Thursday, April 9, 2020 • Vol. 55, No. 47 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.50
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Verona Press The
COVID-19 response
Preparing for the hit Verona dons masks, hunkers down as state COVID-19 death toll spikes
Inside Musician holds online show for charity Page 2
JIM FEROLIE Verona Press editor
Photos by Kimberly Wethal
Voters and poll workers are separated by a large plastic shield during the April 7 election at Verona City Center.
Voting proceeds despite pandemic High courts overturn postponement, deadline extension RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Election Day continued as planned Tuesday, April 7 despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19. In Verona, a steady stream of people walked into the Verona City Center to vote in person, while others placed their absentee ballots in the drop box outside. Voters, many of them wearing masks, stayed six feet apart while poll workers counted absentee ballots on the Council dais. In an effort to halt the possible spread of the virus at voting sites, Gov. Tony Evers issued Executive Order No. 74
Wisconsin Supreme Court had overturned the order on a 4-2 vote, stating that Evers lacked the authority to move the vote on his own. More changes came that evening when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled a previous extension of the absentee ballot deadline by a federal judge. That extension would have allowed state clerks to accept ballots postmarked or returned at any time up to 4 p.m. on A sign in front of Verona City Center. details safety precautions for the April April 13. After the 5-4 court ruling, absen7 election. tee ballots had to be postmarked or on Monday, April 6, which would have hand-delivered to municipal clerks by postponed the election until June 9. But Turn to Poll workers/Page 10 by late afternoon that same day, the
Verona Area School District
CIty, school dis-
With face masks now comtrict begin holding monplace, and a fight over online meetings whether to postpone a statewide election, constant change Page 3 was the norm in Verona during the fourth week in which the Hotels struggling coronavirus and COVID-19 with lack of travel has turned our lives upsidedown. Page 5 The Verona Area School District gave high school students the option of taking pass/ for virtual Easter services. The number of COVID-19 fail grades for the semester, the district and at least one musi- cases in the country more cian held online fundraisers for than doubled to 360,000 as of people affected by the pandemic and area churches prepared Turn to Quarantine/Page 12
Cancellation of FitchRona Art Crawl a loss for artists Three artists share how they are affected
weekend. The event, scheduled for March 27-28 and organized by Yahara Bay Distillery, was canceled due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus, as well as many businesses along the crawl being closed due to not being considered essential under Gov. Evers “Safer at Home” order. Whether helping artists
NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group
Seventeen artists who were prepared to set up work spaces in more than a dozen Fitchburg and Verona businesses during the annual FitchRona Art Crawl, ended up staying home that
Turn to Art Crawl/Page 10
High school will give grading choice Students can decide on pass/ fail option at end of year KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
Verona Area High School students will get a choice over how their report cards look at the end of the academic year. While the school board didn’t need to take action on the changes to grading because it didn’t affect its credit policy,
members seemed generally supportive of a plan to allow high school students to choose at the end of the school year either a letter grade or a pass/fail grade. The district also announced it would relax standards for middle school and elementary school grading. For students who want a letter grade on their report cards at the end of the year, their third-quarter grade would be applied to the entire semester, assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos said. Any virtual learning
completed during the fourth quarter would only benefit a student’s grade, not hinder it. Also, any assignments students complete will be considered extended learning and will not be required, she said. Students will be able to choose what they’d like for each class, and will have the option to ask for all letter grades or all pass/fail, or a mix of something in between, Burgos said.
Turn to Grading/Page 9
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April 9, 2020
The Verona Press
Verona Area School District
ConnectVerona.com
COVID-19 response
Verona singer-songwriter raises money for students Live-stream concert raised $1800 NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group Photos by Neal Patten
Parents and teachers had their own hula-hooping contest following the students.
Country View dance provides family fun NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group
On Friday, Feb. 7, a month before coronavirus was on the radar yet for Wisconsinites, families packed into the gymnasium at Country View Elementary School for the third annual Family Fun Dance. DJ Erin Crowley of Musical Memories Mobile DJ Service provided music, which the children enthusiastically danced to, and also led games and activities including limbo and a hula-hooping contest. A professional photo booth provided attendees
On the Web To see more photos of the event, visit
connectverona.com with snapshot keepsakes of the night. The photographer offered a variety of colorful hats, sunglasses and other accessories to add flair to the photos. The event was hosted by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization. Neal Patten, Verona Community Reporter, can be contacted at neal.patten@wcinet. com.
A photo booth allowed students to take snapshots of themselves in silly costumes provided by the photographer.
Ve r o n a m u s i c i a n Pa t Ferguson raised approximately $1,800 during his first ever live streamed concert, a two-hour performance shared on Facebook from the comfort of his living room on Sunday, March 29. Racking up nearly 4,000 views, Ferguson had set a $1,000 goal for charity, which he blew past with the help of around 50 supporters. Ferguson will donate the money to Connecticut-based nonprofit Save the Children, to provide for youth in need d u r i n g t h e C OV I D - 1 9 pandemic. Ferguson is a singer-songwriter who performs folk, Americana and bluegrass style music. He tours extensively in support of his music, but all of his spring and summer tour dates have been postponed. His two daughters are students at Core Knowledge Charter School. Ferguson said the girls’ transition to learning from home was “virtually flawless” thanks to the school providing every student with an iPad. Ferguson realizes not every student home from school is as fortunate as his daughters, or have iPads provided by their schools.
“ We r e a l l y b eg a n t o realize how incredibly fortunate we are,” Ferguson said. “The one to one student to iPad ratio helped facilitate learning. The girls did not skip a beat in terms of where they were at with lesson plans.” That realization prompted Ferguson to want to help children in need. He began researching charities providing to youth affected by COVID-19. He discovered Save the Children, which provides food, health care essentials and books to help kids stuck at home from school. “Save the Children have mobilized and developed a specific focus for COVID-19, an effort I admired a lot,” Ferguson said. Leveraging his Faceb o o k fa n p a g e f o r h i s music, which has nearly 2,300 followers, and his Instagram, which has over 1,100 followers, Ferguson spent a week promoting that he was going to be holding a concert on March 29. Ferguson was humbled by the response, but admits it’s only a small contribution. “While the amazing effort floored us, it doesn’t put a dent in the 30 million kids affected by this, it’s only a fraction of what the larger effort is,” he said. “Kids depend on schools for meals and a safe haven from difficult home lives.” Neal Patten, community Photos by Soul Exposure Photography reporter, can be contacted Verona singer-songwriter Pat Ferguson held a live stream at neal.patten@wcinet. concert on Facebook on March 29 to raise money for com. children affected by COVID-19.
Parents joined their children on the dance floor.
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April 9, 2020
Verona Area School District
Board hires two principals Beem, Echoles will succeed two retiring administrators KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
The Verona Area Board of Education has approved the contracts of two principal hires, as well as a district elementary education director. During its Monday, April 6, meeting, the board approved contracts for Jessica Beem, who was hired as the principal for Country View Elementary, and Paris Echoles, who was hired as principal for Savanna Oaks.
A contract was also set to be approved for Ronnie Cantú, who rescinded his acceptance to be the district’s first elementary education director, assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos told the board Monday. The position was created by administrative restructuring done in the later half of 2019. Beem, the student support advocate and behavior lead administrator at West Middleton Elementary School, will succeed Michelle Nummerdor as the principal of Country View Elementary. Prior to coming to the Middleton-Cross Plains School District in 2017, Beem was an assistant principal at Strawberry Hill Elementary in
Anamosa, Iowa. She has master’s degrees in early childhood special education and educational leadership from the University of Northern Iowa. Echoles, currently the assistant principal at La Follette High School in the Madison Metropolitan School District, will succeed Savanna Oaks principal Sandy Eskrich. Echoles attended University of Wisconsin-Madison, previously taught at Oconomowoc and Beloit’s high schools, and was the coordinator of equity and student engagement for Kenosha Unified School District. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.
