Lantern Memorial Project: Since October 2013, Hope House has joined with other domestic violence programs around the state by implementing the Lantern Project. For our part in this statewide project, we added to the lamppost in front of Hope House a purple memorial wreath. We will turn on the light for a week every time there is a death related to domestic violence in Wisconsin. We will post information online about the person that was killed. If you drive by our building and see our lamppost on, please reflect on the deadly impact that domestic violence has on our communities.

Obituary: "Serenity Amethyst Rose, 11 months, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014. Serenity was born on Dec. 15, 2013, in Kenosha. She is the beautiful daughter of April Lampy. Serenity was a bright and smart child. She loved being around her family. Serenity was best known for her gorgeous eyes and beautiful hair.

Serenity is survived by her loving mom, April Lampy; her loving grandparents, Wendy K. (Daniel A.) Smith of Kenosha and Leroy Lampy of Ohio; her great grandparents, Robert (Victoria) Goins of Henderson, Nev., and Jerome (Regina) Kallenberger, her uncle Thomas "TJ" Lampy of Celina, Oh., her aunt Emilie Rose Lampy of Van Wert, Oh., her great uncles Paul Kallenberger of Celina, Oh., Todd Goins of Celina, Oh., and Andy Goins of Reno Nev., and her great aunts Bobbie Kay Goins of Coldwater, Oh., and Katie Collins of Celina. Serenity will be deeply missed by all her family.  She is preceded in death by her great grandma Jane Kallenberger and her great grandparents Mark and Sharon Lampy."

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News Story on NY Daily News: "A Wisconsin man who was repeatedly described by police as a 'monster' has been charged with first-degree murder in the ghastly killing of his 11-month-old daughter, authorities said.

Russell Lamar Rose Jr. repeatedly slammed little Serenity into a Kenosha sidewalk, at times raising his hands over his head, according to police.

Rose, 34, had gone on a seething rampage Tuesday while arguing with the child’s mother, police said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Officers were so repelled by what they found after answering an emergency call, the Kenosha Police Department posted the graphic criminal complaint on its Facebook page. First responders performed CPR on the battered and disfigured baby, but she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Her skull had been fractured several times.

Her mother told police Rose had choked her, kicked her down the stairs and tackled her as she tried to run away with the baby.

During the violent rampage, Rose screamed at her to shut up the crying child and threatened to kill them both, the woman told police.

'Do you want to live or die?' he shouted at her, she said. 'If you want to live, shut the f--- up.'

He screamed for Serenity to stop crying, saying she would be next, the mom said.

At some point, the mother was able to scoop up Serenity and bolt out the front door, the complaint said.

But Rose ran after her and knocked her to the ground, she said, and she tried 'not to fall on Serenity,' police said.

Rose jumped on top of the woman and began punching and choking her, the court document said.

A neighbor who heard screaming and a baby crying came out his home and confronted Rose.

The neighbor heard a 'thud' and the crying stopped, he told police, and as he ran toward Rose he heard two more thuds.

The man 'knew then that the thuds he heard were from the male slamming the baby on the ground,' the complaint says.

Rose managed to escape and ran into a nearby apartment. He told police he had a stick of dynamite. After setting the apartment on fire, he turned himself in to officers outside.

He was treated for non-life-threatening burns."

Lantern Memorial Project: Since October 2013, Hope House has joined with other domestic violence programs around the state by implementing the Lantern Project. For our part in this statewide project, we added to the lamppost in front of Hope House a purple memorial wreath. We will turn on the light for a week every time there is a death related to domestic violence in Wisconsin. We will post information online about the person that was killed. If you drive by our building and see our lamppost on, please reflect on the deadly impact that domestic violence has on our communities.

Obituary: "Dailey, Kairii E. Called to Heaven on January 23, 2015. Loving infant daughter of Alexia Dailey, granddaughter of Richard and Jolene Schlimgen (née Dailey), great-granddaughter of Patrick and Paula Dailey. Further survived by many aunts, uncles, and cousins."

