Connect with us

Wisconsin

Wisconsin police chief overseeing school shooting probe named to Seattle job

Published

on

Wisconsin police chief overseeing school shooting probe named to Seattle job


Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes was named as the chief of police in Seattle on Friday, five days after he was thrust into the national spotlight because of a shooting at a religious school in Wisconsin that killed a teacher and student.

Barnes’ departure comes as Madison police are still in the early days of their investigation into what motivated 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow to open fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing teacher Erin West and 14-year-old freshman Rubi Patricia Vergara and critically wounding two other students. Rupnow then killed herself, authorities said.

In a statement announcing the decision, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said Barnes has demonstrated “impressive leadership capabilities” during the school shooting investigation.

Barnes was known to be a finalist for the Seattle job before the shooting. He has served as the chief of police in Wisconsin’s capital city since 2021. He also was a finalist to become chief of police in Chicago in 2023 and San Jose, California, in October.

Advertisement

Barnes did not mention the shooting in the statement from Harrell’s office. “My family and I are excited about the opportunity to integrate into Seattle’s vibrant community, known for its diversity, innovation and resilience,” Barnes said.

The Seattle mayor’s office office said Barnes was chosen over two other finalists, an assistant police chief in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a deputy chief in Los Angeles.

Harrell, Seattle’s mayor, reassigned former police Chief Adrian Diaz in May over allegations that Diaz discriminated against women and people of color. Diaz was fired this week after an investigation found he had an intimate relationship with a former television news anchor before he hired her as his chief of staff.

Barnes had long been rumored to be looking to leave the job in Madison, which has a population of about 280,000. Seven months into the position, he told the news outlet Isthmus that despite the rumors he was in the job “for the long haul.” Barnes’ three children and wife continued to live in Illinois, where he previously worked, while he rented an apartment in Madison, Isthmus reported.

Barnes has taken center stage responding to the school shooting with mixed results. His department initially reported that five people had been killed.

Advertisement

Two wounded students remained in critical condition Friday but were stable, UW Hospital said.

Barnes also said at a news conference that the first 911 call came from a second-grade student. A day later, Barnes said it had in fact come from a second-grade teacher.

Barnes has done many interviews with local and national media outlets this week, while defending not releasing more details about the shooter’s motivation or whether her parents may be charged, citing the ongoing investigation.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on Friday congratulated Barnes on his new job and praised his handling of the shooting.

“I’m grateful that the Madison Police Department responded to this unthinkable crisis with the utmost professionalism and compassion,” Rhodes-Conway said in her own statement.

Advertisement

Barnes is a former U.S. Marine who began his law enforcement career in 2000 with the Greensboro Police Department in North Carolina. He left to become deputy chief of police in Salisbury, North Carolina, from 2017 to 2020. He worked as the director of training and professional development with Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability starting in August 2020 before coming to Madison as chief in February 2021.



Source link

Wisconsin

Powerful storms move through SE Wisconsin

Published

on

Powerful storms move through SE Wisconsin


Severe storms move through southeast Wisconsin bringing damage and flooding.

Advertisement

Powerful storms move through SE Wisconsin

Severe storms move through southeast Wisconsin bringing damage and flooding.

