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It’s your paper! Friday, June 12, 2020 • Vol. 7, No. 4 • Fitchburg, WI • ConnectFitchburg.com • $1

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Kathy Bartels 608-235-2927

KBartels@StarkHomes.com

City of Fitchburg

Inside

‘I watched in disbelief’

15 year old arrested for 2019 murder of football player Page 3

Chief says tactics used in Minneapolis lacked compassion, humanity KIMBERLY WETHAL

Summer programs, splash pad won’t be available

Unified Newspaper Group

crisis first hit, Kim Schwoerer told the Star, she had to lay off all her Oasis Cafe employees except one. “I had to set up a delivery system with Eat Street, and that’s been working OK,” she said. But the outpouring of community support has been “tremendous,” Schoewer said, with customers purchasing gift cards and sent letters of encouragement. Since May 26, the restaurant has tables placed six feet apart from one another, has plexiglass between customers and employees and requires employees to clean and sanitize the business every half hour. It has also encouraged people to be outdoors, where there are fewer limitations. “I purchased new patio furniture because I figured people would feel more comfortable sitting outside,” she said. Pinnacle Health and Fitness, owner Mike McMahon told the Star he has removed some of its exercise equipment to help with social distancing. Signs are placed

M i n n e a p o l i s o ffi c e r s lacked compassion and humanity during the interaction that led to the death of George Floyd, City of Fitchburg police chief Chad Brecklin told the Star. Floyd, 46, died in police custo- Brecklin dy Monday, May 25, leading to charges for all four of the officers and a wave of protests around the country and world. The officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck in particular had his charge upgraded to second-degree murder June 3. A half-dozen police chiefs from around Dane County condemned the actions of those four officers during a virtual town hall May 28. The Dane County Chiefs of Police Association did the same in writing later that day, calling their actions “heinous and unacceptable.” Brecklin, an active member of the association, wrote in a statement released on Monday, June 1, he agreed with the Association’s statement entirely. He said in the statement that the incident has caused the department to re-evaluate its service so that it matches the values of fairness, respect and compassion. “Last week I watched in disbelief the vide o o f G e o r g e F l o y d ’s last moments and was extremely disturbed and saddened by what I saw,” he said. “The actions of the former Minneapolis P o l i c e O ffi c e r s i n t h a t video do not reflect the

Turn to Reopening/Page 11

Turn to George Floyd/Page 9

Page 3

The project progresses

Photo by Kimberly Wethal

Fish Hatchery Road construction is in full swing as it enters the third month of the project’s first phase. Traffic has been limited to the southbound side of the road for the last couple of months as the northbound lanes from the Beltline to Traceway Drive are redone. The first phase of the project will finish this fall, with the second phase being done in 2021.

Page 8

Business

A cautious reopening

Restaurants, Thermo Fisher shops weather working on genetic economic fallout code for COVID-19 while prioritizing Page 11 health needs EMILIE HEIDEMANN

Sports

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All-City events sunk by COVID-19 Page B1

Schools VASD prepares for hybrid model for the fall Page B5

For Ecco Salon, reopening safely has meant taking many health precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Owner Trent Lange told the Star the 5500 E. Cheryl Parkway business has had to rent extra space just to keep clients and employees six feet apart from one another. Employees also undergo temperature checks before each shift and wear masks, he said. And clients have options available to them if they don’t want to spend a long time at the salon — dry haircuts and leaving without getting their hair styled after a color service. Ecco Salon joins many Fitchburg businesses who continue to weather the economic fallout of the COVID-19 health crisis and

Photo by Emilie Heidemann

Mike McMahon, owner of Pinnacle Health and Fitness, wipes down exercise equipment. The club closes for an hour each day for cleaning. resulting lockdowns. Businesses like Oasis Cafe and Pinnacle Health and Fitness opened their indoor spaces May 26 when Phase 1 of the “Forward Dane” plan went into effect. Others, including Dave’s Guitar Shop and Perennial Yoga, offer only curbside and online services for now. Phase I, which coincided with the end of the state’s original Safer at Home order, allows businesses to operate at 25% capacity if they

comply with an established set of precautions to protect customers and employees. Phase II, which was able to begin as soon as June 9 if the country continues to maintain several health metrics, loosens those limitations to 50% capacity. Fitchburg businesses that are open have adjusted their models to encompass the health and safety precautions outlined in the plan while staying financially afloat. When the COVID-19

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June 12, 2020

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Fitchburg Star

Parade of Lights brings Friday night excitement to Fitchburg neighborhoods NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

The Fitchburg Fire and Police Departments and the FitchRona EMS held a “Parade of Lights” through several Fitchburg neighborhoods from 6-7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22. A stream of fire trucks, ambulances and police squad cars wove through city streets with lights flashing and sirens wailing. A similar parade was also held on Friday, May 15 in a different group of neighborhoods. Neal Patten, community reporter, can be contacted at neal.patten@wcinet.com.

Photos by Neal Patten

Cyndi Jagg (left), Eric Devine and Sydnee Herling browse goods from Rolling Pin Bake Shop while owner Tanya Laiter looks on during the second Fitchburg Farmers’ Market of the year on Thursday, May 14.

Fitchburg’s outdoors farmers’ market returns NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

The Fitchburg outdoor farmers market returned for the season on Thursday, May 7. The community market operates Thursdays from 3-6 p.m. May to October under the Agora Pavilion, 5445 E. Cheryl Pkwy. Nine businesses participated in the second week of the market on May 14, including: J’s Black Walnuts, Rainbow Fleece Farm, Rolling Pin Bake Shop, Farmer John’s Cheese, Prairie Farm Certified Organics, Natalie’s Garden and Greenhouse, and Soap of the Earth. All of the vendors and most of the patrons wore face masks. Market organizers also provided a bottle of “Just” hand sanitizer from Yahara Bay Distillers to every vendor’s table. Tanya Laiter, owner of Rolling Pin Bakeshop, said that during a typical market week she would make $500-$600, but during this second week of the market on May 14, she only

made $150 today. Although she suggested it could have been because it was gloomy out more than it was fears of the Coronavrius. Usually she would have three large tables of baked goods, but this week she only had one. The market added a drive-thru option for participating vendors this year. Laiter tried offering drive-thru pick-up the first week of the market but only had two customers, so she decided people need to see her items in person and will not continue offering the service. Speaking of his second week of the season at the market, Jesse Peterson of J’s Black Walnuts said, “It wasn’t too bad for this time of year. It will pick up as it gets warmer out. People have cabin fever and are looking to get out.” Natalie Ortega of N a t a l i e ’s G a r d e n a n d Greenhouse said, “Based upon whats going on on the world, today was good, a lot of regular customers came.”

Photos by Neal Patten

The Fitchburg Fire and Police Departments and the Fitch-Rona EMS held a “Parade of Lights” through Fitchburg neighborhoods on Friday, May 22. A stream of fire trucks, ambulances and police squad cars wove through the city streets with lights flashing and sirens wailing.

The Fitchburg Fire and Police Departments and the FitchRona EMS held a “Parade of Lights.”

People turn out to watch the parade.

Patty Ready of Rainbow Fleece Farm shows off her wares.

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June 12, 2020

Fitchburg Star

City of Fitchburg

Splash pad opening, rec programs canceled Verona boy, 15, charged with murder Police cite marijuana robbery in death of Fitchburg teen KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

A Verona 15 year old has been charged with felony first-degree intentional homicide and attempted armed robbery in connection with the Aug. 25, 2019, death of a 17 year old. Myjee T. Sanders was arrested for the murder of Shay Watson at Watson’s home in Fitchburg after an informant told City of Fitchburg police that he was present when Watson was shot, according to a May 18 story from the Wisconsin State Journal. The Press has chosen to name the juvenile because of the severity of the crime. Watson, a former Verona Area High School track athlete and football player, was planning to transfer to Madison West High School this year. A request for the criminal complaint related to Sanders’ arrest had not yet been returned by Monday, Aug. 18. Dane County Circuit Court’s normal in-person records request process in unavailable because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanders’ bail was set at $500,000 during his initial hearing Monday, May 18,

which was held by video conference because of COVID-19 restrictions, according to online court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 28. According to the State Journal story, Sanders had gone to Watson’s Lyman Lane home with the informant, identified only by the initials JDN, and the two had been granted entry into the attached garage. Once inside, the story states, Sanders tried to grab a bag of marijuana from Watson, and as the two struggled, Sanders pulled out a gun and shot Watson in the head. In the criminal complaint, it states that Watson’s phone, which was found at the scene, showed he had been selling marijuana using the app Snapchat the day he died, according to the State Journal story. Phone records showed Watson and Sanders had communicated earlier in the day prior to his death. Sanders was arrested after Fitchburg police interviewed JDN May 4 at LaSalle County Jail in Illinois. During the interview, the State Journal reported, JDN admitted to being present when Sanders shot Watson. JDN had been arrested after a high-speed chase in LaSalle County in early May after police attempted to serve him warrants for missed court appearances. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@ wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.

KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

Anyone waiting for the McKee Farms Park splash pad to open or hoping to participate in summer recreation programs will have to keep waiting until 2021. The city won’t host its usual recreation programs this year, such as baseball, flag football and babysitter training, or open the splash pad this summer, City of Fitchburg administrator Patrick Marsh announced Tuesday, May 12. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, city staff are being extra cautious and do not want to start holding programming that would bring together large groups of people too quickly, he told the Common Council. As a result, the city does not plan to hire seasonal parks staff on the chance things are closer to normal part-way through the summer. “We’ll hopefully be working, and having something in regards to the fall programming once school starts up,” Marsh said. “Given the staffing it takes and the maintenance, and all of the up-front work it takes for these types of programs, it doesn’t make sense to start them mid-cycle.” The city’s parks will remain open, Marsh added, but bathrooms in those parks will be closed because of high chances of cross-contamination with potential illness. Any reservations for park shelters will be rescinded, as well. Playgrounds at the parks have been closed already since March 25, when Gov. Evers’ Safer at Home order went into effect.

File by Kimberly Wethal

A group of three girls plays in a sprinkler at the McKee Farms Park splash pad on Wednesday, June 12, 2018. McKee Farms Park’s splash pad will not open for the 2020 season due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Soccer and baseball fields will be open for patrons to use this summer, but while state limitations are in effect, Marsh said, social distancing will be enforced and there won’t be any organized gatherings through the recreation department. Tennis and basketball courts were closed as of May 13, but they could reopen if the state allows it. Large events, such as Concerts at McKee, Fitchburg Festival of Speed and the Agora Art Fair held

every August, aren’t organized by the city but are tentative based on COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the county and the state. Some events that are usually held in Fitchburg starting in May, such as the Festa Italia Italian heritage festival and Kids Building Wisconsin, have already been canceled. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.

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Police responded to a report of a man found dead in a residence in the 2700 block of Lyman Lane on August 25, 2019.

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June 12, 2020

Opinion

Fitchburg Star

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Community Voices

Boost the pollinator population, help save our food supply

s COVID-19 turned our world upside down in March and with the Saferat-Home order in place through May restricting our ability to gather and socialize, many of us found ourselves working and spending more time at home and in our yards. With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, now is the perfect time to start thinking about what we can do in our yards to boost the pollinator population. When most people see a bee, their first instinct is to run from it or kill it. But what most people don’t realize is bees and other pollinators are the key to our food supply. Without pollinators our food supply declines and during this pandemic, we should be doing all we can to support our food supply and pollinators. Lately, more attention has been devoted to researching why there

has been a decline in pollinators. Most pollinators, like bees, moths and butterflies, are in decline, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website, with recent studies have pointed to manicured lawns, pesticides, climate change and destruction of habitat as contributing factors.. According to an article by Greenpeace, honey bees, wild and domestic perform about 80 percent of all pollination worldwide. A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day. Seventy out of the top 100 human food crops, which supply about 90 percent of the world’s nutrition, are pollinated by bees. In the United States, the number of bee colonies per hectare (2.47 acres) among crops that require bee pollination has declined by 90 percent since 1962. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has added seven species

See something wrong? The Fitchburg Star does not sweep errors under the rug. If you see something you know or even think is in error, please contact editor Jim Ferolie at 845-9559 or at fitchburgstar@wcinet.com so we can get it right.

Friday, June 11, 2020 • Vol. 7, No. 4 Periodical Postage Paid, Verona, WI and additional offices. Published monthly on Friday by the Unified Newspaper Group, A Division of Woodward Communications, Inc. POSTMASTER: Send Address Corrections to The Fitchburg Star, 133 Enterprise Drive, Verona, WI 53593.