Obituary: "Kucharczyk, Paul M. 'Little Bear' Was tragically taken from us too soon on Friday, January 23, 2015, age 39 years. Loving daddy of Shauna Kucharczyk and Sierra Gonzales. Beloved son of Susan (Thomas) Glembin and the late Michael Kucharczyk. Brother of Sherry (Roger) Zeniecki, Jason (Deanne) Glembin and Adam Glembin. Uncle of Zach Zeniecki. Also survived by other family and friends. Paul enjoyed fishing and fixing computers."

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News Story on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "After stabbing his ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and a family friend, Ruben Garcia kissed his baby daughter, apologized and then slit her throat, prosecutors say.

A criminal complaint against Garcia details a domestic violence rampage in which prosecutors say he flew into a rage when his former girlfriend did not take him back and fatally stabbed two people, including his daughter.

Garcia was charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 5-month-old Kairii Dailey and 39-year-old Paul M. Kucharczyk.

He also faces two counts of attempted homicide in the stabbing of 19-year-old Alexia Dailey — Kairii's mother and Garcia's ex-girlfriend — and Christopher Hamilton, 22, who was Dailey's current boyfriend.

Dailey called police about 8:30 a.m. Friday during the attack at a home in the 400 block of N. 39th St., police said. When officers arrived, they found Kairii dead in her crib and three other stabbing victims.

According to a criminal complaint:

Dailey told police she and Garcia broke up earlier this month because he was physically abusive, but Garcia was allowed to see their daughter, Kairii, who was born in August.

Thursday night and into Friday morning, Garcia called and texted her several times, upset over an online video of the woman's new boyfriend, Hamilton, playing with Kairii. He asked to see his daughter and came to the house Friday morning and asked Dailey to take him back.

Dailey refused and asked him to leave. Instead, Garcia lunged at her with a knife and stabbed her multiple times. Hamilton heard the commotion coming from the kitchen and tried to stop Garcia, who then began stabbing him. Hamilton told police he heard Garcia say, 'You ruined my life.'

The two struggled and Hamilton grabbed a knife to defend himself, but Garcia stabbed him several more times so he pretended to be dead to stop the attack. Hamilton told police his vision blurred and he thought he would die.

Kucharczyk, a family friend, also came to help and tried to stop Garcia, who stabbed him several times in the neck, killing him.

During the commotion, Dailey was able to run out of the kitchen, lock herself in a bathroom and call police.

Garcia began yelling he was going to kill Kairii, the complaint says. Dailey pleaded with him not to and offered to get back together with him.

Garcia kicked in the bathroom door, stood over her and again stabbed her in the neck. She remembered him saying, 'I lost you forever! If I can't have you, no one will! They are all dead!' She feared she would die.

Garcia tried to get her to stab him, but she refused, saying she didn't want to kill anyone.

Police say Garcia's version of events matched closely what the surviving victims told them. Garcia claimed he planned to flee the country with the baby after killing everyone else. When his ex-girlfriend refused to come out of the bathroom, he said he became further enraged, went to his daughter's crib and stabbed her.

Dailey told police she and Garcia met in 2010 and moved in together about two years ago. She said he was physically abusive during their relationship and she ended it earlier this month.

Online fundraising pages have been established to help pay for Kairii's funeral and her mother's medical bills, as well as for Hamilton's recovery and Kucharczyk's funeral expenses, and can be found on gofundme.com."

Lantern Memorial Project: Since October 2013, Hope House has joined with other domestic violence programs around the state by implementing the Lantern Project. For our part in this statewide project, we added to the lamppost in front of Hope House a purple memorial wreath. We will turn on the light for a week every time there is a death related to domestic violence in Wisconsin. We will post information online about the person that was killed. If you drive by our building and see our lamppost on, please reflect on the deadly impact that domestic violence has on our communities.

Obituaries are not available online at this time. If it becomes available, we will re-post it here.

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"A Holmen man confessed to striking his girlfriend in the head with a hammer before slicing her throat early Sunday while the couple’s two young children were inside the home, according to court records.

