I’m always here I’M STILL HERE!for you! 26 years in VASD Housing Market
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.
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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
Unified Newspaper Group
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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