Newscast – November 5, 2020

(Wisconsin) Joe Biden appears to be the victor of Wisconsin’s presidential vote, but President Donald Trump and his campaign says they are going to request a recount. Governor Tony Evers says Trump is welcome to challenge the count, but it’s unlikely there will be a change. That margin is wider than the margin that President Trump won with in 2016, and in that election’s recount, only 131 votes changed. – WRN

(Wisconsin) State elections administrator Meagan Wolfe pushed back against any questioning of the integrity of the voting process in Wisconsin, particularly the notion that votes were somehow “added.” She says elections are a deliberate, meticulous process, where each of the state’s local election officials are conducting the process in a public setting. Wolfe says every piece of data is publicly available and so there’s no opportunity to add additional votes to the tally. –  WRN

(Dodge County) Wisconsin health officials are reporting 5,935 positive coronavirus cases in Wednesday’s daily update. There are 52,480 active cases in the state, an increase of 1,791 from Tuesday. State health officials recorded 54 deaths, bringing that total to 2,156. Dodge County has 36 deaths on record and 5,131 cases, an increase of 150 from Tuesday. County health officials are actively monitoring 1,319 people.

(Juneau) The weekly percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in Dodge County was near 50-percent, according to the latest update from the Dodge County Health Department. From October 26th through November 1st, county health officials say 47.4-percent of all tests administered were positive; the previous week it was 34.8-percent. Dodge County remains in phase one of its three phase Safe Restart Plan. Three metrics: the number of cases, hospital care and contact tracing are in the red; while testing and PPE are in the green.

(Wisconsin) The latest piece of Wisconsin’s coronavirus stimulus money is going to charities. Governor Evers is setting aside ten-million dollars for non-profit organizations which help with healthcare, housing, shelter, and adult education. Wisconsin got two-billion dollars in coronavirus stimulus money from Washington. Evers says most of it has already been earmarked or spent. – WRN

(Waupun) A former Waupun Correctional inmates accused of stabbing a correctional officer multiple times entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment hearing yesterday. Gregg Phillips allegedly used a shank to stab a prison guard 13 times on Christmas Eve and bit the wrist of a second corrections officer. During the attack, Phillips was allegedly overheard saying (quote) “It needed to be done. It didn’t matter who…it was just because he was a blue shirt” and that “a blue shirt needed to die.” The guard who was stabbed was treated at UW Hospital before being released the following day. If convicted, the 40-year-old faces an additional 75 years in prison.

(Beaver Dam) A Beaver Dam man convicted of his Eighth OWI offense was sentenced yesterday (Wednesday) to five years in prison. John Ludtke had a blood alcohol level of point-two-three-five when he was pulled over last month by Beaver Dam police. Due to Ludtke’s seven previous OWI convictions, he had a blood alcohol restriction of point-zero-two (.02). The 55-year-old was also placed on extended supervision for 5-years.

(Beaver Dam) A Milton teen made his initial appearance in court yesterday (Monday) on charges he ran from Dodge County deputies. Trenton Hines allegedly speed away from authorities after getting clocked speeding in the Town of Beaver Dam. A pursuit that lasted 12-miles ensued, reportedly reaching top speeds of 111-miles-per-hour. Hines stopped just short of spike strips on Highway 151. If convicted, the 17-year-old faces no more than three-and-a-half years in prison. A signature bond was set at $1,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 10th.