Board will conduct interviews virtually for superintendent firm Interviews postponed in March because of COVID-19 KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
The Verona Area Board of Education will move forward with interviews with superintendent search firms. In an updated timeline for the process to find superintendent Dean Gorrell’s successor, the board’s policy and personnel committee will conduct virtual interviews with three search firms between April 9-15. From there, policy and personnel committee members will provide a recommendation to the rest of the board at its April 20 meeting. Board members were scheduled for in-person interviews in closed session with the search firms at its Monday, March 16, meeting, but decided to postpone them until late April or early May, depending on the COVID-19 situation, board member Meredith Stier Christensen wrote to the Press in an email in March. “This has been an unusual situation, to say the very least,” she said during the April 6 meeting. “I am very grateful that we built in some extra time when we were originally
contemplating a timeline so we are actually not behind, and in fact, I think we’re still well on-target and moving forward.” Since then, the district announced all board and committee meetings will be done virtually, based on Gov. Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order that took effect March 25. People can watch the live-stream of the meeting on the district’s website and submit public comments ahead of time. The policy and personnel committee plans to interview each of the three search firms at the same time, allowing each around an hour, including a 20-30 minute presentation and the remaining time to ask questions such as how their last search went, and how it conducts background checks, according to the updated timeline document. Those interviews would be recorded and made available to the board, consultant Roger Price advised. “It’s uncharted territory to have all three consultants on the same call, but they did not resist that,” he said. “They are encountering this everywhere, not only in the interview process, but also in the search process.” In early January, Gorrell announced his upcoming retirement on June 30, 2021, to give the board ample time to select a successor. The board’s timeline for selecting a
new superintendent, published in January, involved members working with a chosen superintendent firm on ways to engage families, students and staff in the selection process from April to June, and having those conversations with them in July and October. The board’s timeline had scheduled selection of a candidate for December. Price cautioned that even though the board is on track with its search timeline, the road to finding Gorrell’s successor could still be a bumpy one. The current situation with COVID-19 has resulted in some superintendent hires across the state pulling back on accepting new positions because of loyalty to their current districts during the pandemic, he added. A few hours after Price’s statement to the board, Matthew Gutierrez, who was chosen to lead Madison Metropolitan School District in February, rescinded his acceptance for that reason. “(Search firms) are going through this right now and learning what they need to do differently,” Price said. “There are going to be strange things and circumstances that can impact whenever, at many points during this process.” Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.
The Verona Press
3
City of Verona
City will begin holding meetings via teleconference RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Starting with the April 8 Plan Commission meeting, the city will begin holding regular government meetings again – this time using GoToMeeting teleconferencing software. As COVID-19 has spread around the county and state in the last month, city staff closed most government buildings to the public, and canceled or postponed meetings. City administrator Adam Sayre said staff will try out the software, with the possibility of switching platforms later, depending on how the technological aspect of the Plan Commission meeting goes. Members of the public will be given information on how to access the meetings on the agendas available on the city’s website ci.verona. wi.us. The meetings are currently only available for the public to listen to, and the public
comment period has been removed from agendas, as it is not required by law, Sayre told the Press. Sayre said that if anyone had comments on the meetings, they could email city staff or elected officials. Tentatively, he said, there will be a public hearing scheduled for the end of April when staff will work out the logistics of accepting comments during the remote meeting. Sayre said the city would likely follow the example of Madison’s city government. It has been asking people who wish to speak at meetings to register ahead of time and then sending those people instructions on how to join their virtual meetings. The Verona Common Council is scheduled to meet on April 13, with the current plan to use the same GoToMeeting teleconferencing software. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@ wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ReneeNHickman
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Prompted by an overwhelming response last week from small businesses, Dane County is increasing support for a grant program to help them out during the coronavirus pandemic. On MonAnaliese Eicher day, April 6, county executive Joe Parisi announced the county will increase funding for its Small Business Pandemic Support Grant Program to $800,000 after receiving hundreds of applications since announcing it April 1. The program started out at $250,000, but according to an April 6 news release, by Thursday evening, Dane Buy Local had received 800 applications. Parisi said by more than
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retain employees and reduce coming together in these trylosses incurred by the pan- ing times.” Email Unified Newspaper demic. Group reporter Scott De Dane Buy Local administers the grants and hasinfor- Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@ wcinet.com. mation about the county program at danebuylocal.com. Grants as small as $1,000 will be awarded, and applications will be accepted through June 15, 2020, according to the news release. “The reality that the need is so much greater justifies an increase in funding at this point in time,” said Dane County Board Chair Analiese Eicher in the news release. “Businesses across Dane County need our help. That we can take this action quickly together is yet another example of Dane County leaders
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April 9, 2020
Opinion
The Verona Press
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Letters to the editor
Make it an egg-stra special Easter You are cordially invited to help make the 2020 Easter weekend an egg-stra special one for our kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and even the grown up kids in our community. Let’s fill the windows along our streets with eggs which the kids can “collect” by walking our sidewalks or driving/riding along our streets. The bigger the better! The more colorful the eggs, the better! Here are some suggestions to get you started: 1. Make an egg-shaped pattern out of cardboard or anything firm enough to be traced. 2. Trace the pattern on to pretty much any kind of paper-construction, wrapping, copy, etc.-which can be taped to your windows. 3. Then let your imagination run wild! Make ‘em colorful! Make ‘em bright! Maybe make them even more visible by outlining them with a black marker, Sharpie, crayon or paint. 4. Use anything you have in your home already to cut various shapes and sizes to glue to the
paper as a collage. Cut pieces from junk mail, old greeting cards, magazines, etc. Even labels from cans in your cupboards. (Just remember to label the content of the can when you remove the label-unless you really love surprises!) Coloring the shape with crayons, markers, or paint is another great and faster option. 5. Add things to make your eggs a little 3-D: balloons, paper mache, beads, stickers, glitter-all those little things which end up in your “junk drawer’.’ Search your home. The possibilities are endless! If there are young people in your home, get them involved in making eggs too. Need an incentive? If they are going out on the weekend to counts eggs, they get to count any egg they worked on twice! These are extremely challenging times for all of us, but we still need to have some fun. Let’s do it! Marlene Buechel City of Verona
Thursday, April 9, 2020 • Vol. 55, No. 41 USPS No. 658-320
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Community Voices
Being a journalist during pandemic poses unprecedented challenges
I
’ll never forget the day this pandemic became real for me. It was just another Friday in the office, and the closures started rolling in. First, it was just community events that were postponed or canceled. Next, Gov. Tony Evers issued an order closing all Wisconsin public and private schools. That was the last time I visited my office – March 13. I had read an article a few weeks earlier that concluded it wasn’t a matter of if, but when COVID-19 was going to hit the United States. Expert epidemiologists and scientists told us to prepare for significant disruptions to our livelihoods. So as the world began changing suddenly, I sat in my desk, head in my hands, wondering if this is how it all ends. Then, my fight or flight response took over, and my fingers started typing story after breaking news story about how this was affecting our communities. That’s how it’s been the past few weeks. My body is governed by a journalist, who is in turn, governed by an overwhelming sense of duty. The human in me is nowhere to be found right now, other than likely cowering in a corner, paralyzed and sickened by fear. How visceral it is to be a journalist and an editor with an anxiety disorder during an unprecedented global event of this scope. I’m shaking even as I write this. The following week came the
business and local government closures. In real time, my favorite coffee shops went dark – those were the places where I Heidemann had found the most inspiration. The local businesses I’d already written about suddenly had uncertain financial futures. Worse, there’s nothing to occupy these business owners and employees as they sit at home, forced to wallow in the uncertainty and find creative ways to weather this storm. Their livelihoods – and mine – were indeed disrupted. They were ripped from us. And now we grieve them until we once again find some semblance of “normal.” Will there be the V-shaped rebound most economists are hoping for after this is over, or did some establishments lock their doors for the last time? My heart breaks and stomach churns for the business owners who face this, as they are the blood that pumps through small Wisconsin towns, cities and villages. I can’t even begin to describe the depth of my sorrow for our health care workers, grocery store clerks, janitorial staff and other people deemed essential during this crisis. They, and the communities we serve, are what drives the stories me and my staff write. Our newspapers are buried in
COVID-19 coverage for now, but what about a month or two down the road? It’s hard not to go down that rabbit hole. My work is a welcome distraction from the temptation of reading articles from national news outlets – how COVID-19 ravages one’s body, how some experts say it might take 18 months to find a vaccine and the dire impacts this has had on an already fragile economy. At least my work in local journalism involves finding the stories where people help one another. Those glimmers of hope seem to be few and far between, even as I desperately search for them on my own time – in contacting the people I love and appreciating that the sun is out. That’s another rabbit hole I can’t let myself enter. I had just started to heal from the trauma of losing two loved ones last year, and I now have to face the possibility of losing more. My father, who has been my rock and who keeps me grounded during hard times, has bronchial asthma. This makes him, by definition, someone who is at a high risk of contracting a severe COVID-19 infection. But as long as I am able to hear his laughter– or his voice at all – on the other side of the phone, I will be able to weather this storm. I don’t really have a choice. Emilie Heidemann is the Unified Newspaper Group community and business editor. She is also the Oregon Observer government reporter.