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fertilizer or alternatives to fertilizer, such as leaving dandelions and clover and cutting your lawn at a higher level. You can also provide friendly habitat by providing water and of bees to the endangered species shelter. A bird bath provides water and list, the Climate Institute reported. There are many things most of brush and leaf piles in the spring and fall provide shelter. You can us can do. also find directions online on how Over the last few years, our to make a bee nest box. family has committed to doing You can try planting a fruit or what we can to make a pollinavegetable garden. Not only will tor-friendly yard. With more peo- you feel good about supplying ple spending time on their yards your family with healthy fruits this spring/summer, there are a and vegetables, but you will few things you can do to help encourage pollinators. A few boost the pollinator population. fruits and vegetables that need Start by minimizing your use of pollinators are strawberries, rasppesticides and insecticides. berries, blackberries, green beans, By making your own weed celery, carrots, cucumbers, brockiller out of a mixture of vinegar, coli, cauliflower and tomatoes. soap and Epsom salt, you can fill If you want to take that a step a spray bottle and spot treat your further, build a pollinator garden. weeds safely and protect pollina- By adding native flowering plants tors. Research pollinator- friendly like blazing star, coneflower,

aster, Joe Pye weed and milkweed to your garden, landscaping or natural areas, you are providing a pollinator friendly area. Building a pollinator garden is a fun and easy project for your family. Our family built one a few years ago after researching plans that included pollinator friendly native plants. It has been rewarding to watch the bees, butterflies and other pollinators flock to our garden and yard. With the current pandemic and with the uncertainty of our food supply in question, we should all do what we can to increase and stabilize the pollinator population. Kim Warkentin is a member of the Resource Conservation Commission, and the youth education director for the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association. She lives in Fitchburg with her husband and 11-year-old son.

Community Voices

Simple, inexpensive changes can make your home desk setup healthier

orking from home has its advantages and challenges. It’s a major plus to be able to throw a load of laundry in anytime, wear yoga pants all day and have zero commute. But now that we’ve been at this new normal for a few months, working from home is taking a toll on a lot of us. We’ve been getting by working at dining room tables, sitting on chairs with no support or hunching over a laptop on the couch, and sometimes that means dealing with the back and neck pain at the end of the day. There are some simple and inexpensive ways to upgrade your home office setup, so you can feel good while you work and have more energy at the end of the day. Even I had to figure this out for myself. With reduced patient hours early on, I spent time redoing my website and social media accounts, which meant many more hours on my laptop at home. My upper neck was getting tight; moving felt like stretching already tight rubber bands. My chair wasn’t good, and every time I stood, I had pain in my outer legs and hips. If you’re constantly in a bad posture while you work, your body tissues start to conform to that shape, like shrink wrap getting pulled tighter. Then you lose the ability to naturally stand straight and move through full range of motion. The first thing you should do is check your screen height. The top one-third of your computer screen

should be at eye level when you look straight ahead. If you need to, grab a few old Amazon boxes and stack one or two until you get that ideal height. Your Konopacki head should always stay neutral when looking at your screen. Next, check keyboard placement. As your hands rest easily on the keyboard, your shoulders should feel relaxed, with your arms hanging by your sides, and elbows at a 90-degree angle. If you just lifted up your laptop to a better height, order an external keyboard and mouse to use at a lower level. Mine cost around $27, and it’s been a life changer. If you don’t want to get an external keyboard, find a compromise that works for you between ideal screen height and keyboard placement. Develop an awareness of the position of your head. Your head is like a bowling ball balancing on the top of your spine. When you hold a bowling ball close to your body, it feels easy, but the farther out you have it, the harder it gets. Similarly, when your head is too far forward, your neck and upper back muscles strain under the extra work. This can cause chronic tightness, muscle spasms, and headaches. When you sit, keep your chin level and try and push your head back. Maybe set a

reminder app every 20 minutes to help make this a habit. Support your spine from the bottom: grab the best chair you’ve got, and consider using a pillow to sit on so your sit bones are slightly raised. This helps increase the natural curve of your lumbar spine. It can also help raise you up to get to that ideal arm angle for typing. Support your foot height to keep knees at 90-degree angle. This is more important if you’re sitting at a taller table. Grab a box, books, towels or pillows to rest your feet on and support your spine. All these ideas apply for standing desks, too. This could be a great, cheap way to find out if you’d like a standing desk. If you’re a visual learner, check out my website for two short videos at bodywavechiro.com/desk-setup. One shows this ergonomic setup, and another has a standing posture exercise, with both aimed at helping you get through your work day more efficiently. What I like about addressing desk ergonomics is that by putting in very little effort, it can make a significant difference in how focused you feel as you work and how good you feel at the end of the day. Your body won’t be building up as much stress, which we all know is a very good thing. Dr. Laura Konopacki is the owner of Body Wave chiropractic in Fitchburg, and she has training in pediatrics and functional neurology.

Letter to the editor

Sargent a dedicated advocate for 16th district Melissa Sargent has been an exceptional leader in the State Assembly for over seven years. Her candidacy for State Senate makes me hopeful that her honest and effective leadership will continue to bring positive change to our state. Her experience as a small business owner matches my own and we have both learned to develop holistic, community inclusive business models. Melissa brings that unique perspective into

her policymaking, which very few elected officials are able to do. The financial, organizational and personal responsibilities that accompany the ownership of a small business are crucial to leadership. Melissa has continued to develop these skills and it is apparent to me that her knowledge in these areas have grown and has strengthened her as a community leader. It is critical that we have leadership with broad, yet

relevant, experience to lead us and to ensure that our voices are properly represented. From running a small business, to serving on the Dane County Board, to leading as State Representative, Melissa Sargent has proven that she is a knowledgeable, well-rounded, dedicated advocate for the 16th Senate District. Melissa continues to support legislation that supports local businesses and does an exemplary job

of engaging with business leaders in our community. In the face of the COVID-19 public health crisis, Melissa’s legislative office was a vital resource to my business as I worked to navigate the challenges that my restaurant and bars faced. I look forward to Melissa Sargent’s continued work as the next State Senator for the 16th Senate District. Hawk Sullivan Atomic Koi owner

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June 12, 2020

Fitchburg Star

City of Fitchburg

Outdoor space, loans aimed at helping businesses KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

Photo courtesy Susan Badtke, Fitchburg Planning Department

A proposed temporary plan would allow restaurants to use parking areas as an extension of their premises through Labor Day weekend. Pictured here is Quivey’s Grove. ideas forward ideas that can not only help businesses, but the residents of the community, sort of move forward beyond this period that’s very important,” he said. City economic development director Mike Zimmerman said the money is intended for businesses reopening after closures. He noted staff held off on offering the program at the beginning of the crisis in March to allow the federal Paycheck Protection Program and county grant initiatives

to come first. Zimmerman told the council an increase in premise space will allow bars and restaurants to open more easily. Some owners and managers have considered not opening because the county’s 25% capacity law is too restrictive and wouldn’t allow them to be profitable, Zimmerman added. “The restaurants have been one of the most hard-hit businesses, and they’ve adapted very quickly to do pick-up and delivery, and I

Fall election

Incumbent Pope to run for 80th assembly district KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Mount Horeb) will run for re-election to the state Assembly District 80 seat. Pope announced in a news release that she qualified to run for re-election Wednesday, June 3. She will be running for her ninth term in the state assembly after first being elected to the 79th district in 2002, switching to represent the 80th after redistricting took place in 2012. The district seat represents part of the cities of Verona and Fitchburg and part of the Village of Oregon, as well as the villages of Brooklyn, Blue Mounds, Mount Horeb, Belleville and New Glarus, as well as other towns in Dane, Green and

Iowa counties. In the release, Pope said that she looks forward to continuing her work with environmental protection, fair elections and supporting public schools, should she be re-elected. Pope “It is an honor to serve the people of this district and I am grateful for their continued support,” she said in the release. “I’ve focused my legislative efforts on supporting our public schools, family farms, small businesses and a budget that reflects the real needs of the people living in our diverse communities.” Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.

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think they’ve been doing an admirable job,” he said. “That’s helping to generate some cash flow for them but even opening at 25% that they can do today is not a profitable level for them.” Any premise extension applications will be reviewed by the council and granted at the special meeting planned for next week. Extensions will be temporary – through Labor Day weekend – with no amplified sound allowed outside.

If businesses are looking to make enlarged outdoor seating areas more permanent, they’ll need to go through the regular permitting process, Mayor Aaron Richardson said. City staff will need to review each business’ plan for the additional premises. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.

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The City of Fitchburg is trying to make it easier for its local businesses to bring in revenue and stay afloat as COVID-19 restrictions gradually ease in Dane County. The Common Council discussed two proposals at its Tuesday, May 26, meeting. It unanimously passed the first, to allow local businesses who employ fewer than 25 workers to apply for a loan from the city’s loan fund. The other allows businesses to expand their premises into parking lots to create enlarged seating spaces to facilitate social distancing. That’s expected to be used for restaurants, in particular. Two restaurants, Tapatio’s and Me and Julio, will begin serving outdoors in extended areas after the council approved the premise extensions at its Tuesday, June 9, meeting. Under Phase 1 of the Forward Dane reopening plan, restaurants are among the businesses that can operate with up to 25% of their maximum capacity. The loan program will max out at a total of $150,000, with each business receiving up to $10,000 in loans. The short-term loans will have 1% interest and will be due starting in January. Both of the ideas came from city staff, city administrator Patrick Marsh said. “(We’re really proud of) the proactive nature of the staff, bringing

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June 12, 2020

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Fitchburg Star

Byrne Park gives barn swallows Parade of Homes set for June 19-28 some ritzy accommodations NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

Sue Easterday is a citizen member of the Fitchburg Parks Commission. She and other members of the commission were seeking a way to work with nature rather than against it at Byrne Park, 2535 Richardson St. Barn Swallows have been making a mess in the picnic shelter in recent years, their excrement having a tendency to cover the ground and tables beneath the nests that the Swallows build in the structure. Easterday said Barn Swallows are useful for killing mosquitoes and other large insects. However, she said like other bird species, Barn Swallow populations are down an estimated 40% in Wisconsin over the past several decades Easterday used the social media website Nextdoor to seek out Fitchburg residents with carpentry skills. Through the website, she was connected with Dan Kerkman, who has completed construction projects for Dane County and City of Madison parks. Using construction plans

Photo by Neal Patten

Volunteers Dan Kerkman, Gene Call and Ken Phelps build a Barn Swallow nesting structure at Byrne Park on Wednesday, May 6. developed by the Ontario Department of Transportation, Easterday provided Kerkman with a plan for a Barn Swallow nesting structure, six feet wide by three feet tall. Kerkman enlisted the help of friends Gene Call and Ken Phelps to build the structure, which took the trio of volunteers approximately six hours. They finished the structure in several separated components for easier transportation to the park. Volunteers Kerkman, Call and Phelps finished piecing together the Barn Swallow

nesting structure on site at Byrne Park on Wednesday, May 6. The parcel of the park where the structure was erected is dedicated for stormwater management purposes. Stormwater retention areas are attractive to Barn Swallows, where the birds are known to consume mosquitoes as well as other large insects. Easterday discovered a company called American Artifacts in Massachusetts which builds wooden nest cups and six cups were acquired for the nesting structure. She said it takes 15

hours for a Barn Swallow to build a nest from scratch, so these cups will help cut down on that time. The intention is to allow the Swallows to continue nesting in the park shelter this year, but hopefully the Swallows will find and become acclimated with the new nesting structure over this summer. Next year, the Parks Commission will be modifying the park shelter, which will block access to the existing nests. The hope is the birds will then begin to populate the new nesting structure nearby instead. Discussions for the project began in January. Some funds were donated, but mostly city tax money paid for the materials. Easterday said she was impressed by how quickly the project came together. On Thursday, May 7 city staff used a forklift to raise the completed heavy structure upright and set it into its permanent place at the park atop tall posts. Easterday and other commission members will continue to monitor the structure throughout the coming year, to see if the Barn Swallows begin nesting inside.

Senior Center staff host socially distanced drive-by

NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

drove past the center. While waving signs that said “we miss you” and blowing kisses, staff members tried to cheer-up clients who have been stuck at home during the shutdown. Volunteer program manager Mandi Miller dressed as a unicorn, social worker Sarah Folkers dressed as a giraffe, director Jill McHone dressed as an ostrich, assistant director David Hill dressed as a zombie, social worker Amy Jordan dressed as Minnie Mouse, office manager Suzie Jones dressed as a bumblebee and fitness instructor Felicia Greenwood wore a tiara and lei. Mayor Aaron Richardson

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The Madison Area Parade of Homes will return for its 70th year, with a few social distancing changes. The annual event, organized by the Madison Area Builders Association, is a go for June 19-28, observing health safety guidelines set by discussions with Madison and Dane County public health officials. The daily event is set for 4-8 p.m., Mondays-Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. This year’s parade features 21 homes across Dane County, including three in Fitchburg, located in the Fahey Fields neighborhood at 2620 Notre Dame Drive. Each were built by a different contractor — Dane Building Concepts, Midwest Homes and Trademark Homes MABA has instituted a variety of health precautions, according to a June 3 news release, including a limit of 10 attendees per household, several daily cleanings of the homes, eliminating high-touch point

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Photo by Neal Patten

On Wednesday, May 6, Senior Center staff smiled and waved at a parade of familiar faces they had not seen in a while due to the Coronavirus quarantine. Dressed in colorful costumes, staff members handed out masks, cookies, goodie bags and puzzles from a safe distance through vehicle windows as guests drove past the center. also stopped by to greet guests. reporter, can be contacted at Neal Patten, community neal.patten@wcinet.com.

