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Boyfriend charged in the shooting death of All-American college gymnast Kara Welsh

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Boyfriend charged in the shooting death of All-American college gymnast Kara Welsh

Chad Richards, a former member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team, has been charged in the shooting death of girlfriend Kara Welsh, who was found dead in his Wisconsin apartment just before midnight Aug. 30. 

Richards, 23, made his initial appearance via video in Walworth County Court Friday. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and is facing additional charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct. 

The Whitewater Police Department identified the suspect who allegedly killed Kara Welsh as Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Ill. (Whitewater Police Department)

Whitewater Police arrived at Richards’ apartment Aug. 30 just before midnight and discovered the body of 21-year-old Kara Welsh. Police initially reported that the victim had a gunshot wound and that an altercation between the two took place before the fatal shooting.

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But a criminal complaint released Friday revealed that Welsh was shot multiple times. 

Richards placed the 911 call and later told investigators the two were arguing when he said Welsh grabbed his gun from a nightstand. Richards said he wrestled the gun away and shot Welsh because he “feared for his life,” the complaint continued.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 spent casings were found inside the apartment, and a medical examiner found that Welsh had eight gunshot wounds to the neck, torso and other areas. 

This photo provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater shows UW-Whitewater student Kara Welsh, who was killed Aug. 30, 2024, in an apartment near the university campus.  (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater via AP)

ALL-AMERICAN WISCONSIN COLLEGE GYMNAST SHOT AND KILLED DAYS BEFORE CLASSES BEGIN, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY

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Richards, who is being held on $1 million bond, told investigators Welsh was his girlfriend. 

According to online records, Richards was a member of the UW-Whitewater wrestling team for two seasons between 2020-2022. Welsh also attended UW-Whitewater, where she was a member of the gymnastics team.

“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” coach Jen Regan said of the national champion and two-time All-American. “A powerful athlete, dedicated teammate and the light in everyone’s dark days, Kara truly lifted each and every one of us up in her time as a Warhawk gymnast. There are no words to describe the void we all feel in our hearts, but Kara’s legacy will live on through Warhawk gymnastics forever.”

Police at the site of Kara Welsh’s murder in Whitewater, Wis. (WKOW)

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Welsh was from Plainfield, Illinois, and was majoring in management in the school’s College of Business and Economics. Last year, she won an individual national title on the vault at the NCAA Division III championships.

Richards is due to appear in court Oct. 26 for a preliminary hearing. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Cleveland, OH

Extreme heat warning ends Friday evening: What to expect

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Extreme heat warning ends Friday evening: What to expect


This forecast is outdated and inaccurate. Get the latest forecast here.

CLEVELAND (WJW) — (WJW) — The National Weather Service has extended its EXTREME HEAT WARNING for all of Northeast Ohio.

It will remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 3, in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning Medina, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties; and until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties.

The heat waves continues! An EXTREME HEAT WARNING will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat indices could top 105 degrees during the hottest time of day on Friday.

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Once again, there will not be much relief from the heat and humidity overnight. Tonight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s again. Feeling warmer with the higher humidity. Mostly clear skies.

Friday will be the last sweltering summer day before the heat starts to back off for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There is the chance of rain and storms Friday evening, around 7pm that could go through the late evening. This may impact some 4th of July celebrations on Friday. Any storm that pops up we’ll have to watch for the potential of gusty winds, heavy downpours and large hail.

This is what the radar could look like by the time some Fireworks celebrations are expected Friday evening. We have a level 2 out of 5 chance of any storm turning severe, meaning that 1 or 2 have the chance.

The upper-level ridge, or heat dome, will start to breakdown on Friday. This means two things. The first is it will go from being very hot and humid to being very warm and humid. The second thing is the chance of rain and threat of storms will return.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend will be far from a washout! There will be more dry time than time with downpours and storms. However, clusters of downpours and storms will move through Northeast Ohio at times. This means some Fourth of July events, backyard BBQs, pool parties, and firework shows could be impacted by rain and storms.

With all the heat and humidity around, any downpours or storms that develop could be strong and produce gusty winds, small hail, torrential rain, and lightning. Here’s the latest 8 Day Forecast:

Keep up with FOX 8 News for the latest weather updates.



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Illinois

Fireworks Near Me: July 4th Events Around Chicago Heights For 2026

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Fireworks Near Me: July 4th Events Around Chicago Heights For 2026



Celebrations around the country recall not only the events leading up to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but also look forward and aim to make the 4th of July weekend a massive, multigenerational cultural moment focused on community connections and charitable giving.

America’s Block Party, an unprecedented coast-to-coast initiative, is one of the signature events of America 250, the congressionally chartered nonprofit overseeing the semiquincentennial celebration.

A Times Square Ball Drop, a rolling series of ball drops, timed to occur at midnight on July 3 in every U.S. time zone from Guam to American Samoa, is part of the “Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show,” creating a nearly 24-hour celebration of the 250th anniversary. It’s part of the broader “Giving 4th” initiative that aims to make and establish Independence Day the biggest annual day of giving.