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clarity and appropriateness. Letters with libelous or obscene content will not be printed. Unified Newspaper Group generally only accepts letters from writers with ties to our circulation area. Letters to the editor should be of general public interest. Letters that are strictly personal – lost pets, for example – will not be printed. Letters that recount personal experiences, good or bad, with individual businesses will not be printed unless there is an overwhelming and compelling public interest to do so. Letters that urge readers to
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April 9, 2020
The Verona Press
5
Verona Area School District
District starts Classmunity fundraiser for students Unified Newspaper Group
The district has started a fundraiser to make sure its students can access the general education and life necessities that are harder to access without school in session. Funds contributed to the Wildcat Family Assistance Fund would be used to provide items such as school supplies, food, cab fare and hygiene products for students in need, according to the district’s
How do I donate? To donate to the Wildcat Family Assistance Fund, visit classmunity. com/vasd and look for the fundraiser with the same name. deserve, while also being able to participate in curricular and non-curricular school activities, and even more importantly, having access to basic life necessities.” For information, visit classmunity.com/vasd.
Verona hotels ‘devastated’ MACKENZIE KRUMME Unified Newspaper Group
As travel is limited and sheltering in place has become ubiquitous to prevent the spread of COVID-19, hotels across the nation are seeing a decline in business and reductions in staff. That change has been crushing for Verona hotels. Gov. Tony Evers’ March 24 Safer at Home order allows hotels and motels to remain open, but they must close all hotel pools, whirlpools, fitness centers and continental breakfast offerings. The order, which went into effect March 25, closes all non-essential businesses in the state for a month and encourages citizens to isolate at home to curb the spread of the disease. This means a loss of travelers and 18,168 direct hotel-related jobs in Wisconsin, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Verona Hotel Group general manager Charlie Eggen told the Press the two hotels he manages,
the Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield Inn and Suites have suffered losses of over 95% of revenue within a week. “All travel demand has been reduced to nearly zero,” he noted. “All corporate training, social or leisure events, youth sports, business meetings, and basically everything else has been canceled.” Meggan Carpenter, who works at the front desk of Super 8 Motel on Horizon Drive, said business has nearly halted at that location. “I can definitely say 90% of the calls we get have been people calling canceling,” she said. Eggen said, the people who are staying at the hotels are temporary workers on construction sites, medical professionals and even some families who want to social distance themselves, but the volume isn’t enough to support all the inventory of rooms not only in Verona, but through the greater Madison area. He said he’s had to temporarily lay off or reduce hours
District to ask state for waivers KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
As COVID-19 has upended the district’s operations, it will ask the state Department of Public Instruction to waive some of the legislative requirements tied to the school year. The school board unanimously approved the resolution asking the state to grant the district waivers for requirements such as instruction hours, the civics exam for graduating seniors and educator effectiveness evaluations. DPI has signaled that it will approve requests from all school districts for waivers – school boards just need to hold a public hearing and approve the waivers first before they can be submitted to the state. District director of curriculum and instruction Ann Franke said due to the abrupt closing of schools, a dozen seniors will have unequal access to technology to complete the civics exam requirement. “We know that we’re a oneto-one district, we know that students have iPads, but we cannot guarantee that students have sufficient Wi-Fi access, we can’t guarantee students
are accessing that technology,” she said. “We really feel, because we’re trying to remove as many barriers away as possible to our students, that for those 12 students, this is just one more opportunity to get them to graduation.” Franke said that staff evaluations for educator effectiveness, done in the classroom every three years, can’t be completed while teachers are educating through virtual learning. “Because our staff and administrators are under a lot of stress right now in the virtual learning environment, this is one thing we can take off their plate for them, to not have to worry about,” Franke said. “It’s also really impossible in this environment to complete the cycle.” Attorney Lori Lubinsky told the board that she’s confident the state will grant the waivers, since COVID-19 has made it a “no-brainer” to provide leniency to school districts who had no choice but to close. “It literally is to effectuate the inability to comply with statutory requirements,” she said. “I anticipate no problems with DPI’s consent.”
for most of the employees at the Verona Hotel Group. “Hospitality, including lodging and tourism is the largest industry in the world. You can imagine the impact on unemployment when every hotel, restaurant, bar, attraction and entertainment venue has business come to a grinding halt,” Eggen said. Because Super 8 has a small staff management, it’s been able to be creative with staff hours and duties in order not to lay anyone off, Carpenter said. Housekeepers are learning the duties of the front desk employees, for instance. And although business is devastated, Eggen and Carpenter said staff are still trying to provide the highest level of customer service to the guests, even during the uncertainty of COVID-19. “Genuine hospitality and togetherness is one of the foundations of the travel industry and our society,” Eggen said.
What does the district want to provide to students? • Breakfast or lunch bags being handed al needs out for free to all students • Clothing and food for homeless families • Cab fare to provide Wi-Fi hotspots to • School supplies for elementary school families without internet students • Personal hygiene products • Medications for emergency education- • Additional technology needs
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Classmunity page, a fundraising website for schools. The district has already raised $6,246 contributed by 61 supporters as of April 6. Its goal is to raise $10,000. Normally, students could access some of these resources at the district’s schools, but with schools across the state closed until at least April 24 under the “Safer at Home” order, district staff have a harder time providing services to students. “The Verona Area School District is committed to ensuring that all students have equitable opportunities,” the Classmunity page’s description of the fundraiser reads. “This means having access to the general school education they
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Funds would go toward access to education, basic necessities
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April 9, 2020
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COVID-19 response
Verona churches move Easter services online Some will offer worship via streaming
NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group
mass-live-streaming. 7 p.m. Holy Thursday, April 9 12:30 p.m. Good Friday, April 10 10 p.m. Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 11 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 12
Governor Tony Evers’ safe-at- Good Shepherd Lutheran home order for Wisconsin has forced Church many businesses and organizations Watch the services live at: gslcwi. to close for the foreseeable future. com/live. Churches are also closed as a part of 7 p.m. Holy Thursday, April 9 the order, but many will be offering 7 p.m. Good Friday, April 10 Easter services via live streams or 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 12 pre-recorded videos online.
St. Andrew Catholic Church
St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church
Pre-recorded videos of services Watch the services live at: for Holy Thursday, Good Friday saintchristopherparish.com/ and Easter Sunday will be posted by
6 a.m. the day of each service. The 6:30 p.m. Holy Thursday, April 9 videos will be posted to the church’s (live) YouTube channel. Follow the links Good Friday, April 10 (pre-recordfrom the church’s website: stjames- ed) verona.org. 7 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 12 “sunrise service” (live) Redeemer Bible FellowEaster Sunday “festival service” ship (pre-recorded) A pre-recorded Easter Sunday service will be added to the church’s Salem United Church of YouTube channel. The link to the Christ video can be found at: redeemerbiPre-recorded services for Good blefellowship.org. Friday and Easter Sunday will be Resurrection Evangelical uploaded to the church’s YouTube channel. Watch the services at: Lutheran Church salemchurchverona.org/worship-onThere will be two live streamed line. services and two pre-recorded services. Watch the services at: face- Memorial Baptist Church book.com/www.rlcverona.org. Easter service will be live streamed
at: mbcverona.org/livestream.
West Madison Bible Church
Watch the pre-recorded services at: westmadisonbiblechurch.org/sermon-videos. 6:30 p.m. Good Friday, April 10 9:15 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 12
Sugar River United Methodist Church
A live service will be held 6:30 p.m. Holy Thursday via the church’s Facebook page. Pre-recorded services for Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be posted to Facebook. Watch the services at: facebook.com/Sugar-River -UMC332334954706.
Many restaurants in Verona still open for to-go or delivery NEAL PATTEN
carryout, curbside Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Unified Newspaper Group
Fisher King Winery
Please email ungbusiness@wncinet.com Available: Pickup orders, delivery within if you’d like to be added to this list. 15 miles 5th Quarter Sports Bar and Grill Hours: 4-6 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday Available: Carryout and curbside delivery Hop Haus Brewing Company Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-SaturAvailable: Carryout day (no breakfast) Hours: 1-3 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday
AJ’s Pizza and Diner
Available: Carryout, curbside and delivery Hours: 3-7 p.m., Sunday-Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; 3-8 p.m., Saturday
Arby’s
Available: Carryout, drive-through, delivery via DoorDash and EatStreet Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Caffe Depot
Available: Carry-out, delivery, drive-thru Hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday-Saturday
Culver’s
Available: Drive-through or curbside via a mobile ordering app Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Draft House
Available: Carryout or curbside (special menu) Hours: 4-8 p.m.
