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Dane County Board of Canvassers upholds ‘Democracy in the Park’ ballots

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The Dane County Board of Canvassers has rejected a request from the Trump campaign to throw out more than 17,000 absentee ballots from Madison.

Those ballots were turned in to poll workers who fanned out to more than 200 city parks on two consecutive weekends this fall. The “Democracy in the Park” effort aimed to assist voters worried about a slowdown with the U.S. Postal Service, or who didn’t have a witness available who could sign their ballot envelope.

Trump attorney Jim Troupis argued such events are not legal and those votes should be invalidated, according to the Journal Sentinel. The board denied the request on a 2-1 vote. Trump’s campaign could still bring a lawsuit to try to get a court to overturn the board’s decision.

Republican state legislators had earlier questioned the legality of Democracy In The Park, but never filed a legal challenge.

 

 

Wisconsin not flattening the curve on new COVID-19 infections

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Despite some encouraging trends, Wisconsin is not flattening the coronavirus curve, and as Thanksgiving approaches, hospitals and public health agencies are urging people to stay home, in order to decrease the spread of COVID-19.

And for the first time, Wisconsin reported more than 100 deaths from COVID-19 in a single day on Tuesday.

The state Department of Health Services on Tuesday reported 6,202 new cases and 104 deaths*, bringing the death toll to 3,115.

The average number of new daily cases over the last seven days — 5,732 — is down from 6,500 last Wednesday. Cases may be plateauing, but with Thanksgiving coming, the expectation is that asymptomatic carriers will gather and further spread the coronavirus.

“We are far from out of the woods, and people need to to double down. People need to continue what they’re doing, and do it more,” Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said. “Where we are in our seven day average . . . is still as high as New York City was this spring, when they were overwhelming their hospitals.”

The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, said positive cases are not climbing straight up, compared to where the state was a week ago.

“That being said, the level of transmission and the number of cases is critically high. So the easiest answer to the question ‘are we flattening the curve’ is ‘no.'” Westergaard explained, adding that there are still high rates of new infections from people who don’t know they’re infected.

“Most cases that are being transmitted are from people that haven’t yet been tested, haven’t yet been notified by contact tracer that they’ve been exposed, and that’s what makes it such a dangerous situation.”

On Monday, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients stood at 1,999, the first time since since November 8 that the number had dropped below 2,000.

*Daily reported death totals do not mean those deaths occurred in a single day, but are instead all deaths not previously reported.

 

Kaul lawsuit seeks to overturn portion of lame duck law

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Attorney General Josh has filed a lawsuit challenging parts of a Republican-authored law limiting his powers.

It was passed during a lame-duck legislative session two years ago, and the Democratic AG is targeting parts of the law requiring the state Department of Justice which he heads to get approval from the legislature’s finance committee before settling certain lawsuits.

“What we’re arguing is this case it that under our constitution’s separation of powers, those are core executive branch functions, and constitutionally it’s improper for the legislature to have a role in resolving those cases,” Kaul said Monday. “What that means is that our ability to get cases resolved that protect our environment, that protect consumers who were cheated by companies, or that save the taxpayers money by getting resolution for state agencies, those are harder to resolve now than they should be.”

This narrowly focused challenge comes four months after the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the lame-duck laws, which also restricted some of the authority of Governor Tony Evers.

COVID-19 hospitalizations drop below 2,000

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Monday’s COVID-19 numbers were trending a positive direction. The Wisconsin Hospitals Association reported 1999 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Monday, the first time since November 8, that Wisconsin’s hospitalization numbers have dipped below two-thousand. There were 438 patients in ICUs, and another 13 at the Alternate Care Facility at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.

The state Department of Health Services reported 3,095 new coronavirus cases on just over 12,000 tests. That’s the lowest number of new cases in over a month, and the daily positive test rate of about 25.8 percent is the first time since November 1st that that critical indicator has dropped below 30 percent.

DHS reported six COVID-19 deaths on Monday, bringing the total death toll to 3,011. Fewer cases and deaths are typically reported on Sundays and Mondays.

 

Sunday saw no new COVID-19 deaths for first time in more than a month

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State public health officials report the number of positive test results for COVID-19 was down Sunday — generally the lowest day of the week for new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. There were also no new deaths reported for the first time in more than a month.

The positive test rate was 23.5% out of nearly 15,000 tests processed.

Wisconsin hospitals say they are currently treating 1988 patients, including 428 in intensive care units. The number of patients hospitalized has fallen by nearly 300 since last Tuesday.

Saturday’s numbers from DHS included 6,224 new positive cases, 190 hospitalizations and 51 deaths.

 

Evers declares new public health emergency and face covering order to address continuing COVID-19 crisis

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As promised, Governor Tony Evers on Friday declared a new public health emergency in response to Wisconsin’s coronavirus crisis.

