News – September 11, 2020

(Madison) Governor Tony Evers is ordering the US and Wisconsin flags to be flown at half-staff today in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Evers notes that on this 19th anniversary, we pay tribute to those who “lost their lives, the survivors and surviving family members and loved ones, and the first responders, volunteers, and other countless heroes who responded during a time of great need.”

(Juneau) Dodge County reported its seventh death from Coronavirus in yesterday’s daily update. That’s the second death in a week after not reporting any since mid-June. The county also reported 22 more cases from Wednesday to Thursday and is actively monitoring 189 community cases, 10 more than the previous report.

(Madison) Another 1,547 Wisconsin residents were confirmed to have Coronavirus yesterday. The Wisconsin Dept. Of Health Services says that’s 543 more confirmed cases than the average for the last 7 days. Just over 880 people were tested. About 10.5% of all cases recorded since March in the state are active right now. According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, 304 people are in state hospitals, which is 11 more than a week ago. The state also recorded 10 deaths for a total of 1,193.

(Juneau) According to a recent survey, 40% of Dodge County residents think the county should borrow $18-million dollars to redo an additional 51 miles of county roads. 672 county taxpayers responded to the survey which  will be used to make a recommendation to the county board in upcoming budget deliberations. Normally the county does 10 miles of improvements each year.  30% said they did not want any additional borrowing. 13% said they’d favor borrowing $6 million, just under 18% supported borrowing $12 million. The Finance Committee began work on the new budget yesterday.

(Juneau) Budget deliberations are underway in Dodge County. The finance committee began review of the 2021 document at their meeting yesterday (Thursday). Equalized property values saw a $3-million-dollar increase, coming in at roughly $7-billion-dollars. Early in the process, the document came in roughly $2.7-million-dollars over budget. That deficit has since been trimmed down to $960-thousand. Finance Committee Chair Dave Frohling says the plan is to use monies from the general fund to balance the budget. Frohling notes that the county will likely have to find other ways to balance future budgets because the usual yearend surplus that is used to replenish the Fund Balance may be less moving forward. No word yet on the tax impact which will depend largely on the amount of money borrowed for road maintenance.

(Juneau) The results are in from a survey that asked Dodge County taxpayers how much they would like to borrow to improve local roads. Just under 30-percent of 672 respondents said they would want to see the county perform ten miles of improvements annually which requires no additional borrowing beyond what the county already earmarks for roads. Around 13-percent said they would like the county to borrow $6-million dollars to fund an additional 17 miles of roadway. Nearly 18-percent of said they would want the county to borrow $12-million dollars to improve 17 additional miles. The highest response came in at 40-percent in support of the county spending $18-million to redo 51 additional miles. Survey results are being used to form a recommendation to the county board for the upcoming budget.

(Waupun) A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a Waupun man on drug trafficking charges. 43-year-old Ethan Massey is one of seven people accused of selling methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in the Sheboygan area. Five of the others named in the indictment are from Sheboygan, one is from Appleton.

(Juneau) There will be a silent parade tonight in Juneau in honor of those who lost their lives in the September 11th attacks. The parade begins on South Western Avenue and makes its way through the city on East Oak Grove and South Main streets before ending at the Juneau Fire Department on Cross Street.  Streetlights along the route will be turned off at 8pm. Emergency vehicles from agencies throughout the greater Dodge County area will display their lights but they will not use their sirens. Citizens are encouraged to line the streets with candles.

(Beaver Dam) On WBEV’s Community Comment this afternoon our guests are with the Beaver Dam Fire Department, who will join us to discuss the referendum on the November ballot seeking to fund six new positions. Community Comment airs weekdays on AM1430 WBEV beginning at 12:35pm.