3/26/2020 Verona Press

Verona Press The

I’M STILL HERE! 26 years in VASD Housing Market

Thursday, March 26, 2020 • Vol. 55, No. 45 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.50

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Kathy Bartels 608-235-2927

KBartels@StarkHomes.com

Verona Area School District

COVID-19 response

Verona adapts to a new normal As the health crisis deepens, state limits public interactions

Inside Food pantry switches to drive-thru model Page 2

STAFF REPORT Unified Newspaper Group

Photo submitted

From left, Sugar Creek Elementary fourth grade teachers Chris Westberg, Lori Martin, Edgewood College student teacher Sarah Fetter and Justin Rippl wok on creating virtual learning curriculum on Tuesday, March 17.

‘Rising to the challenge’ District educators keep students engaged through virtual learning KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that was declared a pandemic March 11 by the World Health Organization. It’s caused by the novel coronavirus, which is so contagious, the state of Wisconsin has limited public gatherings to 10 people or fewer and is encouraging households to avoid all unnecessary contact with other people. It’s unclear how long schools will be teaching virtually. The state’s latest order

Turn to Learning/Page 10

Corned beef and coronavirus How two St. Patrick’s dinners were affected by social distancing NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

Just as people donned their green hats, shiny plastic shamrock necklaces and “Kiss me, I’m Irish” shirts preparing for an evening of food, drinks and revelry on St. Patrick’s Day, Gov. Tony Evers announced that mass gatherings would be

limited to 10 people beginning that night. That was a significant reduction from his previous order of 50 or less, a result of concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus. On opposite sides of Verona, two corn beef and cabbage dinners had been set to get underway. At one location, The Draft House Bar and Restaurant, 1010 Enterprise Drive, the celebratory crowd was already

Turn to Dinners/Page 7

Photo by Neal Patten

The Draft House was starting to fill up for the corned beef and cabbage dinner before Gov. Evers announced stronger restrictions on social gatherings.

Effect on the Census, voting and open meetings Page 3 Listing of restaurants still open Page 6 How businesses are coping Page 7 School district adds two locations for graband-go meals Page 10 in addition to influenza-like symptoms. By March 23, it had claimed more than 16,000 lives, with 375,000 confirmed cases worldwide, about 10 percent of them in the United States, according to the Center for Science Systems and Engineering. In five days, it went from a curiosity and a concern to many people in Verona and elsewhere to a national emergency. By March 13, almost all major American professional and college sports were canceled as a handful of high-profile positive tests made the spread of the virus more tangible. In Wisconsin, all schools were either closed or soon to be closed and high school sports and other school activities canceled. Three days later, state orders prevented restaurants, bars, churches and many other businesses from functioning by restricting the number of people allowed to

Turn to Crisis/Page 12

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ori Martin found herself having to push fear aside to teach her students last week. That fear was of being recorded, the Sugar Creek Elementary School fourth grade teacher said. But she decided having the students see her face on their first day of virtual learning, Thursday, March 19, was more important.

“It’s a different twist, even though they see you every day,” she said. “One of the teachers just said, ‘If you’re afraid, just get over it.’ So this morning, I got over it … I read them the picture book and said, ‘Here goes nothing!’” With schools closed throughout Dane County because of the COVID-19 crisis starting March 16, Verona Area School District teachers and staff began teaching their nearly 5,500 students with recorded video and online lessons that week.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow more real to Verona residents, businesses and other organizations have been adapting to what seems like new realities every day. National, state and local restrictions aimed at stemming the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus grew tighter every few days, with Gov. Tony Evers declaring on Tuesday, March 24, that only essential business operations may continue. What qualified as essential was a long list that included all food service, professional services, charity organizations, construction, delivery and financial institutions. That 16-page edict – foreshadowed four days earlier with an update to the governor’s March 17 mass gatherings order – still forced many Verona businesses to adjust their models or close, at least temporarily. Sit-down restaurants and bars either stopped serving or switched to curbside pickup, funeral homes restricted visitors and fitness centers limited their hours or turned to online videos, while grocery stores and drive-thru restaurants stayed as busy as ever. While Badger Prairie Needs Network served dozens of guests in a makeshift drive-thru, Little Free Library contributors started putting food in some of the stations around the city, rather than books, and the Verona Public Library held online storytimes. And schoolchildren in the Verona Area School District got their first two days of online schooling – something that seems increasingly likely to finish out their school year. The COVID-19 crisis accelerated quickly in the United States starting March 11, when the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. At that point, just over 4,000 people had died of the disease, which causes respiratory distress

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March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

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COVID-19 response

BPNN’s pantry transitions to curbside model NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

The children’s play room is lined with prepackaged bags of food.