If You Go What: Parade of Homes When: 4-8 p.m., Monday-Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, daily June 19-28 Where: Fahey Fields, 2620 Notre Dame Drive Price: $15 general admission, $5 for seniors ages 65 and older and $5 for children ages 6 to 17 Info: madisonparadeofhomes.com areas and replacing paper ballots and information with electronic versions. MABA encourages but doesn’t require attendees to wear masks and asks that builders arrange for one-way traffic through the homes. Tickets are $15 general admission, $5 for seniors ages 65 and older and $5 for children ages 6 to 17. For information and tickets, visit madisonparadeofhomes.com.

Library offering curbside pick-up for patrons NEAL PATTEN

The Fitchburg Public Library has partially resumed operations by offering curbside pick-up of materials. The curbside pickup is only for materials already available at the Fitchburg library. Inter-library loans remain suspended until further notice. Patrons will be able to request five items per library card and will be limited to using a maximum of three library cards per family. Patrons may schedule one pick-up per week and are limited to only scheduling pickup times up to one week in advance.

To schedule a pick-up, patrons must call 608-729-1790 during the following times: 10 a.m. to noon, Monday-Tuesday 2-4 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday The library will not be checking its voicemails, so if patrons are unable to reach staff, they are encouraged to call again. The hours for pick-up are the same as the hours for scheduling pick-up listed above. Material returns will be also accepted during these times, through the drive-up book drop. Patrons may check in advance if an item is available to reserve by visiting: fch.linkcat. info

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June 12, 2020

Author aims to capture emotions of drug abuse by parents Resident’s book portrays emotions of heroin use NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

MMSD school psychologist Sarah J. Carlson has published a young adult novel about a high school senior dealing with her mother’s heroin addiction. beyond just teens and parents – but with all of us – those situations where we can’t control what is happening and it’s ravaging our lives.” Carlson said the young adult novel is recommended for teenagers 14 and older. The book contains a discussion guide with questions. Apart from her background working with kids, she strove to capture what they experience authentically by watching documentaries and reading books about kids whose parents have substance abuse problems. She also interviewed a lawyer, police officers and staff at Child Protective Services. Carlson even hired an authenticity reader, who had a parent addicted to heroin, to review an early draft of her manuscript. This resulted in her throwing out everything she had written to rewrite the story

from a different angle, she said. Carlson decided she had written the book too much from the perspective of a psychologist, and felt she hadn’t captured an authentic voice for people who had history with drug addicted parents. She said she wanted her writing “coming from a place of what can you do as a teen” to escape from such situations. Originally, she planned to draw from her experiences working on the western side of Wisconsin while completing graduate studies at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She witnessed methamphetamine abuse becoming a growing problem in the area during that time; however, Carlson said that over time, heroin became a much bigger issue nationally and she felt it was more relevant. “All drug addiction is

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Fitchburg Library’s online summer reading program begins Books, coupons can be won for meeting reading benchmarks MARK NESBITT Unified Newspaper Group

The summer reading program has begun through the Beanstack website and app at the Fitchburg Public Library. Fitchburg Public Library youth services manager Tim Powers said with the building still closed to the public, children will need encouragement to read during the summer. The summer reading program started Monday, June 1, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 8. Children track the amount of time and number of books they read online through an online w e b i n t e r fa c e a n d a p p called Beanstack. There are various reading challenges and badges participants can earn. For younger pre-readers, Powers said, every 20 books they read with a parent or family member will entitle them to a free book or a coupon to a local business. For older, independent readers and teenagers, every 5 hours and 20 minutes they read can earn them a free book or a coupon to a local business. For the library’s adult book club, each person who reads a book then writes a short review. Adult participants receive a raffle ticket for one of three raffles at the end of the summer reading program. There will be three drawings for a $50 Target gift card, $50 Great Dane gift card and $50 Hy-Vee gift card. Powers said library staff had the entire summer

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Lisa Stippich reads a book she checked out from the Fitchburg Public Library. The library began its summer reading program on June 1.

schedule planned before C OV I D - 1 9 l o c k d ow n began in March, causing staff to scramble to adapt programs. “Every year, we hear about the dropoff from the end of the school year to the next year,” Powers said. “We thought it was extremely important to look for an online option so kids could continue summer reading. This will help them keep reading so their (skills) don’t decrease over the summer.” The library will continue to offer storytimes twice a week on Facebook and other arts and crafts activities on Facebook. The library is offering limited curbside pickup. When the library is allowed to reopen, Powers said, staff will allow program and arts supplies to be checked out and taken home for projects. The program is being funded by a federal Library Service and Technology Act grant that is implemented by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Division for Libraries and Technology.

The Park Bank, 2401 South Park Street, Madison WI 53713 wishes to announce plans to reconstruct the Fitchburg Branch. The Fitchburg Branch is currently located at 2802 Fish Hatchery Road, Fitchburg, WI, 53713, where it will be torn down and a new building will be built in the same location. Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments in writing with the regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at the appropriate FDIC office at the address below not later than June 27th, 2020. The nonconfidential portions of the application are on file at the appropriate FDIC office and are available for public inspection during regular business hours. Photocopies of the nonconfidential portion of the application file will be made available upon request.

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For author Sarah J. Carlson, her background in psychology helps her understand how the brain works and how people process information, which helps with getting into her characters’ heads. Carlson, Carlson a Fitchburg resident and school psychologist who works in the Madison Metropolitan School District, published her second book, “Everything’s Not Fine,” on Tuesday, May 26, through Turner Publishing. Carlson said she wanted to touch on social issues with her new young adult novel including poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and substance abuse. In “Everything’s Not Fine,” fictional character 17 year old Rose Hemmersbach wishes to escape her life in small-town Sparta, Wisconsin, and attend a school of arts. Her dreams are upended when she discovers her mother nearly died of a heroin overdose, which results in a Child Protective Services investigation and local media attention. Rose tries to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the overdose and navigate the fallout including legal ramifications and the shame that comes with her whole community knowing, while struggling with finishing her senior year of high school. “I wanted to show what it is like to go through something dramatic, but also to discover one’s own agency and resilience, finding hope in situations where you don’t have a lot of control,” Carlson said. “My hope is that this book will resonate

tragic, but for the majority of people who abuse heroin, it started as a prescription,” Carlson said. “I started exploring that, the tragedy behind that, the things drug companies do. People begin taking opioids thinking it’s safe because a doctor prescribed it, they get addicted, but then heroin becomes cheaper than prescribed opioids.” Carlson began writing the book while living in Singapore for two and a half years. Her husband, who works for Epic, was relocated there to help lead a project. While working as a tutor there, Carlson began feeling homesick and missing Madison. Carlson had never read a book set in Wisconsin, so she wanted to write a book based there and wanted to capture the “language” of her home state, she said. She decided to write a book set in Sparta, where her family had moved when she was in eighth grade and where she graduated high school. Since returning from Singapore, Carlson has lived in Fitchburg for four years with her husband and two small children. For her next book, she’s considering continuing the theme of a Wisconsin setting, and said maybe she will write a book that takes place in Wisconsin Dells. For now, she’s learning how to promote the publication of a new book in the era of COVID-19 and physical distancing. As opposed to her typical book readings or signings at Madison retailers such as Mystery to Me and A Room of One’s own, she’s leveraging social media, podcasts and interviews as part of a virtual book launch. For information, visitmsjcarlsonauthor.com or turnerpublishing.com. Neal Patten, community reporter, can be contacted at neal.patten@wcinet.com.

Fitchburg Star

June 12, 2020

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Fitchburg Star

Garden key to increasing food equity, security Swan Creek Park grower capacity increases amid pandemic EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

Even with a health crisis that has incentivised a community to remain at home, the Swan Creek Community Garden remains at capacity for growers — with a 10 person waitlist. Up from last year’s 16, City of Fitchburg community planning developer Wade Thompson told the Star this year’s sum includes 18 gardeners in addition to that waitlist. The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in how the number of growers increased, he said. People still have a desire to connect and socialize, even at a distance, Thompson said of the gardeners at Swan Creek Park, 5175 E. Cheryl Pkwy. And there’s a higher need for fresh food as more individuals and families

scramble to make ends meet upon losing their sources of income. Gardening or growing food resolves for both, and it means more people are using Fitchburg’s public spaces, he said. With those needs not going away any time soon, the Swan Creek Community Garden becomes a catalyst for how the City will examine its role in curbing food insecurity in the near future and beyond, he said. “The pandemic has crystalized (those ideas),” he said. Though Thompson said the City doesn’t track what growers do with their crop, they are likely using their plots, for which the City charges $25, for personal consumption or donating to local nonprofits and charities. That’s the garden’s intent, Thompson said — to ensure food equity in a community where some individuals still have to make a trek just to reach a grocery store — and now where those same individuals have to strain their bank accounts to buy those groceries.

Photo by Emilie Heidemann

The Swan Creek Community Garden is located at 5175 E. Cheryl Pwky. “Sometimes in City planning, we didn’t do a good job of allocating (resources) to those (food desserts),” he said. He said the City has yet to fully accomplish that goal, as the Swan Creek Community Garden is placed in a more suburban area.

But the vision is to effectuate more gardens in other neighborhoods with public parks, he said. Thompson said he encouraged anyone interested in starting a garden to reach out to him. The City implemented the garden concept in 2017 after

identifying it as an initiative in its parks and open space plan the year prior. And it started the overall community gardens program there in 2018. Staff chose Swan Creek Park for its land use demographics, with multiple apartment units close by where residents didn’t have space to create gardens of their own, Thompson said. “We view (that garden) as our template and as our model,” he said. As the City works to identify more spaces for community gardens, Thompson said it will also expand Swan Creek’s capacity within the next couple of years. But it’s all subject to the City’s budget, which has likely experienced shortfalls due to the illness. Still, Thompson remains optimistic. “As a planner, I’m excited to see where things are going, even amid a pandemic,” he said. Email Emilie Heidemann at emilie.heidemann@wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @HeidemannEmilie.

Progress Center empowering minorities amid pandemic Nonprofit confident about financial standing, receives $27,000 in COVID-19 funding EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

As the COVID-19 pandemic carries on, the Progress Center for Black Wo m e n h a s c o n t i n u e d normal operations, though i t s r o l e i n t h e l ive s o f its clientele has become much more significant. Fo u n d e r a n d d i r e c t o r Sabrina Madison said the center is assisting clients virtually and over the phone who fa c e u n e m ployment and job uncertainty, high housing costs Madison and mental and physical health concerns. And as national headlines have indicated, the illness disproportionately affects black and Hispanic communities. Madison said she hears heartbreaking stories reflecting that reality eve r y d a y – e s p e c i a l l y from those grieving the loss of a loved one to the disease. The Progress Center for Black Women still maintains its role of empowering black women and helping them meet their business goals, she said. Madison noted it hosts Zoom video conferencing meetings where clients can share resources and has invited speakers onto those calls – including entrepreneurs sharing tips and authors. On Sundays, the center hosts entrepreneur meetups virtually, as well, Madison said. Its building, located at 5936 Seminole Centre

Progress Center for Black Women 5936 Seminole Centre Ct. #211 467-6744 centerforblackwomen. org Ct. #211, is temporarily closed. To help clients who face economic and health challenges amid the pandemic, Madison said the center has received around $27,000 from local businesses and organizations. Fo r g e n e r a l u s e f u n d s , she said it has accepted another $28,000. That, and the center’s normal frugality, makes Madison feel confident where the nonprofit stands financially. And w h i l e C OV I D - 1 9 h a s set the center back from obtaining a larger space in Madison by about a year and a half, the landlord for the nonprofit’s current building has lowered rent. Madison said that a l l ow s f o r m o r e r o o m t o h e l p t h e i n d iv i d u a l who needs the center’s resources most. Helping can take on a different visual for each client, in addition to offering tips on how to start a business or how to weather an unstable economy. Sometimes, Madison said, she helps someone escape an abusive significant other by putting the person in a hotel room. Other times, the center helps pay rent and utility fees or connect clients who face mental health struggles with the approp r i a t e r e s o u r c e s . E ve n more have had their groceries delivered to them as they face food insecurity after losing their job.

All of the artwork on the walls of the Progress Center for Black Women is done by black female artists. M a d i s o n s a i d of more dire situations COVID-19 affects minori- w h e r e r e s o u r c e s a r e t y c o m m u n i t i e s n o t essentially barren. b e c a u s e o f a n y g e n e t - Email Emilie Heidemann at emilie.heidemann@ ic predisposition, but because a large propor- wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @Heidetion of them work in the industries deemed essenmannEmilie. tial – such as grocery stores, hotels, restaurants. Such are also the industries most hard hit by the economic fallout of the illness. The disease also exposes the systemic racism that already existed before the pandemic, she s a i d , a n d eve n ex a c e rbates it. “Everything is coming to a head,” Madison said. But she acknowledged Dane County’s response to the disease seems more proactive than its national counterparts. Madison said in talks with black leaders around t h e n a t i o n , t h ey s p e a k

File by Kimberly Wethal

How to help To support the Progress Center for Black Women during the COVID-19 health crisis, visit centerforblackwomen.org and click the “Donate” button on the website’s homepage.