Advertisement

>> FROM WEATHERWATCH 12. THIS IS A SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE. >> GOOD EVENING. AND WEATHERWATCH 12 CHIEF METEOROLOGIST MARK BADEN NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND NEW FLASH FLOOD WARNING TO TALK ABOUT HERE ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. SO WE STILL HAVE THIS LINE OF STORMS. THE NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS PRETTY MUCH ALL OF WANT TO STOP THIS AND TALK ABOUT THE WARNINGS THAT WE DO HAVE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW. TALK ABOUT THE LATEST WARNING. THAT’S THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WALWORTH COUNTY GOES ALL THE WAY UNTIL 9:00. THE STORMS ARE STILL OUT TO THE WEST. THAT’S GOING TO BRING WITH IT POSSIBLY SOME STRONGER WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THERE’S ALSO A NEW FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT CONTINUES UNTIL 11:00. I’M GOING TO ZOOM IN ON THIS AREA BECAUSE IT LOOKS A LITTLE IT’S KIND OF HARD TO FIND WHERE THIS IS. LET’S TAKE YOU BACK INTO SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN AND WE’LL BRING YOU BACK IN TO THIS AREA THAT WE ARE SEEING HERE. IT’S SO WE’VE GOT THIS LITTLE AREA AND THAT’S ON TOP OF THIS OTHER FLASH FLOOD WARNING. BUT THIS IS THE NEWEST ONE. THIS INCLUDES DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE. THIS INCLUDES WAUWATOSA AND WEST ALLIS, BROOKFIELD, ELM GROVE AND PEWAUKEE. WHY? BECAUSE WE KEEP GETTING THIS SAME RAIN OVER THE SAME PLACES, GETTING HIT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. ADD UP. WE’RE SEEING SOME FLOODING ISSUES. WE’VE HAD FLOODING ISSUES ALONG I-43 IN NORTHERN MILWAUKEE COUNTY. WE’VE HAD SOME FLOODING ISSUES IN MEQUON, AND I’M SURE WE’RE HAVING FLOODING ISSUES ALSO INTO PARTS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EXTENDING BACK INTO DODGE COUNTY, WHERE WE CONTINUE TO SEE THIS SAME AREA. THEN THE NEXT PART OF THIS STORM, AGAIN, THIS AREA HASN’T HAD ANY RAIN AT ALL. SO YOU’RE STILL PRIMED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE SEVERE WEATHER. THAT’S WHAT THIS NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS INTO PARTS OF WALWORTH COUNTY. AGAIN, THAT GOES UNTIL 9:00 TONIGHT. AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO SEE THIS HEAVY RAIN. WE NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO, AND THEN WE SHOULD START SEEING OURSELVES ON THE OTHER SIDE, AT LEAST OF THIS THREAT. BUT IT’S NOT DONE JUST YET. STAY WITH WEATHERWATCH 12. WE’LL CONTINUE TO HAVE UPDATES.

Advertisement

Powerful storms move through SE Wisconsin

Severe storms move through southeast Wisconsin bringing damage and flooding.

Updated: 8:15 PM CDT Apr 14, 2026

Editorial Standards

Advertisement

Severe storms move through southeast Wisconsin bringing damage and flooding.

Severe storms move through southeast Wisconsin bringing damage and flooding.

Advertisement

Advertisement

`;
}

function refreshWeatherIframe(containerId) {
var iframeId = ‘weather-iframe-‘ + containerId;
var iframe = document.getElementById(iframeId);
if (iframe && iframe.src) {
var originalSrc = iframe.src;
iframe.src = originalSrc + (originalSrc.indexOf(‘?’) > -1 ? ‘&’ : ‘?’) + ‘t=” + Date.now();
}
}

function initializeWeatherBox(container) {
var containerId = container.getAttribute(“data-container-id’);
var isWeatherBoxV2 = containerId === ‘home-weather-v2’;

function switchWeatherTab(tabName, clickedElement) {
container.querySelectorAll(‘[data-tab-id]’).forEach(function(tab) {
tab.classList.remove(‘open’);
tab.setAttribute(‘aria-selected’, ‘false’);
});

clickedElement.classList.add(‘open’);
clickedElement.setAttribute(‘aria-selected’, ‘true’);

Advertisement

container.querySelectorAll(‘[data-content-id]’).forEach(function(content) {
content.style.display = ‘none’;
content.setAttribute(‘hidden’, ‘true’);
});

var targetContent = container.querySelector(‘[data-content-id=”‘ + tabName + ‘”]’);
if (targetContent) {
targetContent.style.display = ‘block’;
targetContent.removeAttribute(‘hidden’);
}
}

function loadWeatherData() {
// If weather data is already being loaded, wait for it
if (window.weatherDataPromise) {
window.weatherDataPromise.then(function(data) {
if (data && data.data) {
var weatherContainer = container.closest(‘.weather-box-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
weatherContainer.style.display = ‘flex’;
updateCurrentWeather(data.data);
updateForecastTabs(data.data);
updateWeatherAlertsBar(data.data);
}
}
});
return;
}

var location = { zip: window.DEFAULT_ZIPCODE };

try {
var storedLocations = localStorage.getItem(‘hrst.zip.history’);
if (storedLocations) {
var locations = JSON.parse(storedLocations);
if (locations && locations.length > 0) {
location = locations[0];
}
}
} catch (e) {}

