been taken out of service after a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre outside Växjö, and the police are describing their new work with online patrols.

Swedish e-sports championships decided in Älmhult

Over the weekend, the Swedish e-sports championships finals were held in Älmhult. Players from across the country competed in events including Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Rocket League and Dota 2. Behind a successful e-sports player lies many hours of training, and the players need to be able to communicate and cooperate with their team and make quick decisions under pressure.

The organisers hope that more young people will discover e-sports as a club sport. “Many young people today have no sense of community, and here they can get one, together with the values of sport,” says Petra Palmgren Lindwall, head of operations at the e-sports federation. SVT Nyheter Småland

Board not yet settled in Älmhult and Uppvidinge

Two months after the election, it is still unclear what the new board will look like in Älmhult Municipality and Uppvidinge Municipality. A municipality is the local political level responsible for things such as schools, elderly care and local planning, and a municipal councillor is a leading politician in the municipality. Negotiations are under way in Älmhult, and municipal councillor Eva Ballovarre (S) says the councillors have repeatedly been away and that the municipality faces major demographic and population challenges. She expects to take the new board at the end of November and to decide on the budget at the meeting in December.

In Uppvidinge Municipality, municipal councillor Simon Bring (SD) expects the board to be settled next week. “We are now in the final stretch of the negotiations,” he says, and explains that they are working hard to establish a collaboration in which everyone involved’s responsibilities are clearly defined. SVT Nyheter Småland

Bus driver removed from service after dangerous overtaking manoeuvre

A bus driver has been removed from service after a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre on the road towards Växjö, near Gemla. The bus overtook on a blind bend and came close to colliding with oncoming traffic. The bus was not in service and had no passengers on board. Region Kronoberg is responsible for regional public transport, and the region’s traffic director Pär Welander says he views the incident seriously.

The buses are operated by Connect bus. The company’s operations manager Andreas Ehrenborg declined an interview but replied in a text message: “In a case like this, we first investigate what happened and then take appropriate measures. That process is fully under way. The driver has been removed from service during the investigation.” This is the third time in a short period that the county transport’s buses have been highlighted in the media for suspected careless driving. SVT Nyheter Småland

Police are focusing on online patrols

The police are strengthening their presence on social media and other digital platforms through what is known as online patrolling. The aim is to prevent crime and make it easier to get in touch. During the weekend’s SM final in esports in Älmhult, the police were on site to explain how online patrolling works.

Online, among other things, there are cases of grooming, fraud, threats and harassment, digital extortion, and attempts to recruit young people into criminal networks. Anyone who wants to contact the police digitally can ask questions, report something that feels wrong, or provide information about crimes and worrying incidents. SVT Nyheter Småland

Association in Växjö creates community for girls

The association Systra in Växjö was founded by two friends who talked about life on a train journey, after one of them had lacked a role model while growing up. A year later, the founder herself has become a role model for other girls. “Here, you can be yourself 100 percent,” she says, meaning that women know best how to help other women. Smålandsposten

In brief

• Sweden’s women’s curling team won the European Championship gold medal after defeating Switzerland 7–2 in the final in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Smålandsposten
• Troja-Ljungby took all 3 points after defeating Hammarby 4-1 in the southern NDHL women’s hockey series. Smålandsposten
• Political scientist Erik Wångmar at Linnéuniversitet highlights the new governing administrations in Kalmar County and Kronoberg County. SVT Nyheter Småland
• Wearable technology that measures exercise is now available to ordinary gym-goers, and the next major step could be AI-powered coaching, according to a feature on the future of exercise. Smålandsposten