Prosecutors Tuesday charged Bryce Anderson, 29, with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of 28-year-old Kristen Johnson. He remains jailed in Jones County, Iowa, awaiting extradition to La Crosse County.

Authorities forced their way into the couple’s home at 2908 Cedar Ave. in Holmen on Monday after he made suicidal threats and 'comments about killing someone,' according to the complaint filed in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

They discovered a large pool of blood in a bedroom, along with a hammer and box cutter, and Johnson’s body in the back of a car parked in a garage. She was covered by a blanket and piece of carpet and had a belt wrapped around her neck.

Police found a letter in the house signed by Anderson stating that he confronted Johnson early Sunday about an affair. He tried to strangle her with a belt before she swung a hammer at him, according to the complaint.

Anderson then struck her with the hammer and cut her throat with the box cutter, the complaint stated. He took the couple’s two young children to Beloit, Wis., to see his mother and returned to Holmen.

A witness told police that he received photographs of Johnson’s body sent from her cellphone on Sunday, along with a message stating, 'This is what happens when you are a liar,' according to the complaint.

Anderson fled after the killing and called 911 in Jones County at 8:17 a.m. Tuesday after his car slid into a ditch near Onslow, according to the sheriff's department. He stayed on the phone with dispatchers while police drove to the scene and was arrested without incident.

Johnson ended their turbulent relationship last week and Anderson planned to move out of the house this week, said Harley Large, who described herself as a close friend to Johnson. 

'She wasn’t happy and neither was he,' Large said. 'But I would never have imagined him doing this to her.' 

Johnson was outgoing and had a passion to make others laugh, Large said. Her four children were the center of her world, she said.

'She touched a lot of people’s hearts,' Large said...Read this article in the LaCrosse Tribune

Welcome to the March 2015 edition of Hope House's Community Education E-bulletin!

February was Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

Sadly the potential severity of teen dating violence was made all too real last month when 17-year-old Dean Sutcliffe killed his ex-girlfriend's sister and mom's boyfriend in Mazomanie.  Please see the list of articles and resources below related to this case and other teen dating violence issues:

• Mazomanie Homicides Shine Light on Teen Dating Violence: NBC 15 interviewed Hope House's Community Education Program Manager for a segment on teen dating violence.  See related articles: DAIS Director Says Teen Dating Violence is Common and Mazomanie Teen Threatened to Kill Before Double Homicide
  
• Teen Dating Violence Happens in Our Community: Check out Hope House's letter to the editor on Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month
• [NY] State Starts Social Media Campaign Against Teen Dating Violence: Check out the 4-minute video featuring teens discussing warning signs of dating violence and encouraging bystanders to speak up.
  

Hope House Donation Needs
Monetary donations are most needed.  Individuals have the option of donating online.  Please note that a portion of your online donation will go towards PayPal fees.  Donations can be mailed to Hope House, P.O. Box 557, Baraboo, WI 53913. We also appreciate gas cards, gift cards (Walmart, Kwik Trip, Walgreens, Kohl’s), taxi vouchers from Baraboo Taxi, and used cell phones, iPods and iPads.  Please note that we are not accepting stuffed animals, clothes (except for sweatshirts and sweatpants), shoes, TVs, bar soap, hats, scarves or travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash. Current needs include

• Bathrooms: Toilet paper, Deodorant, Disposable razors, Small garbage cans with bags, Nail clippers, Toilet bowl cleaner, Cleaning supplies such as Lysol disinfecting spray and floor cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hairspray, Bleach, Bathroom rugs and bath mats
• Kitchen: Dishwasher soap, 13-Gallon garbage bags, Paper towels, Silverware, Brush for cleaning bottles, Fruit juice, Sip cups, Milk, Saran wrap, Aluminum foil
• Laundry: Power laundry detergent, Dryer sheets, Fabric softener sheets
• Clothing for Women and Kids: Winter boots, Socks, Women’s underwear, Medium-Large size pajamas, Sweatshirts and sweatpants
• Misc: Pack 'n Play, Baby wipes, Band-Aids, Diapers and pull-ups, Pocket-sized calendars, Strollers, Baby bottles, Umbrellas, Hangers, Weather radio, Journals, Exercise balls, Yoga/exercise DVDs, Relaxation CDs, Baby thermometer, CD players, Regular light bulbs, New twin bed sheets

