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Evers calls for special session to delay spring election and require all mail-in voting

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Governor Tony Evers (WRN image)

Following an order this week from a federal judge that extended the time available to turn in absentee ballots, Governor Tony Evers wants lawmakers to put some more time on the clock for Wisconsin’s spring election. Republican leaders said the election should go ahead as planned, as Evers had been calling for.

Evers on Friday called for a special session of the Wisconsin legislature on Saturday, to vote on a plan to postpone Tuesday’s election and make it mail-in balloting only, with local clerks short thousands of poll workers, and municipalities reducing the number of polling places due to coronavirus,

“And that’s exactly why I called the session for tomorrow. I believe we can get to a place that works for all of Wisconsin. But clearly if the number of polling places is down, that’s going to make it much more difficult for social distancing.”

Speaker Robin Vos (WRN image)

He’s looking for the legislature to cancel in-person voting, send everyone a ballot by May 19th, and to push the deadline to get ballots in to May 26th.

“The virus sets a timetable, not me, not Robin Vos and not Scott Fitzgerald. So the time is now. We have a plan that I believe can work, and we’re looking forward to a solution.”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald responded in a joint statement: “We continue to support what Governor Evers has supported for weeks: the election should continue as planned on Tuesday.”

Evers said he’s been calling for several of these measures since last week, and had hoped the Legislature would come in and handle it without being called into a special session. 

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (WRN image)

The governor’s request to the legislature came just hours after a federal judge clarified his order regarding absentee balloting for Wisconsin’s spring election.

U.S. District Judge William Conley on Friday ordered that there be no reporting by elections officials, of any results from next Tuesday’s election until extended absentee balloting is complete the following Monday, April 13.

Conley granted a request from the Wisconsin Elections Commission following his order of Thursday for extended absentee voting. More than 1 million people have requested absentee ballots.

The election ballot includes the Democratic presidential primary, a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and hundreds of local elected offices.

Democrat State Senator Jennifer Shilling decides to not run for re-election

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Long time Democrat Senator Jennifer Shilling says she’s stepping away from the Legislature.

Shilling says that after 20 years in office, it’s time to step back from her role in the Capitol. Her two children are nearly grown, and Shilling says she’d like to spend more time with them.

Shilling was a state representative before being elected to the Senate in 2011, and then named as Senate Minority Leader in 2014.

She says she’s proud of her role in modernizing healthcare and pushing for criminal justice reforms while in the legislature. 

Support Wisconsin made products during the COVID-19 response

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The economic slowdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting Wisconsin’s farmers and food producers especially hard.

Alice in Dairyland Abigail Martin says buying local and keeping produce moving is vital to Wisconsin’s farmers. 

“1 in 9 people working in our state to hold a job related to agriculture so agriculture is really important to provide food for us but also to keep our economy going.” 

That’s over 437,000 people. A major portion of Wisconsin’s food and dairy goes to food service companies, so while restaurants are closed, more and more food isn’t going to market. 

Martin says more and more, people need to be looking for and buying Wisconsin-made food. 

“Your dollars aren’t going too far away from home and you’re going to be supporting your neighbors that are working in agriculture so that’s really one thing that we could be doing to help during this time.”

Martin says that the longer the shutdown lasts, the harder it will be to rebound for farmers. 

UW-Madison Police investigating double homicide

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Two people are dead following a double homicide at the UW-Madison Arboretum.

UW Police are reporting that a jogger found two people, a man and a woman, lying in a ditch early Tuesday morning.

One person was dead on scene, while the other was transported to a hospital and died a short time later.

Police are still investigating, but say it does not have anything to do with a shooting at UW-Hospital Tuesday afternoon.

Gov. Evers puts hold on evictions during COVID-19 emergency

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Governor Evers is officially putting a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, for now

The order, signed on Friday, will prohibit banks and landlords from going through evictions or foreclosures due to non-payment against their tenants and homeowners for the next 60 days. This is not a rent forgiveness order, and people still owe that money.

Evers says people who are able to continue to meet their financial obligations are urged to do so.

COVID-19 deaths now at 14 in Wisconsin, first death reported in northern Wisconsin

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The death toll from COVID-19 is now up to 14.

New deaths were reported in Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Iron Counties. That death in Iron County was also the first positive detection in the county.