Advertisement

var apiUrl = (window.DEWY_HOSTNAME || ”) + ‘/api/v1/weather/full/’ + location.zip;

if (window.fetch) {
window.weatherDataPromise = fetch(apiUrl)
.then(function(response) { return response.json(); })
.then(function(data) {
if (data && data.data) {
var article = container.closest(‘.article–wrapper’);
var weatherContainer = container.closest(‘.weather-box-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
weatherContainer.style.display = ‘flex’;
updateCurrentWeather(data.data);
updateForecastTabs(data.data);
updateWeatherAlertsBar(data.data);
}
return data;
}
})
.catch(function(error) {
console.error(‘Error loading weather:’, error);
// Reset to unknown background on error
updateWeatherBackground(‘unknown’);
});
}
}

function updateWeatherAlertsBar(weatherData) {
var weatherWatchHeader = container.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-header’);
if (!weatherWatchHeader) return;

var weatherWatchText = weatherWatchHeader.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-text’);
var weatherWatchLink = weatherWatchHeader.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-link’);

if (weatherData.alerts_count > 0) {
weatherWatchHeader.className=”weather-watch-header has-alerts”;
if (weatherWatchText) {
weatherWatchText.textContent = `Weather Alerts (${weatherData.alerts_count})`;
}
if (weatherWatchLink) {
if (!weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-href’)) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘data-initial-href’, weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘href’));
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘data-initial-onclick’, weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘onclick’) || ”);
}
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘href’, “https://www.wisn.com/alerts”);
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘onclick’, “return handleWeatherLinkClick(event, ‘click_alerts’, ‘click’, ‘mobile-weather’, “https://www.wisn.com/alerts”);”);
}
} else {
weatherWatchHeader.className=”weather-watch-header”;
if (weatherWatchText) {
weatherWatchText.textContent = containerId === ‘home-weather-v2’ ? ‘Watch Latest Forecast’ : ‘Latest Forecast’;
}
if (weatherWatchLink) {
var initialHref = weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-href’);
var initialOnclick = weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-onclick’);
if (initialHref) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘href’, initialHref);
}
if (initialOnclick) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘onclick’, initialOnclick);
}
}
}
}

Advertisement

function updateCurrentWeather(weatherData) {
if (weatherData.current) {
var tempValue = weatherData.current.temp_f || ”;
var skyValue = weatherData.current.sky || ”;
var feelsLikeValue = weatherData.current.feels_like_f || weatherData.current.temp_f || ”;

var tempEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-temp-value’);
if (tempEl) {
tempEl.textContent = tempValue;
tempEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, tempValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit’);
}

var iconEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-icon’);
if (iconEl && weatherData.current.icon_name) {
iconEl.className=”weather-grid–current-icon weather-current-icon icon icon-weather-” + weatherData.current.icon_name;
}

var skyEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–sky’);
if (skyEl) {
skyEl.textContent = skyValue;
skyEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, ‘Current condition: ‘ + skyValue);
}

var feelsEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–feels’);
if (feelsEl) {
feelsEl.textContent = feelsLikeValue + ‘°F’;
feelsEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, feelsLikeValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit’);
}

Advertisement

var weatherContainer = container.querySelector(‘.weather-temp-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
var summary = ‘Current temperature ‘ + tempValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit, ‘ +
skyValue + ‘, feels like ‘ + feelsLikeValue + ‘ degrees’;
weatherContainer.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, summary);
}

updateWeatherBackground(weatherData.current.icon_name);
}
}

function updateWeatherBackground(iconName) {
try {
var bgPath = weatherImages.backgrounds[iconName] || weatherImages.backgrounds.unknown;
container.style.backgroundImage=”url(” + bgPath + ‘)’;
} catch (e) {
console.log(‘Error updating weather background:’, e);
}
}

function updateForecastTabs(weatherData) {
var visibleItems = isWeatherBoxV2 ? 6 : 5;

if (weatherData.hourly) {
var hourlyContainer = container.querySelector(‘.weather-hourly-forecast’);
if (hourlyContainer) {
var html=””;
var maxHours = Math.min(visibleItems, weatherData.hourly.length);

