LUTHER COLLEGE CAMPUS HISTORIC DISTRICT LUTHER COLLEGE CAMPUS HISTORIC DISTRICT
The historic district roughly matches the 32 acres on the upper campus selected by U. V. Koren in 1861. The district includes 34 buildings and nine objects, including sculptures and the 1933-36 stone Pioneer Memorial. The "contributing" buildings run from the 1867 Brandt Parsonage (a.k.a. Campus House) through the 1969 Preus Library. The campus has a notable collection of well-preserved midcentury modern buildings. Many campus buildings were designed by Charles Altfillisch, whose firm had the remarkable record of designing every major campus building between the 1926 Preus Gymnasium (destroyed by fire in 1961) through the mid-1960s Tower Dorms. The NRHP nomination also highlights the importance of the campus's naturalistic landscape that was reshaped by internationally-prominent designer Jens Jensen in 1911. Screenshot from City of Decorah Website

Authorities may have likely stopped a school shooting after arresting a student who made threats on his social media.

The Illinois college student, Peter Bumba, was arrested after he posted threats targeting Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The incident happened early on Monday morning, and law enforcement and campus security responded quickly to the situation.

According to KCCI, Bumba is a junior majoring in music education at Luther College and admitted to making the threatening posts, which referred to a violent anime series and suggested that he would harm a large number of the student body.

Investigation and Arrest

The Decorah Police Department became aware of the threat at 1:31 AM when Luther College Security reported the posts on Instagram. The language of the threats included mentions of killing "80% of the students at Luther."

Police took 20-year-old Bumba into custody after determining the credibility of the threat. Under questioning, he admitted to authoring and posting the threatening messages.

As a result, Bumba was charged with terroristic threats, a class D felony. After he was detained, he was put behind the cell bars at the Winneshiek County Jail. There was also an in-depth search of his room and his vehicle. Luckily enough, there were no weapons in his custody after the investigation.

Police confirmed that there is no immediate threat to Luther College or the community. The quick response of campus security and law enforcement has ensured that the situation did not escalate further. Authorities stated they are committed to providing a safe environment for Luther College students and staff.

School Shooting in the US

This year alone, as of the 2nd week of November, there have been 76 school shootings in the US. This data comprises 24 on college campuses and 52 on K-12 grounds, which unfortunately resulted in 36 deaths and over 100 injuries. CNN keeps track of these shootings using data from multiple sources, checking these reports against school and police records to ensure accuracy.

All shootings on school grounds, such as buildings, fields, and buses, are included if at least one person (other than the shooter) was injured. School shootings have surged since the pandemic, and 2022 was particularly deadly, with the Uvalde, Texas tragedy standing out.

Student and teacher activism has risen in response, though some teachers have quit over safety concerns. The highest rates of shootings have been reported in the Southern states since the year 2008. Washington, DC has the highest rate per capita, and Texas accounted for the greatest number of incidents overall. Five states, such as Vermont and Wyoming, reported no school shootings.

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