El Charro
Available: Delivery within 10 miles,
Icki Sticki
Available: Contactless pickup Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday
Mr. Brew’s Taphouse
Available: Curbside, online ordering for delivery, can fill growlers and serving full menu Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
North and South Seafood and Smokehouse
Available: Eat Street for delivery, curbside Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday
Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro
Available: Curbside and delivery Hours: Noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday-SunIt’s Time Tavern Available: Fish fry carryouts (online order- day ing only) Pizza Ranch Hours: 4-7 p.m. Fridays Available: Contactless delivery and regular delivery, curbside (lots of specials) Jordandal Cookhouse Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Available: Curbside Hours: 4-6:30 p.m. (for dinners, must reg- Riley Tavern ister ahead for pickup time); 10 a.m. to 1 Available: Carryout pm., Saturday (for meat pickup) Hours: 4-8 p.m., Tuesday; 4-7 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m. to noon, Sunday Jimmy John’s Available: Delivery, pick-up Sow’s Ear Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Available: Curbside pickup (bulk tea and coffee only) McDonald’s Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, Available: Carryout, drive-through 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Hours: 5 a.m. to midnight
Monk’s Bar and Grill
Available: Curbside, delivery Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Sugar River Pizza
Available: Delivery, curbside Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday; closed Sundays
Taco Bell
Available: Drive-thru, delivery Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to midnight, Friday-Saturday
Toot + Kate’s Winebar
Available: Curbside Hours: Arrange for pick-ups on Wednesdays and Saturdays (arrange time online)
Tuvalu Coffeehouse and Gallery
Available: Carryout (limited menu – beverages and breakfast items) Hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wisconsin Brewing Company
Available: Taproom is closed, but gift shop is open for packaged beer, including growlers Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
Closed:
Avantis Italian Restaurant Boulder Brewpub Chiang Jiang Dragon City Gus’ Diner Hop Garden Klassik Tavern Little Caesars N+1 Coffee and Beer Ole Duffer’s Pub Paoli Pub and Grill Pasqual’s Cantina
What’s on VHAT-98 Senior Center Saturday, April 11 8 a.m. Virtual Plan Commission from 04/08/20 11 a.m. Vintage Verona Sports 1 p.m. 2018 Wildcats Football 4:30 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 6 p.m. Virtual Plan Commission from 04/08/20 9 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center Sunday, April 12 7 a.m. Hindu Cultural Hour 9 a.m. Resurrection Church 10 a.m. Salem Church Service 12 p.m. Virtual Plan Commission from 04/08/20 3 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 4:30 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 6 p.m. Virtual Plan Commission from 04/08/20 9 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center
Monday, April 13 7 a.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 1 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 3 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 4 p.m. Japan at Senior Center 5 p.m. 2018 Wildcats Football 7 p.m. Virtual Common Council Live 9 p.m. Hindu Cultural Hour 10 p.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center Tuesday, April 14 7 a.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 10 a.m. Zumba Gold 9 a.m. Daily Exercise 10 a.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center 2 p.m. Zumba Gold 3 p.m. Daily Exercise 4 p.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 5 p.m. Japan at Senior Center 6 p.m. Resurrection Church 8 p.m. Asthma at Senior Center 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society
Wednesday, April 15 7 a.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 1 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 3 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 5 p.m. Virtual Common Council from 04/13/20 7 p.m. Capital City Band 8 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center Thursday, April 16 7 a.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 8 a.m. Zumba Gold 9 a.m. Daily Exercise 10 a.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center 2 p.m. Zumba Gold 3 p.m. Daily Exercise 4 p.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 5 p.m. Japan at Senior Center 6 p.m. Salem Church Service 7 p.m. Asthma at Senior Center 8 p.m. Daily Exercise 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society
Meditations on Spring Spring is the time of year when God’s creative hand is perhaps most evident. Buds sprouting from tree limbs and new growth everywhere seems almost miraculous after a long cold winter. The great American poet Robert Frost reminds us, in his poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” that everything in nature is temporary: Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. We are right to praise God for the beauty of Spring, but at the same time we should realize that everything on this earth is temporary. The brief and fleeting life of the mayfly should remind us that in the cosmic scheme of things, we are the mayfly, here today and gone tomorrow. Enjoy nature’s Springtime show of vibrant color, but realize that this earth is not your final home. –Christopher Simon
210 S. Main St., Verona • 845-6478
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Thursday, April 9 7 a.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 8 a.m. Zumba Gold 9 a.m. Daily Exercise 10 a.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center 2 p.m. Zumba Gold 3 p.m. Daily Exercise 4 p.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 5 p.m. Japan at Senior Center 6 p.m. Salem Church Service 7 p.m. Asthma at Senior Center 8 p.m. Daily Exercise 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society Friday, April 10 7 a.m. Happy Hour Trio at Senior Center 1 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 3 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 4 p.m. Japan at Senior Center 5 p.m. 2018 Wildcats Football 9 p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center 11 p.m. Personal Safety at
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Adam Feiner, sports editor
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Mark Nesbitt, assistant sports editor 845-9559 x237 • sportsreporter@wcinet.com Fax: 845-9550
Sports
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Thursday, April 9, 2020
The
Verona Press For more sports coverage, visit: ConnectVerona.com
Auto racing
Beale-Zehr partnership turning heads MARK NESBITT Assistant sports editor
Four shiny red super late model race cars are aligned in a row with a stack of tires on the wall, along with trophies and awards on display. Behind the cars sits a stack of assorted metal, a steel fabricating saw and a welding station. In the back of the garage is a small tool room with an assortment of weighted springs, bolts and nuts. Many may view it as a scene out of a “Storage Wars” episode. For Verona residents John Beale and Dalton Zehr, the garage located on Commerce Parkway in Verona serves as their playground as members of the Gildan Racing Team. Beale is the owner and Zehr serves as a driver and crew chief. “It’s a drug,” Beale said of racing. “You can not beat the rush of going 100-plus miles-per-hour and trying to beat a guy in the corner, through the corner and to the next corner. I love the thrill of competition.” The super late model is the top racing class before NASCAR. Beale and Zehr raced against each other in the past before deciding to join forces. The two combined to win seven feature races and three championships last season, including Beale’s victories in the Wisconsin Challenge Series and All-Star Triple Crown Series. Zehr has racked up more than 130 feature wins and more than a dozen track championships. He set track records at the Dells Raceway Park championship last year and the Midwest Tour Championship in 2018, among others. Zehr finished 11th out of 60 cars in the Snowball Derby, the largest race in the country held in Pensacola, Florida. “He was obviously the best in the business so I hired him,” Beale said of Zehr.
Photos by Mark Nesbitt
John Beale (left), owner of the Verona-based Gildan Racing Team, and Dalton Zehr have been racing in the super late model class. The duo combined to win seven feature races and three championships last season.
Verona, Star Motor Sports. His father rejected his initial offer to race, so John Beale decided to race for himself. “I was on a race team for forever,” John Beale said, “but when I went to the track, all I got to do was work on the cars.” Beale said the most valuable lesson he learned while working with his father was that every pit crew member should get the opportunity to drive. “You think a driver can do certain things,” he said. “But until you get in that car, you have no clue. Everyone should get some laps in a race car before they say they know better.” As a spotter on the radio in his father’s pit crew as a teenagBeale born er, Beale advised the driver to go into racing family harder and faster. “When you are out there, you John Beale (right) helps Dalton Zehr load a super late model car onto their hauler. The two have a combined 35 Beale got his start in racing 14 years ago when he rented a are doing just everything you can years of racing experience. four-cylinder car for $100 to race to hold on,” he said. “There is no more. Even survival is a win.” at Jefferson Speedway. handle well,” Zehr said. “I had a “I didn’t tell anyone I was car that was already up to speed. going to be racing because it was Zehr zips into racing A Middleton, Idaho native, All I had to do was learn how to my first time,” he said. “I was going to be horrible and it was Zehr got his start in racing at drive it.” age 7 in the Boise Valley area. He test drove super late models going to be ugly.” Beale received a phone call He then moved to Florida when with his father, Marty Zehr, who he was 9 and his passion for the raced in that class. Marty Zehr from his parents before the race. later served as his son’s spotter “They announced me and they sport was reinforced. Zehr first raced go-karts and and crew chief. looked at each other and were “I got to skip a lot of the hard like, ‘No, we heard that wrong,’” progressed to Bandoleros, which he explained. “They could hear are one-sixth of the size of a stan- learns,” Dalton Zehr said. “Guys the announcer on the phone and dard car and have frames similar stuff them in a wall because they to a go-kart. He advanced to truck make a mistake. It was only a told me to get my butt home.” Beale purchased a four-cylinder series racing before moving on to matter of time before I had a super (late model) and I started and moved up to the truck series, super late model limiteds. Zehr had several mentors in his out very competitive right away.” a stock engine class and then limited later models. He is entering two decades of racing that helped his third season racing super late him skip the typical trials and trib- Prepping for the season ulations when he first started out. Zehr said this season’s goal models. One of Zehr’s neighbors growing is to have the fastest lap at each The super late model limited class is characterized by quick- up was Gene Coleman, owner of track. To get the optimum success change rear ends that feature the renowned Coleman Machine out of each car, the duo focuses tiny gears in the cars to allow Shop and an innovator of racing on the suspension and load simuthem to jump from a standstill to products. Coleman, a member of lation. “We want a Cadillac ride at a 80 miles-per hour. This is com- the Michigan Motorsports Hall of parable to a street car leaving Fame, designed products used in quarter-inch off the ground like in fourth gear. The race car can NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One a go-kart so it rides as smooth as and off-road racing. possible,” Zehr said. reach speeds of 150 mph. “So many people learn bad One of the main tools Beale and John Beale displays two different weighted springs used in one of the Beale’s father, John Robert Turn to Racing/Page 8 Gildan Racing team’s four super late model race cars. Beale, owned a racing shop in habits by driving cars that don’t
8
April 9, 2020
The Verona Press
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Racing: Gildan Team sets expectations, season goals high
Swimming
VA/MH athletes receive academic honors ADAM FEINER Sports editor
Ve r o n a A r e a / M o u n t Horeb swimmers Ella Chorlton, Josie McCartney, Cleo Seidl and Gabe Piscitelli recently received Academic All-American recognition for their efforts in the pool and the classroom. This award is sponsored by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) and is given to seniors who have lettered at least one year and have a cumulative
grade-point average of at least 3.75. Chorlton, McCartney, Seidl, Piscitelli, Katherine Sanchez, Kyle Hoppe, Parker Jones and Owen Rothamer were named Academic All-State for compiling a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and earning a varsity letter at least one year. T h e VA / M H g i r l s received the Silver Team Scholar award with a team GPA of 3.728. The VA/MH boys also received the Silver Team Scholar Award with a team GPA of 3.632. These awards are also sponsored by NISCA.