Special Note about Travel-Size Items: We encourage those looking to donate travel-size items to donate them to the Backpack Project. The Backpack Project strives to provide Baraboo School District students who are financially challenged to enter the school doors on the first day ‘just like everyone else’ and to show these children the community supports and encourages them to learn and do their best. If interested in donating towards this project, please contact Becky Hovde at 608-963-8230 or hivebiz@centurytel.net.

Miscellaneous

• Facebook Rolling Out Suicide Prevention Tool: “Facebook worked with mental health organizations including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to ‘provide more resources, advice and support to people who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts and their concerned friends and family members.’  The company announced a new tool that allows users to report to Facebook if a friend has posted a threat to commit suicide. These reports will be reviewed by teams who can ‘send help.’ The poster in question may receive a private message from Facebook saying, ‘...a friend thinks you might be going through something difficult and asked us to look at your recent post.’ It will then direct the person to options to talk to a friend or helpline worker, or to get tips and support”…Read more
• 1 In 3 Women Has Been Sexually Harassed At Work, According To Survey: “A new survey found that one in three women between the ages of 18-34 has been sexually harassed at work. Cosmopolitan surveyed 2,235 full-time and part-time female employees and found that one in three women has experienced sexual harassment at work at some point their lives”…Read more and view the infographic
• Ravages of Revenge Porn Spur Federal Crime Push: "Started in 2012, the End Revenge Porn campaign has helped 11 state pass laws criminalizing revenge porn. Today 16 states have criminal remedies for revenge porn, with more in the works. Though advocates say federal law is also essential to combating this vicious online crime, which is boundary-less like the Internet"...Read more

Local News

• Krystal Schmidtke, 32, of Lodi, faces a felony charge of physical abuse of a child and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, stemming from allegations that she restrained and injured a 13-year-old child...Read more

• Justin Wagner, 27, of Wisconsin Dells, faces charges of first-degree attempted intentional homicide, strangulation and suffocation, misdemeanor battery, and disorderly conduct, all alleged to have stemmed from domestic abuse...Read more
• Shawn LaRush, 42, of Portage, charged with false imprisonment and disorderly conduct stemming from allegations that he held a woman against her will...Read more
• Matthew Elliot, 24, of Lodi, sentenced to six months in jail and to register as a sex offender for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl...Read more
• Patrick Kraemer, 46, of Wyocena, will go on trial for first-degree intentional homicide of Traci Rataczak, his girlfriend, in April of 2013…Read more
• Natalie Murphy, 22, of Necedah, charged with first-degree intentional homicide of Andrew Dammen of Mauston, the father of her daughter…Read more

Resources
Child Abuse and Children with Disabilities: Teachers College at Columbia University has created web resources that are specifically focused on preparing for and conducting interviews with children who have been abused who also have disabilities. To view these resources, click here.

OVC’s Victim Assistance Training (VAT) Online has added five new modules to its curriculum: sexual assault, LGBTQ populations, victims with substance abuse issues, financial crimes, and identity theft.  VAT training is free and high-quality. For more information, click here. 

Transgender Sexual Violence Project: Summary of Wisconsin Data: "The Transgender Sexual Violence Project, sponsored by FORGE (For Ourselves: Reworking Gender Expression), conducted a national survey on sexual violence within the transgender and SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies) community...We broadly define transgender to include a large population of people who do not strictly adhere to societally constructed gender norms and stereotypes." View the data here.

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb 22-28): The National Eating Disorders Association has created tools and resources to understand eating disorders and support individuals and families on the journey to recovery.  They have an information and referral helpline, lesson plans on digital media literacy, awareness materials, and toolkits for parents, educators, and coaches.  You might also be interested in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s online resource collection on sexual violence, trauma, and eating disorders, which you can view here.