Curbside pick-up hours Monday: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday: 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday: Closed Thursday: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday: Closed

Photos by Neal Patten

Volunteers Clem and Karen LaMere, Nancy Dubisz, Cindy Koehn and Therese Strome help prepare meals from Epic to distribute via the curbside pantry.

fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats and bread. Under this model, guests’ special needs such as allergies and intolerances could not be accounted for. As the state government still required accounting of the pantry’s patrons despite the ongoing crisis, a registration table was set-up in the front entryway to BPNN. As cars lined up, volunteers brought one member per household into the building at a time to register their family. Then, volunteers hauled a cart of food to that individual’s vehicle before inviting the head of household in the next vehicle to come register. “It is chaos, but it’s controlled chaos,” Kasieta said. “The chaos is diminishing, and we’re down to systems and communications materials already.” Park Printing provided signage that helped direct traffic and orange traffic cones helped keep an orderly queue. Volunteers provided printed instructions to each vehicle explaining the process. The pantry will continue distributing food curbside during its regular business hours. It is currently in need of more reusable grocery bags and empty copier paper boxes. “Are you impressed?” Kasieta asked. “Because damn it, you ought to be.”

Epic cooks for BPNN The culinary team at Epic Systems, a longtime food donor for Badger Prairie Needs Network, has increased its donations to the pantry as a result of COVID-19. Typically, the pantry receives surplus food that was prepared for Epic employees in its cafeterias, but not eaten. With many of its employees now working from home, Epic has begun making meals special for BPNN, ready to be distributed in

TO OUR MUCH-APPRECIATED SUBSCRIBERS AND ADVERTISERS From: Woodward Communications, Inc. Vice-President, Woodward Community Media and Telegraph Herald Media Publisher, Bob Woodward. of websites, e-newsletters, e-editions and alerts) updated on a frequent -- sometimes hourly – basis. All this in order to continue to provide a local, trusted location for health and business information.

As we all continue to navigate these uncharted waters, dealing with the effects of the novel coronavirus outbreak and spread, I want to briefly share the steps we are taking to keep our employee owners safe, our readers informed and to get out our advertisers’ messages.

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As an essential part of the communication system, we are working to keep our journalists reporting trusted, reliable facts as best we can in an extremely fluid situation. While there is much speculation and misinformation on social media and spreading via “word of mouth,” we are using all the tools and contacts we have at our disposal to share the current status of the virus from recognized sources as well as medical and business recommendations from experts.

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Additionally, we are working overtime to keep our media and communications businesses open and running to create and produce the important communication products and services our communities rely on. To help keep our employee owners at reduced risk for virus spread, we are prohibiting walk-in traffic at most locations while keeping phone and on-line options available and staffed.

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individual serving size containers. From tubs of hummus to heat-and-eat meals of black beans, rice and chicken – Epic’s contributions provide a significant part of the food relief packages offered by BPNN. Last week, BPNN helped distribute the donations from Epic to other pantries and food banks in the region including The River Food Pantry in Madison, Friends of the State Street Family in Madison and the Belleville Food Pantry.

To be clear – we are committed to producing and distributing a physical paper unless, or until, forces beyond our control prevent us from doing so. And we are taking steps to produce and distribute them in a safe manner. If you have not already done so, there has never been a better and more important time for our subscribers to activate and use all of their digital subscription options in order to access current updates as the situation evolves. If you have questions or need assistance in doing so, please contact us. And it has never been a more important time to support our local businesses with your patronage – while doing so in a safe and prudent manner. Our local businesses need your patronage.

