Wisconsin
US teacher arrested for 'making out' with 5th-grader months before wedding
A 24-year-old teacher in the US has been charged with sexual assault for allegedly “making out” and having an “inappropriate relationship” with one of her fifth grade students. Madison Bergmann’s alleged abuse of the 11-year-old boy came to light less than three months before her wedding, CBS News Minnesota reported.
The incident came out in the open when the boy’s mother overheard him talking to Bergmann on the phone, and took the device away from him. The boy’s parents allegedly found texts between him and the teacher, following which they went to the school with printouts of the conversations.
According to the charging documents presented to the police, the texts included messages from Bergmann allegedly discussing several encounters with the 11-year-old inside the classroom during lunch or after school. She is also accused of telling the boy how much she enjoyed him touching her.
The boy told investigators that he talked to Madison Bergmann “almost daily” and got her number when he went skiing with her and his mother in the Afton Alps over the winter break. The teacher agreed to get his number during the trip, saying it was shared with her if they were separated at the park.
The month Bergmann went on the skiing trip was the same when he got engaged to her boyfriend.
Inside Bergmann’s backpack, a folder with the boy’s name on it was found that contained many handwritten notes. The 11-year-old told police that he and Bergmann would write each other notes throughout the day, and most of these mention the two “kissing each other”, according to court documents.
In one of the letters, Madison Bergmann allegedly questioned her relationship with the fifth-grader. “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world, but I have to be the adult here and stop.”
Bergmann was set to be married in July, less than three months before her arrest.
She was let out on a $25,000 (nearly Rs 21 lakh) signature bond and has been placed on administrative leave. She has also been barred from school property or at school events, and from contacting any district students, parents or staff, New York Post reported.
The school principal expressed “shock” over the incident, saying they are all “disturbed by this news”. “Our greatest concern is for the River Crest School community and the children impacted,” CBS Minnesota reported, quoting Principal Kimberly Osterhues’s message to parents.
Madison Bergmann’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 30.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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