News briefs

Tribune News Service on Dec 17, 2024

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Some details released about Madison school shooting suspect Natalie Rupnow

The investigation into a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday that left three dead, including the suspect, continued Tuesday.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday the shooting was reported to 911 by a second grade teacher. Previously, he had said a second grade student called 911. Officers, including some who were doing active-shooter training nearby, responded within minutes.

Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student at the school, was identified as the suspect late Monday. Barnes said she died on the way to the hospital from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Another student and a teacher were also killed. Two students remained in critical condition Tuesday while three other students and a teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The victims have not been identified.

—New York Daily News

Pardon? Commutation? What's the difference?

WASHINGTON — After pardoning his son Hunter, President Joe Biden, in the biggest one-day grant of clemency ever, granted pardons last week to another 39 individuals and commuted the sentences of 1,499 more, including Gregory J. Podlucky, former CEO of Latrobe beverage maker Le-Nature's Inc.

Clemency is an umbrella term that refers to the acts of pardoning people for crimes or commuting their sentences. The power derives from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, which says the president "shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment."

A pardon erases a crime and usually is issued after a person is convicted of wrongdoing and completes his or her sentence. It restores all rights of citizenship, such as the right to vote, sit on a jury or run for office. It could remove barriers to obtaining housing or getting a job. The president can only grant pardons to those convicted in federal court, D.C. superior court, or a military court-martial.

The president also has the power to commute sentences. Commutation doesn't erase the crime itself but reduces the punishment for someone convicted, including prison time or any fines.

—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Holiday stress can lead Alzheimer’s patients and those with dementia to go missing

ATLANTA — Holidays are a time for families and friends to gather, but for older people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, it can cause so much stress and confusion that they could be in danger of what experts calls wandering.

“I would say around the holiday time is the biggest challenge for people with dementia,” said Kim Franklin, senior manager of programs and services at the Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Schedules are changing, people are traveling, families are coming together and friends are coming over. There’s a lot of chaos going on and that can cause a person to wander. They want to get away. It’s hard for them to process what’s happening.”

The Alzheimer’s Association reports 72% of dementia patients who wander are found alive by the next day. Alerting 911 as soon as the person goes missing is critical. The odds of survival decrease as more time passes.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Trump’s Ukraine envoy traveling to Kyiv, open to Moscow visit

President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia plans to visit Kyiv next month and would be open to meetings in Moscow if invited, as the incoming administration seeks to end the nearly three-year war.

Keith Kellogg, a retired general who served in national security roles in the first Trump administration, also plans to travel to London, Paris and Rome, according to a person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified discussing the plans, which have not been finalized.

Kellogg’s potential openness to travel to Moscow after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration would be an extraordinary step for a U.S. official amid the raft of sanctions against Russia since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The trip will be focused on gathering information rather than implementing any specific policy goal, the person added.

—Bloomberg News