(Wisconsin) Four of the court’s five conservative justices sided with Republican legislators. The decision against the order will require Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm and Evers to instead use the rulemaking process to manage the state’s pandemic response going forward. It’s unclear what immediate impact this ruling will have. The state is already on track to reopen under Evers’ Badger Bounce Back plan, and Safer at Home expires in less than two weeks, on May 26.
(Dodge County) Wisconsin saw an increase of 291 cases in Wednesday’s daily update with a total of 10,902 people now having tested positive. State public health officials say there were three more deaths reported bringing the statewide total to 421. Dodge County had four new coronavirus case announced, bringing the total to 79 with one death on record. Green Lake County now has ten cases.
(Wisconsin) Most of the thousands of people in Wisconsin who tested for the coronavirus Monday tested negative. 96-percent of people who got tests Monday do not have the coronavirus. The Department of Health Services reports more than 47-hundred negative results, compared to only 193 positives. Monday was the fifth straight day that the coronavirus count in Wisconsin has gone down. Since the outbreak began, more than 112-thousand people in Wisconsin have tested negative for COVID-19.
(Wisconsin) The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has released the names of nursing homes and long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 investigations. The move is in keeping with federal guidelines, and similar action by other states. DHS on Wednesday reported 38 Wisconsin nursing homes under investigation for COVID-19. A single case of a resident or staff testing positive leads to a facility-wide public health investigation. According to DHS, facilities are proactively informing residents, family members, and local and state health departments about positive cases. The list of facilities will be updated weekly on Wednesday.
(Beaver Dam) The jury trial of a Beaver Dam man accused of murdering his ex-wife will be rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During a motion hearing yesterday (Wednesday), the court determined it would not be feasible to keep the current trial start date of June 1st for Ulisses Medina Espinosa. No new date has been set because presiding Judge Steven Bauer will leave his Branch 4 seat at the end of July and a new judge will be selected to oversee the case. Once that happens, a new trial start date will be added to the court calendar. Thirty-two-year-old Medina Espinosa is facing a felony charge of First Degree Intentional Homicide in the death of Stacia Hollinshead of Sycamore, Illinois. Hollinshead was shot to death last March inside a home on East Third Street in Beaver Dam.
(Beaver Dam) A Beaver Dam man was found guilty yesterday (Wednesday) of punching and head-butting an officer earlier this year. Beaver Dam Police attempted to take Eric Henson into custody on Domestic Disorderly Conduct charges out of Poynette on January 12. The 33-year-old later apologized telling authorities that he remembers nothing of the incident and noted that he has PTSD. The officer sustained cuts and abrasions. A pre-sentencing investigation was ordered and Henson is due back in court on July 27th.
(Juneau) The Dodge County Sheriff is recognizing the challenges overcome by police officers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week is National Police Week where the law enforcement community is honored for their commitment to safety and protecting the public. Sheriff Dale Schmidt says this year has been a true reminder of the kind of sacrifice deputies make in order to help keep the community safe. He says he is proud of the way they handled these current events and is confident they will continue to protect Dodge County regardless of the challenges that lie ahead.
(Beaver Dam) A detached garage was damaged by fire last (Wednesday) night in Beaver Dam. The blaze was reported around 9:15pm at 148 Prospect Avenue. The caller told dispatch that they thought they had put out the fire but then saw flames coming from the back of the one-car garage. We will have more information has it becomes available.
(Dodge County) This year’s wildfire season in Wisconsin will likely last longer than average. Fire season typically runs from the time snow cover melts to when vegetation “greens up.” But continued cooler temperatures are slowing down vegetation growth, and as of last weekend a majority of counties had high or very high fire risk. The fire danger in Dodge County is low while in neighboring Fond du Lac and Green Lake County the danger is considered very high. The Wisconsin DNR has reported a total of 327 wildfires.