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June 12, 2020

Fitchburg Star

George Floyd: Question and answer with Fitchburg police chief Chad Brecklin Continued from page 1 values of our Fitchburg community and the members of the Fitchburg Police Department who selflessly serve our community every day.” Brecklin added that holding a knee to the neck as a means of restraint would be considered unacceptable in the department, as is contact with the neck and head of a person unless it is justified. In addition to the statement, the Star interviewed Brecklin about the use of force by Minneapolis police that resulted in Floyd’s death and how Fitchburg police handle difficult situations. He said events in Minneapolis have unraveled the trust that the community had in police departments, and acknowledges that his officers will have to rebuild that relationship with Fitchburg residents. Brecklin added that his department has an assessment process that reviews the use of force by officers, which could include a compliance hold, taking someone to the ground or pulling out a weapon. From there, a tactics instructor, a supervisor and a member of the command staff must review that report to ensure it’s in line with training policies. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s report stated that Floyd died from use of force, but did not include suffocation as a means of death and instead cited Floyd’s pre-existing health conditions. An independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family suggested asphyxiation more directly caused the man’s death. The officer who held his knee on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was arrested later in the week after people had begun to take to the Minneapolis streets to protest. More than 100 major cities across the country have seen protests, involving peaceful marches, shouting,

vandalism, looting and burning of buildings and police vehicles. Police have responded in a variety of ways, as well, from standing still and staying out of the way to using teargas and rubber-coated bullets. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. Fitchburg Star: Have you seen the video, what did you think of it? Chad Brecklin: Yes, I have watched the video, and as you probably saw by my statement that I wrote out, and also put on video, that yes, I did watch it and was watching the video in disbelief, and was quite disturbed by what I saw. FS: Where do you think the officers involved in George Floyd’s death went wrong? CB: Typically, I prefer not to comment on the actions of other officers in other departments. But in this case, I don’t know to what level of training those o ffi c e r s h ave , I d o n ’t k n ow what the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department are, but what I can tell you is I certainly saw a lack of compassion and humanity being displayed. M r. F l o y d o b v i o u s l y w a s indicating he did not have the ability to breathe. In a situation in which our department was in a case where someone was indicating to us that they could not breathe, it would be our expectation that anytime someone is in our custody, that we demonstrate care and compassion. We would minimally try to roll them onto their side, or have them sit up, in order to facilitate an ability to breathe. FS: Is holding a knee on a person’s neck a legit tactic that FPD uses? CB: It’s not a trained technique by the City of Fitchburg, or any technique similar to that authorized by the state of Wisconsin … in fact, we train our people that generally speaking, unless a deadly force situation is present, any sort of contact or force placed above the head or

“Last week I watched in disbelief the video of George Floyd’s last moments and was extremely disturbed and saddened by what I saw. The actions of the former Minneapolis Police Officers in that video do not reflect the values of our Fitchburg community and the members of the Fitchburg Police Department who selflessly serve our community every day.” City of Fitchburg police chief Chad Brecklin neck is not generally acceptable. Obviously there could be situations where an officer might have to punch, or use an elbow o r s o m e t h i n g w h e n y o u ’r e rolling around on the ground, where someone may be struck in the head or face, but generally speaking, it would not be our desire to strike anyone above the head, at least intentionally. FS: How does this event, and the fallout from it, affect your ability to police in areas where there are tensions between police and the community? CB: We’ve done a lot of good work, as a lot of other police departments have done over the last several years, and really, throughout our existence to try to build relationships and trust in all neighborhoods in our community. The incident in Minneapolis has completely unraveled that. All of the goodwill, trust and relationships that we have been able to forge over the years have taken a significant hit because of the actions, and inactions, of those officers. We recognize that, and we know we have a tall task ahead of us to begin to repair and restore the trust and relationships, and goodwill that has been established amongst the police department and the community. This is an impactful incident and situation that affects every neighborhood in our community, not just particular neighborhoods. Every neighborhood,

and every person in Fitchburg, and quite honestly, nearly every person in our country is sitting back and questioning what its police department is doing, or does, what its policies and practices are, what is its relationship with the community. FS: If you need to physically restrain a person, what techniques are used? What a re e x a m p l e s o f s i t u a t i o n s that would merit enforcement that would require an officer to physically restrain a person? CB: If physical force is going to be necessary based on threats or active, visible aggressions by somebody that we are interacting with, we also have other options available – shotguns that shoot bean bag rounds … taser-type devices that could potentially be deployed as well if we have the ability to do so, which may further reduce the l i ke l i h o o d o f h av i n g t o u s e physical force. If we have to get to the point of physical force, obviously that’s a last resort – ideally, we would have enough officers to safely and quickly gain compliance of an uncooperative subject. More often than not, we would try to put that person onto the ground because the ground acts as stabilization, and would try to put someone’s hands behind their back and get their hands cuffed. Once they a r e c u ff e d , w e wo u l d b eg i n i m m e d i a t e l y t o b eg i n t h o s e follow-through considerations

of trying to get them rolled on their side, assuming they are cooperative now, and if they’re really cooperative, get them in seated position to allow breathi n g a n d p r ev e n t p o s i t i o n a l asphyxiation. FS: What is the overall goal of using force in interactions with people, if it needs to be used? CB: The overall goal, at any point in time, is to keep our community safe, and to serve our community. That’s the ultimate goal. Again, force is not what we want to use at any given time, or any given day. If we never used force again, in the time I have left in my career a n d b ey o n d , t h a t w o u l d b e great. That would be preferred for us, trust me. The goal of using force is to gain compliance and control in situations where there is no control or compliance, where we’ve determined an arrest is necessary, and we are receiving resistance or threats of resistance from the person we need to take into custody. FS: Do you encourage your officers to call out actions they see from their peers that t h e y d o n ’ t a g re e w i t h ? I s there a system for reporting behaviors that makes officers feel comfortable in doing so? Absolutely. We don’t have a formal system for that … what we have tried to do here in Fitchburg, and what we will continue to do, is start with the culture of your agency. The culture of our agency is one that is established on fairness and respect for all. If we are successful in creating a positive culture in our agency, then the byproduct of that culture is one that would have officers feeling comfortable if they had a concern about the use of force, or other policy violations (by) their co-workers. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@ wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.

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City Hall - Main Line Administration Assessing Building Inspections City Clerk Economic Development

270-4200 270-4213 270-4235 270-4240 270-4210 270-4246

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270-4225 270-4251 278-2980 275-7148 270-4211 729-1760 270-4224

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5520 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, WI 53711 • www.fitchburgwi.gov

PUBLIC HEARINGS ON MAYOR’S PROPOSED 2021-2030 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Office of the Mayor

The Common Council will hold two public hearings at Fitchburg City Hall and/ or virtually, regarding the Mayor’s proposed 2021-2030 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

5520 Lacy Road Fitchburg, WI 53711-5318 Phone: (608) 270-4200 Fax: (608) 270-4212 www.fitchburgwi.gov

Tuesday, June 23, 2020– 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 11, 2020 – 7:30 p.m.

To access the CIP, visit http://www.fitchburgwi.gov/176/Capital-ImprovementPlan June 1, 2020 Chad A. Brecklin | Chief of Police

5520 Lacy Road, Fitchburg, Wisconsin 53711 Ph: 608.270.4300 | Fx: 608.270.4349 | fitchburgwi.gov

June 1, 2020 To Our Fitchburg Community, Last week I watched in disbelief the video of George Floyd’s last moments and was extremely disturbed and saddened by what I saw. The actions of the former Minneapolis Police Officers in that video do not reflect the values of our Fitchburg community and the members of the Fitchburg Police Department who selflessly serve our community every day. Our department has worked hard to continue building trust and relationships in all neighborhoods of our community. This incident undermines and unravels all of our efforts. I emphatically state the actions and inactions of the former officers are unacceptable. Additionally, I support the statement released by the Dane County Chiefs of Police Association last week condemning the actions of the former officers. The Fitchburg Police Department strives to hire people who reflect our community with a desire to serve, create a culture of respect for all, provide training and policies to guide us in carrying out our service, and assess the service we provide regularly. As we carry out our service to our community, we seek to provide it with fairness, respect, and compassion. Placing a knee on a person’s neck is not consistent with our training at the Fitchburg Police Department nor tolerated. We seek to use communication skills, de-escalation tactics, and time and distance whenever we are able. In those instances where these are unsuccessful or unavailable and we must use force, this use of force receives a multi-layer assessment to ensure the force used was necessary and appropriate for the situation.

Statement from Mayor Richardson on Recent Events Against People of Color It is with a heavy heart I have watched the events in Minnesota unfold. I have struggled to put into words my feelings seeing not only what happened to George Floyd but also African Americans throughout the country doing ordinary things like jogging or bird watching. I have never had to worry about my safety like people of color, especially African Americans, do every day throughout this country. I have that privilege. We need to do better. It breaks my heart to hear from friends who fear for the safety of their African American sons. This country needs to do better. We are fortunate to have an exceptional police department in Fitchburg with very high standards. They hold themselves to a higher standard and I hold them to a higher standard. They work hard to protect and serve our community and build trust and relationships with our community. I will continue to support them while also making it clear there will be no tolerance for the actions we have seen time and again in other parts of our country. Nothing can justify the actions of the former law enforcement officers in Minnesota against George Floyd. The Fitchburg City Council joins me in condemning the actions of individuals throughout the country against people of color, especially the African American community. Fitchburg will be better and we will lead the fight against systems of oppression. Fitchburg is one of the most diverse communities in Wisconsin. It is one of our best qualities. Everyone is welcome here and everyone needs to feel safe here.

Aaron – Fitchburg Mayor Dorothy, Gabriella, Joe, Julia, Randy, Sarah, Shannon, Tom – Fitchburg City Council #WeAreFitchburg

We will use this incident as an opportunity to reflect on our values of fairness, respect, and compassion and that our service continues to match those values. Undoubtedly, this incident will cause us to seek improvement where possible. We have an excellent team of people at the Fitchburg Police Department who serve with dedication and professionalism. This team will work tirelessly to rebuild the trust and relationships that were shattered last week and continue to hold ourselves at the Fitchburg Police Department to a high standard.

Chad Brecklin Fitchburg Police Chief

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June 12, 2020

Thermo Fisher Scientific helps genetically sequence COVID-19 Products inform scientists about virus spread, lethality

Thermo Fisher Scientific 5225-1 Verona Road 276-6100 thermofisher.com

EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

A Massachusetts-based biotech company with a lab in Fitchburg is helping researchers uncover the genetic code for the virus that causes COVID-19. Thermo Fisher Scientific designs products to aid in the genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2, more commonly known as the new coronavirus. That will give scientists “biological insights” into the virus, Angjali Shah, senior director of product development, told the Star in an email. Shah said sequencing a virus’ genome helps scientists identify where it came from, how it is transmitted from person to person, how it attacks someone’s body, the prevalence of it in a population and how it evolves and mutates. “With this information, you can inform outbreak containment strategies and vaccine development and efficacy,” she wrote. Sequencing also lends researchers knowledge about a person’s susceptibility to the virus and how severe a COVID-19 case might be. Scientists were first able to sequence the virus in January, the

Photo by Emilie Heidemann

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based biotech company, has a Fitchburg lab located at 5225-1 Verona Road. New York Times reported April 3. The genome came from a 41 year old man who worked at the seafood market in Wuhan, China, where the first cluster of COVID-19 cases appeared. From that sample, the scientists deciphered exactly how the virus replicates in the human body – it binds to ACE-2 receptor enzymes in human DNA with spike proteins that unlock the receptor like a key. From there, it replicates and continues to infect its host. Scientists also now know, the Times reported April 30, that the virus has mutated since that first cluster of cases,

producing new strains that originate from different areas. For example, most COVID-19 cases sequenced from Dane County patients appeared to have come from Europe, while Milwaukee area samples stemmed from Asia, according to preliminary genetic sequencing data by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, the Wisconsin State Journal reported May 1. There are two ways of genetically sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 virus through Thermo Fisher Scientific’s system, Shah said. Both are referred to as “next generation

sequencing.” She said the first approach involves targeted “enrichment” of a specific virus genome species. That enrichment involves capturing a subset or a region of the virus’s genome through a special probing process. “In this approach, you usually need a prior knowledge of the genetic sequence of the virus to ensure that you specifically enrich it for the virus of interest,” she explained. “For example, there are many types of coronaviruses, like SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2.” T h e b e n e fi t s o f t h i s fi r s t approach include a low cost to produce a sample, Shah said. The second approach uses RNA sequencing with all species in the sample. “So if you have a mixture of virus and human RNA in a sample, you will sequence both,” Shah explained. “The benefit of this approach is that you can see the complexity of different species – viral, human, bacterial organisms.”

