SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Residents at an assisted living facility in South Milwaukee received an early dose of Christmas cheer as students and families from Zion Lutheran School delivered gifts, treats and songs as part of the school’s annual Giving Tree program.

What we know:

During the season of giving, students from the school joined family members and church volunteers to surprise residents at Franciscan Villa, filling wagons with presents and handing them out throughout the facility. The Giving Tree is a long-running holiday tradition for the school, built around gift donations for different groups each year, including veterans and families in need.

“It was just fun and happy,” said Ellen Rogers, a student volunteer.

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Rogers spent her Sunday morning alongside friends and family, sharing moments with seniors who staff say don’t always have the opportunity to see loved ones during the holidays.

What they’re saying:

“As a Christian it shows living our faith and being able to give to others especially during this time,” said Neil Schliewe, Zion Lutheran School principal. “With a facility like this having people that maybe their family is far away, maybe their family isn’t able to visit or maybe they’ve lost touch with family.” 

Schliewe said the impact of the visit was immediately visible, with some residents moved to tears.

“We saw literally residents crying tears of joy because of not being able to experience that family time during this period of their lives and so being able to have kids from our school and our church, be able to come and do that it’s incredibly special,” Schliewe said.

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What’s next:

After the gift-giving wrapped up, students and staff shared one final surprise, singing Christmas songs together with residents. School leaders say planning for next year’s Giving Tree will begin on Thanksgiving.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A judge has denied a motion by the defense for Lyndon Wiggins, the man who was seeking a third trial in the murder of Minneapolis real estate agent Monique Baugh.

Lyndon Wiggins files for another trial

What we know:

In November, Wiggins’ attorney Sarah Gad filed a motion for another trial, arguing the previous trial proceedings amounted to “a cumulative due-process violation,” which can only be remedied with a new trial. Gad listed several issues during the trial, including emotional outbursts from Baugh’s mother in the jury’s presence.

However, Judge Mark Kappelhoff denied the motions. In his ruling, the judge found that there weren’t any repeated emotional outbursts by Baugh’s mother, only a single instance when Baugh’s mother gasped upon seeing an image of her daughter’s body in court. After that gasp, the court directed the state to take steps to prevent further disruptions and the judge could not recall any other issues while jurors were present.

Fake quotes in motion

What they’re saying:

The judge also points out ten purported quotes from cited legal opinions that, in reality, do not appear to exist in the actual texts.

“Whatever the underlying genesis of these quotations, the submission of a brief with such an extraordinary number of nonexistent quotations undermines the weight of Wiggins’ brief and actual legal support for Wiggins’ arguments seeking a new trial,” the judge writes.

What’s next:

Wiggins is set to be sentenced on Monday for the murder. Wiggins faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Monique Baugh murder

Big picture view:

Prosecutors accused Wiggins of being the mastermind behind the plot to kidnap and murder real estate agent Monique Baugh on New Year’s Eve 2019. Wiggins, working with his romantic partner Elsa Segura, co-defendant Berry Davis, and Cedric Berry.

Segura pleaded guilty to kidnapping in 2024 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Berry and Davis were both convicted by a jury of aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder, aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated attempted murder, aiding and abetting kidnapping, and aiding and abetting first-degree murder while committing kidnapping. They were both sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

The backstory:

Police say the group lured Baugh to her death under the guise of a house showing in Maple Grove. She was then forced into the back of a U-Haul truck, shot and dumped in an alley in Minneapolis.

Police say Wiggins targeted Baugh because she was supposedly dating a rival drug dealer.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A woman is in critical condition after what Indianapolis Metropolitan Police are now calling an assault at a far East side apartment complex.

IMPD says officers were called just before 2:00 a.m. Monday to a unit at the English Village Apartments at English Avenue and South Mitchner Avenue.

An initial email from the police department said that a person had been shot. But a public information officer on the scene said officers found a woman suffering from “trauma” and would not describe what investigators believe was the weapon used. IMPD Capt. Rob Rider did not give a reason for withholding the information, but said that investigators “have an idea of what happened.”

Capt. Rider says a resident at another building in the apartment complex called 911 after a child ran to their residence and told the neighbor “they killed my mom.”

Rider says the woman was in critical condition when taken to a hospital but would not elaborate further on her injuries. “I’m not going to release that information right now. I just can tell you she is suffering from trauma is how we’ll describe it, and she’s in critical condition. (The) child was unharmed, (and) no one else was injured.”

Police did not release any information about a possible suspect nor what may have led to the attack.