Where possible, we have directed resources to areas that have greater need, such as communicating those businesses that are open for business as well as those that are temporarily closed. And we are working hard to share those events that are canceled or postponed.

We want to thank all of our employee owners for their hard work, dedication, understanding and flexibility as we work our way through this unprecedented situation. We have received many notes of appreciation from community members. I encourage you to share your words of support and encouragement as well with those employee owners with whom you come in contact.

We are also keeping our physical papers in production (although, in some cases, scaled back in size) as well as our digital services (in the form

Thanks to all of you, our subscribers, readers and advertisers, for your continued support as we persevere through these turbulent times.

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Going through the drive-thru took on a different meaning at Badger Prairie Needs Network last week. The food pantry launched curbside pick-up for patrons on Thursday, March 19, as a way to still provide families with the food they needed, but also reduce exposure to the COVID-19 illness. In the days and weeks prior, BPNN leadership had decided to close the pantry to the public, as well as cancel bi-weekly community meals through the month of April as COVID-19 cases continued to rise. Karen Dettinger, a member of the leadership team who works as an industrial engineer, helped to quickly create the new drive-up model to distribute food. Previously, Dettinger said guests were allowed to come into the food pantry, which is arranged and decorated like a regular grocery store. To keep everyone safe and healthy, Dettinger said staff developed a new model of curbside pick-up. While at times there were over two dozen cars lined up outside the pantry on March 19, the only real hitch in the transition to curbside distribution was the pouring rain. Marcia Kasieta, executive director of Badger Prairie Needs Network, estimated that BPNN had prepared enough packages of food to feed 150 families ahead of the first curbside distribution day, with volunteers still preparing more packages during the pick-up. She said 297 people across 83 households were served by the end of the first day of curbside food pick-up. “As this goes on, we estimate the number of households needing our help will climb around mid to late April,” she said. “It’s strange – we are prepared to help many more people, but yesterday (March 23), only 12 households came over – dramatic swings.” Hundreds of canvas reusable grocery bags, paper grocery sacks and boxes that normally hold reams of copier paper currently fill every surface and storage space inside the BPNN building. Lining the tables of the free community meal room and the children’s playroom, and packed into every fridge and freezer available, are pre-packaged bags and boxes of goods, enough to provide each family with two weeks’ worth of food and other essentials. The leadership team tried to choose a variety of essential items for each package including

ConnectVerona.com

March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

3

Substitute teacher released on bond with unusual conditions

KIMBERLY WETHAL

Verona-area officials switch to teleconferencing for meetings Gov. Evers’ ‘Safer at Home’ order could impact open meetings RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group

As the coronavirus threat spreads throughout the country, city officials are struggling to keep government meetings on schedule and open to the public. Last week, city government meetings were canceled for safety reasons. City administrator Adam Sayre told the Press in an email that the next meeting of the CIty Council, which had been

rescheduled for March 30 due to spring break, is still up in the air. He said city staff and Mayor Luke Diaz are trying to decide which teleconference technology will work for them. A previously scheduled digital town hall that was set to take place last week was canceled after city staff were unable to find a technology they felt suitable for the task. Town of Verona administrator Sarah Gaskell said some of the town’s upcoming meetings have been postponed, including the April annual meeting, as staff decide the best way to safely hold them. The school board’s next meeting will be Monday, April 6, but the question of open meetings is more a legal question rather than a technical one, superintendent Dean

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Gorrell wrote in an email to the Press on Tuesday morning. District board meetings are already livestreamed and board members plan to meet virtually or through a phone conference, but the question that remains is how Gov. Tony Evers’s Safer at Home order will impact the ability to hold an open meeting, Gorrell said. “Since the provisions of that declaration have not yet been made public, we don’t know what provisions there may be for governmental meetings,” he wrote. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee. hickman@wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ReneeNHickman Reporter Kimberly Wethal contributed to this story

City and federal census efforts delayed RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group

