Midwest
Wisconsin school shooting by first-semester student lasted 8 minutes: official
More details are emerging about the 15-year-old girl who police say killed a teacher and teen student in a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday, with school officials revealing she was in her first semester at the school and that the terrifying attack lasted eight minutes.
Police say Natalie Rupnow opened fire inside a study hall inside Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) just before 11 a.m., killing a fellow student and a teacher, while six people were injured, including two students with life-threatening injuries. A motive for the slayings is unknown, with Rupnow taking her own life during the incident.
Barbara Wiers, the school’s director for elementary and communications, said Rupnow was a new student at the school and that teachers had no significant concerns about her.
MADISON, WISCONSIN, SCHOOL SHOOTING SUSPECT WAS IN CONTACT WITH MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING HIS OWN ATTACK: REPORT
Wiers added that the attack lasted eight minutes — shorter than the school’s regular snack break. She said the community’s faith and connection to one another has sustained them as they struggle with the possibility that the shooter’s motive might remain undetermined.
The 15-year-old girl who police say killed a teacher and teen student in a shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin was in her first semester at the school and the attack lasted eight minutes, school officials say. Dan Beazley, left, standing with a homemade cross he brought from Michigan for victims of the shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave, left, AP Photo/Morry Gash, right. )
Police say they received a 911 call at 10:57 a.m., and the first law enforcement officer entered the building at 11 a.m.
“Are we broken right now? Yes. Are we bruised and battered? Yes,” Wiers told The Associated Press. “But we will laugh again, and He will turn our mourning into joy again. And we will go on.”
The news comes amid revelations that Rupnow was in contact with a 20-year-old man in California, whom authorities say was plotting a mass shooting with her.
The Carlsbad man, according to a restraining order obtained by the AP, told FBI agents that he had been messaging Rupnow about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order does not say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also does not detail his interactions with Rupnow.
Police in Madison say that discovering a motive for the killings is still a top priority and that there is nothing to suggest the suspect’s gender played a factor.
(Rubi Patricia Vergara, left, and teacher Erin M. West.)
SCHOOL SHOOTER’S MOM JENNIFER CRUMBLEY HAD ‘TAINTED’ TRIAL, ATTORNEYS SAY IN REQUEST TO TOSS CONVICTION
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooter’s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Wednesday.
Police say they are aware of a document and possible images of the shooter being shared online but cannot verify its authenticity, nor can they confirm any social media accounts potentially belonging to the student due to the ongoing investigation.
“Every child, every person in that building is a victim and will be a victim forever. We need to figure out and try to piece together what exactly happened,” Barnes said on Tuesday. “We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we’ll do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible.”
The shooter brought two guns to the school, and it is unclear how she obtained the weapons. Only one gun, however, was allegedly used by Rupnow.
Rupnow’s deceased victims, 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin M. West, will be laid to rest over the coming days.
Vergara’s funeral is set for Saturday at City Church, which is adjacent to the school, and West’s funeral is Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, where she was a member, according to obituaries published Wednesday and Thursday.
Vergara was a freshman at ALCS, according to her obituary.
“She was an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band. She shared a special bond with her beloved pets, Ginger (cat) and Coco (dog),” the obituary reads.
West leaves behind a husband and three daughters. She worked at the school for the last four years. The first three of those were as a substitute teacher before she accepted a staff position as the sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher.
Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Four of the six who were injured have been discharged from the hospital, officials said. The two students with life-threatening injuries remain hospitalized.
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“Erin enjoyed family camping trips, attending school sporting events, serving at Doxa Church, and spending time with her daughters and the rest of her family,” her obituary reads.
“ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West,” the school said in a statement.
“She served our teachers and students with grace, humor, wisdom, and — most importantly — with the love of Jesus,” the school said. “Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family.”
Fox News’ Stepheny Price, Greg Wehner, Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Detroit, MI
Would Detroit Lions Salary Cap Be Wrecked If Terrion Arnold Gets Cut?
The Detroit Lions are facing a significant dilemma regarding a player selected in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Cornerback Terrion Arnold is facing multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged robbery and kidnapping plot in Florida.
