Wisconsin

‘Hero’ Wisconsin 12-year-old boy shot and killed bear as it attacked his father, report says

Published

2 years ago

September 19, 2024

‘Hero’ Wisconsin 12-year-old boy shot and killed bear as it attacked his father, report says

A 12-year-old River Falls boy saved his father, who was pinned down by a 200-pound bear while legally hunting in the woods of northwestern Wisconsin earlier this month, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation officer confirmed the bear encounter involving 43-year-old Ryan Beierman and his son, Owen.

The incident occurred Sept. 6 by their cabin near Siren, a Burnett County village about 93 miles from Minneapolis, during an afternoon hunting trip.

While in a tree stand over a bait station, Owen spotted, shot and struck the bear. However, it ran out of sight. About 20 minutes later, Owen and Ryan started to track it down, using their neighbor’s chocolate Labrador for assistance. During their search into the night, the dog saw the bear and retreated.

“I reached for my sidearm, initially hoping to scare the bear away with a warning shot,” Ryan told the Star Tribune. “He was only 5 to 6 feet away, point-blank. As he charged, I shot to kill. I shot eight times but missed. I had no time, and I never got the gun high enough to use the sights.”

During the struggle, Ryan said he started pistol-whipping the bear. The animal bit his arm and forehead. Owen grabbed his rifle and fatally shot the bear.

“I was flat on my back and could feel the bullet go through the bear,” Ryan told the Star Tribune. “Owen was a hero. He shot that bear and killed it on top of me.”

Neighbors helped him out of the woods and took him to a nearby hospital, where he received 23 stitches. He suffered several injuries to his face, right arm, and leg, according to the report.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin basketball signs Miami transfer Eian Elmer, who gives ‘scoring punch’

Published

8 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin basketball signs Miami transfer Eian Elmer, who gives ‘scoring punch’

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team has signed Miami (OH) transfer Eian Elmer.
Elmer, a 6-foot-7 wing, averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds last season while shooting efficiently from 3-point range.
He is the third transfer portal addition for the Badgers this offseason.

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.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin storms aftermath: Widespread damage, river flood warnings in effect

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin storms aftermath: Widespread damage, river flood warnings in effect

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.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

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.

Severe WeatherNewsMilwaukee

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin transfer Aleksas Bieliauskas joins SEC team with ties to Badgers

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin transfer Aleksas Bieliauskas joins SEC team with ties to Badgers

Former Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina.
Bieliauskas averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman for the Badgers.
South Carolina’s head coach, Lamont Paris, is a former Wisconsin assistant coach.

MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.

Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.

Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.

He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.

Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.

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