City census efforts have been delayed amid coronavirus concerns, and officials are encouraging residents to fill out their respective forms online. Staff were just getting a push to aid the federal government in the 2020 Census when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic Wednesday, March 11. Resulting decisions by the state to limit public gatherings and discourage in-person contact led the city to suspend most meetings for the immediate future and focus on curbing the spread of the illness. “I don’t know when we will have another meeting at this point as we are doing everything day by day,” Holt said Prior to that, community development specialist Katherine Holt told the Press the city had formed a Complete County

Committee at the Federal Census Bureau’s recommendation to oversee efforts at making sure everyone in Verona is counted. Holt said the city had fliers made to stuff into food bags at the Senior Center, and the library had arranged to dedicate a computer where people could access and fill out the Census form. Other online and in-person publicity opportunities were also planned. However, with city buildings like the senior center and library now closed indefinitely, it’s unclear when some of those planned activities will be able to continue. The U.S. Census Bureau began mailing census forms and sending online invitations for people to complete their forms this month. Census forms should be returned by April 1. Prior to the coronavirus taking hold in the United State, workers hired by the Census Bureau were to go door to door in an

effort to collect outstanding forms. However, on March 18, a press release from U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said field operations would be halted until April 1 “in support of guidance on what we can all do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.” The release stated that census takers would begin going to households to collect responses in May. “We will adjust census taker and survey operations as necessary in order to follow the guidance of federal, state and local health authorities,” Dillingham wrote in the release. According to an email from Holt, in 2010 Verona had an 87% participation rate for mailing in the Census form. Rutland also had an 87% participation rate and Cottage Grove had an 88% rate. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee. hickman@wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ReneeNHickman

Construction near new high school to pick up Inside lanes of W. Verona Avenue scheduled to close this week Traffic improvement construction work on West Verona Avenue could resume by this week. An engineering report from the City of Verona sent to the Press March 19 tentatively stated that construction on the median of West Verona Avenue near the new Verona Area

High School could start as early as the middle of the week of March 23. That work would result in the closure of the inside lanes of Verona Avenue. The City of Verona is doing traffic improvements around the new high school site, which is scheduled to open for fall 2020, as a part of an agreement between the city and the district. In return for $4.5 million of road improvements near the high school site, including the building of a

The bridge deck pouring for Military Ridge State Trail is also expected to start next week, although the trail will stay open on a temporary basis. Additional trail closures will occur later this year when crews start to place concrete approach slabs and perform trail restoration. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@ wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.​

Send it in! We like to send reporters to shoot photos, but we can’t be everywhere. And we know you all have cameras. So if you have a photo of an event or just a slice of life you think the community might be interested in, send it to us and we’ll use it if we can. Please include contact information, what’s

happening in the photo and the names of people pictured. You can submit it on our website at ConnectVerona. com, email to editor Jim Ferolie at veronapress@wcinet. com or drop off electronic media at our office at 133 Enterprise Drive. Questions? Call 845-9559.

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second access road, the district will hand over the current Sugar Creek Elementary School and New Century School buildings site to the city later this year. Other work scheduled for later this spring near the high school site include concrete work on West End Circle, and water main and storm sewer placement along Wildcat Way and Stewart Woods Road before the roads are graded in the next month.

Dustin Schallert, a Verona Area School District substitute teacher accused of sexual assault after allegedly inappropriately touching Badger Ridge Middle School students, has been released Schallert from jail. But Schallert’s conditions are unconventional – instead of the usual Dane County monitoring program, he was ordered by Judge Shelley Gaylord to be confined to his apartment. There, his father will administer random breath tests and he’ll call his mother at least once a day, if not more. Verona police officers arrested Schallert, 30, March 7 after the father of one of the victims brought information to the department. Schallert is accused of touching the buttocks of a BRMS student March 5 and touching the upper breast area of a different student March 6. Both resulted in felony sexual assault charges. According

to the Wisconsin State Journal story, Schallert will enter pleas at a later date. Schallert is allowed to leave his home only if he is accepted into an alcohol or mental health treatment program, according to bail conditions listed on the circuit court website. He is also prohibited from consuming alcohol, barred from contacting the victims and cannot leave Dane County without prior approval from a judge. Schallert was released from the Dane County Jail after posting bail, which was reduced from $25,000 to $3,000, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, who first reported the story. His bail was reduced at the request of his lawyer, the article stated, because of Schallert’s non-existent prior criminal record. Schallert’s bail conditions are unconventional because the county had ordered changes be made to reduce the number of people coming to the courthouse to slow the spread of COVID-19. The temporary order, which will last until at least April 17, prohibits new clients from being accepted to the country’s Pretrial Services program, as well as suspends in-person appearances for jury trials, small claims and custody hearings. Any hearings that can be conducted by phone or video will proceed as scheduled, the order states.

