News – July 6, 2021

(Columbus) A person was killed following a motorcycle crash in the Town of Columbus Sunday. The Columbia County dispatch center received a report of the accident on County Highway N near Bristol Road around 3:15pm. Life-saving measures were performed by EMS staff but the operator, identified as a Cottage Grove resident, was determined to be deceased at the scene. The 50-year-old was not wearing a helmet and alcohol may have been a factor but speed is not considered to be a cause of the crash.

(Watertown) The 21st annual Lights and Sirens event is set for tonight at Riverside Park in Watertown. The community safety fair teaches kids and adults injury prevention through education. It also allows the opportunity for the public to have personal interaction with their local safety professionals. There will be over 20 booths and displays for people to explore and over sixty emergency vehicles on hand. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office will also be on hand, displaying equipment and answering questions. Lights and Sirens gets underway at 6pm and goes until 8pm. The event draws an estimated 15-hundred people annually.

(Madison) State Representative Mark Born of Beaver Dam is calling on the Governor to get Wisconsin back to work. Born says all the good news surrounding the Assembly’s passage of the Republic-authored state budget last week, has overshowed Tony Evers’ vetoing legislation that would have ended federal unemployment payments of $300 dollars a week. Businesses have said the additional federal benefits are making it hard for them to fill open positions as the economy bounces back. Born says this veto shows Evers is out of touch with small business owners and the people who are working hard to keep the economy moving. Evers accused the Legislature of interfering and encroaching on his office’s authority to administer the unemployment insurance program in Wisconsin.

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council is expected to review the guidelines for downtown revitalization grants at their next meeting. The grants will all be approved by the new Downtown Redevelopment Committee, which met last week for the first time. There are two grants: a Building Improvement Grant, is a matching grant that awards up to $20-thousand dollars for façade improvements. The city also offers a New Downtown Business Recruitment Grant with a maximum award of $5000. The city council will have to approve the guidelines before any grants can be awarded. The city’s building inspector says there are currently ten pending applications.

(Wisconsin) Health officials say the Delta variant of COVID-19 is likely to become dominant in Wisconsin. Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the state’s chief medical officer, says the Delta Variant seems to spread from person-to-person more easily. He says that means less margin for error among those not yet vaccinated against COVID, which he adds is particularly effective against the Delta Variant. In Dodge County, just over 38-percent of the population is fully vaccinated while 40-percent have had at least one dose.

(Watertown) Watertown Regional Medical Center recently cut the ribbon on their newly renovated rehabilitation space. Called the Center for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, the space includes board-certified and fellowship orthopedic surgeons and rehab specialists. The center is located inside the medical office building attached to the hospital. Before construction of the new space, services such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy were offered at a clinic across town from the hospital. Contact information to schedule an appointment is available at DailyDodge.com.