Big Stories, Bigger Conversations: Wisconsin Shooting, Brain Rot, and Vikings’ Playoff Push

This week’s edition covers stories 
from December 12th to December 18th, 2024.
Today’s issue is 918 words, a 7-minute read.

Hey folks, Mateo here.

As the holidays approach and the cold settles in here in Minnesota, this week’s news reminds us of both the challenges and the joys we face as a community. We begin on a somber note, reflecting on the tragic school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, which has reignited urgent conversations about gun violence and its devastating toll. Yet, amid this heaviness, we also explore a lighter cultural moment—Oxford’s Word of the Year, “brain rot,” capturing our collective obsession with endless scrolling and its impact on our mental health. Finally, for Vikings fans, there’s plenty to cheer about as the team makes an unexpected push for the NFC North title, looking to prove doubters wrong.

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Wisconsin School Shooting: A Tragic Reminder of the Gun Violence Epidemic

This week, a devastating school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, claimed the lives of a teacher and a student, left six others wounded, and ended with the shooter, a 15-year-old girl, taking her own life. The incident occurred at Abundant Life Christian School, a private school serving pre-k through high school students. Authorities are investigating a number of potential factors, including bullying, writings left by the shooter, and her online activity, in hopes of uncovering a motive. While local officials praised the swift response of first responders–who arrived on the scene just three minutes after the initial 911 call–the tragedy has reignited conversations about gun violence in schools. The shooter reportedly used a 9mm pistol, a heartbreaking illustration of how firearms remain alarmingly available, even to those far too young to grasp their lethal potential.

This shooting is part of a horrifying trend. School shootings have become an all-too-common headline in America, with parents, teachers, and students now accustomed to lockdown drills designed to prepare them for unimaginable scenarios. Yet the trauma and loss persist, while meaningful legislative change remains out of reach. President Joe Biden and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers addressed the shooting, emphasizing the urgent need for stricter gun laws. Biden called for universal background checks, a national red flag law, and restrictions on certain firearms. However, such calls to action have repeatedly met resistance in Congress, leaving communities across the nation to grapple with devastating consequences of inaction.

In the wake of yet another school shooting, the larger issue of gun violence looms heavier than ever. With almost 1,000 school shootings reported in the US in 2024, the question remains: how many more lives must be lost before lawmakers take meaningful steps to protect the children?

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Digital Decay: How Brain Rot Defined 2024

As someone who has found myself doomscrolling deep into the night, I can confirm: brain rot is real. And apparently, I’m not alone–if you’ve caught yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or losing yourself in an endless spiral of updates you didn’t need, then guess what? You’re helping define the era that inspired Oxford University Press’s Word of the Year.

Defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state due to over-consumption of online content,” brain rot has officially entered the cultural chat. Use of the term skyrocketed by 230% between 2023 and 2024, a rise fueled by teens and adults alike scrolling their way into a foggy mental state, thanks to apps like TikTok, Instagram, and many more. Experts like Dr. Don Grant say social media has basically become a digital slot machine, hijacking our limbic systems and keeping us glued to screens for those little dopamine hits.

The consequences? Not great. Teens are struggling with memory, focus, and deep thinking, while rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm have soared since social media became a teenage rite of passage. Some countries, like Australia, are fighting back by banning social media for kids under 16. Still, experts warn that the problem runs deeper than screen time alone. And while we might joke about having brain rot when we can’t remember why we walked into a room, the rising tide of “doomscrolling” is making it harder for us to focus on anything. So, the next time you find yourself endlessly scrolling, consider this a reminder to put down the phone. Or at least doomscroll something less mind-numbing. Your brain will thank you later.

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From Underdogs to Contenders: Vikings Keep Pace in NFC North

As the NFL regular season approaches its final couple weeks, Vikings fans are feeling great about their chances of making a deep playoff run and potentially even winning the division. As a reminder, the NFC North is the most competitive division in football, with three of the four teams having at least 10 wins through Week 15. For months, the Detroit Lions looked like they would run away with the division, as an 11-game win streak fueled a strong 12-1 record, good enough to lead the conference. But throughout the season, the Vikings quietly tailed the Lions, and most importantly, kept winning.

After the Lions lost to the Bills last Sunday, the Vikings now hold the same record as the Lions, 12-2. While the Lions still lead the division as they beat the Vikings earlier this year, Minnesota is now in control of their own destiny, and have a much clearer path to taking the division crown: winning out. They need to win games against the Seahawks and Packers before a Week 18 game at Detroit that will likely decide the division. A thought-to-be transitional season has turned into a competitive sprint, full of surprises, and the Vikes are willing to do whatever it takes to be taken seriously. 

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Stay informed, stay connected. 

See you next week! 

–
Mateo and the NewPrensa team

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