AMERY
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 VOL. 123 NO. 43 www.theameryfreepress.com $1.00
Coronavirus supercharges absentee voting
Wisconsin works in response to COVID-19 time is of the essence. So today I’m announcing we'll be issuing a #SaferAtHome order tomorrow. As the March 17 morning orders limiting gatherings to 50 or less quickly leapt to 10 or less by afternoon, it became apparent people would have to adjust to a whole new way of life. Restaurants suddenly changed the way they do business, as curbside pickup and delivery slowly become the current new norm. Families are not only gathered around the table to eat, but also to tackle homeschooling assignments as they wonder when and if the remainder of the school year will continue on campuses. Over the weekend, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers directed the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to suspend administrative rules relating to hours of instruction, student teacher assessments, and general flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers went to Twitter and Facebook Monday morning to announce the State will be ordering all non-essential businesses to halt. Evers said, “There will be additional details soon about what this order means for you, but I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to prepare and plan ahead so you can help do your Tony Evers part to keep our friends, Wisconsin neighbors, Governor and communities safe.” Evers said the orders will be signed at some point on Tuesday, March 24. On social media Evers said, “We have been working hard to ensure the health and safety of the people of our state as we have responded to COVID-19 in Wisconsin. We’ve taken some important steps, but folks,
BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
SUBMITTED
1-year-old LeiElla Widell’s father, Kevin, is currently stationed in Afghanistan. Her mother received word that because of COVID-19, they need to hold off on sending Kevin packages until they receive the O.K. from their soldier.
As the coronavirus spreads through the U.S. during the spring election season, government officials are scrambling to figure out how to allow voters to cast their ballots safely. Five states have so far postponed their primaries, but the Wisconsin primary, scheduled for April 7, includes numerous state, local and municipal elections that would be more difficult to reschedule than just a presidential primary, because some involve a transfer of executive power. There is also an election for a State Supreme Court justice. Because of this, voters are encouraged to vote absentee for the April 7 election. Managing in person voting during an unprecedented pandemic has forced authorities to overcome new virus-related hurdles: providing sufficient cleaning supplies to polling places, moving polling places out of nursing homes and ensuring there are enough poll workers. A federal judge late Friday granted an emergency request to extend the deadline for people to register to vote electronically to March 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Wisconsin law had imposed a deadline of March 18. It had been asked to extend both electronic and by-mail voter registration
SEE COVID-19, PAGE 2
SEE ABSENTEE, PAGE 3
Holidays to observe while homebound BY APRIL ZIEMER EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
When people think of traditional holidays, they think of shopping amongst crowds for food, décor and possibly gifts. They envision large gatherings between friends and family with preparations galore. While many are currently stuck at home there are many non-traditional holidays that can be celebrated without leaving the house with
very little preparation. Here are a weeks worth of holidays that can be observed or at least discussed while you are cooped up. March 24, World Agriculture Day. February 29, 2012, Agriculture secretary Thomas J. Vilsack proclaimed March 8, 2012 to be National Agriculture Day. This proclamation stated a specific date and year. It can vary each year. The Agricultural Secretary annually proclaims the date of National
WD The Law Firm of Williams and Davis
Agriculture Day. In 2018, it was President Donald Trump who made the proclamation. On this day, spend a little time to better understand agriculture, learn about how food is produced and distributed and encourage people to enter agriculture as a career. Eat well that day. As you do, think about all that goes into bringing the food you eat to your table. SEE HOLIDAYS, PAGE 16
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