A time capsule will be buried in Philadelphia to be opened in 2276 on July 4. It contains a carefully curated collection of letters and artifacts reflecting the leadership, institutions, and communities that shape the country today. It will include contributions from all three branches of the U.S. federal government and submissions from each of the 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories.

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Separately, the White House’s Freedom 250’s biggest spectacles are the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, running June 25 to July 10; the July 4 Salute to America Fireworks, also on the National Mall; “Sail 4th 250,” billed as the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world in New York Harbor; and Rushmore 250, an iconic 4th of July fireworks on July 3 alongside military concerts and live presidential reenactors.





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Indiana

Retro Indy: These cities could have been Indiana’s capital

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Retro Indy: These cities could have been Indiana’s capital


After bouncing between nine different cities in the years following the nation’s founding on July 4, 1776, the United States’ capital finally settled into its permanent home in Washington, D.C. on December 1, 1800.

That same year, Indiana gained the first of its three capitals at a former French trading post near the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War.

The journey of Indiana’s seat of government from Vincennes to Indianapolis via a stop in Corydon reflects the growth of the state in the early years of the nation’s history.

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Founded by French explorers in 1732, Vincennes was Indiana’s first permanent European settlement. France ceded control to the British in 1763, who built Fort Sackville in 1777 to protect the Western front during the Revolutionary War. Americans took over the fort in 1778, but lost it to the British a few months later.

Then in 1779, Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark successfully led a daring expedition 180 miles across the flooded plains from Kaskaskia, Illinois, to recapture Fort Sackville for the United States and secure the area that would later become the Northwest Territory.

In 1800, Congress carved out the western portion of the Northwest Territory to create the new Indiana Territory which encompassed Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Michigan. Vincennes was named the capital of the Indiana Territory.

By 1810, the size of the Indiana Territory had shrunk to the state’s current boundaries. Lawmakers sought to move the territorial capital to a new location in the southeastern part of the state where the center of population had shifted. Madison, Charlestown, Lawrenceburg, Clarksville and Jeffersonville were all in the running for the prized seat of government, but Corydon eventually won out in 1813 because of its centralized location and its new limestone courthouse that would make an ideal site for the legislature to meet.

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After serving three years as the territorial capital, Corydon became the first official state capital when Indiana was granted statehood in 1816. Under the state constitution this was a temporary arrangement that would end in 1825 when a permanent state capital would be established on land the federal government had donated.

In 1820, a group of commissioners met at William Conner’s house near Noblesville to begin their search for a new capital that would be carved out of the wilderness. Two sites landed on their short list – a well-known waystation for travelers on the bluffs of the White River in present-day Morgan County and a small pioneer settlement at the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek. The latter was approved by the commissioners on June 7, 1820 partly because they mistakenly believed that the White River was deep enough to serve as a major artery for commercial shipping.

The General Assembly approved the commissioners’ recommendation on January 6, 1821. After rejecting “Tecumseh” and “Suwarrow,” lawmakers named the new capital “Indianapolis,” for city of Indiana. Because most of its residents were sick with malaria during the summer of 1821, the city’s first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1822. The entire town was invited, and a freshly killed buck was barbecued in the middle of Washington Street. Near the end of the day and after much alcohol was consumed, pioneer leader Calvin Fletcher offered the following toast: “Indianapolis. May it not prove itself unworthy of the honor the state has conferred upon it by making it her seat of government.”

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As it turned out, however, being designated the state capital and becoming the state capital were two different things. The Indiana General Assembly needed to pass legislation to relocate state government from Corydon to Indianapolis, but southern Indiana lawmakers balked at relinquishing their power base. And so the nascent city of Indianapolis lacked representation in the General Assembly until 1823. Finally in January 1824, state lawmakers authorized the move and later that year the official relocation began.

On a sunny day in October 1824, a small wagon train led by State Treasurer Samuel Merrill left Corydon to begin the arduous journey through the backwoods to Indianapolis. A large covered wagon carried important state documents and a strong box containing the state treasury.

As later recounted by Merrill’s son, the party made quite an impression when it reached Indianapolis after 11 days on the road.

Feeling like this was the proudest day of his life, the wagon driver decked out the horses with sleigh bells as they approached the city and asked a man who passed them on horseback to ride forward and let the townspeople know that the seat of government was coming.

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According to Samuel Merrill, Jr.’s account, “At the word, out poured most of the five hundred inhabitants – boys, girls, men and women – to see a sight that will never again be seen in Indiana.”

The capital had finally arrived.

Libby Cierzniak is a retired attorney who has written extensively about Indianapolis history for HistoricIndianapolis.com and in her own blog, Indypolitan.com. She is a frequent guest on Hoosier History Live and a regular contributor to Retro Indy. Contact her via Indypolitan.com.



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