Evers noted that “hospitals are operating at or very near full capacity and healthcare providers are struggling to keep up with the demand for care.” He also issued a new statewide mask order. Both are effective immediately and will expire after 60 days — well into the New Year.

The governor’s actions came as the state Department of Health Services reports another 78 COVID-19 related deaths for Friday.

That brings the statewide toll since the start of the pandemic to 2,954. DHS reported 6,473 new confirmed cases and 190 people newly hospitalized. The 3-day average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has doubled in the past month.

More than 15,500 Wisconsinites have had to be hospitalized, up from just over 9500 a month ago.

Also on Friday, Evers met virtually with Republican legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and new Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu to discuss a pandemic response.

That meeting came after months of inaction by the Republican controlled legislature, and continued GOP supported legal efforts to block Evers’ actions. Both lawmakers and the governor released statements, saying the meeting was productive, but did not provide details on what, if anything, they are prepared to agree on.

 

Pocan urges hiring of additional contact tracers in Wisconsin

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A member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation is urging state officials in Madison to hire additional contact tracers, as public health agencies struggle to keep up with an explosion of new coronavirus cases in the state.

Second District Congressman Mark Pocan said Thursday that Wisconsin is in a dire situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, and that a lack of contact tracers has a lot to do with that.

“We have to do more on contact tracing, and we have to do more ten weeks ago, but I’ll take today,” Pocan said during a Zoom call with reporters. “They’ve been talking about it for weeks. That is weeks too late. We need to get this need to get this done, if we’re ever going to address the numbers we have in the state. Honestly we just need more urgency, period.”

Pocan’s comments came as Democratic Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders announced that they would meet for the first time in months, to discuss a pandemic response strategy.

The Democrat expressed frustration with those legislative leaders — and the Evers’ administration

“Governor Evers is one of the most decent people I know and have ever known in politics. I think there are people around him who are not doing him favors,” Pocan said. “I think that they are not accomplishing as much as they could, given how bad the legislature has been.”

The contact tracers’ job is to quickly notify close contacts of those who test positive, so that those people can quarantine and break the chain of transmission. Pocan himself quarantined after learning his mother tested positive for COVID-19. He tested negative last Friday and is to receive a second test Friday.

Evers and Republican legislative leaders to discuss coronavirus response

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Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders are meeting Friday, to discuss a coronavirus strategy. The virtual link up will be the first face to face discussion between the Democratic governor and Republican leadership in months.

With deaths, cases and hospitalizations continuing to climb, and Wisconsin Hospitals Association President Eric Borgerding urging them to take unified action, Evers will meet with incoming Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

READ: WHA letter to the governor and legislative leadership

“My hope is that we have every chance to sit down, find common ground,” Vos told WKOW 27 News on Thursday. “There are certainly things that he has proposed that we won’t support, and I’m sure he’ll feel the same way. But that’s the art of compromise.”

Vos said he agrees with the Hospitals Association that the state needs more COVID testing and contact tracers. Earlier this week, Evers sent the Republican leaders legislation to address COVID-19.

Average daily COVID-19 death rate exceeds 50 for first time

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The average daily number of COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin is now over 50. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 83 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to 2,876.

The average daily death count is now over 50 for the first time.

DHS reported 6,635 new cases and a daily positive test rate of about 34.5 percent. The seven-day positive test rate fell for a third straight day, to 33.1 percent.

The Wisconsin Hospitals Association reported 2,104 hospitalized patients with 427 in ICUs. While both those numbers were down from Thursday, the situation in Wisconsin hospitals remains critical.

 

Evers says he will extend mask mandate into New Year

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One day after Wisconsin saw the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, Governor Tony Evers has extended a State of Emergency, and reissued his original mask mandate.

“I’m announcing I’ll be declaring a new State of Emergency this week, and extending our public health emergency until January of next year,” Evers said Wednesday. “We will also be reissuing Emergency Order Number One, requiring face coverings in public places.”

Evers is also asking Republican legislative leaders to withdraw their support for a lawsuit that seeks to block the mask mandate. That suit is currently under consideration by the state Supreme Court.

“Republicans in the legislature support this effort. That’s why today I’m also once again calling on Republicans to withdraw their support for this lawsuit, and publicly support our new public health emergency, and face coverings order.”

Interim Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said hospitals are under increasing stress, as the coronavirus pandemic remains essentially unchecked in Wisconsin.

“Hospital staff are out sick, unable to come to work because they have tested positive for COVID-19, or because they are in quarantine. One-third of Wisconsin hospitals are reporting a current critical staffing shortage. Forty-one percent expect a critical staffing shortage within in a week.”

Palm said there are zero ICU beds available in one region of the state, and only nine available in another.

Palm said Wisconsin hospital staffs are doing “heroic work” amid the pandemic – and need our help.

“This is an emergency we cannot solve through health care workers and our hospital system. It is up to each of us to solve it by taking action to stop the spread in the first place. We owe it to these front line health care workers to stay home, and prevent further transmission of this virus.”