Thirsty Goat GM fired for calling protesters ‘domestic terrorists’ on social media Owner calls comments ‘insensitive, dangerous and unacceptable’ EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

A post on a personal Facebook page has led to a public firing of a Fitchburg restaurant manager. After a string of angry comments demanding action on Friday, June 5, the Thirsty Goat, 3040 Cahill Main, posted a notice on its official page that it had fired general manager Caroline Dwyer-Clanton because of her post three days before, calling Black Lives Matter protesters “domestic terrorists.” The post referred to a caravan on the Beltline in Madison that prompted police to close off traffic. Accompanying Dywer-Clanton’s post was a graphic depicting a car bumping into and running over stick figures, with “All Lives Splatter” at the top of the graphic and “Keep your ass out of the road” at the bottom. The Star repeatedly attempted to contact Dwyer-Clanton for comment on June 5. Her Facebook account appeared to have been deleted. Dwyer-Clanton managed several properties for Thirsty Goat owner Dave Schutz, including the nearby Wyndham Garden Inn. In Schutz’s post announcing her firing, he called Dwyer-Clanton’s

Photo submitted

After a string of angry comments demanding action on Friday, June 5, File by Amber Levenhagen the Thirsty Goat, 3040 Cahill Main, The Thirsty Goat is located at 3040 Cahill Main. posted a notice on its official page that it had fired general manager “We will not tolerate and Responses to the protests, some Caroline Dwyer-Clanton because of which have included looting, of her post the day before, calling do not condone racism extensive property damage and Black Lives Matter protesters in our business. We own violence, have been polarizing. “domestic terrorists.” The post of Dwyer-Clanton’s the actions of the general that angered some Thirsty Goat manager and apologize customers criticized protesters for hashtags “#BoycottThirstyGoat,” “#UntilTheyFireThisWoman” for the harm caused to “shutting the beltline down again and “#FireCaroline.” Patterson’s during the most ridiculous move our community.” post, which received 86 likes, on the planet” and Madison police instructed fellow Facebook users Dave Schutz, owner for “blocking the road so they can to review The Thirsty Goat and of the Thirsty Goat march.” share Dwyer-Clanton’s post. “Why are the police condonPatterson told the Star he then ing what these domestic terrorists words “insensitive, dangerous and are telling them to do?” it stated. reached out to Thirsty Goat owner unacceptable.” The post added “Isn’t it illegal to be walking on Dave Schutz and informed him of that The Thirsty Goat is donating any highway or going under 45 Dwyer-Clanton’s actions. “We will not tolerate and do $5,000 to Urban Triage as a result mph? … To break public safeand will continue to look into ty orders and curfew? We are all not condone racism in our busiways to support the Black Lives supposed to follow all the rules ness,” Schutz wrote. “We own the actions of the general manager Matter movement. yet all these other people follow The incident came amid pro- all the rules … Time for a change and apologize for the harm caused tests all over the country, general- Madison people time for a big to our community.” Email Emilie Heidemann at emily sparked by the death of George f’ing change!!!” lie.heidemann@wcinet.com or Floyd at the hands of a MinneapA Facebook user identified as follow her on Twitter at @Heideolis police officer who knelt on Dexter Patterson saw the post and mannEmilie. his neck for almost nine minutes. tagged The Thirsty Goat in it with

Fitchburg Star

Goodwill enters first phase of re-opening Goodwill enters first phase of re-opening Goodwill, 6291 McKee Rd, has reopened its retail store to the public, according to a news release on its website. The store will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, the release states. The business has also reserved an hour from 9-10 a.m. for senior shoppers or patrons with disabilities, according to the release. In accordance with county guidelines, the store will limit the number of shoppers allowed inside at the same time. Goodwill will continue to offer curbside pickup and online shopping, the release states. For information, visit goodwillscwi.org.

Reopening: Businesses taking extra precautions Continued from page 1 on every other treadmill, and stickers are placed on the side of pool areas to remind people to stand six feet apart while swimming. The club closes from 2-3 p.m. every day so staff can clean the place down. “We have a special (virucide) that kills COVID-19,” McMahon said. Dave’s Guitar Shop hasn’t found it economically feasible to open its indoor space, manager Mike Turk told the Star. “We just don’t have the hours right now,” he said. But the business has a well-established online presence, he said, and aspiring musicians can still set up appointments to come into the shop and view an instrument. Perennial Yoga announced on its Facebook page May 29 it is planning to reopen June 15, keeping its online yoga and meditation classes going, as well. Its sister business within the studio, Surya Cafe, is open at 25% capacity for dine-in services. “A small number of Flow classes will be showing up outdoors and in a very large indoor area, and there will be time for you to practice solo,” the post reads. Lange said Ecco Salon was prepared for this transition, at least the health part. The business had at first planned on reopening April 24, the original end date of the state’s Safer at Home orders. But without clients to serve for two months and a state unemployment office overrun with applications, his stylists faced some financial difficulties. Thankfully, Lange said, the business qualified for the Paycheck Protection Program to bring everyone back together. “It was taking a bit for employees to hear back from the (unemployment) office,” Lange said.

12 Fitchburg Star - June 12, 2020

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Sports

Friday, June 12, 2020

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Swimming and diving

All-City meets, duals canceled for 2020 ADAM FEINER Sports editor

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed another victim in the local sports scene. The All-City board of directors unanimously decided during a virtual meeting Wednesday, May 21, to cancel the All-City Swim and Dive Meets for 2020. “There is no higher priority than the health and safety of our athletes and their families,” All-City President Ben Callan said in a statement posted on the organization’s website. “Clearly the public health emergency associated with COVID-19 requires adjustment to ensure societal well-being. “These were extremely tough decisions by the board, but in the absence of a vaccine or treatments specific to COVID-19, we need to do our part to safeguard

the community.” The diving meet was scheduled for July 27-28 at Goodman Pool on Madison’s south side. Ridgewood Pool on Madison’s southwest side was scheduled to host the swim meet July 30-Aug. 1. The board of directors also canceled the All-City Swim League’s 2020 season. Member pools normally compete in duals in the seven weeks leading up to the All-City meets. The All-City Swim League comprises 13 member pools – Goodman, Hawks Landing, High Point, Hill Farm, Maple Bluff, Middleton, Monona, Nakoma, Parkcrest, Ridgewood, Seminole, Shorewood and West Side. Ridgewood won its 40th team title since 1970 at last year’s All-City Swim Meet. High Point won its first AllPhoto by Adam Feiner City Dive Meet champion- Ridgewood Pool members celebrates their 40th team championship since 1970 at the 2019 All-City Swim Meet. The Green Buns will not have a chance to defend their title in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. ship last season.

Prep sports

Pelton named Regents’ permanent AD ADAM FEINER Sports editor

After a search by the Madison Metropolitan School District this spring, administrators decided to stick with Alicia Pelton as the athletic director at Madison West High School. Pelton had the interim tag removed from her title Monday, June 1. She took over in a substitute role as the Regents’ athletic director in April 2019 for Devon Peterson, who was on medical leave at the time, Pelton then agreed last September to remain on as interim AD after Peterson officially stepped down. Pelton, 50, is the only female athletic director in the Big Eight Conference. “Gender equality in athletics is what I’ve been doing for awhile,” she said. “One of my favorite times is sitting together in meeting with the other ADs. They’re all very enlightened and conscious about diversity and opportunities for all kinds of people. This group really gets it.” A longtime physical education teacher, Pelton was the founder of a successful youth recreation program – My First Sports – in Madison and Milwaukee. She is also the founder of the Athletic Leadership Alliance and one of the founders of the Wisconsin women’s soccer advisory council. Pelton laid out five long-term goals at West in an interview with the Star – build culture, grow opportunities, find strong role models as coaches, build the youth programs that feed into the high school and find solutions for space issues with the school’s facilities. “I don’t have full control over all of the goals, but I can focus on creating trust and stability,” she said. “Those goals take patience and buy-in from the community, boosters, staff and students. I have to make sure I’m accountable and transparent.” Pelton decided to work in athletics after an extensive playing career. The 1987 Janesville Craig High School graduate and 2011 inductee of the Janesville Sports Hall of Fame won nine varsity letters in basketball, cross country, tennis

and track and field. She still owns Craig’s triple jump record (37 feet, 2.5 inches) and twice advanced to state in the event, placing eighth as a senior and 12th as a junior. The Cougars’ top cross country runner as a sophomore and junior, Pelton decided to play tennis as a senior. She became a conference, regional and sectional doubles champion, all while helping Craig finish fourth at the 1986 state tournament. Pelton competed in track and field as a triple jumper and heptathlete at the University of Wisconsin, with aspirations of qualifying for the Olympics. She is still among the top eight triple jumpers in program history, despite suffering a jumping-related injury during her freshman year. A 5-foot-9 guard, Pelton played in the Swedish Elite Basketball League in 1993 and 1994 at the same time her husband – John Byce – was playing hockey in the Swedish Elite League.

Athletic family genes

Byce, a 1985 Madison Memorial graduate, tallied 77 goals and 165 points in his four-year career at the University of Wisconsin. He scored a hat trick in the 1990 NCAA Championship Game to help UW to its fifth NCAA title, then went on to play 10 professional seasons. Pelton’s son, Ty, is a rising senior hockey player at Wisconsin. The former Madison Memorial star was named 2015 Big Eight Conference Player of the Year and won the Joe Pavelski award for the best forward in Wisconsin as a senior. Pelton-Byce played two seasons at Harvard before transferring to UW for his junior year. Pelton’s daughter, Kaya, is a rising junior at Madison Memorial. She helped the Madison Metro Lynx girls hockey team to its first state appearance and runner-up finish in Division 1 last season.

Two AD openings in Big Eight

Middleton and Madison La Follette are still looking for athletic directors. Former Verona athletic director Mark Kryka served as interim athletic director at Middleton for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year while Cardinals AD Bob Joers battled pancreatic cancer. Joers passed away May 15.

Prep sports

Verona fills three head coaching vacancies ADAM FEINER Sports editor

Three individuals with previous ties to Verona Area High School will return for the 2020-21 school year as varsity coaches. Reggie Patterson will lead the boys basketball program, 2016 VAHS grad Hanna Rebholz will coach girls golf and former boys soccer assistant David Perkins will have a shot to lead the Wildcats as a head coach.

Hoop dream for Patterson

The Verona boys basketball team went 4-19 last season – one in which first-year coach Eddie Singleton resigned midseason and former coach Alan Buss returned to the bench in an interim role. Patterson, 27, is hoping to return the program back to prominence. He was an assistant on girls basketball coach Angie Murphy’s staff last season. Patterson “The biggest goal is to get the community behind the basketball program,” Patterson said. “I want to get the program back to where it was in the past under Alan Buss and for the players to enjoy the game and have a lot of fun. If we do that, wins and losses will take care of themselves.” Patterson was a four-year varsity letterwinner in basketball at Baldwyn (MS) High School. The 6-foot-4 guard earned All-State honors in 2010 and 2011, but missed his senior year due to a knee injury. He played two years at Northeast Mississippi Community College before finishing his playing career at Mississippi State. Patterson moved to Madison in 2017 and was a graduate assistant for the Edgewood College women’s basketball team for two years. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership

a n d i s n ow a s e c u r i t y a s s i s t a n t a t VAHS. “I’ve learned to be patient and continue to grind,” Patterson said. “At the end of day, you can reach whatever goals and dreams you have. After my senior season in high school, a lot of people told me to stay consistent and believe in the Lord, and that’s got me to where I am today.”

Rebholz returns to alma mater

A four-year varsity letterwinner at VAHS, Rebholz was part of the Verona teams that made three consecutive Division 1 state appearances and won the state title in 2014. She played golf all four years at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, competing in 24 events. She ave r a g e d a c a r e e r- l ow 83.2 strokes per 18 holes Rebholz as a senior, but had her final spring season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rebholz, 22, graduated last month from UW-Oshkosh with a degree in Human Services Leadership, and landed a job at the Rural Housing Foundation in Oregon. “The younger I am, the more I can relate to what high schoolers are going through,” she said. “Those high school memories are still fresh in my mind, and golfing in college helped maintain my love for the game.” Rebholz is the daughter of current Verona boys golf coach Jon Rebholz, who’s also served as the Wildcats girls golf coach. She succeeds Gabby Curtis, a former University of Wisconsin golfer who served as the Verona girls golf coach for one season. “I’ve always wanted to coach golf,” Rebholz said. “I had my eye out for any opportunities and saw Verona was open. It

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June 12, 2020

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Boys soccer

Popkewitz named Gatorade Player of the Year ADAM FEINER Sports editor

Recent Verona Area High School graduate Eliot Popkewitz was named the Gatorade Wisconsin Boys Soccer Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season, it was announced Monday, June 8. Popkewitz is the first Verona player and fourth from the Big Eight Conference to earn the honor, joining Madison West midfielder Michael Bell (1987), Middleton midfielder Tyler Guse (2004) and Madison Memorial midfielder Eric Meyer (2006).

Popkewitz will play at the University of Wisconsin this fall after being named first team allBig Eight his junior and senior seasons at Verona. The 5-foot8 midfielder was the Big Eight player of the year and included in the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association’s “Best 11” on the all-state team as a senior. A three-year captain, he became the program leader in goals (40) after finding the back of the net 14 times and dished out a single-season program record 16 assists his senior season.

