(Columbia County) Columbia County recorded their second COVID-19 death yesterday (Monday). Health Officer Susan Lorenz says they are deeply saddened by the loss of another one of their community members and their thoughts are with family and friends. To date, Columbia County has had 252 people test positive for coronavirus. Lorenz is strongly encouraging people to wear face coverings when around others and to practice physical distancing of at least six feet whenever possible. She says in doing so you are not only helping protect yourself but also your family, friends, neighbors and fellow community members. Columbia County health officials released their figures after the state health department’s 2pm update.
(Dodge County) Wisconsin health officials recorded no deaths in their Monday daily update. The state’s 998 deaths account for 1.6-percent of all cases in Wisconsin. State health officials reporting 507 positive coronavirus cases Monday, which is 6.2-percent of the 8,100 tests announced. There are 9,383 active cases in the state, a decrease of 127 from Sunday. Dodge County has five deaths on record and 835 cases, an increase of 16 from Sunday. County health officials are actively monitoring 193 people.
(Waupun) All of the inmates at Waupun Correctional who tested positive for coronavirus have recovered, according to new metrics on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections website. The facility has had 228 inmates with COVID-19, which is most in the state; over 200 of those cases were reported in early June. Waupun Correctional has had 24 employees test positive, also most in Wisconsin. At nearby Dodge Correctional, the prison has six active cases among inmates while 11 have recovered. Three employees at the facility have been confirmed to have coronavirus.
(Madison) Governor Tony Evers is urging the Trump administration and Congress to strike a deal on COVID-19 relief. President Trump issued a series of executive orders, including providing additional unemployment payments of $400 a week on top of what states are paying. That’s a drop from the $600 a week that those out of work had been receiving, and it’s contingent upon states agreeing to pick up $100 of the costs for the additional payments. Evers’ statement didn’t directly address whether the state would pick up its share. -WRN
(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School Board last (Monday) night approved a hybrid approach to student learning this fall. The district’s Return To School Plan will see students in early Kindergarten through sixth grade in school five days a week. Seventh through 12th graders would be in school for two days while having three days of virtual learning. Unless there are medical considerations, Superintendent Mark DiStefano says students and staff will be required to wear masks at all times, even if the statewide mandate is no longer in place. DiStefano says around 80-percent of parents have officially decided that their kids will be learning in-school while 20-percent have opted for the virtual option.
(Dodge County) There are contested races on today’s ballot in both congressional districts that cover the Dodge County-area. Scott Fitzgerald is facing Cliff DeTemple for the Fifth Congressional District seat being vacated by longtime Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. The top vote-getter advances to face Democrat Tom Palzewicz on the November ballot. In the Sixth Congressional District, incumbent Republican Glenn Grothman has three democrats seeking to unseat him: Matthew Boor, Michael Beardsley and Jessica King.
(Beaver Dam) There is a change in polling locations for some voters in Beaver Dam. Residents in the city’s Ward Two and Ward Six are casting ballots at the Watermark today (Tuesday) instead of their traditional location at the Faith Community Church on Stone Street. Wards Two and Six join five other wards that moved to the Watermark in April because of church closings during the pandemic. Those voters – in Wards Seven, Nine, 11, 12 and 13 – had cast ballots at First Lutheran Church. The Watermark is located 209 South Center Street. The polls are open from 7am until 8pm.
(Juneau) A Beaver Dam woman charged with having inappropriate relations with an inmate at the Dodge County Jail made her initial appearance in court yesterday. According to the criminal complaint, Tammy Clipps was a contracted kitchen worker at the jail for several months in 2019 and had sexual contact with an inmate multiple times. If convicted, the 52-year-old Clipps faces no more than 40 years in prison. A signature bond was set at $1,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 17th.