Get Connected Find updates and links right away. Add us on Facebook and Twitter as “Verona Press” Dalton Zehr installs a window into a super late model he is building for the upcoming racing season. Continued from page 7 Zehr use is a load machine that uses springs and sensors to measure the weight of each tire as it travels to aid in absorbing bumps. Zehr said they want to ride in a load range of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds per tire. The machine measures the load the car has in each corner. The duo also calculates the fuel burn and the reliance on the right side tire because they are always turning left. The car handles best when all four tires weigh the same. “This has made us better, but it doesn’t make us fast,” Zehr said of the load machine. “I had already won 80 features before I had this machine the last two years. It hasn’t propelled me. It’s made me more precise. It’s like spell check.” The first challenge in Zehr building a super late model is ordering all of the parts. The duo starts in October with a plan of changes they want to make. They attended a national auto racing manufacturer trade show in December in Indianapolis, Indiana to gain more knowledge. Zehr draws on Beale, Coleman, his father and the Gildan Racing Team pit crew, a group with 30 or more years of experience each, to determine the best pieces to add to the car. Once the team has the chassis delivered for the car, they put on four tires. The front suspension and rear end are attached using various weighted nuts, bolts, transmission features, weights of the fuel cell, frames and drive shafts. Zehr then mounts the engine and gets to work on the interior. He utilizes a steel fabrication and welding area to bend and mold all of the metal into the various pieces he needs inside the car. After the metal is
Dalton Zehr shows how the load machine works using springs and sensors to measure the weight of each tire as it travels to help in simulating the race car’s optimum success. molded, Zehr works on shaping the body of the car. After wires are hooked up and the car goes on the scale, Zehr decides the weight of the springs to put on each corner and at what heights. “I’ve been addicted to racing my whole life,” Zehr said. “I’m just obsessed with it.” The new race car will allow the duo to use either a two- or four-barrel carburetor. Two-barrels are used on quarter-mile tracks and four-barrels are used on half-mile tracks to generate more power. “The saying is races are won at the shop and not the track,” Beale said. “If we see an entry list of 30 people coming to a race, we can already tell you who will finish in the top five and bottom five.” Beale and Zehr schedule at least 35 races annually. Beale has 23 races on his schedule this year and Zehr has 19. The team added a fourth car to its stock this season. The season begins in mid-April and runs until late October. They trek across the state carrying two cars with a two-level
RV hauler that includes a living room, couch and small kitchen.
Future aspirations
Beale and Zehr, along with the Gildan Racing Team, have set long- and
Photos by Mark Nesbitt
short-term goals. “The ultimate goal is to make it to the NASCAR series,” Beale said. Beale said there have been plenty of off-road racing drivers who have made the climb to NASCAR, but it ultimately comes down to a combination of money and success. The team has a combination of national, local and non-profit sponsors. Gildan, an apparel company, is the national sponsor. The local sponsors are Sugar River Pizza and AMS in Verona and Best Cleaners in Madison. The MakeA-Wish Foundation is the team’s nonprofit sponsor. Zehr said a realistic goal this season is for the team to win 10 races combined. “It’s a reachable goal and those are good ones to have,” he said. “We want to represent the sponsors we have at this level.”
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April 9, 2020
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9
Verona Area School District
Student starts petition for pass/fail grading Unified Newspaper Group
A student who started a petition on Change.org to ask Verona Area High School to switch to pass/fail grades had received 864 supporters as of Tuesday, April 7. By Monday, April 6, right after the first full week of online learning
because of the closure of all schools in the state, the school board had granted her request. VAHS student Siri Flores wrote on the petition that because of school closures, students are missing out on the face-to-face interactions that make learning successful. “As a student at Verona Area High School, it’s extremely hard to get the education we as a student body
deserve looking through a screen for five hours a day through ‘digital learning,’” she wrote. “It’s extremely stressful not being able to directly communicate with teachers and peers about questions, comments, and concerns we have over material we are attempting to learn.” Students who signed the petition did so for various reasons – one cited that ADHD was making it difficult
to learn without additional support, another cited being a “hands-on” learner struggling with virtual learning. Another wrote that being given more work through virtual learning than there had been during the school day has caused a lot of stress. VAHS principal Pam Hammen told the school board during its April 6 meeting she had already spoken
Grading: Administration sought to ‘do no harm’ with grading, virtual learning stressors as schools remain closed Continued from page 1
Schools in brief
Public can’t attend in person because of ‘Safer at Home’ rules
Elementary, middle school will ease grading standard Report cards for elementary school students will look different for the spring 2020 semester, which is expected to be mostly online learning. For students in grades kindergarten through 5, end-of-year report cards will detail progress through March 13 and also include a summary of skills learned over the fourth quarter. There usually isn’t a third quarter grade because of parent-teacher conferences, which the district wasn’t able to finish before schools were ordered to close in March. For middle school students, teachers will continue to provide students standards-based feedback to students and no fourth quarter grades will be recorded, assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos told the Verona Area school board at its April 6 meeting, held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We don’t want to penalize students if, for any reason, they cannot complete or only complete part of the work,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re not creating inequities in terms of ‘I’m turning in everything and I’m getting these standards-based grades and report cards’ and other students who may not be able to access the learning.” a pandemic that could create additional stress at home, it’s OK if education is not the highest priority right now. Burgos also noted that students have different access to learning opportunities at home, whether it’s because of technology or having to be a caretaker for children or a full-time worker to support their families.
in unique circumstances.
reason why we’re not always going to do this, because the open meetings law does provide for public input and public participation as best we can,” Lubinsky added.
High school construction on track The Verona Area High School construction project is on schedule to be done by early June. Superintendent Dean Gorrell told the board at its Monday, April 6, meeting that Findorff, the district’s construction firm, hasn’t seen any slowdowns with construction as COVID-19 has impacted the Dane County area. “They have not had any delays in supply chain, they have not had any shortage of staffing,” he said. “They continue to be on schedule for substantial completion on June 5.”
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district had plans laid out with its moving company as to how it was going to move six different school sites to new, or new-to-them, buildings. Now, the district is working on contingency plans, should school not resume inside the buildings for the rest of the academic year, assistant superintendent for student services Emmett Durtschi said during the April 6 board meeting. “That could … help us out a little bit,” he said. “There’s still a lot of moving pieces to ensure that we have fewer than 10 people in a building and that we’re keeping things clean, and we’re not unintentionally spreading any of the germs around.”
Decisions on summer school Assistant superintendent for
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How to watch The live-stream of the April 6 and 20 Verona school board meetings will be on the district’s website, verona.k12. wi.us, under the “About VASD” tab in “Board Meeting Webcasts.” To submit comments prior to the start of the meeting, email district executive assistant Tamera Stanley at stanleyt@verona.k12.wi.us.
KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
“We want to have opportunities for students to continue learning, but right now, in this crisis situation, it’s not the most important thing,” she said. “We’re all learning how to live each day right now, myself included.” Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.
District updates virtual “We’re not always going District looking at to do this, and there’s good plans for moving board meeting policy The board unanimously approved a new policy regarding virtual board meetings. Attorney Lori Lubinsky presented the policy, largely written by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, which provides school districts a “firm” policy on virtual meetings and includes provisions that allow for as much public participation as possible. Lubinsky said the policy allows the district to conduct business as best it can, considering the situation it’s in with having schools closed and the “Safer at Home” order in place until at least April 24. “There’s nothing in the law that prevents us from doing this right now without the policy,” she said. “Obviously not being there in person is hard for the public to participate … it provides that this virtual meeting you’re having is done
VASD Board meetings go fully virtual
student services Emmett Durtschi said decisions surrounding whether or not to hold summer school will be made soon, as well as summer swimming lessons and other community programs that take place at district facilities. Those programs take time to plan, Durtschi said, so if COVID-19’s impact isn’t reduced to a point where people can safely plan for those activities in advance, it’ll be too late to start them during the summer. Durtschi said he’s been thinking about the mental health impact of summer cancellations on children and families. “I’m a little bit nervous about that actually, thinking about opportunities for kids,” he said. “Right now we’re talking about their instruction, but I know a lot of the kids I talk to through my own family and their friends, they’re really nervous about what the summer is going to look like.”