Advertisement

for (var i = 0; i 0 ? currentIndex – 1 : tabs.length – 1;
tabs[prevIndex].focus();
break;
case ‘ArrowRight’:
e.preventDefault();
var nextIndex = currentIndex

`;
}

function refreshWeatherIframe(containerId) {
var iframeId = ‘weather-iframe-‘ + containerId;
var iframe = document.getElementById(iframeId);
if (iframe && iframe.src) {
var originalSrc = iframe.src;
iframe.src = originalSrc + (originalSrc.indexOf(‘?’) > -1 ? ‘&’ : ‘?’) + ‘t=” + Date.now();
}
}

function initializeWeatherBox(container) {
var containerId = container.getAttribute(“data-container-id’);
var isWeatherBoxV2 = containerId === ‘home-weather-v2’;

function switchWeatherTab(tabName, clickedElement) {
container.querySelectorAll(‘[data-tab-id]’).forEach(function(tab) {
tab.classList.remove(‘open’);
tab.setAttribute(‘aria-selected’, ‘false’);
});

Advertisement

clickedElement.classList.add(‘open’);
clickedElement.setAttribute(‘aria-selected’, ‘true’);

container.querySelectorAll(‘[data-content-id]’).forEach(function(content) {
content.style.display = ‘none’;
content.setAttribute(‘hidden’, ‘true’);
});

var targetContent = container.querySelector(‘[data-content-id=”‘ + tabName + ‘”]’);
if (targetContent) {
targetContent.style.display = ‘block’;
targetContent.removeAttribute(‘hidden’);
}
}

function loadWeatherData() {
// If weather data is already being loaded, wait for it
if (window.weatherDataPromise) {
window.weatherDataPromise.then(function(data) {
if (data && data.data) {
var weatherContainer = container.closest(‘.weather-box-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
weatherContainer.style.display = ‘flex’;
updateCurrentWeather(data.data);
updateForecastTabs(data.data);
updateWeatherAlertsBar(data.data);
}
}
});
return;
}

var location = { zip: window.DEFAULT_ZIPCODE };

Advertisement

try {
var storedLocations = localStorage.getItem(‘hrst.zip.history’);
if (storedLocations) {
var locations = JSON.parse(storedLocations);
if (locations && locations.length > 0) {
location = locations[0];
}
}
} catch (e) {}

var apiUrl = (window.DEWY_HOSTNAME || ”) + ‘/api/v1/weather/full/’ + location.zip;

if (window.fetch) {
window.weatherDataPromise = fetch(apiUrl)
.then(function(response) { return response.json(); })
.then(function(data) {
if (data && data.data) {
var article = container.closest(‘.article–wrapper’);
var weatherContainer = container.closest(‘.weather-box-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
weatherContainer.style.display = ‘flex’;
updateCurrentWeather(data.data);
updateForecastTabs(data.data);
updateWeatherAlertsBar(data.data);
}
return data;
}
})
.catch(function(error) {
console.error(‘Error loading weather:’, error);
// Reset to unknown background on error
updateWeatherBackground(‘unknown’);
});
}
}

function updateWeatherAlertsBar(weatherData) {
var weatherWatchHeader = container.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-header’);
if (!weatherWatchHeader) return;

var weatherWatchText = weatherWatchHeader.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-text’);
var weatherWatchLink = weatherWatchHeader.querySelector(‘.weather-watch-link’);

Advertisement

if (weatherData.alerts_count > 0) {
weatherWatchHeader.className=”weather-watch-header has-alerts”;
if (weatherWatchText) {
weatherWatchText.textContent = `Weather Alerts (${weatherData.alerts_count})`;
}
if (weatherWatchLink) {
if (!weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-href’)) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘data-initial-href’, weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘href’));
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘data-initial-onclick’, weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘onclick’) || ”);
}
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘href’, “https://www.wisn.com/alerts”);
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘onclick’, “return handleWeatherLinkClick(event, ‘click_alerts’, ‘click’, ‘sidelist-weather’, “https://www.wisn.com/alerts”);”);
}
} else {
weatherWatchHeader.className=”weather-watch-header”;
if (weatherWatchText) {
weatherWatchText.textContent = containerId === ‘home-weather-v2’ ? ‘Watch Latest Forecast’ : ‘Latest Forecast’;
}
if (weatherWatchLink) {
var initialHref = weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-href’);
var initialOnclick = weatherWatchLink.getAttribute(‘data-initial-onclick’);
if (initialHref) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘href’, initialHref);
}
if (initialOnclick) {
weatherWatchLink.setAttribute(‘onclick’, initialOnclick);
}
}
}
}