When drafted, the former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back signed a four-year, $14,343,710 contract. The agreement included a $7,251,788 signing bonus and an average salary of $3,585,928 annually.
So at this point, Arnold has been paid more than half of his contract.
This year, Arnold was set to earn a base salary of $1,273,974, which included a roster bonus of $825,000. His cap hit is $3,911,921 this year and has dead cap hit of $9,127,816.
If the Lions decide to cut the 23-year-old, they would be on the hook for dead cap costs, but could in the future recoup monies based on the league’s conduct policy.
According to Spotrac, “Lions Terrion Arnold has 2-years, $4.8 M (guaranteed) remaining on his rookie contract, plus a potential 5th-year option for the 2028 season. Any suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s conduct polict would void the guarantees.”
In the short term, cutting Arnold is not significantly beneficial. The organization could save money in the future depending on if his decisions are deemed to have breech the clauses in his first NFL contract.
Detroit has options at the cornerback position if Arnold is no longer a part of the organization. Nick Whiteside, Rock Ya-Sin, Keith Abney and Ennis Rakestraw are all in the mix to earn playing time opposite of veteran D.J. Reed.
“It’s just the depth. Like, you’ve got guys that have played in games and that’s what you want. It’s not like you’re guessing on what you’re getting. You know what you’re going to get from those guys and so another year in the system, another year competing, he’s (Whiteside) going to be better,” said defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend. “And just that’s the thing about the NFL, you got to have guys who go out there and compete and he’s another one that’s capable of playing and it’s going to push everybody else in the room.”
Currently, the team has $19,338,873 (17th) available in cap space, based on the top-51 players on the roster.
#Lions CB Terrion Arnold has 2-years, $4.8M (guaranteed) remaining on his rookie contract, plus a potential 5th-year option for the 2028 season.
Any suspension stemming from a violation of the league’s conduct policy would void the guarantees.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 25, 2026
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Milwaukee, WI
Preparing for move, museum has already packed more than 600,000 items
Sneak peek inside the new Milwaukee Public Museum under construction
See inside the new Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, the future successor to the Milwaukee Public Museum, under construction on Nov. 20, 2025.
The Milwaukee Public Museum has now packed 600,000 items from its collection of 4 million as the staff prepares to move them into their new home: The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin at 1310 N. 6th St.
The staff could still be working through 2027 to move the remaining items, said Collections Move Project Manager Sara Podejko on June 24.
“We will continue packing here even after the future museum opens,” Podejko said.
According to the museum’s June report to the County Board’s committee on parks and culture, construction continues to move along on track, and the new site is expected to open mid-way through 2027.
About half of the total collection has already been inventoried, a painstaking process that has given the museum the opportunity to streamline its electronic storage system.
“There’s been a lot of work ongoing in the collections departments prior to digitize their material, but not everything was. And so, a real upside to this move is that we are able to not only inventory, but barcode all of our specimens,” Podejko said.
That barcode allows collection move technicians to easily input items into an inventory spreadsheet and immediately relocate them.
“It kind of eliminates some human error, which is really important when you’re dealing with four million things,” Podejko said.
Twenty-nine staff members are facilitating the move, including the technicians who were hired and trained specifically to move the artifacts.
“Every time they pack an object, they first assess it for its condition, weaknesses, areas of stability, and then they adapt the pack to that object itself,” Podejko said.
Many of the technicians are also recent graduates and early professionals looking to break into the museum collections scene.
“Collections can be difficult to get into and a job like this kind of gives them (a) foot in the door,” Podejko said.
The public museum’s current facility has continued to face structural challenges amid the move. In January, a passenger elevator failed and was out of service for two months. The only elevator was a small one for wheelchairs, which led to wait times as long as 30 minutes. During that time, an escalator was also taken out of service for repairs.
The museum’s 350-ton water-cooled chiller is also close to failure and needs bearing replacement to keep it functioning throughout the summer.
Minneapolis, MN
MN weather: Pleasant Thursday before major heat arrives
Sunshine and comfortable temperatures return Thursday before a weekend warm-up sends highs into the 90s. Heat index values could reach the triple digits early next week. FOX 9 meteorologist Jared Piepenburg has the forecast.
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