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Verona Area Board of Education meetings will be conducted virtually through at least April. This week’s April 6 meeting, and the upcoming one on April 20, will have all board members meeting from remote locations and speaking using communication technology as a result of the state’s “Safer at Home” mandate, which will last until at least April 24. Previously, board meetings have been live-streamed on the district’s website, but board members and district staff attended in person. The “Safer at Home” order put in place by Gov. Tony Evers is meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, a pandemic illness that had sickened more than 270 people in Dane County and 2,440 in Wisconsin as of April 6. The March 25 order followed prior measures by the state to slow the spread of COVID-19 through the novel coronavirus, which included ordering all schools to close by March 18 and prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people. Because of the “Safer at Home” order, no one from the public or the media will be allowed to attend the meeting in person. The meeting will be streamed virtually so the public can watch, with only superintendent Dean Gorrell and
executive assistant Tamera Stanley attending in person to facilitate the live stream. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on the district’s website, under the “About VASD” tab, in “Board Meeting Webcasts.” To follow the board’s agenda, select the Board Docs tab. The state Department of Justice issued an advisory opinion March 16 that such meetings are compliant with the spirit of the state’s Open Meetings law, as long as they are reasonably accessible and accommodations are made for those who request them. Any public comments or requests for accommodations for the meeting should be sent to Stanley via email at stanleyt@verona.k12. wi.us. Public comments will be read during the meeting by board president Noah Roberts.
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“We don’t want to disadvantage students due to our closure, based on any decisions we might make, in terms of their future decisions and opportunities they might take after we get through this closure,” she said. For some students working to get dual credit for classes through institutions such as Madison College or University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the option for pass/fail grades could hinder a student’s grade-point average or completely wipe away the dual credits they were working toward, based on the institution’s policies, Burgos said. VAHS principal Pam Hammen said part of the administration team’s desire to “do no harm” to students during virtual learning was to make sure they were still on track to go to post-secondary options. Hammen said she had received messages from students asking for both traditional letter grades and pass/fail, based on what would be best for their own GPAs. “I think that we’ve created a proposal that is in the best interest of all VAHS students,” she said. “It’s a little more complicated at the high school level.” Burgos said that while the district wanted to have a message that school and being engaged with learning is good, as students and families are dealing with
to Flores and assured her the district was working on a plan for grading. “I was able to reach out to that student and say, ‘We’re working on it, just give us a little more time,’” Hammen said. “We’ve got something in the works; I hear you.” Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.
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10
April 9, 2020
The Verona Press
ConnectVerona.com
Art Crawl: Some artists turning to online platforms to sell work Continued from page 1 sell prints, or making connections for commissions, the event for many artists was an indispensable way to kickoff a circuit of spring and summer shows and festivals. Despite economic and networking losses, several full-time artists who were scheduled to participate are remaining positive in the wake of the art crawl’s cancellation. Mark Kerttula, an airbrush artist based in Watertown, participated in the FitchRona Art Crawl for the first time last year. He was set to return to Liliana’s Restaurant in Fitchburg. “The exposure for me to get out into Madison was by far the best thing that could have happened in an area of the state I’m not too familiar with,” Kerttula said of his experience last year. This year would have been the third time Madison-based artist Christy Grace participated in the crawl. A watercolor painter who makes diorama and shadowbox-style art, Grace said the prize money from winning second place the year before helped pay for her to further her artwork and career. Now, not having income flowing in from the Fitchrona Art Crawl and other art shows and shops she sells at is difficult. Grace said she plans to turn to online platforms to sell her work. “Art is one of the things that falls out of people’s budgets during an economic crisis,” Grace said. “So now I’m shifting gears, finding new ways to sell my art.” Despite losing income from cancelled shows and closed shops, Grace sees a silver lining. “I’m grateful for the opportunities and connections I have had in the past. Christy Grace is a Madison-based watercolor artist. This pandemic will create more stories to tell through art. It’s both challenging and inspiring,” she said.
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
Some voters dropped off absentee ballots outside Verona City Center for the April 7 election.
Poll workers: Many shifts canceled before election Continued from page 1
Photos submitted
Art as an essential business
Artists are rolling with the punches
Madison-based woodblock printmaker Sara Meredith would have been participating in the Fitchrona Art Crawl for the first time this year. As a full-time artist and mom, she said she hasn’t had time to break down
Woodblock art print by Madison-based artist Sara Meredith.
Mark Kerttula is a Watertown-based airbrush artist.
the economic impact the shutdown has had on her, as she’s been too busy homeschooling her children. Meredith said there are no safeguards in place for artists to make up the months of income they’re losing. “Like any small business, I work on a month to month basis. I have been doing art full-time for five years and had just started breaking even,” Meredith said. “March was supposed to be a really big month for me and now I have nothing.” Meredith said April and May are traditionally when art sales start to pick up for her. Two other shows for her art were canceled in March. She is joining other artists to advocate for emergency grants for artists, seeking legislation to support artists, stating many won’t be able to create art full-time anymore because of the economic impact of the coronavirus. Even so, she is hopeful many will pull through. “Artists are better equipped to change quickly because we are creative, rolling
with the punches is part of our skills,” she said. “As an artist you are well aware of your failings and are equipped to move on quicker. I’m hopeful we can help each other out and find interesting sources of income.” Meredith said not connecting with people is a bigger loss than income. She enjoys the personal interaction with others that she does not have working from home, and was looking forward to demonstrating cutting and painting woodblocks for a live audience. Still, Meredith said, negativity isn’t going to fill the economic gaps for artists, and situations the pandemic is posing should be used for creativity that she and others can learn from. “Art is a way to make people feel better and that’s an opportunity being missed,” she said. “But we have to stay positive. There’s lots of innovation happening right now, maybe there are new types of art that will come out of this.” Neal Patten, community reporter, can be contacted at neal.patten@wcinet. com.
“Artists are better equipped to change quickly because we are creative, rolling with the punches is part of our skills. As an artist you are well aware of your failings and are equipped to move on quicker. I’m hopeful we can help each other out and find interesting sources of income.”
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Kerttula said he relies on commissions for income instead of selling prints. His canvases are typically the sides of motorcycles, cars and snowmobiles, or helmets for all the above. NASCAR affiliated clients have been one of his main sources of income over the years. He said that for his airbrush art, live demonstrations are a crucial way to generate business, as it helps people understand airbrush art better. “A lot of my work could be mistaken as photographs instead of paintings,” Kerttula said. He relies on events like the FitchRona Art Crawl to educate people on what he can do with airbrush art. “The loss of that exposure is less devastating than it is psychologically a real bummer,” Kerttula said, “The financial loss isn’t as impactful as getting people to see your work.” He has gotten to be friends with people on Facebook who watched him work last year. He said last year, one couple stayed and watched him work for a whole day. “In my opinion, I am an essential business, because I’ve got to sell art to make a living. We artists are all going to feel this devastation,” he said.