function updateCurrentWeather(weatherData) {
if (weatherData.current) {
var tempValue = weatherData.current.temp_f || ”;
var skyValue = weatherData.current.sky || ”;
var feelsLikeValue = weatherData.current.feels_like_f || weatherData.current.temp_f || ”;

var tempEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-temp-value’);
if (tempEl) {
tempEl.textContent = tempValue;
tempEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, tempValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit’);
}

var iconEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–current-icon’);
if (iconEl && weatherData.current.icon_name) {
iconEl.className=”weather-grid–current-icon weather-current-icon icon icon-weather-” + weatherData.current.icon_name;
}

var skyEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–sky’);
if (skyEl) {
skyEl.textContent = skyValue;
skyEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, ‘Current condition: ‘ + skyValue);
}

Advertisement

var feelsEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–feels’);
if (feelsEl) {
feelsEl.textContent = feelsLikeValue + ‘°F’;
feelsEl.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, feelsLikeValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit’);
}

var weatherContainer = container.querySelector(‘.weather-temp-container’);
if (weatherContainer) {
var summary = ‘Current temperature ‘ + tempValue + ‘ degrees Fahrenheit, ‘ +
skyValue + ‘, feels like ‘ + feelsLikeValue + ‘ degrees’;
weatherContainer.setAttribute(‘aria-label’, summary);
}

updateWeatherBackground(weatherData.current.icon_name);
}
}

function updateWeatherBackground(iconName) {
try {
var bgPath = weatherImages.backgrounds[iconName] || weatherImages.backgrounds.unknown;
container.style.backgroundImage=”url(” + bgPath + ‘)’;
} catch (e) {
console.log(‘Error updating weather background:’, e);
}
}

function updateForecastTabs(weatherData) {
var visibleItems = isWeatherBoxV2 ? 6 : 5;

Advertisement

if (weatherData.hourly) {
var hourlyContainer = container.querySelector(‘.weather-hourly-forecast’);
if (hourlyContainer) {
var html=””;
var maxHours = Math.min(visibleItems, weatherData.hourly.length);

for (var i = 0; i 0 ? currentIndex – 1 : tabs.length – 1;
tabs[prevIndex].focus();
break;
case ‘ArrowRight’:
e.preventDefault();
var nextIndex = currentIndex

Loading more articles…



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Wisconsin

A tornado touched down in Taylor County on April 13, NWS confirms

Published

on

A tornado touched down in Taylor County on April 13, NWS confirms


play

The National Weather Service station in La Crosse confirmed a tornado touched down in Gilman, a town in Taylor County, Monday evening, April 13.

La Crosse station meteorologist Alex Ferguson said they have not received any potential damage reports yet, but are working with local authorities in the Taylor County to confirm more details about the tornado.

Advertisement

Speed and severity are usually calculated after the fact based on potential damages, Ferguson said.

There is an enhanced risk of further severe thunderstorms in southwest and east central Wisconsin Tuesday evening, April 14, according to the NWS.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Wisconsin

Texas man charged for producing child pornography using 3 juveniles from Wisconsin

Published

on

Texas man charged for producing child pornography using 3 juveniles from Wisconsin


(WLUK) — A Texas man is accused of sex crimes involving Wisconsin minors.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted 21-year-old Axis Williams from Aransas Pass, Texas, on two counts of production of child pornography.

Court records indicate Williams connected online with three juveniles, all from the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He allegedly coerced the trio to engage in sexually explicit conduct, record it and send him the videos.

Comment with Bubbles
Advertisement

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

If convicted of either charge, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years behind bars.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending