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Weekend sees Wisconsin surpass 75,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases

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The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in Wisconsin increased from Friday through Sunday.

The  Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported Sunday that 537 – or 10.5% – of 5,099 COVID-19 tests were returned as positive on Sunday.

That follows 819 confirmed cases and a positive test rate of 9.4% percent on Saturday, and 843 cases with a 9.1% positive test rate on Friday.

Nine additional deaths reported over the weekend brought that total to 1,122. Also Sunday, the state passed 75,000 confirmed cases. The number of currently hospitalized patients on Sunday was to 268, with 90 in intensive care.

State Supreme Court rules for Republicans in Lame Duck Law challenge

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has once again ruled in favor of Republicans in the legislature, in a series of lawsuits challenging the Lame Duck Laws. The ruling is being praised by majority leaders in both chambers.

In an opinion issued on Thursday, the court upheld laws passed by Republicans in 2018 that limit some of the powers of the Governor’s office.

One of those laws prevents the governor and the attorney general’s office from leaving federal lawsuits that the state has joined. That law was enacted to keep Governor Tony Evers from dropping out of a number of controversial lawsuits the state was involved in during the Walker administration.

“We had a race for governor in 2018. I won. Unfortunately, things got off on the wrong foot because Republicans immediately passed a law overriding the will of the people and the election, and they’ve been sour grapes ever since,” Evers said on Twitter.

The court also upheld a measure that requires the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee to sign off on lawsuit settlements for the state. That law has led to a protracted standoff between Republicans and Attorney General Josh Kaul on just how the JFC will be allowed to be read in on confidential cases.

Among many provisions, the ruling requires that Attorney General Kaul send settlements to the Joint Committee on Finance for review, according to a statement from Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for the Legislature and all Wisconsinites who want to hold government accountable. A rogue attorney general can no longer unilaterally settle away laws already on the books and unelected bureaucrats can’t expand their powers beyond what the people have given them through their representatives.”

“In grasping at power after the 2018 elections, legislative Republicans demonstrated open hostility to outcomes chosen by Wisconsin voters and made it more difficult for state government to function effectively,” said AG Kaul in a statement. “Today’s decision leaves for another day a ruling on whether most applications of two provisions undermining the authority of the Office of Attorney General are constitutional, but the ultimate result is inevitable: those provisions will be found to be unconstitutional in nearly all of their applications.”

“Our state’s founders established co-equal branches of government in Wisconsin,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in a statement. “This ruling reaffirms that each branch is equal to the other. This idea runs counter to what the governor and attorney general seem to believe. They deem the executive branch is the most important one and should unilaterally rule over the state.”

Climate change task force seeks public input

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Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes ​

A state task force on climate change is seeking public input. The Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change will host virtual listening sessions this summer. The goal is to come up with policy recommendations ahead of the next state budget.

The sessions will include presentations on the climate crisis, and a chance for the public to share comments and recommendations. Written commentary may be submitted via the task force’s website.

Find a list of the listening sessions and more information at ClimateChange.wi.gov. The task force was formed in October 2019, with Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes ​as chair.

GOP leaders criticize Evers’ plan to reopen Wisconsin’s economy

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Republican legislative leaders, who’ve been critical of Governor Tony Evers’ decision to extended his statewide “Safer at Home” order,  are also not happy with his “Badger Bounceback” plan to eventually reopen Wisconsin, once COVID-19 is contained.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald on Monday criticized the plan, saying it’s a one size fits all approach to handling the response across Wisconsin, and that the rural parts of Wisconsin didn’t need the same strictness as Dane and Milwaukee Counties.

They also claim that Ever’s approach isn’t following the CDC guidelines. Evers says his plan mirrors the one laid out by President Trump in his plan to reopen America.

Results in tied Wisconsin Rapids city council race will stand after recount

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Election officials in Wisconsin Rapids have completed their recount in the city’s District 2 Alder race, and the results remain unchanged.

City Clerk Jennifer Gossick says after recounting all ballots, auditing the poll book, and double-checking absentee ballots the results remained 213 votes for incumbent Vernon Verjinski, and 213 votes for challenger Dean Veneman.

Gossick says the canvassers did opt to include three ballots that arrived at City Hall on April 8th, even though one had an illegible postmark. “We really didn’t see how there was a ballot that was postmarked on the 8th, that would get to us on the 8th. So we accepted those three ballots.”

As for how the tie was broken, Gossick says canvassers decided to go with the flip of a coin. Since neither candidate was present for the initial count on Monday, April 13th canvassers decided that one of them would serve as a proxy for Veneman, since his name was first on the ballot.