the close of polls at 8 p.m. April 7. But, many Wisconsinites had yet to receive their ballots due to a slowed postal system. In her dissent, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said of these voters, “Either they will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others’ safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own.” In their opinion, the majority wrote that, “when a lower court intervenes and alters the election rules so close to the election date, our precedents indicate that this court, as appropriate, should correct that error.” Monday’s chaos only made the task of planning for the election more difficult for municipal clerks. “We don’t really know any more than anyone else. We’re moving ahead with our preparations for an election tomorrow,” city clerk Ellen Clark told the Press on Monday afternoon as she awaited a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In the weeks prior to the election, fears about COVID-19 caused thousands of poll workers to cancel their scheduled shifts. Many of those poll workers, who volunteer to do tasks such as checking voter registration on Election Day, are older than 65, putting them in the high-risk category for severe infection from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because of the shortage of poll workers, which in many areas across the state
reached a critical level – some polling places were consolidated. On a press call with the Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday, administrator Meagan Wolfe said those who voted Tuesday would encounter some changes. Measures taken would vary somewhat from polling site to polling site, but might include tape indicating where people should stand for proper social distancing, hand sanitizing and new procedures for checking photo IDs. “You’ll see social distancing built in at every step of the process,” Wolfe said. In Verona, those measures included a large plastic shield separating voters from poll workers. Wolfe said voters should be prepared to follow the instructions of poll workers when they arrive at the sites. Other notable changes to typical Election Day sights included the presence of members of the Wisconsin National Guard at some polling sites. They would be filling in for volunteers who canceled, Wolfe said on Monday, and would be in plain clothes and serving in the communities they are from. No results will be released until Monday, April 13. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has stated that voters requested a record high number of absentee ballots this year — more than 1 million statewide a week before the election. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@ wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ReneeNHickman. Kimberly Wethal contributed to this report
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ConnectVerona.com
April 9, 2020
Legals
Barbara Jean Shunk, age 81, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, March 30, 2020 surrounded by her loving family. Barbara was born on October 8, 1938 in Madison WI, to Laurance and Helen (Ninedorf) Normington. She had 4 siblings; James (Rita), Priscilla (Ed) Brown, Richard, Steve (Chris). Barb married Robert T. Shunk on Sept. 1, 1956. She was the love of his life and they raised 6 kids; Bob (Nicole), Ricci (Rita), Larry, Jamie (Bill) Martin and David (Mary). Her 6th child was her adopted granddaughter Kayla. She loved all her children equally and unconditionally and enjoyed each moment and memory she made with them. These treasured memories are what will carry us through in our grief and give us stories to share and pass on to the next generation. She was also a loving grandmother to 14 grandkids and 23 great grandkids. Barb also helped raise 3 other family members; Porky, Sheila and Todd.
Barbara Jean Shunk
In her caregiving years, she lovingly took care of her mother, her mother-inlaw and her husband. She believed in always having an open-door policy for kids to come to her home, she was always giving of herself. When her husband Bob was alive, they loved to go camping, bowling and dancing while also having the family over for spaghetti dinners to watch the football game. Preceded in death by her parents, Laurance and Helen Normington; brothers, James and Richard; in-laws, Laverne and Lorraine Shunk; loving husband, Robert “Bob”; brother-inlaws, Ed Brown and Harold Heidi; and sister-in-law, Carol Shunk.
We t h e f a m i l y w i s h to thank the Staff of the Agrace Hospice care team especially Lindsey and Holly for their great loving care of our mother. They made her laugh and smile with each visit and she couldn’t wait until the next time to see them. Angels come to us in many forms and Barbara was one of them; we are so thankful to be her family and to have had these fleeting moments with her. Mom your loving and caring life lessons will live on in us forever. We hope our Lord has a Rose garden for you filled with Lilies of the Valley and Irises. Each bloom of the rose is our hearts filling with your love. Thank You for everything you did for us mom and we will miss you until we see you again in Heaven. Due to the Coronavirus a Celebration of Life will be held later this summer. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www. ryanfuneralservice.com. Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services Verona Chapel 220 Enterprise Drive 608-845-6625
Wanted WANTED: HUNTING rifles, shotguns, ammo and related items. Call 608575-9064. WE BUY Junk Cars and Trucks. We sell used parts. Monday thru Friday 8am-5:30pm. Newville Auto Salvage 279 Hwy 59 Edgerton 608-884-3114
Help Wanted EXCLUSIVELY ROSES is seeking drivers for Mother’s Day deliveries May 7th, 8th and 9th. Routes go to Chicagoland. $210 Route + Gas. Drivers must use their own vehicle. STRICTLY LIMITED to minivans and cargo vans. Apply at www.erifloral. com. To call us, dial (608) 877- 8879. HELP WANTED: full-time beef farm help for large beef herd located in Monroe, WI. Some beef experience required. Call 608-558-3024 or 608328-1885. JOIN EXCLUSIVELY ROSES in Mother’s Day bouquet production April 24th-May 6th in a bright, energetic working environment! We offer flexible shifts, days, evenings and weekends. Up to $16-Hour. Apply at www.erifloral.com. To call us, dial (608) 877- 8879.
Services
Community helpers
Press’ Helpers List Volunteers can provide basic services MACKENZIE KRUMME Unified Newspaper Group
The people in the list below have volunteered to be community helpers during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are members of the Verona community who said they are available for basic services such as grocery shopping, walking dogs and picking up medications. The Press put out a call two weeks ago after readers contacted the paper about connecting people in need with people who can help — within one week we had over 24 volunteers. There are two volunteers and people who requested help who would like to remain private — the Press is working with those individuals separately. If you are able to be a “helper” or a person who is in need, please fill out the form on our website. All participants who are willing to share their information publicly will have their names, contact information and services offered published on our website and in the Hub. Participants who wish to remain private will have the information put on a spreadsheet and emailed to people who have asked for help. If you’d like to be a helper or need help but do not have access to the internet, contact the Unified Newspaper Group office directly at 845-9559. If you have any questions or would like to be added to the list please visit ConnectVerona.com. Or call our offices at 845-9559.
Sarah Maleck Email: sarah.maleck@malecktherapy. com Phone: 608-514-1625 Services I can provide: Mental Health Counseling and/or Couples Therapy Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: flexible
Nathan Strutz Email: pastorstrutz@rlcverona.com Phone: 608-515-4334 Services I can provide: Grocery shopping. Prescription pick up and delivery.
Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: 10 am to noon. 2pm to 5 pm
Bobbi Fey Email: bobbifey@gmail.com Phone: 608-215-0857 Services I can provide: Grocery shop, run errands, etc Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: Varies, early morning or later afternoon and evening
Kathy Hankard Email: khankard@msn.com Phone: 608-848-1133 Services I can provide: Run Errands Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: 8:30a to 8:30p
Morgan Gavinski Email: morgangavinski@yahoo.com Phone: 608-609-6555 Services I can provide: Prescription pick-up and delivery, dog walking, deliver carry-out and/or fast food. I would like to partner with Grace Wanzong for these services. Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: 12pm-9pm
Mariah Martin Email: mkmartin@uwalumni.com Phone: 608-445-3706 Services I can provide: Grocery and supply shopping Small vehicle, no large items. Days Available: Any day, Available Hours: All times.
Grace Wanzong Email: gkwanzong@gmail.com Phone: 608-852-3060 Services I can provide: Grocery shopping, run errands, dog walking, carryout/fast food pickup and pickup medications. Will be providing services with Morgan Gavinski. Days Available: Any Day, Available Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Unified Newspaper Group makes no claims as to the ability or honesty of the people who submit their names for these forms. We are connecting people as a public service only. Contact Mackenzie Krumme at mackenzie. krumme@wcinet.com.
A&B ENTERPRISES Light Construction Remodeling No job too small 608-835-7791 RECOVER PAINTING offers carpentry, drywall and all forms of painting. A portion of every job is donated to cancer research. Free estimates, fully insured. Call 608-270-0440. ART’S LAWNCARE: Mowing, trimming, weed control, fertilizing. Rough mowing available. 608-235-4389. LAWN MOWING Residential & Commercial Fully Insured. 608-873-7038 or 608-669-0025.
Pets AKC COLLIE PUPPIES, 5 weeks old, all shots, 6 males, 2 females, $450 each obo. 563-599-6081. BLUE HEELER cross puppies, born February. Nice markings. $20 each. Jacob Miller, 16118 Riley Rd, Boscobel, WI. No Sunday sales.
vacated and discontinued. For avoidance of doubt, Northern Lights Road and Cross Country Road, as they exist today, will not be relocated as part of the Resolution. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Verona Common Council will hold a public hearing and then discuss and take action on the Resolution at its Common Council meeting on Monday, April 27, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. at the City Center, 111 Lincoln Street. A copy of the Resolution may be reviewed by contacting the City Clerk’s Office, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., or Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. A
copy of the Resolution may be obtained once the copying fee is paid. Please contact City Administrator Adam Sayre for additional information regarding the Resolution. Any interested person or his/her agent will be heard at the public hearing. Dated: March 12, 2020. _______________________________ Ellen Clark, City Clerk Published: April 2, 9 and 16, 2020 WNAXLP
WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE in Fitchburg. 1,500 sq.ft. with assigned parking. $700 monthly. Ask for Bill 608-444-2986.
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OFFICE/RETAIL Space for rent in Downtown Oregon. Available now. 1274 sqft, $1062 per month or 480 sqft, $400 per month. Heat included in rent. Contact 608-333-4420 or 715891-4784 for showing and further information.
ROSEWOOD APARTMENTS for Seniors 55+. 1 & 2 bedroom units available starting at $810 per month. Includes heat, water and sewer. Professionally managed. Located at 300 Silverado Drive, Stoughton, WI 53589. 608-877-9388
OFFICE SPACES FOR RENT In Oregon facing 15th hole on golf course Free Wi-Fi, Parking and Security System Conference rooms available Kitchenette-Breakroom Autumn Woods Prof. Centre Marty 608-835-3628
Storage Spaces For Rent ALL SEASONS SELF STORAGE 10x10 10x15 10x20 10x25 10x30 Security Lights-24/7 access OREGON/BROOKLYN CALL 608-444-2900
Real Estate
DEER POINT STORAGE Convenient location behind Stoughton Lumber. Clean-Dry Units 24-HOUR LIGHTED ACCESS 5x10 thru 12x25 608-335-3337
NEW FACTORY Built Homes 3 BR, 2 BA put on your foundation. $59,980, HORKHEIMER HOMES Hazelton, IA. 800-632-5985.
