Wisconsin
Wisconsin Lutheran’s Zens is Gatorade state player of the year
Mr Basketball Zavier Zens leads Wisconsin Lutheran back to state title
Wisconsin Lutheran coach Ryan Walz speaks on a late steal and dunk by Mr. Basketball Zavier Zens to help the Vikings advance to the state title game.
Wisconsin Lutheran senior Zavier Zens rounded out a week that already saw him named to the Naismith High School All-American list, receive the Mr. Basketball Award from the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and win a third consecutive WIAA state title with his Vikings teammates by being named the 2025-26 Gatorade Wisconsin boys basketball player of the year.
In a release from March 20, Gatorade announced Zens as Wisconsin Lutheran’s second Gatorade player of the year in the past three seasons, joining his first cousin, Kon Knueppel. The 6-foot-7 Northern Iowa commit averaged 23.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and shot 61.8% from the field, leading Wisconsin Lutheran’s second 30-0 season in the past three years.
In addition to his on-court impact, the Gatorade press release highlighted Zens’ community impact as a youth basketball coach, participation in community service through his church and a 3.38 weighted GPA in the classroom among the factors leading to his selection.
“Zavier is incredible,” Greendale coach Ryan Johnson said in the Gatorade release. “He has had an incredible season as the leader of not only the top-ranked team in the state, but one of the best teams in the country. He scores at all three levels, defends at a high level and is a true leader.”
Zens scored 21 points in a 68-61 WIAA Division 1 state semifinal win over Appleton North on March 20, before adding another team-best 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead a 57-37 win in the D1 state title game over Madison Memorial on March 21.
He finishes his career as the No. 3 career scorer in school history (1,611 points), No. 7 in career rebounds (463), No. 2 in career threes (154) and single-season points (703), while holding the school record for converted field goals in a season (282).
Gatorade player of the year recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in 12 sports, including: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross-country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, as well as boys and girls track and field. In total, 610 high school athletes are recognized each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports by a committee that leverages coaches, scouts, media and other sources to determine each sport’s winner.
Wisconsin
Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars
The Wisconsin stepmother from hell accused of abusing her 35-pound 14-year-old daughter by depriving her of food and water has entered a no-contest plea in the twisted case.
Melissa Goodman, 52, now faces up to 46 years in prison if she’s handed the maximum sentence for charges of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage and false imprisonment.
She’s set to be sentenced on July 1.
Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, has been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter.
Goodman’s daughter Savanna Goodman and her girlfriend Kayla Stemler were also charged over the alleged abuse, People reported.
The family is accused of locking the teen in a bedroom without a mattress, restricting her to only her room for years and depriving her of food and water, according to Wisconsin prosecutors.
The mobile home they lived in became a house of horrors for the teenager, who was mistaken for a 6-year-old when she was found by cops in August 2025 and rushed to the hospital.
Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill.
Responding officers found her weighing just 35 pounds; she was hospitalized with multi-organ dysfunction, including respiratory failure and pancreatitis.

From 2020 until August 2025, the victim, whose name is not disclosed because she is a minor, was allegedly isolated in a trailer on Hattie Lane, in Oneida, Wisconsin.
Extended family members were told she was away on vacation or with other relatives to explain her absence.
Wisconsin
‘Song Sung Blue’ subject Claire Sardina playing Wisconsin State Fair
When “Song Sung Blue” – the biopic about Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder – had a premiere at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee last December, star Hugh Jackman gave Claire Sardina (played in the film by Kate Hudson) an engraved bench honoring Lighting & Thunder to be installed at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
In August, Sardina will get to have a seat on that bench – and sing again on a State Fair stage.
Sardina will perform with tribute act So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience Aug. 9 at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater, the largest stage at the fair featuring free concerts with admission.
For Sardina, it will be a return to a place central to Lighting & Thunder. The band performed in the Milwaukee area from 1989 until Mike Sardina, aka Lightning, passed away in 2006. The State Fair was one of their favorite places to play, and the couple got married there in 1994.
The couple’s wild story – from a performance at a Pearl Jam Summerfest concert to major health issues – was the subject of the documentary “Song Sung Blue” that inspired the biopic, and earned Hudson an Oscar nomination for portraying Claire Sardina.
Fair officials May 8 revealed the full headliner lineup for the stage, which includes:
- Aug. 6: Sixteen Candles
- Aug. 7 and 8: Here Come The Mummies
- Aug. 10 and 11: Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- Aug. 12: Hairbangers Ball
- Aug. 13: Too Hype Crew
- Aug. 14: The Gufs
- Aug. 15: Let’s Sing Taylor – An Unofficial Live Tribute Show
- Aug. 16: Pat McCurdy
All Bank Five Nine Amphitheater concerts are included with fair admission.
The lineup is also nearly complete for the Bank Five Nine Main Stage, with just a show on Aug. 11 to be announced.
Tickets are on sale for these shows at wistatefair.com and include same-day fair admission:
- Aug. 6: Hairball
- Aug. 7: Nelly
- Aug. 8: Bailey Zimmerman with Chandler Walters
- Aug. 9: Wynonna Judd and Melissa Etheridge
- Aug. 10: For King + Country with Rachel Lampa
- Aug. 12: John Mulaney
- Aug. 13: The All-American Rejects with Joyce Manor
- Aug. 14: Lindsey Stirling with PVRIS
- Aug. 15: AJR with Em Beihold
- Aug. 16: The Beach Boys
Wisconsin
Wisconsin universities and schools impacted by Canvas data breach
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW/GRAY NEWS) – A ransomware group has claimed to have breached the learning management system Canvas, possibly exposing the personal information of students, teachers and staff across the country.
According to a statement from the Universities of Wisconsin website, they were notified of a nationwide security breach experienced by Instructure, the provider of Canvas. Universities of Wisconsin schools use the cloud-based management system.
UW-Stevens Point tells NewsChannel 7 they have not confirmed UWSP was involved in the breach, but did send communication that Canvas was down and students should not perform any asked actions if prompted, as it may not be legitimate while Canvas is down.
Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, posted on May 1 about a cybersecurity incident that had been reported and was under investigation.
The next day, Chief Information Security Officer Steve Proud wrote that the information involved in the attack included names, student ID numbers, messages between users and email addresses.
“At this time, we have found no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information were involved. If that changes, we will notify any impacted institutions,” he wrote.
The Wausau School District sent a letter to parents Wednesday regarding the cybersecurity incident. They said there is no evidence that passwords, single-sign-on credentials, financial information or social security numbers were impacted. They stressed that type of information is not stored in Canvas.
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