News – November 17, 2020

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council adopted the 2021 budget last night with one dissenting vote. The 17.2-million-dollar document includes a tax levy of $ $11.27-million dollars, up around $400-thousand dollars from the previous budget. The biggest impact on the levy was approval of a referendum earlier this month to fund six new firefighter-paramedics. The mill rate for next year is $9.46-per-one-thousand-dollars of assessed value, down 12-cents from the current budget. Equalized property values increased in Beaver Dam by six-percent (6%) to just over $1.3-billion dollars.

(Dodge County) Wisconsin health officials are reporting 4,389 positive coronavirus cases in Monday’s daily update. There are 70,205 active cases in the state, an increase of 611 from Sunday. State health officials recorded 12 deaths, bringing that total to 2,649. Dodge County has 53 deaths and 116 new cases among its 2,039 active cases.

(Waupun) A Dodge County prison saw a large jump in coronavirus cases, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Over the last week, Fox Lake Correctional had an increase of 343 positive cases among inmates and currently has 360 active cases while 31 have recovered. Dodge Correctional has 135 active cases among inmates while nearby Waupun Correctional has 54.

(Fountain Prairie) A Cambria man was arrested over the weekend for seventh offense OWI. Columbia County authorities were dispatched to a crash on Highway 146 in the Township of Fountain Prairie just after 9pm Saturday. The vehicle’s driver, reportedly identified as 62-year-old Ronald Jensen, was arrested following treatment of minor injuries at a local hospital. Deputies say he appeared intoxicated at the scene.

(Juneau) A Beaver Dam man who failed to return to the Dodge County Detention Facility from a preapproved appointment was sentenced yesterday (Monday) to 65 days in jail with work release privileges and also placed on probation for three years. Brayden Kohlstedt was scheduled to return from a visit to the hospital in Beaver Dam last October but never returned. An emergency contact said a relative picked the 21-year-old up from the ER.

(Wisconsin) Wisconsin’s vote count is due to the state’s Elections Commission today. This is the next step toward finalizing the winner of Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes for president. Counties spent last week canvassing their ballots. The Wisconsin Elections Commission will take the votes from here. The commission has until December 1st to certify the election. Tuesday is also important, because it starts the clock for a potential recount. The Trump campaign has said it wants Wisconsin’s ballots counted again. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has put a price tag on any potential recount at almost 8-million dollars. -WRN

(Wisconsin) A lawsuit that sought to toss out all votes cast in Milwaukee, Dane and Menominee Counties has been withdrawn. That lawsuit was filed last week by three voters who claimed that voter fraud caused their own ballots to be ‘diluted’. It made claims that absentee voting was rampant with abuse, and was one of several similar lawsuits filed in several battleground states. No evidence was ever provided to back up the claims made in the lawsuits. -WRN

(Wisconsin) Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response is back before the state Supreme Court. The case was brought by Jeré Fabick, president of Caterpillar equipment dealer Fabick Cat, a Republican donor and policy adviser at the conservative Heartland Institute. Fabick’s attorney said Monday that Governor Tony Evers’ repeated executive orders are invalid because his emergency powers have expired. The court’s liberals noted the legislature has failed to take any action on the pandemic for the past seven months. If the conservative majority rules in Fabicks’ favor, Evers and Republican legislative leaders would have to cooperate on a coronavirus strategy, which has not happened so far. The justices heard arguments virtually and are expected to issue a decision soon. -WRN

(Wisconsin) Hospitals fighting the coronavirus need plasma from people who survived it. Wisconsin hospitals are critically short of plasma from recovered coronavirus patients. That plasma helps in treatment. Doctor Thomas Abshire is with the Versiti Blood Center. He says the demand for plasma is outpacing the supply by two-to-one. Versiti is asking anyone who has beaten the virus to donate plasma right away. -WRN