News – August 23, 2021

(Dodge County) One person was killed and two people injured in a two vehicle crash last night in the Town of Trenton. Authorities say an SUV was eastbound on County C around 7:30pm.  A northbound car on Jersey Road failed to stop at the stop sign and collided with the SUV in the intersection. The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dodge County Medical Examiner.  A passenger in the car was transported by Flight for Life to UW Hospital Madison.  The driver and lone occupant of the SUV was transported to Waupun Hospital with injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

(Beaver Dam) The five-day Dodge County Fair wrapped up yesterday (Sunday) with the demolition derby, plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures. At DailyDodge.com, you can find a variety of videos from the fair including the bench dedication, the Meat Animal Sale, Junior Britches Showmanship, Supreme Showmanship, the Futurities Show, the Pig Pals Swine Spectacular and the Wood Carving Auction, along with an episode of Community Comment and the Cream Puff Eating Contest.

(Beaver Dam) Attendance numbers on the fairgrounds were on par with previous years. The Fair Association’s Sharon Keil (kile) says there were around 50-thousand people this year. She says the carnival midway had perhaps its busiest year ever and the guy at the fresh squeezed lemonade stand had to go to Milwaukee for lemons yesterday after clearing the shelves in Beaver Dam.

(Beaver Dam) 2021 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair Alexis Luetdke had the fastest time in all rounds of the Cream Puff Eating Contest, devouring her pastry in 44-seconds. Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt this year got past District Attorney Kurt Klomberg with a time of one-minute and one-second. Joann Lehman (lay-men) with Green Valley Enterprises won our Radiothon round while State Representative Mark Born of Beaver Dam ambled to a winning finish of one-minute-and-28 seconds in beating his colleagues in Madison and Washington DC.

(Beaver Dam) A special dedication took place at the Dodge County Fair in remembrance of a beloved 4-H leader. Dan Short is going to be remembered with an engraved bench at the south end of the Beef and Sheep Barn, of which he spearheaded construction, after the ribbon was cut before a large crowd. Colleague Dave Connor said most people did not realize that the money Short would make judging at county fairs would be donated back to each fair’s youth programs. Short’s family was also presented with a plaque in the Farm Progress Arena along with a close friend of his, and ours, John Moser.

(Juneau) Dodge County officials are highlighting a grant program that provides financial support to businesses that move into existing vacant commercial properties. The Main Street Bounceback Program is a $10,000 grant available to companies as well as non-profits moving into vacant properties in Wisconsin’s downtown and commercial corridors. Funds can be used to pay leases or mortgages, operational expenses and other business costs related to the newly opened location. New or existing businesses opening a new location or expanding operations as of January 1st, 2021, can apply for the grant. More information is at DailyDodge.com.

(Wisconsin) Wisconsin’s unemployment picture remains basically unchanged. The latest numbers show Wisconsin’s jobless rate held steady in July at 3.9-percent. That’s where Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has been for months. The numbers also show Wisconsin employers added about 12-thousand private-sector jobs in July. Thousands more jobs in Wisconsin remain unfilled. – WRN

(Wisconsin) The number of Wisconsin households receiving food assistance has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment in the FoodShare program in Wisconsin has risen 30-percent since 2019. Food stamp spending jumped 33-percent in the same two years, to well over a billion-dollars. Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services says more people are getting the maximum amount of benefits. In all, more than 792-thousand people are on FoodShare in Wisconsin. – WRN