News – June 9, 2020

(Beaver Dam) Dodge County health officials are refuting a New York Times article that lists Beaver Dam as a potential coronavirus hotspot. According to the newspaper, Beaver Dam’s daily growth rate is 13-percent, third in the country for highest average daily growth rate of cases. It also listed 246 recent cases for the city; which is actually the recent number for the county. Dodge County Human Services and Health Director Becky Bell says the recent cases do not recognize the 225 cases recently reported at Waupun Correctional. Bell says inmates are not out in the community, and the remaining 21 cases are within their capacity to track. She says that no one from the New York Times reached out to local officials for comment.

(Dodge County) Wisconsin health officials are reporting an increase of 203 cases of COVID-19 in yesterday’s (Monday’s) daily update. There are 21,038 people now having tested positive. Two-point-seven-percent (2.7%) of the 73-hundred tests administered came back positive Monday, compared to 2.3-percent Sunday and 2.7-percent Saturday. Health officials are reporting 646 deaths statewide. Dodge County has four deaths and 400 cases.

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam School Board last (Monday) night accepted a $131-thousand dollar bid on the sale of South Beaver Dam Elementary School. The minimum bid was set at $90-thousand dollars. The board approved a five-year facility plan last year that includes the closure of the rural school and its consolidation with Jefferson Elementary starting with this upcoming school year. Last night’s action sets in motion the process of selling the building to Mike Zimmerman, who is expected to take ownership in early September.

(Wisconsin) Wisconsin will avoid the brunt of continued closures of J C Penney stores, for now. Corporate officials with the retail chain say they’ll be closing 154 stores as part of a bankruptcy agreement, but the only Wisconsin store on that list is in Menomonee Falls. Numerous individual stores have closed over the past several years as the retailer has faced lower sales due to the rise of online shopping and lower mall traffic. J-C Penney filed for bankruptcy protection last month.

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Police say they would not use a knee to the throat to subdue a suspect. Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson says the tactics used by Minneapolis Police prior to the death of George Floyd were alarming and when he saw the video of the incident it scared him. He says police are not trained to place a knee on someone’s neck. Johnson adds that the events in Minneapolis make police look bad and affects how the community will view them. He says if law enforcement does not take this time to self-repair or address things that need changing, public trust could be lost.

(Juneau) The Dodge County Sheriff is highlighting an online resource that details law enforcement officer training, policies and state laws. The Badger State Sheriff’s Association, Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Wisconsin Sheriff’s and Deputy Sheriffs Association have put together a document that covers how authorities train officers at the recruit level and beyond. Dale Schmidt says it is important to share this information with the community during the current debate surrounding law enforcement. A link to the document is available with this news story at DailyDodge.com.

(Madison) Legislative Republicans want the Governor’s office to increase security at the Capitol in the wake of continued protests. Fifteen Republicans signed on to a letter last week asking Governor Tony Evers to increase patrols to prevent vandalism on Capital Square. Last week, protesters vandalized the Forward statue and other monuments during rallies to remember victims of police violence. Republicans say they approve of peaceful protests but want to stop people from committing property damage during those protests.