Wisconsin
Microsoft has shelled out $76 million for a pumpkin farm in Wisconsin
Microsoft is buying up acres of land in Wisconsin for a new campus of data centers.
The tech giant’s latest addition is a stretch of 407 acres it bought from the Creuziger family earlier this month for about $76 million, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
The property itself is valued at just under $600,000, and the Creuziger family used it for farming, and also operated a pumpkin farm attraction on it called the “Land of the Giants Pumpkin Farm,” according to the outlet.
And Microsoft’s payout is a major win for the family. The deal was more than three times the amount the local government had offered the Creuziger family back in 2017, as part of an agreement with iPhone maker Foxconn, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. While the family wasn’t opposed to selling the land at the time, they were hoping to fetch a higher price for it, according to the outlet.
With regards to the recent sale, the family “wishes the village and Microsoft well, and they would appreciate people respecting their privacy,” David Barnes, the local attorney who represented the Creuziger family, told the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has also struck land deals with local county and municipal governments, and has accrued close to two square miles of land in the region for its data center developments, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported.
And the first $1 billion phase of construction covering around 215 acres is already underway, the outlet said. The company is expecting this first phase to create 200 jobs, but future construction could add an additional 460 jobs, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
As the AI arms race heats up, tech giants like Microsoft have been investing heavily into building out data centers, given the amount of computing power and energy required by AI technology. And rural regions of America, like parts of Wisconsin, are becoming a hotbed for new development.
Microsoft did not respond to BI’s request for a comment.
Wisconsin
Southeast Wisconsin weather: Snow wrapping up, breezes moving in
The snow is starting to sink south this morning bringing this impressive system to an end for some. There will be the chance for lake-effect snow showers right along the lakefront through this morning as colder air wraps in from the northeast, which could keep roads messy through the morning. Overall, the heaviest bands of snow set up over Dodge, Washington, and Ozaukee counties, where we expect some of the highest snowfall totals to come from as things come to a close.
Skies will start to clear as we get into the afternoon, but winds will pick up as well as the low-pressure system departs. Winds will gust as high as 25 to 30 mph and temperatures will start to tumble this evening. Highs today will sit in the lower 30s falling into the lower teens tonight with wind chills in the single digits.
Things will be a little chilly on Saturday but not a bad day for some winter activities with highs in the mid-20s and a mix of sun and clouds. Expect low 30s on Sunday with mostly cloudy skies as we round out the weekend. A warm up then heads our way towards Christmas with a light mix of rain/snow Monday morning.
FRIDAY: Snow Ends, AM Lake-Effect Near Lake, Breezy & Clearing SkiesHigh: 34
Wind: N 10-20 G 30 mph
TONIGHT: Mostly Clear, Chilly (Wind Chill: Single Digits)
Low: 15
Wind: NNW 10-15 mph
SATURDAY: Partly Cloudy
High: 24
SUNDAY: Mostly Cloudy
High: 31
MONDAY: AM Mix Chance, Mostly Cloudy
High: 38
TUESDAY: Mostly Cloudy
High: 38
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Wisconsin
Teacher from Kennesaw killed in Wisconsin school shooting
Erin West, 42, graduated in 2005 with a degree in early childhood education. She was one of the people who died in a school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin
Funerals set for teacher and student killed in Wisconsin school shooting
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Funerals have been set for the student and teacher who were shot and killed by at 15-year-old at a religious school in Wisconsin, while police on Thursday pursued their investigation into the motive.
Abundant Life Christian School student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison and teacher Erin West, 42, of DeForest were killed in the attack Monday. Police say student Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow killed herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Two other students who were shot remained hospitalized Thursday in critical condition.
Vergara’s funeral was 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.
West had worked at the school for four years and is the mother of three daughters, according to her obituary. She enjoyed camping with family, attending school sporting events, serving at Doxa Church and spending time with her daughters and the rest of her family, the obituary said.
“ALCS is a better school for the work of Erin West,” the school said in a statement.
West worked three years as a substitute teacher before accepting a staff position as the sub coordinator and in-building substitute teacher, according to the 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.”
Vergara was a freshman at the school and “an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,” according to her obituary.
The school described her as gentle and loving.
“Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school,” the school said. “She was not only a good friend, but a great big sister. Often seen with a book in hand, she had a gift for art and music.”
Attempts to obtain comment from relatives of West and Vergara have been unsuccessful.
The shooter brought two guns to the school. A man in California told authorities he had been messaging her about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives, according to a restraining order issued against him Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law. The order required the 20-year-old Carlsbad man to turn his guns and ammunition in to police within 48 hours, but it’s unclear Thursday whether he complied, would be charged or was in custody.
The order didn’t say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also didn’t detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.
A spokesperson for the Carlsbad Police Department said federal authorities were leading the investigation and “we do not believe there is a threat to our city.”
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 on Wednesday.
Police don’t know if anyone was targeted or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said.
While Rupnow had two handguns, Barnes said he does not know how she obtained them and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.
No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow’s parents might be charged, but they have been cooperating, Barnes said.
Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow. They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school of about 420 students that offers prekindergarten classes through high school.
Adam Rostad, who lives near Madison, went to ALCS from kindergarten through high school. His grandfather was pastor of the church that helped establish the school and his mother and aunt both worked there.
Rostad said Thursday that even though he graduated about 20 years ago and doesn’t even consider himself a “church person” any longer, ALCS is family.
He has collected a list of about 440 people who are eager to either cook meals or buy gift cards for those affected, and is coordinating with the school and church to make sure that’s the best way to help.
“Bullets don’t really care what your faith is, or if you have one,” Rostad said. “They really don’t.”
___
Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis and Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this report.
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