(Columbus) The Hillside Cemetery in Columbus will come alive this Halloween as actors and volunteers from the Columbus Area Historical Society and Museum present Shadows on the Hillside – Tombstone Tales. The single day event features guided tours of Columbus’s Hillside Cemetery, affording attendees the opportunity to learn more about the city’s past. Live reenactors will bring the past alive through stories of early settlers, their prosperity and challenges, and tales of politics, war, and typhus. During a recent WBEV’s Community Comment, Peter Kaland offered a sneak peek at some of the historical residents being highlighted. Shadows on the Hillside – Tombstone Tales will run from 9am till 2pm on October 31st with shows starting every 20 minutes. It is advised to purchase tickets in advance by calling 920-285-1953 although tickets will be available at the event.
(Waupun) Waupun Police are reminding residents that Main Street or State Highway 49 from Watertown Street to State Street will be closed Saturday from 1:30 to 4:30pm for the Halloween on Main event. The detour route from the east is traveling south on South Watertown Street to East Lincoln Street, heading west to West Lincoln Street, then north on South State Street to West Main Street. The route from the west is in reverse order. There may be no temporary parking posted on South State Street near West Main Street, South State Street near West Lincoln Street, and East Lincoln Street near South Watertown Street to accommodate traffic turning.
(Watertown) Watertown Regional Medical Center is celebrating 115 years of providing care to the people of Watertown and the surrounding communities. Originally located on Main Street in the building formerly known as the Schiffler residence, the hospital, then called Watertown – St. Mary’s, first opened its doors on October 1st, 1906. In 1914, a sisterhood took over control of the hospital from the physicians and decided to erect a new building adjacent from the original hospital. Building a facility during a Word War proved difficult, but the project was completed towards the end of 1918. The new addition featured equipment that was said to be in the best available at the time. The Watertown Hospital Association and the City of Watertown took control of the facilities in 1960 and changed the name to Watertown Memorial Hospital. After a decade of planning, a 120-bed hospital was created at its current location in the northeast part of the city just beyond the Highway 16 by-pass. After years of additions, including the most recent additions of Harvest Market and the state-of-the-art Emergency and OB Departments, Watertown Memorial Hospital joined forces with LifePoint Health in 2015 and became Watertown Regional Medical Center. The hospital has been tapped to join new health system ScionHealth at the end of the year.
(Beaver Dam) A ribbon cutting ceremony was recently held for Moraine Park Technical College – Beaver Dam Campus’ new Interdisciplinary Simulation Center. The space is a hands-on training lab health services for programs such as nursing, paramedic, and EMT. Dean of Health and Human Services Barb Jascor says their health area was designed to look just like a hospital wing, each room equipped with a different human patient simulator. She says these labs provide the opportunity for students to experience scenarios as close to real-life as possible while in the safety of a college classroom environment. In celebration of this new space, the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting as an official welcome to the Beaver Dam community and to bring awareness of the technology and resources students have to train in these healthcare fields.
(Fond du Lac) The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Fond du Lac County. The positive test was from the Town of Eldorado, within 10-miles of the Winnebago County border. As required by state law, the DNR will renew the baiting and feeding bans in Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties. A local landowner reported the deer, an adult doe, to the department in early October. The deer showed outward signs of disease and possible injury by car collision. This is the first wild deer detection in Fond du Lac County. To help slow the spread of CWD, the DNR enacts baiting and feeding bans in counties where deer have tested positive for CWD. Bait piles can encourage deer to congregate unnaturally around a shared food source where sick deer can spread CWD through direct contact with healthy deer or by leaving behind infectious prions in their saliva and urine. The DNR asks deer hunters within Fond du Lac and Winnebago Counties to assist with efforts to identify where CWD occurs. Those harvesting deer within 10 miles of the most recent positive are especially encouraged to have their harvested adult deer tested for CWD. Collecting CWD samples is essential for assessing where and to what extent CWD occurs in deer across the state.
(North Prairie) Governor Tony Evers has ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff today (Saturday) in honor of volunteer firefighter Gary E. Berg of North Prairie. Berg passed away on October 19th at the age of 54 after contracting COVID in the line of duty. He served the people of the Wisconsin and North Prairie for 36 years and was a husband, father, and grandfather. Evers says his he and his wife extend their deepest sympathies to Berg’s family and loved ones, the North Prairie Fire Department, and the North Prairie community during this incredibly difficult time.
(Milwaukee) Milwaukee County is on pace for a record-setting year for homicides. Milwaukee County is on-pace to see more homicides than ever before. So far, 167 people have been killed in the county this year. That’s ten more than last year’s record number. Authorities say 20 people were murdered in Milwaukee County in October alone. Police say they don’t have an explanation for the recent spike in killings. – WRN
(Racine) Wisconsin Elections Administrator Meghan Wolfe says she’s not resigning. The state Elections Commission held an emergency meeting Thursday night, and refuted allegations from the Racine County Sheriff. Christopher Schmaling claimed the commission broke the law when they kept special voting deputies out of nursing homes last year during the pandemic. Schmaling alleges staff at one facility in Racine County helped fill-out ballots for people who were unable to do it themselves. Commission chair Anne Jacobs said they did not break the law. Several Republican lawmakers want Wolfe to resign. Wolfe called the investigation “blatantly partisan and coordinated.” – WRN