The Department of Health Services says the total number of confirmed cases is also up to 842, but is probably a lot more. Dr. Ryan Westergaard says that the likely total number of people with the infection could be up to 10 times as many people, but that most people who have the disease are not being tested for it. 

All of the state’s counties are listed as having a high chance of infection at this point. Dane County health officials put out an alert on Friday stating that community spread is in place in the county, and that anyone who ventures out into public should assume they’re being exposed to COVID-19.

 

Dane County reports first COVID-19 death

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Dane County has it’s first death from COVID-19. Public Health Madison & Dane County said a person in their late 70s died from the coronavirus.

“We are saddened by the loss of one of our community members, and we extend our sympathies to their loved ones,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County. “COVID-19 can cause serious health complications and death, especially among older adults and people with chronic health conditions, that’s why it’s important that we all work together to prevent the spread of illness.”

Over 70 people in Dane County are confirmed to be infected with the virus. Heinrich urges people to follow Governor Evers’ safer at home orders and to not give the virus a chance to spread.

 

Keep an eye on your mental health while distancing, says Madison College psychologist

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Madison Area Technical College logo

In this time of social isolation, it’s important to keep an eye on your mental, as well as physical health. 

Madison College psychology professor Dr. Jenna Behm-Lawton says one thing to remember is to keep an eye on your friends as best you can, and remember that there are tools available to help people even in a time of isolation.

“Certainly if somebody you know is experiencing anxiety that is interfering with their lives or their they’re panicking or just in general is becoming dysfunctional, it’s absolutely important that they speak to a professional.” 

There are a number of online programs to find a counselor or psychologist to talk to, and many are provided for through insurance. 

Behm-Lawton says another thing you can do to help is do something that isn’t obsessively reading Facebook. 

“Getting rid of the app for a while or placing limits on your own screen time? I know we do that sometimes for our kids but doing it for ourselves is not a bad decision, also,” she says. “Anything that is not just ruminating about the virus or about the negative aspects of being socially isolated, I think all of those are fantastic.”

Behm-Lawton also recommends joining a book club, or finding some other group to chat with online over programs like Skype, Zoom or Discord.

Gov. Evers confirms first two deaths from COVID-19 infection

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State health officials and the Governor’s office are confirming the first deaths of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Governor Tony Evers and staff from the Department of Health Services confirmed Thursday night that two people have died from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

One of the victims was a man in his 50’s from Fond Du Lac County. The other victim was a man in his 90’s from Ozaukee County.

Evers says that his heart goes out to the families of the victims, and to everyone who’s dealing with the infection in Wisconsin. “We are committed to fighting the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin. Together we will get through this historic health challenge.”

Over 150 people have tested positive for the virus in Wisconsin as of Thursday afternoon.

Help your kids cope with COVID-19 isolation with tips from UW-Madison

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A disease outbreak can be scary for many people, but fear and uncertainty can really harm a child’s growth as well. 

UW-Madison psychology professor Travis Wright says it’s best to focus on what people can do to help each other in a crisis, rather than on the crisis itself. 

“These kinds of opportunities are moments that we can frame for children how to think about the world.”

Wright says that giving kids a gloom and doom vision of the world without a good way to frame it so that they have some way to control or help things is a good way to foster bad mental habits into the future. Kids can easily pick up on the fears of people around them, so it’s good to try and focus on things that they can handle. 

“If we frame this as a time of hysteria, as a time of self interest, as a time of fear? I think that’s a message that kids are going to internalize about the world.”

“In every sort of scary moment there’s an opportunity to see how strong we are, and I definitely think that’s a message we can share with children right now to help them feel safer and also more connected to each other and the world.”

Wright suggests limiting TV and social media time while your kids are out of school, and be sure to work with your school to continue the learning process once school districts get up to speed with long distance learning. 

Other general tips include: 

-Make yourself available when children do raise concerns.

-Avoid excessive blaming of the government, other countries, etc.

-Monitor social media and television viewing to prevent children from becoming saturated with scary messages.

-Maintain a normal routine.

-Know the symptoms of COVID-19.

-Review and model basic hygiene and healthy practices for protection.

-Communicate with your child’s teacher to ensure that your messages are aligned.