News

As ballots began pouring in by mail after Wisconsin’s April 7 primary, local election officials became increasingly perplexed over which ones to count.

The state of Wisconsin’s increasing COVID-19 cases are starting to show themselves in local counts, as the area saw 50 new cases in the last week. Wisconsin’s total number of cases topped 200,000. According to the Department of Health, it took seven and a half months to reach 100,000 cases, and only 36 days to reach 200,000.

In the wake of a special meeting concerning a complaint filed against Black Earth Library Director Carolyn Schaffer, the facts remain unclear, but one thing is known for certain: Black Earth Village Administrator Shellie Benish did not lodge the complaint. Black Earth Village President Troy Esser confirmed this with the Star News.

As COVID -19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to climb in Sauk County, local public health officials are warning that area hospitals are nearing capacity.

“I’ve knocked on thousands of doors,” said Chase Binnie, the Republican running for Wisconsin’s 80th District Assembly seat. 

Incumbent US Representative Mark Pocan (D) will face off with Dr. Peter Theron (R) for the Wisconsin 2^nd Congressional District, a seat Pocan has held since 2013.

The Star News asked candidates vying for the 81st Assembly District of Wisconsin seat in the Tuesday, November 3, election the following questions. The responses of Republican David Dahlke and Democrat Dave Considine appear below. 

DAVID DAHLKE

REPUBICAN

The Sauk Prairie area has some of the lowest positive COVID-19 case totals in Sauk County. Even with the lowest case count in the County, local cases have still surged by at least 30 percent in the past month, an indication of just how the rest of county is doing.

This month, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi introduced his 2021 County Budget: Resilient, Resolved, Continued Commitment to Community. It works to address the impact of COVID-19 on Dane County residents and business, while continuing to prioritize human services, equity, renewable energy, conservation, and more.

The Mazomanie and Black Earth region have seen their COVID-19 cases double in the past two weeks, hitting 42 on Monday, October 12. For two and half months starting in July there were only 21 cases. The current count puts the cases per thousand figure at 8.7, equivalent to where Dane County was at in Mid-August.