Training Opportunity
Together for Children Conference: This conference will be held April 15-16 in Lake Geneva. Workshops include Teen Sexual Abuse: What Professionals Need to Know for Prevention and Response; Child Sexual Abuse in a Technological World: Implications for Investigation, Prosecutions and Victim Impact; A Collaborative Model for Reducing Truancy; Maximizing the Benefits of Team Building; Dangerous Homes? What injuries should make you worry about abuse after household 'accidents'; Promoting Resiliency in Young Children in Poverty who have Experienced Complex Trauma; and more. For more information and to register, visit www.preventchildabusewi.org. 

Faith Communities' Section
Save the Date: The next Faith Leaders for Healthy Relationships (FLHR) luncheon will be on April 28 on Spiritual Integrity - how to help individuals re-establish trust in themselves, others, and in a higher power when someone has broken that trust due to experiences of abuse, cheating, crossing boundaries, pastoral misconduct, or conflicts in the church. Thanks to everyone that participated in the last FLHR luncheon, Community Resources Panel, on January 21 at Trappers Turn Golf Club!

More Pastors Embrace Talk of Mental Ills: “Evangelical leaders are increasingly opening up about family suicides, their own clinical depression and the relief they have received from psychiatric medication…This month, a mental health advisory group appointed by Dr. Page offered a variety of proposals to help Southern Baptist congregants and their families with mental health challenges, the first time the church has addressed the subject in a direct and comprehensive manner. The proposals include providing churches with a database of Christian counselors and mental health providers, and offering more robust education about mental health in seminaries and at Christian colleges”…Read more

Parents' & Youth Service Providers' Section
Teaching Digital Citizenship: "In partnership with Disney's Club Penguin, NetSmartz is proud to announce that our latest resource, Teaching Digital Citizenship, is available today! This free, online training tool provides practical tips for leading class discussions and highlights NetSmartz resources ideal for teaching each topic. This program provides an in-depth review of how to teach digital literacy and ethics, inappropriate content, online sexual solicitation, online privacy, sexting, and cyberbullying."

Futures Without Violence’s How to Talk to Teens about Dating Violence: “Below you’ll find information and tools to help you talk to your kids about healthy relationships, guidelines on how to navigate their world of cell phones and social networking and how to talk to your kids about being an upstander vs. a bystander”…Read more

Miss Representation Curriculum 2.0: "Watch this video with a young person in your life and complete the accompanying activity. Next, imagine a whole library of videos like this one, inspiring media literacy and learning. In the curriculum, we've paired multiple, age-appropriate, short videos with easy to implement lessons for both in and out of school. If you want to keep spreading the love, get the Miss Representation Curriculum 2.0 for your local classroom or community group."

Putting Media to the Test: “Here at loveisrespect, we’re all about building and nurturing healthy relationships, but unfortunately the media is not always on the same page.  In honor of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we’ve decided to dissect some media and put it to the test. The Healthy Relationship test, that is! Below are the music videos for three chart-toppers from 2014 [Jealous by Nick Jonas, Blank Space by Taylor Swift, and Animals by Maroon 5]. To test them, we’re going to focus on both the lyrics and the imagery”…Check out the songs’ scorings

NO BULL Challenge: "A social action organization, NO BULL Challenge invites youth (ages 13 to 23) from around the world to take a stand against bullying and to promote digital responsibility, leadership, and social action through filmmaking and social media. To participate, create a short film, public service announcement (PSA) or vine. To learn more about how you can be a leader, make it all the way to the award show in Los Angeles, and win a scholarship and other prizes, go to www.nobullchallenge.org. Entry deadline: April 19, 2015."

School Experiences of Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Students in Wisconsin: "The purpose of this research is to systematically document the experiences of transgender (trans) and gender non-conforming (GNC) students in Wisconsin schools to fill in the knowledge gaps about their unique needs. Six themes are addressed in the report: learning environment, physical facilities, health and wellness, safety, institutional and social support, and acceptance and respect"...Read the report