After leading the Wildcats to a second consecutive Big Eight title, Popkewitz came up clutch in the Division 1 postseason. He scored the game-winning goal in Verona’s 1-0 win over Madison West in the sectional championship, and scored first in the Wildcats’ state tournament victories over Kenosha Tremper and Neenah. Popkewitz and former Verona teammate Sam Lynch were also selected to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Fall High School Boys All-Great Lakes Region Team.

Photo by Adam Feiner

Girls soccer

Verona’s Eliot Popkewitz (6) celebrates his goal during the first half of the 2019 Division 1 state championship game. The University of Wisconsin recruit was named the Gatorade Wisconsin Boys Soccer Player of the Year for the 2019-20 season after leading the Wildcats to their first golden ball in program history.

Prep sports

Oregon seniors honored with parade Badger Conference issues racism statement MARK NESBITT

Assistant sports editor

Seniors on the Oregon girls soccer team didn’t get a chance to defend their Division 2 state championship this year. However, the parents of seniors and the community sent them out in style with a drive-by parade on Thursday, June 4, as players lined Perry Parkway in front of Huntoon Field. Some tossed colorful confetti and horns honked as drivers made their way past one of the most successful teams in school history. Players pulled out cell phones to take photos and record the moments. “It’s some sort of closure,” senior forward Avary Fanning said. “We didn’t get to go back (to state). This is an end to the era of our team.” Oregon captured the state title with a 2-1 shootout win over Whitefish Bay on June 15, 2019 at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee. It was the Panthers’ second title in five years. Oregon (18-0-1) was making its fifth straight state appearance and won the championship for the first time since 2015. The Panthers finished with a school-record 103 goals and posted 15 shutouts, one away from the school record. Oregon has also won eight straight Badger South Conference titles. Senior Hanna Rohrer scored a game-tying goal at the 51:15 mark to force a shootout against Whitefish Bay. The Panthers earned a shot at the title after shutting out Brookfield East 2-0 in the state semifinals. Oregon goalkeeper Melia Moyer had fond memories of the championship game last season, when she stopped two shots in the shootout to preserve the win. Moyer, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall and major in chemical engineering, was disappointed the spring season was canceled because of COVID-19. “It was definitely a little bit of a heartbreaker,” Moyer said. “You always want to come out and defend what you have done.” Senior defender Emma Halverson was the only returning player who scored in last year’s shootout at state. The Blue Dukes outshot the Panthers 24-8 and had 14 corner kicks, but Moyer finished with 10 saves. Moyer entered the championship game with 41 saves and 15 shutouts, one away from the school record set in 2017. “It’s unexpected to have it taken away,” Moyer said of the spring sports season. “I think it’s really awesome we have been able to come together. It feels good to be recognized for what we have done the past three years.” Oregon was poised to have a strong

ADAM FEINER Sports editor

Photos by Mark Nesbitt

Senior members of the Oregon girls soccer team wave as they are honored for their 2019 state championship and accomplishments during a send-off parade on Thursday, June 4. The parade was organized by parents of the senior soccer players.

Alexis Kane, a student at Roosevelt University, congratulates her younger sister, Brooklyn Kane, during the driveby parade. chance at repeating as state champions with three first team all-Badger South players coming back in Fanning, Moyer and senior Brooklyn Kane.

Fanning, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the fall, agreed that coming to grips with the season being over before it started was tough. “It didn’t feel real for a while until it got to tryouts time and we weren’t practicing,” she said. “I think that it’s been easier for me because we did end it on a great note. My last game with this team was winning.” Kane plans to play intramural soccer at UW-La Crosse, and was excited to spend one more day with her teammates after being shut down due to COVID-19. “It’s a good substitute for a bitter goodbye,” Kane said of the send-off parade. “It’s nice to see all of our teammates coming back and being at the field.”

Oregon School District superintendent Brian Busler and Madison Edgewood High School president Michael Elliott were two of 16 Badger Conference school administrators to sign their names to a statement condemning racism. The press release was issued by Monroe’s District Administrative Center and obtained by the Star on Friday, June 5. “The Badger Conference, and its member schools, are committed to equity and educating our students and communities about the deep-rooted racism present within our society and unfortunately in our schools,” the release stated. “As a conference, we want our school communities to know that we stand alongside those that are condemning the death of George Floyd and the continued violence and use of excessive force against people of color. We need to respond to these tragic events, and we need to acknowledge the corrosive impact racism, bias, and inequity has had on any hope of equity in our communities. “As a conference, we must all recognize our place in perpetuating inequities and acknowledge that if we don’t actively disrupt racism we are part of the problem. In order to serve our students and families, we must actively and aggressively deal with racism in our schools, our communities, and our institutional practices. The recent protests have brought to everyone’s attention how far we have to go in our communities and our nation to achieve equity for all, and as district leaders we are prioritizing the need for the necessary courageous conversations to be backed by school and district action. “We stand in support of equity, we stand in support of peaceful protestors, and we stand in support of a future in which all individuals in our communities feel safe and respected.” Busler, who has led the district for 14 years, is retiring at the end of the month. Current OSD deputy superintendent Leslie Bergstrom

will step into the role of superintendent July 1. Elliott – a 1977 Edgewood grad and past chairman of the school’s board of trustees – has served as the school’s president since July 1, 2013. The Badger Conference comprises 16 member schools – Edgewood, Oregon, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, DeForest, Fort Atkinson, Milton, Monona Grove, Monroe, Mount Horeb, Portage, Reedsburg, Sauk Prairie, Stoughton, Watertown and Waunakee.

No extended spring season for Edgewood, Oregon athletes

Badger Conference administrators, including the superintendents, principals and athletic directors have made the joint decision to not participate in the extended spring sports season as allowed by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association in July and August. “Again, we express our sadness for our student-athletes and coaches, who have worked so hard in preparation of the season,” Milton athletic director and Badger Conference Athletic Directors President Brian Hammil said in a press release obtained by the Star. “This decision will allow closure for our seniors and we wish them the best of luck moving forward.” The WIAA Board of Control voted to cancel all 2020 spring sports competitions and spring state tournament series on April 21. The decision impacted baseball, softball, boys golf, girls soccer, boys tennis and boys and girls track and field. H ow ev e r, t h e B o a r d allowed for unrestricted coaching contact in the summer for spring sports, provided coaches include graduating seniors. Spring coaches had the option of 30 unrestricted contact days with their athletes, pending local health guidelines. Virtual coaching can continue through June 30 (or when Gov. Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order would allow) before the 30 contact days would begin. Fall and winter sports contact days are not changed or impacted.

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June 12, 2020

Men’s basketball

Fitchburg Star

College track and field

OHS alumni receive national recognition ADAM FEINER Sports editor

Photo courtesy Madison College

Nate Buss was a team captain in his two seasons at Madison College. The 2017 Verona Area High School graduate will be a preferred walk-on at Winthrop next season.

Former VAHS star Buss transfers to Winthrop MARK NESBITT Assistant sports editor

The leading assist man in Verona Area High School boys basketball history will continue his college basketball journey at the Division I level. Nate Buss announced Sunday, May 24, on Twitter that he was joining Winthrop University as a preferred walk-on. “My goal has always been to play Division I college basketball,” said Buss, a 2017 VAHS graduate who holds the school record in assists (378) and is ninth on the career scoring list with 740 points. “I’m honored to be a part of such a great basketball program. When the opportunity arose, I couldn’t pass up on it.” Buss redshirted this past season at Division II Flagler College and has two years of eligibility remaining at Winthrop. The 5-foot-11 guard said he worked on his conditioning and shooting and challenged other players in practice at Flagler. Located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Winthrop was the Big South Conference champion last season and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament before it was canceled March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Eagles have appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments and won 22 conference championships in 42 years of the program. Winthrop has won 11 conference tournament championships – the third most in Division I since 1999 behind Gonzaga (16) and Duke (12), one ahead of Kentucky and two ahead of Kansas.

“The glory is not the same as a scholarship player,” Buss said of being a preferred walk-on. “I’m going to go in there and work my hardest to bring value to the team. I want to be part of the success any way possible.” His father, Alan Buss, is the principal at Badger Ridge Middle School. Alan Buss served as the interim boys basketball head coach at Verona last season after Eddie Singleton stepped down due to personal reasons. Nate Buss was a twotime captain at Verona and earned third-team Big Eight All-Conference honors as a senior after he averaged 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. As a junior, he was named honorable mention all-conference after averaging 13.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 6.8 apg. The Verona native started 47 of 54 games and was a team captain in his first two collegiate seasons at Madison College. He was named second-team all-region after averaging 13.0 points per game as a sophomore. He also made a team-high 66 3-pointers, shot 39% from beyond the arc and was second on the team in assists (84). “Winthrop saw my basketball IQ,” Buss said. “I can shoot the ball. That is one of my strengths.” Buss – a strategic communications major – wants to become a college basketball coach when his playing days are done. “I’ve always been around the game,” he said. “I’m going to learn a lot. I’m excited to learn more when I get started at Winthrop.”

Three former Oregon High School track and field stars made their presence felt on the national level this past indoor season. Alex Duff and Maddie LeBrun – 2016 OHS grads – shined at Division III schools and capped their collegiate careers with multiple All-America honors. Hudson Kugel – a 2017 OHS grad – teamed with three of his teammates at the University of Wisconsin to earn an All-America nod in Division I.

Duff captures sixth All-American honor

Photo by Michael McLoone/UW-Whitewater Athletics

UW-Whitewater’s Alex Duff clears a hurdle at the Williams Center in After attending Northern Iowa Whitewater. University as a freshman, Duff returned to his home state and became a star at D-III Wisconsin-Whitewater. Duff was one of 12 Warhawks (and one of 11 Wisconsin natives on the team) who earned All-America honors for the 2020 indoor season from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The senior was an All-American in four events in 2018 (60-, 110- and 400-meter hurdles and heptathlon) and earned the same honor in the 60 hurdles his final two years at Whitewater. “It shows all the hard work paid off,” Duff said. “It takes a lot of practice and good coaching. The coaching staffs at UNI and WhitePhoto courtesy St. Norbert Athletics water really helped me get to where Maddie LeBrun (right) earned four I am today.” Division III All-America honors at St. All 12 of Whitewater’s All-Amer- Norbert College. icans qualified for the D-III Indoor Championships, which were origi- LeBrun caps SNC nally scheduled for March 13-14 at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, career in style With two Division III All-America N.C. However on March 12, the NCAA canceled all remaining win- honors already under her belt, LeBrun ter and spring championships due to decided to double up during her final indoor season at St. Norbert College. the COVID-19 pandemic. She won Midwest Conference The USTFCCCA typically awards indoor titles in the 400-meter dash and All-America honors to athletes who finish in the top eight at the national as a member of the Green Knights’ meet. This year, all national qualifiers 1,600-meter relay, then qualified for the D-III Indoor Championships in received All-America recognition. Duff, who posted a season-best both events. “I didn’t really understand the time of 8.17 seconds in the 60 hurdles, was seeking his third straight gravity of the honor (All-America) top-eight finish in the event at the until I didn’t earn it sophomore year,” national championships. The star LeBrun said. “It really is a big deal, hurdler also finished his collegiate even though it’s a little weird in the career as a five-time USTFCCCA way I got it this year. I’m grateful the All-Midwest Region selection (2018 NCAA extended the honor to every and 2019 indoor and outdoor, 2020 athlete who made the national championships.” indoor). LeBrun was seeded ninth out of 20 He made an immediate impact entries in the 400 (57.34) and St. Norupon arriving at Whitewater, establishing school records in the hep- bert’s 1,600 relay was seeded ninth tathlon (5,109 points) and 400 hur- out of 12 entries with a qualifying dles (51.62) his sophomore year. time of 3:53.01. LeBrun won indoor conference He tied the school record in the 110 titles in the 400 three times. She also hurdles (14.27) as a junior.

Photo courtesy Wisconsin Athletics

Wisconsin’s Hudson Kugel was named a Division I Indoor Track and Field All-American as part of the Badgers’ distance medley relay team.

ran on the Green Knights’ 1,600 relay team that won four straight indoor conference crowns. LeBrun won three outdoor MWC titles in the 400, and was part of two first-place 400 relay and 1,600 relay teams. She owns the indoor school records in the 200 (25.66), 300 (41.87), as well as the 1,600 relay (3:52.50) and distance medley relay (11:54.26). She was also part of the 400 relay (48.28) and 1,600 relay (3:50.38) teams that own outdoor school records. LeBrun made an immediate impact shortly after arriving at St. Norbert. She earned All-America honors as part of the Green Knights’ distance medley relay that placed sixth at the 2017 Indoor National Championships. LeBrun was named Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year after her outdoor freshman season and MWC Track Performer of the Year after her indoor sophomore season. She earned her second All-America honor as part of the eighth-place 1,600 relay at the 2019 Indoor National Championships.

