News – August 27, 2020

(Kenosha) Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has identified the Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake last Sunday. Officer Rusten Sheskey has been with the department for 7 years. Officers responding to a call from Blake’s girlfriend attempted to arrest Blake, and deployed a Taser which was ineffective. Blake was leaning into the open door of his vehicle, and while holding Blake’s shirt Sheskey fired seven times into his back. A-G Kaul said Blake admitted to having a knife which was located in the vehicle. Kaul would not say whether officers were ever aware Blake had it. No other weapons were found. Kaul also would not say whether Sheskey has any prior disciplinary record. Blake remains hospitalized in Milwaukee. His family says he is paralyzed from the waist down. -WRN

(Kenosha) An Illinois teenager was arrested yesterday (Wednesday) for the murders of two people in Kenosha Tuesday night. Antioch, Illinois police announced the arrest of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a resident of the village located about 20 miles southwest of Kenosha, on a first-degree intentional homicide charge issued by Kenosha County. -WRN

(Kenosha) Governor Tony Evers has activated 500 more Wisconsin National Guard members for service in Kenosha. And President Trumps sending federal assistance. Evers is also working with other states to create more support for the National Guard and Wisconsin State Patrol. Night four of protests was smaller and mostly peaceful. Both police and the self-declared militia members who were present on Tuesday for the most part stayed away from protesters last night. Authorities in Madison say they made no arrests after another night of protests with a crowd of hundreds of people staying peaceful overnight. -WRN

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam police arrested an Indiana man following a high-speed chase yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Just after 12pm, a woman called 911 reporting that she had been followed by an unknown vehicle for several miles. When she approached the Beaver Dam Police Department, an officer attempted to stop the suspect driver but he sped away. A high-speed chase ensued and ended when the driver stopped just short of tire deflation devices. Charges of felony Fleeing and Resisting are being requested through the Dodge County District Attorney’s Office.

(Dodge County) Wisconsin health officials are reporting 768 positive coronavirus cases in Wednesday’s daily update, which is 7.4-percent of the 10,300 tests announced. There are 7,412 active cases in the state, an increase of 27 from Tuesday. State health officials recorded six deaths Wednesday, for a total of 1,100. Dodge County has five deaths on record and 1,057, an increase of 11 from Tuesday. County health officials are actively monitoring 180 people.

(Juneau) Volunteers are needed to help with the November elections. Many poll workers are retired, which places them in a vulnerable position during the pandemic. Dodge County Clerk Karen Gibson made the appeal to healthy people to give back to the community by signing up to be a poll worker, which is a paid position. Gibson asks those interested to reach out to their local municipal clerk.

(Madison) Voters will be able to deposit their absentee ballots in drop boxes in Milwaukee and Madison, then check an online portal the next day to make sure those ballots were received. Milwaukee election officials say they are installing 15 drop boxes.  That’s three times the number of drop boxes available in April.  Madison election officials are going to have 14 drop box locations around the city.  The aim is to shorten the time it takes to return absentee ballots.  State officials are expecting votes submitted by mail will set new records this November. -WRN

(Madison) The mother of two Madison private school students is challenging an order from Public Health Madison and Dane County, requiring classes for grades three-through-12 to be entirely online. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ordered the director of the public health agency to file a response by Friday at 4:00 p-m.  Order number nine went into effect Monday and it applied to all schools in the county.  The petition filed with the state Supreme Court argues such an order can’t be applied to private schools.  The children of Sara Lindsey James, the mother who filed the petition, are enrolled at Our Redeemer Lutheran School – which reopened with in-person classes last week. -WRN