“He chose heads, I tossed the coin, and the coin came up heads,” Gossick adds that the coin was a US quarter.

In Wisconsin, election ties can be broken by any means that canvassers see fit after they have verified that two candidates have finished with the same number of votes. Gossick says that could include a roll of the dice, the drawing of straws, or even a game of rock, paper, scissors. “Any way that the board of canvassers feels that would be a legitimate way to break the tie.”

“We had a coin, so we decided to use a US quarter,” she added.

Gossick confirmed both Veneman and Verjinski were in attendance for Monday’s recount, which was completed in about five hours. Veneman will officially begin his term on the council this week.

 

WSAU

UW-Madison study shows that hypothermia treatments can speed up concussion recovery

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New research at UW Madison is showing that cooling brain cells soon after injury can help them better repair themselves.

Christian Franck says right now, the only treatment that really exists is to put someone on extended rest. 

“The hope is that the brain will take care of itself and in some individuals that works and in some it doesn’t.”

Early tests in their department are showing that putting brain cells into a state of hypothermia after they take damage can drastically improve recovery chances. Christian Franck says that chronic brain injuries get worse over time. 

“We’re really excited about the prospect of having a treatment that might work very effectively, is a very easy treatment that can be implemented across all levels, it’s not expensive.”

For now the treatment is working on groupings of brain cells in lab conditions, but Franck is excited to see the future of human trials in the area.

Check your own coverage before buying extra COVID-19 insurance, says DATCP

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The COVID-19 crisis has a lot of people worried about their health coverage, and some scammers are out to bilk people out of their savings.

State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says many groups and companies are offering less than ideal health plans or even entirely phony offers for coverage. 

“You may see advertisements for these on the internet, through social media, or television, or maybe you might even be contacted directly over the phone to a robocall.”

Sutherlin says, as always, to read the fine print on a plan before you sign for it, and make sure your own insurance doesn’t cover something like telehealth before you make a purchase.

“These offers are often misleading or the benefits may be something you already have or you don’t need. If you already have health insurance check what is covered by your plan before buying any other additional benefits.”

If you don’t currently have health care, you could be covered under BadgerCare. Call 2-1-1 or contact the state at http://Access.Wisconsin.Gov to find out more.

UW-Stevens Point postpones spring commencement, moves to online summer courses

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There will be no spring commencement at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point this year.

Campus officials announced on Monday they will be following CDC guidelines and postponing all on-campus events and classes through June 30th amid the COVID 19 pandemic. Classes that are offered online or through distance learning are still being offered.

That means the May commencement ceremony will instead be held at a future date. Officials did not give a specific date, only saying it could be August, September, or at a later time pending the spread of the disease.

Other events effected include all Pointer sports camps held in June, and camps and activities at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station.

A decision on classes and events held after July 1st will be made by mid-May.

 

WSAU

State Assembly to meet virtually on Tuesday to pass coronavirus relief package

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The State Assembly is poised to meet virtually on a Coronavirus relief package.

A number of state representatives will be digitally taking part in Tuesday’s session, while some members will be making the trip out to the Capitol to take part in person.

The basic part of the bill would supplement a sweeping federal aid package that’s set to come to Wisconsin. It will eliminate the one week waiting period to apply for unemployment, delay late fees on tax payments, and modify how many hours students have to be in school to graduate.

Republicans had tried to add language to the bill that would give the Joint Finance Committee unfettered access to cutting the state budget, but that language has apparently been removed from the bill after Governor Tony Evers threatened to veto the package. 

Eviction moratorium continues during COVID-19 health crisis

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Money is tight for a lot of people, and that might mean that rent checks aren’t being paid. But for now, no one is going to be evicted from their homes for non-payment.

State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says that doesn’t mean your rent check to your landlord is forgiven, though.

“We’re encouraging landlords and tenants to work together and to think about how they can get through this crisis together and get this rent paid.”

Landlords will still be able to collect rent once the order is lifted. “At that point, landlords can use whatever powers they can to get that rent from you, including eviction. But during the moratorium you cannot be evicted for failure to pay rent.”

Sutherlin says that landlords that need to get help paying their own bills during this time are encouraged to get help from their bank or their mortgage lender to get past the crisis. 

Sutherlin says landlords under no circumstances should be doing self serve evictions of residents, says Sutherlin.

“Deal with it legitimately in the courts after the crisis is over and after the moratorium is lifted.”

Police and sheriff’s departments will be enforcing the eviction moratorium. The only reason they will allow evictions is for reasons other than non-payment like property damage or other circumstances.