Kugel, UW DMR named All-Americans

The University of Wisconsin’s distance medley relay team of Kugel, senior Olli Hoare, sophomore Collin Enz and freshman Jackson Sharp received All-America honors for their performance in late February. UW’s DMR set an indoor school record (9:25.84) at Notre Dame’s Alex Wilson Invitational on Feb. 22, which qualified them for the D-I Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The quartet’s time was the third-fastest in the country this spring.

Prep sports

WIAA BOC extends physical exam period ADAM FEINER Sports editor

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved an extension of the alternate year physical examination period required for interscholastic participation at its

monthly meeting Friday, May 15. Membership rules require a physical exam prior to participation in WIAA-sanctioned athletics and every two years thereafter. The Board of Control’s action allows a one-time extension of the two-year period for student-athletes with physical exams forms already on file. For

2020 fall sports, student-athletes that have had a physical within the past two years may receive an extension into the third year until they are able to get a physical with their primary care physician. Parents of student-athletes are required to complete the newly created physical exam

extension form and submit the document to local athletic administration. If answers to any of the questions on the form raise medical concerns with the physical form on file, or if a student-athlete has not had a sports physical in the past two years, one will be required before participation in

practice or competition. The BOC also verified the dates for the 2021 Boys State Golf Tournament. The championships will be held Friday and Saturday, June 18-19, at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison. The practice round is scheduled for June 17.

ConnectFitchburg.com 4 Fitchburg Star Coaches: Perkins has been coaching soccer in the Madison area for 17 years June 12, 2020

Continued from page B1 was a no-brainer for me to apply and luckily I landed the job.”

Perkins to lean on experience

The 41-year-old Perkins was a four-year starter for St. Norbert College as a player and has been coaching soccer in the Madison area for 17 years.

He has been the varsity boys soccer coach at Edgewood High School and an assistant with the Crusaders girls soccer program, and also served as Perkins a varsity assistant boys soccer coach at Verona in 2011. Perkins then moved into the

club ranks, coaching for the Verona Soccer Club, Magic Soccer Club and Madison 56ers. “I’m a big possession-based coach, but I also like to play with speed and high energy,” he said. “It’s a lot of high-pressed zone defending with a lot of creativity. I want us to be compact on defense and work to win the ball back as quickly as possible, while forcing other teams into playing

faster than they like.” Perkins earned his teaching certification and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Edgewood College in 2011. He currently teaches fifth grade comm arts, seventh grade world geography and eighth grade pre-algebra at St. Maria Goretti Catholic School in Madison. Perkins succeeds Chris

Handrick, who led the Wildcats to the Division 1 state championship last season – the first title in program history. “I worked at a program with a winning culture (Edgewood) and have coached for clubs with a winning mindset,” Perkins said. “I’m not scared of high expectations. Our goal is to still be competitive and compete for trophies.”

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back to running. How can you help? A. ITBS commonly causes pain on the outside of the knee and is seen most often in people who run and bike, but can afflict people that are sedentary as well. Most cases of ITBS respond very well to a combination of chiropractic and therapeutic massage treatment and usually require only 4-6 weeks of care. Jill Unwin, Lee Unwin, A chiropractor will make sure the joints in the entire lower extremity DC, CCEP BCMT, CSCS are functioning and moving properly. This includes checking your feet, ankles, knees and hips. We want to identify the cause of your pain, not just treat the symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments will help restore normal biomechanics to the foot, ankle, knee, hip and pelvic joints. Massage therapy will address the soft tissue components of the ITBS and will allow for better gains in releasing adhesions and tight muscles beyond just stretching. Stretching and strengthening exercises will be prescribed to correct muscle imbalances, and orthotics may be prescribed to stabilize joint alignment of the foot and function of the lower limb. Recommendations on training schedule, footwear and choice of terrain may be given and we’ll have you back in action in no time.

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Oregon schools

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June 12, 2020

Fitchburg Star

District prepares for a hybrid model Decisions on reopening will be based on capacity guidance KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

Usually, Verona Area School District staff are the ones who assign math problems, but with C OV I D - 1 9 r eg u l a t i o n s ex p e c t e d t o r e m a i n i n place at the start this fall, staff are being required to solve a problem of their own. It goes something like this: If a district has around 5,700 students and 11 school sites, but county and state health recommendations suggest having no more than 15 students on a bus and at 50% capacity in the classroom at a time, how does it conduct education? There have been no decisions made yet, but superintendent Dean Gorrell predicts the district, along with every other school district in Dane County, will need to plan for a hybrid model of education, with a mix of in-person and virtual learning each week. “Just like any weather forecaster who’s predicting severe weather, they hope they’re wrong – I hope I’m wrong with my prediction,” he said. “Everything that we are hearing, everything that we are reading, from multiple sources at the federal, state, local level is pointing to a hybrid type model.” District staff discussed options for reopening with the school board at the board’s Monday, June 1, meeting, based on current

What things will the district consider with its reopening plan? • Health and safety of students, staff and families • Continuity of learning for all students • Social and emotional needs of students and staff • Keeping siblings on same schedule • Impact on most vulnerable population • Equitable access and opportunity for all students • Community need economically and socially • Financial impact to the District • Transportation and anticipated health guidelines. No matter what the board decides the district should do, Gorrell said, the final decision will fall somewhere on a continuum in which officials will judge risk. On the lower end, there’s virtual learning and no in-person schooling, with each step that increases the amount of in-person schooling and fewer restrictions making the risk of spreading infection greater, Gorrell said. Risk will be judged based on nine consideration points, including the health and safety of staff and students, the continuity of learning for students and social and emotional needs. Gorrell said he has asked about capacity guidance on a local and state level, but hasn’t gotten an answer because the county is waiting to match the guidance the state Department of Health Services puts out. “ H ow m a ny k i d s c a n you put in a classroom? How many kids can you

put on a bus? Because it may be that transportation (and) how many kids you can get on a bus at a time drives every other decision point,” he said. “We’re kind of spinning our wheels here, and it’s not just us. It’s every other school district in the state of Wisconsin.” Current DHS guidance suggests schools reduce capacity by 50%, which would likely require students to come to school on a staggered schedule each week. For the district, that might look like a Mond a y - Tu e s d a y o r T h u r s day-Friday schedule, with every Wednesday made into a virtual learning day that allows for the school buildings to be deepcleaned. Site principals have begun to consider which communal spaces in their buildings could be used as classrooms to help spread s t u d e n t s o u t a n d m a ke reducing class sizes easier, assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos said. Guidance on busing also

On the Web

suggests having no more than 15 students on a bus at a time so social distancing can be practiced. With each route costing the district around $55,000 to run, adding more might not be a feasible financial option. “Just reducing the number of passengers per school bus puts us in a p r e d i c a m e n t ,” B u r g o s said. “It really limits how many students can come to school.” Burgos said the district can’t just group certain neighborhoods together for the days students would get in-person schooling, because that could lead to a segregated school system based on where the city’s ethnic breakout tends to live within the boundaries. To avoid that, district data specialist Brad Humphrey has been working with data on attendance areas and busing routes to calculate how the district could get students to school while mitigating additional costs. Whatever recommendation district staff bring forward to the school board, Burgos said, it will have been created with research on what other districts around the county, state and nation are doing, as well as trying to follow health guidelines as closely as feasible. “We’re trying to do as much work as we can – without doing too much w o r k , o n l y t o h av e t o recalibrate or, let’s put it frankly, scrap it and start o v e r, i f n ew g u i d a n c e were to come out,” she said. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly. wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @ kimberly_wethal.

W h i l e Ve r o n a A r e a School District staff are still holding out hope there might be enough changes in COVID-19 regulations to hold an in-person graduation in July, their attention has been more focused on the virtual ceremony.

Students at Stoner Prairie Elementary and Badger Ridge Middle School families picked up their belongings on May 20 that were left behind when schools were ordered to close.

Stoner Prairie Elementary School will start the new school year with its third principal in four years. Current principal Tammy Thompson-Kapp, who was hired for the start of the 2018-19 academic year to succeed Mike Pisani, announced her departure to become the director of teaching and learning in a different school district. “I wish my departure wasn’t during an extended school closure, but the opportunity to lead at the district level is one I couldn’t pass on,” she wrote to the Press in an email. “ I will miss the staff, students and families and hope I’m leaving a lasting, positive impact on Stoner Prairie.” Prior to joining the district, Thompson-Kapp was the principal at Lapham Elementary School in the Madison Metropolitan School District. She

was hired at Stoner Prairie after former principal Pisani announced he would be leaving in 2018, after parents complained about his responses to grievances and his inability to control student behavior, including incidents of destroying property, roaming hallways and fighting teachers. Thompson-Kapp said she’s proud of the work she and other Stoner Prairie staff did on equity and social emotional learning in the two years she was there, including the creation of a mindfulness room and the Read Your Heart Out event. “I am making a bittersweet departure from Stoner Prairie, a community I quickly grew to love and one that will always have a special place in my heart,” she wrote. “Creating an inclusive school community where everyone feels a sense of belonging was an important goal of my leadership.”

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Onlookers in Belmar Hills Park in Fitchburg wave and blow kisses to educators as a teacher caravan passes through the neighborhoods of Verona and Fitchburg within Sugar Creek Elementary School’s boundaries on the final day of school for the 2019-20 school year on Friday, May 29.

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VAHS in-person grad ceremony unlikely

Sugar Creek Elementary School teachers and staff drove around Verona and Fitchburg on Friday, May 29, to wish students a happy last day of school.

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Sofia Zapata Forero, right, is told how much her smile was missed over the summer by Stoner Prairie Elementary School principal Tammy Thompson-Kapp on the first day of school at Stoner Prairie Elementary School on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. Thompson-Kapp announced her departure from the district last week.

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Verona schools

Fitchburg Star

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Not quite goodbye for principal Modjeski preparing to leave Brooklyn for new school after 16 years

Northbound for Forest Edge

Unified Newspaper Group

OHS cheer team has socially distanced message Members of the Oregon High School cheer team posted a special — and socially distanced — message for the school community last month.

School’s out but graduation waits Strange 2019-20 school year ends with July ceremony still the plan SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group

For much of the year, Oregon High School students, staff, families and friends had circled Sunday, June 14, on their calendars for the graduation of the Class of 2020. For now, that is all still on hold. While the year started out like any other, the unprecedented school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the Class of 2020 as the school year comes to a close. With hopes of still having a modified in-person c e r e m o ny l a s t m o n t h , the Oregon School District moved graduation back from June 14 to July 26. The decision was the result of discussions between senior class leaders and school administrators, approved by the

school board at its Monday, May 11 meeting. District officials are also planning for a potential virtual ceremony in case a modified in-person ceremony, such as a “curbside ceremony” isn’t possible. OHS principal Jim Pliner said dozens of parents had emailed him supporting pushing the graduation date back. He said the district will get more guidance from state health officials in the coming weeks on graduation, which will make things clearer. At last month’s board meeting, Pliner said another scenario is that in a few weeks, if it’s evident state health officials are on the path to approving large gatherings, the district could again postpone the ceremony to give more time for a possible in-person version. Or if the July 26 graduation is virtual, he suggested waiting until December for an in-person celebration for students. Email Unified Newspaper Group reporter Scott De Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@wcinet.com.

OSD news in brief Virtual OHS Honors Night

With schools remaining closed, Oregon High School held a virtual honors night for the Class of 2020 on May 27. Dozens of scholarships and awards totaling more than $58,000 were awarded to graduating seniors.

Ending on a positive note

Rome Corners Intermediate School band teacher Mary Prior is hanging up the baton this month after 38 years in teaching, including the last 22 teaching band and orchestra in the Oregon School District.

OHS Math Team is state runner-up

In the end, it didn’t quite add up to another state title, but the numbers don’t lie — Oregon High School’s mathematicians are again among the best in Wisconsin.

National Merit scholarship for McGinty

OHS senior Nora McGinty has been awarded a National Merit scholarship through the University of Texas at Dallas, where she intends to study neuroscience this fall.