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Photo by Jim Ferolie

The parking lot at Prairie Moraine County Park’s off-leash area stayed full Sunday afternoon, March 23, with 50 cars or more despite social distancing protocols.

County monitoring program unavailable due to COVID-19

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March 26, 2020

Opinion

The Verona Press

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Letters to the editor

Library staff should receive an award I believe that the Verona Public Library should receive an award for their amazing and outstanding work with our school, Savanna Oaks Middle School. Without them, we would not have been able to complete an important project in the sixth grade. They have allowed our classroom teachers to hold and check out 900+ books so we could be successful and satisfied with our resources and turn in an astonishing project. As I said before, the Verona Public Library has dedicated their time and priorities to helping us check out books and making sure we have had the best tools to make our projects the best they can be. They have

come in and out of classrooms, talking to many students and helping us find yet another way to find a book that fits our topics just right. They introduced us to an app, Libby, which allows you to check out books digitally and find the books you need without having to stop by the library to check it out yourself. This app has helped our sixth grade learners work our way up to make sure that we have all the information we need to successfully submit a stunning project. Thank you, VPL! Sincerely, Ruman Hassan SOMS sixth grade student

See something wrong?

Community Voices

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

Going electronic can be handy, even when it’s hard to embrace

Thursday, March 26, 2020 • Vol. 55, No. 39 USPS No. 658-320

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Legal advertisements unglegals@wcinet.com News Jim Ferolie veronaeditor@wcinet.com Sports Adam Feiner ungsportseditor@wcinet.com Business news Emilie Heidemann ungbusiness@wcinet.com Community news Emilie Heidemann communityreporter@wcinet.com Reporters Kimberly Wethal, Mark Nesbitt, Mackenzie Krumme, Neal Patten, Scott De Laruelle, Renee Hickman

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everal years ago, my son won a Nook e-reader at the Verona Public Library. As he already owned a similar device, he gave it to me. An e-reader is an electronic device onto which you can download books and other written materials. You can do similar things with an iPad or other tablet. I enjoy reading, and in quick order I found my Nook to be pretty cool. And with our unknown semi-quarantine situation as a result of COVID-19, it seems like it might be even more useful. First, the device is small and convenient. When I travel it is far easier to fit my thin Nook into my luggage than a book or two. Second, while I usually get books from our awesome public library, when I want to buy a book, it is much cheaper to buy an e-book. Sometimes, I can purchase an e-book for half the price of a hardcover text, and when I bargain hunt, I can find books for as little as 99 cents. Finally, my Nook is backlit, making it perfect for reading in low-light situations such as when I’m reading in bed and don’t want to bother my wife by leaving a bright light on. The downside is over time the screen on my e-reader gets covered in fingerprints, but that is easily fixed with a cloth. There have also been a few times when I raced to finish a chapter before the battery life expired, but that was mostly due to my poor planning. Of course, when I speak to others about e-readers the discussion usually turns to the tactile nature of things. Some people simply like to hold an old-fashioned book in their hands. They like the heft of it, and they enjoy marking

their progress with each page turned. My wife is one of these latter people – in the extreme. About a year ago, I read Curtis one of the best books I have found in many years, “A Gentleman in Moscow,” by Amor Towles. It was recommended to me by a friend, but as it was also popular with a wide swath of the reading public, the wait for the book at the library was quite long. As it turned out, I had received a few gift cards for my birthday, so I used them to download the book onto my Nook. When I recommended it to my wife, she looked into it but found the wait at the library as long as I had. The easy solution, since I already owned the e-book, was to lend my wife my Nook, allowing her to read the book right away. She would have none of it. My wife has been known to spend hours at a time with her laptop or iPad doing Lord knows what, but when it comes to moving from a real book to an e-reader, she won’t even consider it. It was as if my Nook carried the coronavirus. I also know many people think this way. As one of the last people in America to buy a smartphone and also someone who got his first debit card about a month ago, I am sympathetic to those who resist many of the things technology has done to our society. As someone who remembers when music was only available on vinyl records, I also understand not everything is

