Stoughton
Thursday, March 26, 2020 • Vol. 138, No. 36 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.50
V O T E ! APRIL 7th
Holly TELLANDER Progressive
Responsive
Inclusive
Stoughton School Board
adno=149460
Courier Hub The
Stoughton adapts to a new normal Syttende Mai canceled as health crisis deepens, state limits interactions
Inside Librarians lead at-home projects Page 2
STAFF REPORT Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Mackenzie Krumme
Stoughton Area Senior Center is closed to the public in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and only providing essential services until further notice.
Businesses remain hopeful MACKENZIE KRUMME
“The people of Stoughton are the most resilient group of people I’ve ever seen.” Sarah Ebert started her role as
Unified Newspaper Group
Stoughton Chamber of Commerce President less than one month ago. She did not anticipate that she would be guiding Stoughton businesses into uncertain times — through the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is about a Stoughton thing — it is not about a Chamber thing,” Ebert said. “People look to us as a general resource so we are trying to guess why people would look to us and what kind of info they would like to know.”
Cesar Cervantes, co-owner of El Rio Grande on Main Street Stoughton has more than 230 businesses, with at least 22 restaurants and four hair salons. On Friday, March 20, Governor Tony Evers declared certain non-essential businesses must close including hair salons, tattoo parlors and nail salons. Restaurants must offer carryout, curbside pickup or delivery service but can not have
sit-down dining. Stoughton businesses are finding alternatives to continue to sell their merchandise and try to remain optimistic. Cesar Cervantes, co-owner of El Rio Grande on Main Street, said this city has been good to him and his family since they opened more than 15 years ago. He is confident he will continue to see support. “The people of Stoughton are the most resilient group of people I’ve ever seen,” Cervantes said. “In 100 degree weather, below zero degree weather, horrible construction, people still find a way to come to our
Turn to Open/Page 9
Syttende Mai canceled
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow more real to Stoughton residents, businesses and other organizations have been adapting to what seems like new realities every day. That includes the cancellation of Stoughton’s most cherished community activity – Syttende Mai. National, state and local restrictions aimed at stemming the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus grew tighter every few days, with Gov. Tony Evers declaringon Tuesday, March 24, that only essential business operations may continue. What qualified as essential was a long list that included all food service, professional services, charity organizations, construction, delivery and financial institutions. That 16-page edict – foreshadowed four days earlier with an update to the governor’s March 17
Page 3 Influx of absentee ballots has city hard at work Page 5 Free Clinic moves to phone, email consultations Page 5 How funeral homes are coping Page 5 Many restaurants still open Page 6
Turn to Crisis/Page 7
Stoughton Area School District begins virtual teaching SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
School buildings in the Stoughton Area School District will still be on pause after spring break ends next week.
Not so for students and staff who used to fill them. Though the buildings a r e c l o s e d i n d e fi n i t e l y to the public since Monday, March 16, due to the c o r o n av i r u s p a n d e m i c , school will be back in session Monday, March 30 – though it’ll be from a different vantage point. Ready or not, the era of “virtual learning” has begun – a new normal for
Courier Hub
educators, students and parents, after the order by Gov. Tony Evers to close down schools across the state indefinitely, for the duration of the public health emergency. Students in grades 6-12 got a few days off last week before virtual learning started for them Thursday and Friday, March 19-20. Starting next week, they’ll be joined by students in grades
K-5, who will have around two hours of online curriculum. The district has been trying to supply all students without internet or computers at home with devices, district director of curriculum and instruction Kate Ahlgren told the Hub last week. Some teachers are already working on video instruction, including some live sessions, she added.
“The range of the way students will experience (technology) varies dramatically by grade level and teacher,” she said. At the elementary levels in particular, educators are looking to create “purposeful and substantive” learning experiences for students, but also lessons that care for their social and emotional well-being. Ahlgren said using online
conferencing tools like Zoom are one way to keep classrooms connected, and credited teachers for adapting to the new technology so quickly. “There’s a remarkable tenacity and sense of purpose on the part of our teachers, despite all of the complexities of our new reality” she said. “They
Turn to School/Page 12
ANY DRAIN - ANY TIME Residential • Commercial • Industrial • Municipal
Inspection Service, Septic Pumping, Pipe & Tank Locating, Jet-Vac Service, Sewer Cleaning
Serving Dane & Rock Counties Since 1948! Terra Herale Owner
608-256-5189
www.rotorootersewerdrain.com
Now Hiring Service Techs & Office Help-Paid Training
adno=149462
Long-distance learning the new normal for schools