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FRENCHTOWN SELF-STORAGE Only 6 miles South of Verona on Hwy PB. Variety of sizes available now. 10x10=$65-month 10x15=$75-month 10x20=$85-month 10x25=$95-month 12x30=$120-month Call 608-424-6530 or 1-888-878-4244
ALL KINDS hay 120-220FV, western hay & straw. Delivered. Walter Mathys 608-482-1457. HAY FOR SALE. Big square and round bales and baleage. 608-5747459.
Livestock 17 HOLSTEIN steers weaned, $235 each, vaccinated. 608-482-4534.
NORTH PARK STORAGE 10x10 through 10x40, plus 14x40 with 14' door for RV & Boats. Come & go as you please. 608-873-5088
STARTED BEEF calves, $175-$250 each, weaned $325. Vaccinated. 608482-4534.
Farm RASCHEIN PROPERTY STORAGE 6x10 thru 10x25 Market Street/Burr Oak Street in Oregon Call 608-520-0240
CALF HUTS, bottles, etc. steel milk cans, etc. Also hay for sale. 608-5687639. RENT SKID LOADERS MINI-EXCAVATORS TELE-HANDLER and these attachments. Concrete breaker, posthole auger, landscape rake, concrete bucket, pallet forks, trencher, rock hound, broom, teleboom, stump grinder. By the day, week, or month. Carter & Gruenewald Co. 4417 Hwy 92, Brooklyn, WI 608-455-2411
UNION ROAD STORAGE 10x10 - 10x15 - 10x20 - 12x30 24-7 Access Security Lights & Cameras Credit Cards Accepted 608-835-0082 1128 Union Road, Oregon, WI Located on the corner of Union Road and Lincoln Road
CUTE! MINI-GOLDENDOODLES, Cockapoos, Teddy Bears, Poochons, Cavachons, Cavapoos, Whoodles, Sheepadoodles, $895-$1,895, Lic#484991 Shots, dewormed, Health Cert & Guarantee, House training help. www.SpringGreenPups.com. Brenda, 608-574-7931.
Antiques BUYING US Gold & Silver Coins and Collectibles. Call 608-988-6406 Rick Miles Coin.
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Barbara Jean Shunk
CITY OF VERONA COMMON COUNCIL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PETITION TO VACATE AND DISCONTINUE PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LIGHTS ROAD AND CROSS COUNTRY ROAD Pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 66.1003(4), the City of Verona Common Council introduced a resolution (the “Resolution”) at its March 9, 2020 meeting declaring that, since the public interest requires it, portions of Northern Lights Road and Cross Country Road identified in the Resolution and adjacent to land owned by Epic Systems Corporation should be
Rentals GREENWOOD APARTMENTS. Apartments for Seniors 55+,currently has 1 & 2 bedroom units available starting at $810 per month,includes heat, water, and sewer. 608-835-6717 Located at:139 Wolf St., Oregon, WI 53575 OREGON 2-BEDROOM in quiet, well-kept building. Convenient location. Includes all appliances, AC, blinds, private parking, laundry, storage. $200 security deposit. Cats OK. $750-month. 608-219-6677 Available April 15-May 1. STOUGHTON. TWO-BEDROOM upper apartment with garage and utilities included. $685 per month +security. 608-873-6711
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April 9, 2020
The Verona Press
ConnectVerona.com
Quarantine: Quarantine: Nonprofits, fundraisers offer help as more events are postponed Continued from page 1 Monday, April 6, the number of deaths more than tripled in the past week to 10,000. The illness crept further into Dane County, which reported more than 300 cases as of Tuesday. Updated information on the spread of the virus led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend the use of face masks – even homemade cloth ones – for any public outing. Many people here took that advice to heart. As stores, among the few public gathering places left, got more stringent about social distancing, they posted signage urging customers and employees to take more health precautions. People in general continued to exercise outdoors and enjoy the sunshine,
sometimes socializing by having conversations from their front lawns. Meanwhile, American politicians continued to fight over how to provide hospitals and communities with the resources necessary to combat the spread of the disease. They debated projections that COVID-19 could claim 200,000 or more American lives this year and how much our efforts to stay at home and practice social distancing might pay off. But with the onset of the illness on average coming two weeks after contracting the virus, President Donald Trump warned the nation that the hardest week was yet to come. Closer to home, a legal battle raged at an ever increasing pace in the days leading up to the April 7 election, leaving many to wonder whether they could
– or should – vote in person, whether the absentee ballots they requested would arrive in time or even whether votes they sent in would be counted. The state Supreme Court overruling the governor’s executive order to postpone the election to June just 14 hours before polling places opened, and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal order to extend voting to April 13. Polling places were consolidated as election volunteers were in such short supply, the governor ordered the National Guard to work the polls. Dane County joined the many government and nonprofit efforts to buoy the countless closed or struggling businesses during the pandemic pandemonium, increasing the total allocation to the Small Business Pandemic Support Grant Program from $250,000
Keep it Local, Right Here In Town!
to $800,000 in a matter of days after receiving hundreds of responses. And the Madison Community Foundation distributed $4 million to area nonprofits to prepare for extreme needs or make up for sharply limited fundraising efforts. The Verona Area School District began a fundraiser to help students get equal access to online learning, and a local musician live-streamed a concert to fund a similar national effort. More large events in the area announced cancellations, including the postponement of the Dane County Farmers Market’s entire outdoor season, but Verona’s school district still made no final call on whether school buildings would reopen this spring. Hospitals joined a national project to study using antibodies from recovered
patients and UW-Madison researchers began working on vaccines. And many area dairy farms began dumping unused milk, now in excess with schools no longer setting the demand. Local governments, still needing to take care of business, began meeting again, with the use of teleconferencing software. VASD made plans to conduct superintendent search firm interviews the following week and pick one April 20, it hired two principals and temporarily changed its grading policies at all levels. The City of Verona took care of routine business in a Plan Commission meeting, and the town offered curbside voting for anyone who needed it. Email Verona Press editor Jim Ferolie at veronapress@wcinet.com.
Supporting ALL Local Businesses! Verona Area Chamber of Commerce 120 W. Verona Avenue, Verona, WI
www.veronawi.com 608-845-5777
adno=128052 adno=50084
Our showroom is temporarily closed. We can’t wait to see you soon when we reopen!
DURING COVID-19 WE ARE AVAILABLE FOR EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS ONLY.
Not Just a Pharmacy
Main Street Dentists 105 N. Main St., Verona WI
Dr. Kate Schacherl
Email: office@mainstreetdentists.com Website: www.mainstreetdentists.com
We are offering and ENCOURAGING curbside pick-up and delivery! PLEASE call ahead so you don’t have to wait, and don’t come into the store, call your local Hometown pharmacist with any questions!
202 S. Main Street, Verona • 848-8020 Check out www.myhometownrx.com Hours: M-F 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm, Closed Sunday
Dependable
Start with the best.
Quality Collision Repairs & More! The safety of our customers and team members is always our first priority, and we are taking steps to protect the health and well-being of our team and customers. We have implemented a number of precautions based on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and other health authorities to minimize the risk of the transmission of COVID-19 for both team members and customers alike.
We’re Here in Person and Online! Due to high volume of online orders, limited dates and times are available.
No Weekly Sale items until further notice. We may have limited promotions online and instore.
608-845-9171
New Store Hours: 6:30am-7:00pm Monday-Sunday 210 S. Main St., Verona • 845-6478
221 Paoli St., Verona, WI 53593 Store hours may differ during this time. Please call ahead!
adno=144042
Complete Auto Service!
adno=144049
608-845-6127
adno=144053
We miss you and can’t wait to see you again!
Providing Solid Footing Since 1978
Family Owned and Operated Since 1978.
407 E. Verona Avenue, Verona, WI 608.845.6403
adno=144044
In the meantime, check your email and our Facebook page for office updates at facebook.com/mainstreetdentists.
We are blessed to be able to serve you during this challenging time. It can be difficult to figure out a plan of action! Hometown Pharmacy is here for YOU!
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If you have an appointment between now and April 30th, and have not been contacted, please give us a call after April 30th and we’ll get you back on the schedule.
If you would like to see your ad in this spot, contact Donna Larson at 845-9559 ext 235 or
veronasales@wcinet.com
Your locally owned grocer for 118 years.
If you would like to advertise on this local page , contact Donna Larson at 608-845-9559. adno=150393