News – September 21, 2021

(Beaver Dam) Video from the Beaver Dam school board meeting on their YouTube page appears to show a physical altercation between two members of the audience during Monday night’s meeting. During public comments, Chris French warned the school board that if they did not reverse the district’s mask mandate “people are going to keep getting madder.” He was yelling the names and addresses of school board members when a man approached from behind and the video shows arms flailing. There was no discussion and no vote taken by the school board on the mask mandate…

(Beaver Dam) …Other public comments during last night’s school board meeting centered around parent choice, the efficacy of masks, and constitutional overreach. One parent said that the school board does not (quote) “get to usurp parental choice because [they] think something might help.” Another parent called the mask mandate (quote) “child abuse.” Superintendent Mark DiStefano did present several adjustments being considered for the district’s Return to Learn plan. They included improving distancing opportunities during times of congregation, as well as move masks requirements to recommended for students participating in intense physical activity.

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam School Board Member Tony Klatt says he has resigned due to safety concerns for his family. His decision comes in the wake of voting in favor of the district-wide mask mandate for students and staff. In a Facebook post, Klatt wrote the decision to put kids in masks is not a popularity contest, it’s based on facts on hand. He continues, saying that based on communications that he has received as a result, his family no longer feels safe. Klatt says that there were talks of protests outside his house, as well as a person who took a picture of his address while his daughter was home alone. He says he must do what is best for his family and their well-being.

(Beaver Dam) Fire has displaced all the residents of the UMOS Apartments at 1020 Madison Street in Beaver Dam. Crews responded yesterday around 1pm yesterday for a kitchen fire. Within seconds of making entry to unit five, crews were able knock down most of the fire in the kitchen and keep the flames contained, though neighboring units were damaged. All 12 apartments were determined to be uninhabitable due to the structural integrity of the building. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unattended cooking.

(Theresa) A Theresa man was sentenced to 32-and-a-half years in prison and was placed on extended supervision for 24 years yesterday for having inappropriate contact with a minor. Anthony Barron turned himself over to Dodge County authorities in December of 2019. The 36-year-old admitted to assaulting the teen victim in Dodge and Washington counties. At sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Yolanda Tienstra said the defendant violated the trust this victim should have been able to place in him. She said the gravity of these crimes is off the charts.

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council Monday night signed off on $4-million dollars in proposed borrowing for next year. The city has $6.6-million dollars in projects outlined in their 2022 Capital Improvements Plan, or CIP. In addition to the $4-million in borrowing, the projects will be paid with a combination of grants and Tax Increment Finance District revenues. The tax impact would be 15-cents per one thousand dollars of assessed value, the lowest it has been since 2017 and four pennies lower than the past two years. The council will vote on the CIP at their first meeting in October.

(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam city attorney is retiring. The last day on the job for Mary Ann Schacht is January 1, 2022. Mayor Becky Glewen told the city council Monday night that the process of finding her replacement will get underway immediately.

(Juneau) The Dodge County Board is holding a public hearing tonight on the new boundaries for county supervisor districts. The redistricting process for municipal, county, and congressional maps across the country was delayed and condensed following the late release of census data, which was hampered by covid. The county’s Redistricting Committee is recommending a Tentative Supervisory Plan which can be viewed at the Administration Building in Juneau and on the county website. Tonight’s public hearing will begin at 5:30pm on the first floor of the Administration Building.