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In this 2017 photo, BKE principal Kerri Modjeski gets the kids going during the “Silly Olympics.” pretty much how she’s going to answer.” Through the years, M o d j e s k i ’s p e r s o n a l i ty hasn’t changed much, Outhouse said, even while she’s changed roles and responsibilities. “In the classroom, she was always fun and kept kids hopping and guessing, and she’s the same as a leader,” Outhouse said. “ Ke r r i h a s k i d s i n h e r office almost every day for lunch — there’s always something fun going on, a lot of laughter. One of Modeski’s greatest talents is her ability to remember students’ names and to use it to connect with them, she said, something that was apparent after a fourth-grade graduation a few years ago. “A parent stepped in and said, ‘She knows everybody’s name? She doesn’t even have a piece of paper with their names on it,’” Outhouse said. “I said, ‘She knows every child’s name in this school, every y e a r, a n d s h e u s u a l l y knows the kindergarteners’ names when they walk in the door.” Modjeski started at BKE in 2004 as a thirdand fourth-grade teacher, returning as an administrative intern before she was hired in fall 2011 as principal. She previously worked at Rome Corners Intermediate and Oregon Middle School, where she started teaching in 1995. Former long-time BKE teacher Dale Schulz was one of the committee members tasked with finding a principal that year, said Modjeski is the ideal principal, as she has every student in school excited to go to the principal’s office. “Even the occasional child who would have to make that tough phone call home, sometimes in tears, would leave her office still loving Kerri,” Schulz wrote the Observer in an email. “If Kerri could not be engaged with kids in the classroom, there would be groups of kids, for all kinds of reasons, gathered in her office.” Brooklyn has “soared” with a culture of high expectations for learning and respect of others in Modjeski’s time leading the school, Schulz said. “Visitors consistently remark that there is a special welcoming feeling, along with a sense of joy and love of learning as

you travel throughout the school,” he said. “That is a reflection of the leadership of Kerri Modjeski.” District superintendent Brian Busler, who lives in the BKE attendance area, said Modjeski specializes in building strong relationships with students, parents and staff, taking the time to interact with everyone. He called her an “educational leader” within the district. “Kerri has a magical way of treating students and adults with a genuine and caring approach,” he wrote the Observer in an email. “She involves students in their learning and always has time to spend individually with anyone who needs it. Kerri truly helps students become great learners.” Modjeski has seen multiple generations of those learners, including sons and daughters of her first group of students at OHS in the late 1990s. “To have that historical contact and relationship with families over time has been such a blessing,” Modjeski said. “I know their dog’s name; I know t h e i r g r a n d m a ’s n a m e . That’s a source of pride for me that I’ve been here long enough to have seen families coming through.” Email Unified Newspaper Group reporter Scott De Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@wcinet.com.

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Kerri Modjeski does lots of things well. But goodbyes aren’t one of them. Modjeski is wrapping up her final month at Brooklyn Elementary School to take over as principal of the new K-6 Forest Edge Elementary, due to open in August. W h i l e s h e ’s e x c i t e d about her new opportunity in Fitchburg — where around a dozen BKE educators and a group of students will join her — it’s a bittersweet and strange time to be saying goodbye to a school without students or most of its staff. In fact, she’s only been back a handful of times since everyone left the building Friday, March 13, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing. “It still freaks me out every time,” she told the Observer last week. “There was a firm sense of denial, ‘Oh, this is just going to be for a few weeks.’ I don’t think anyone thought for a second, we would be through (in schools) for the rest of the year.” With the school year winding down, Modjeski said finding ways to bring some closure to her years at BKE has been “tricky in a virtual world.” She said the finality of it all hit her a few weeks ago during a virtual Kentucky Derby hangout, complete with hats, trivia and a dose of cold reality. “That’s when it hit me … I’m going to cry now… that I’m leaving,” Modjeski said. “Usually it’s lunch and cake and some fun, but we needed to do that differently. So, I’m joking a lot about having thank you covered, because I don’t do well with goodbyes.” Long-time BKE administrative assistant Lynne Outhouse said while Modjeski will only be up the road a bit in Fitchburg, in terms of distance, to staff “it feels like it’s Alaska.” “I won’t say goodbye — I know I’m not going to lose her as a friend or colleague, and I’ll still get to see her and interact with her a lot,” she told the Observer on Monday. “But at times it’s a little overwhelming, and you just have to tell yourself, she’s just 20 miles away, you can always just drive up and see her.” Since the schools shut down in March, the two have kept in contact in Google meetings and on the phone. “It’s just a different way of doing it, but not seeing someone everyday, not quite as much fun,” Outhouse said. “I’ve been here for 28 years; I’ve known her as a teacher and a principal. It’s quite a bond and a lot of times I ask her questions and I know

Brooklyn Elementary School principal Kerri Modjeski said while she “struggled a lot” with the idea of leaving to be principal of the district’s new K-6 elementary school, she made the right decision. “It was time to try something different and take on a new challenge,” she said. “It’s been amazing what I’ve learned in terms of building a school and being part of the whole thing ground up for several years now and seeing it come to life. We are putting together an amazing team, and it’s going to be great.” Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Modjeski hasn’t yet been able to meet with new families and students to “develop the culture” at the new site, yet, but she can’t wait for the chance to start. “I’ve met virtually with a few students who are coming that way,” she said. “I want to reach out and connect and make those relationships and assure families that we are ready to roll.”

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SCOTT DE LARUELLE

ConnectFitchburg.com

June 12, 2020

Fitchburg Star

Utility applies to state for Fitchburg solar project Common Council approved the project in January KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

Madison Gas and Electric, which is looking to operate the largest solar farm in Dane County, has officially applied with the state’s regulatory agency for approval. In a Monday, May 18, news release Madison Gas and Electric CEO Jeff Keebler announced the application for the 20-megawatt

solar farm, which will provide energy to local businesses, public institutions and municipalities including the City of Fitchburg under the MGE’s Renewable Energy Rider program. “This is an exciting project for our participating customers and for MGE,” Keebler said in the release. “ Tw e n t y m eg awa t t s o f locally generated, cost-effective carbon-free energy on our electric grid will help us achieve our goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050 and the sustainability goals of these customers.” Some of those businesses and institutions that will

pull energy from the solar farm include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state Department of Administration, Promega, Placon and Willy Street Co-op. The city will receive energy from one of the 250 kilowatt arrays, which equals 1/80th of what the solar farm is expected to produce. The energy from the solar farm will increase the city’s renewable energy usage to 23% of all of its consumption. “We would like to have done more, but this has been a really popular project,” mayor Aaron Richardson told the Council at the February meeting, where

the city passed the MGE contract. “There’s a lot of businesses that are interested in using this energy, which is also a great thing – it just means we can’t take advantage as much as we would have liked to.” At its January meet ing, the Plan Commission approved a permit for the 20 megawatt solar array on nearly 180 acres of agricultural land south of Lacy Road and on either side of Seminole Highway. The solar farm will have 12-foot tall solar panels that adjust to the sun’s movement during the day and will generate enough energy to power 6,300 homes,

City of Fitchburg

Alders propose voter education campaign Plan would show how to get absentee ballots before election KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

As Ald. Gabriella Gerhardt (Dist. 2) was calling Fitchburg voters on Election Day to remind them to vote, she was dismayed to hear that one person wasn’t planning on voting because he had not received his absentee ballot. He told her his mail had already come and he had decided not to go to the polling place because of concerns over the spread of COVID-19. “I knew that was going to happen,” she told the Star, “but to actually talk to somebody that had that type of disappointment and that disenfranchisement was emotional.” Gerhardt and Ald. Joe Maldonado (D-1) plan to bring forward a resolution to the Common Council that would educate people on how to vote absentee in advance of the November presidential election. That resolution would mail out voting information – how to register online or contact the city clerk if they don’t have internet access, and what information is required to receive a ballot and make it count.

Photo by Kimberly Wethal

A poll worker guides a voter through the process of signing for their ballot on election day, held on April 7, at City of Fitchburg’s District 3 polling place in the Community Center. They expect the proposal to go through city committees to consider costs and how far the reach would be – whether it’s all registered voters, or only registered voters who have not already requested an absentee ballot. The proposal is a result of a political fight between the governor and the state Legislature that got settled in two different courts about how to hold the April 7 election in the weeks and days leading up to it. As COVID-19 spread in Wisconsin during March, municipalities and state officials started to encourage voters to opt for absentee ballots over voting in person. That required clerk’s offices across the state to work overtime to get voters their ballots in time, some of which never

arrived or were invalidated by a lack of a witness signature. In the City of Fitchburg, 166 absentee ballots were invalidated by the lack of a witness signature. A federal judge extended absentee voting deadlines the week before the election, but the U.S. Supreme Court mostly rescinded those. And when Gov. Tony Evers attempted to move in-person voting to June 12 through an executive order on the day before the election, the state Supreme Court quickly ruled it was an overreach of power. Maldonado said the challenges that came with the April 7 election is partly what inspired them to look toward a voter education initiative. It led Maldonado to feel conflicted over the message he was sending to voters,

he said, because he didn’t want people to feel like they should risk getting infected with COVID-19 to vote for either him or his opponent. “In some way, (the April 7 election) forced people to choose between risking their health and not exercising their civic right,” he said. “I couldn’t, in good conscience, ask people to risk their health.” Gerhardt said having a voter education outreach program also helps the clerk’s office to plan in advance for the workload that will come with preparing absentee ballots if they have an idea of how many requests will come in. Most Fitchburg voters opted for absentee ballots in the April 7 election, totalling 7,866 votes, far more than the 1,048 absentee ballots cast in April 2019. Gerhardt added that she believes getting information out to Fitchburg voters about the process for voting absentee was helped by having a contested race in every district, but she was worried about what will happen in the fall, when the only local candidates on the ballot are for the state legislature. “I don’t think there’s going to be as much of that personal, one-to-one outreach,” she said. “I think that the city taking action to encourage people to sign up early is going to be an important part of making sure it happens.”

Two displaced after Fitchburg structure fire Damage to residences could cost $200,000 EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

Two residents have been displaced from their homes after a garage structure fire on the 3100 block of S. Seminole Highway Thursday evening. According to a news release from the Fitchburg Fire Department, the fire resulted in no injuries, and the residents have been put in contact with the American Red Cross to receive assistance as needed. But damage to the residences may cost upwards of $200,000, according

to the release. At approximately 8:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7, the department received a report of a fire on South Seminole Highway, the release states. Neighbors and witnesses who called 911 said they saw flames and smoke, possibly coming from a garage unit located on the ground level of a multi-residential building. Fitchburg firefighters were able to see heavy smoke, and called for mutual aid from nearby fire departments. Upon arrival, firefighters dealt with heavy flames and smoke coming from an attached garage that extended into the second floor of the building.

The release states crews were rapidly able to extinguish the flames within 30 minutes. The affected building is a twounit apartment complex, the release states, with the apartment where the fire started receiving heavy fire and smoke damage, and is uninhabitable. The adjoining unit only has smoke damage, the release states. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the department, according to the release. Mutual aid was provided by fire departments from Verona, Oregon, City of Madison, Town of Madison and McFarland. Fitchburg police and Fitch-Rona EMS were also on the scene to assist.

equivalent to half the City of Fitchburg. Under the rental agreement, MGE would operate the solar farm on brothers Tom and Pat O’Brien’s land for 35 years, with pollinator plants underneath the arrays. After the rental agreement is up, the land would go back to being used for agriculture. Other solar farms in Dane County include a 6-megawatt solar farm at Morey Field Airport in Middleton and a 9-megawatt setup at the Dane County Regional Airport. Epic’s 2 MW field on its 900-acre Verona campus was the biggest in the state when it was completed

in 2012. Large solar farms around the state include a 150-megawatt project in Two Rivers near Lake Michigan north of Milwaukee and a 300-megawatt solar farm in Iowa County that together create enough power for 1% of Wisconsin’s households. The contractors of the project, EDF Renewables, plan to start constructing the solar farm’s first phase starting in spring 2020. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly. wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @ kimberly_wethal.

Police investigate shooting outside New Fountains apartments NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

F i t c h bu rg p o l i c e a r e investigating a shooting into an occupied car that occurred outside of the New Fountains apartment complex Wednesday, May 27. No injuries have been reported. The release stated that police believe it was a targeted incident and that the public is not in danger, but no arrests had been made as of Tuesday, June 9. It was not clear based on the news release where the shots came from. “We’re following up on active leads. We have some leads but there will be no resolution in the next couple of days. That’s all the update I can provide at this time,” Lt. Edward Hartwick said on June 9. Fitchburg and Madison police closed the parking

lot until 6:30 p.m. on May 27 for investigation and located several shell casings. Based upon eyewitness statements and evidence gathered at the scene, investigators believe that around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday, multiple shots were fired at an occupied vehicle located in the parking lot of the apartment complex in the 5100 block of Anton Drive, according to a news release from the Fitchburg Police Department. As the targeted vehicle fled the parking lot, it struck and damaged several parked vehicles, the release stated. It was later located in Madison unoccupied. Police urged anyone with information to contact the department at 270-4300, call its anonymous Tipster Line at 270-4321 or send a text to 847411 with the Keyword “Fitchburg.” — Neal Patten

Apartment complex cleared after hazardous materials investigation MACKENZIE KRUMME Unified Newspaper Group

The Chalet Gardens Apartments on Fitchburg’s northwest side has been deemed safe to inhabit after tenants were evacuated for potential hazardous materials on Tuesday. Around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, all residents of the apartment complex on the 2300 block of Chalet Gardens Road were evacuated out of precaution after officers found potentially hazardous material during a welfare check, according to a City of Fitchburg Police news release. Five units assisted in i nve s t i ga t i n g t h e c a s e , including members of the Wisconsin National Guard After a nine-hour invest i g a t i o n , t h e a r e a wa s

deemed safe, and residents were able to return to the complex early Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported as a result of the materials and no damage to the building occurred, according to the release. The Red Cross provided temporary housing for occupants of two apartment units, and occupants of a third apartment unit were able to make personal arrangements. The investigation remains open, and Fitchburg Police Department and other responders will likely remain on scene until the investigation is complete, a c c o r d i n g t o t h e n ew s release. Contact Mackenzie Krumme at mackenzie. krumme@wcinet.com.

8 Fitchburg Star - June 12, 2020

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