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Man stricken with ALS suspected of killing 2 women

By WTOP Staff

TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — When Andrew Steele retired as a sheriff’s deputy, his career cut short by the advance of ALS, he had no bigger cheerleader than his wife. Ashlee Steele spearheaded a drive to raise $75,000 for his medical care, and her Facebook feed is filled with the shrieks and laughter of the cold-water challenges the couple’s family and friends were eager to accept.

Now, Andrew Steele is a suspect in the killings of his wife and her sister, Kacee Tollefsbol, at the Steeles’ home in suburban Fitchburg, Wisconsin on Friday. Steele himself is being treated for an apparent suicide attempt that, police say, they never saw coming.

“Nobody closely aligned with Andy and his family expected something like this to occur,” Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney told The Associated Press on Monday. “We believe his diagnosis had an impact on the family but they were moving forward.”

Mahoney said Steele, 39, had been a deputy since November 1998. He had worked for the past several years in the county jail but resigned in June after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS attacks nerve cells and can lead to complete paralysis and death. The average life expectancy is two to five years after diagnosis.

Police said Ashlee Steele, 39, and Tollefsbol, 38, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, were shot.

It was unclear when prosecutors might charge Andrew Steele. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne didn’t immediately return a phone message Monday, and Fitchburg Police Lt. Todd Stetzer said he had no information to release on the case.

Before Friday, Mahoney said deputies had been talking with Steele about joining the family’s “Tough as Steele” effort to raise money for his medical care and other family expenses. The Steeles have two children while Tollefsbol was the mother of four.

“We’re trying to understand what could possibly have gone wrong and resulted in the death of two young women and the fact that there’s now six children without a mother,” Mahoney said.

Steele’s family started the “Tough as Steele — Taking Down ALS” campaign via the website GiveForward.com. The site said the loss of his income had been crushing to the family. As of Saturday, supporters had raised nearly $23,000 toward their $75,000 goal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The campaign appeared to have been removed from the site over the weekend.

Ashlee Steele’s Facebook page contains several videos of law enforcement colleagues and other friends taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in Steele’s honor. They include Madison Police Chief Mike Koval offering prayers and firefighters from three departments cheering as a ladder truck hoses them down.

“I never would have expected the type of reaching out people have done,” Andrew Steele told WMTV earlier this month. “People that have donated, people that I don’t even know very well, I haven’t seen or talked to in years. It’s hard to describe that.”

Ashlee Steele had taught 3-year-olds in the preschool at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in Fitchburg, staff coordinator Elsa Gumm said.

“She was very organized, just full of joy in general,” Gumm said. “She was so great at being hands-on with the kids. She just made kids and parents alike feel at ease.”

Gumm said she had never met Andrew Steele and couldn’t offer any insights into why he would have hurt his wife.

“That’s the big question in our minds as well,” she said. “What we keep turning to is we may not get answers to those questions, so we just cling to our hope in Jesus Christ.”

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Karnowski reported from Minneapolis.

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Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com/wsj

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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