improved through modernization. That said, I do own a smart phone, and in fact, I’m addicted to the dumb thing. I own dozens of music CDs, and I still use my iPod when I take the dog for a walk. I realize music CDs and iPods are not the most modern technology, but you get my point. Last month, more than a year after I had first recommended it, my wife finally found a hardbound copy of “A Gentleman in Moscow.” She enjoyed it, though begrudgingly. Admittedly, a year of me harping at her to read it probably took some of the pleasure out of the tale. I have to say her recalcitrance makes me a little sad. We could have discussed and enjoyed the book together a long time ago if only she would have used my e-reader. A year later, I remember the basic plot, but character names and plot sequences are a bit fuzzy. It is one thing to cling to the old ways or enjoy traditional things, but to completely ignore what is new seems an ill-advised way to live. This coronavirus scare may be a nightmare or it may fizzle, but it should remind us to take advantage of opportunities in front of us, even if it is not exactly how we like it. On the last day the library was be open for a while, I went there and checked out a few books, figuring that should fill any free time I might have quite nicely. But now I know if this drags on, I can always download something onto my Nook. My wife, a more voracious reader than I, on the other hand… Let’s just hope this thing doesn’t last too long. Karl Curtis is a City of Verona resident.

You are the news, so send us your stories As everything has changed in recent weeks locally and around the world, we’re all on the front lines together. We’re all trying to adjust and adapt our lives on the fly, and so has the news and how we cover it. What matters now, for however long this coronavirus crisis lasts, is how people, businesses and other organizations in Verona handle our new normal of mostly self-quarantine. And we need to

hear from you. How is homeschooling your kids going? Are you dealing with possibly losing your job or getting your hours cut? How are you managing the stresses of trying to keep yourself and those you care about safe? Have you discovered any silver linings? There are many ways to answer those questions. You can send us a letter to the editor, post on our Facebook

page, email us about an interesting story idea or photo opportunity or send us your own photos. We also take ideas on our website, connectverona.com, under “Submit an item.” While the world around us continues to change daily, the Hub will continue to be your connection. Email veronapress@wcinet. com or call us at 845-9559.

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March 26, 2020

5

The Verona Press

COVID-19 response

Residents will still be able to vote, register KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

The Town of Verona has closed its offices to the public for non-essential services until further notice. Town chair Mark Geller declared a state of emergency for the town March 17 to protect residents in response to Gov. Tony Evers’ and President Donald Trump’s prior public health declarations. Town Hall will still be open to the public for in-person absentee voting and registering to vote, but any other in-person services will

be halted, according to a news release on the town’s website. Some of those services include dog and building permits, which can still be submitted through a vestibule at the town hall, town administrator Sarah Gaskell told the Press. It’s all a part of trying to take the human interaction out of it to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “We’re made it so that we only have one person at the counter, the counter is sanitized afterwards, everyone gets their own pen at takes it with them,” she said. “Ideally, not much is being ignored or delayed, we’re just changing how we do it.” The closure is a direct impact of COVID19’s spread in Dane County, which has resulted in schools, businesses and

municipal services around the state being forced to operate in limited capacity or close altogether to prevent more cases. In-person absentee voting will be available to all residents through the week prior to the April 7 election, according to a March 10 email from clerk John Wright. For in-person absentee voting, Gaskell said that one person will be allowed to vote at a time, and any others will be distanced away from others in the community room while waiting. “So far that hasn’t been an issue, but we’ve had a steady stream of people coming in to vote,” she said. “That’s encouraging.” Town Hall will be open for staff, who will be working on internal business operations and will be available via phone.

Sheriff’s office suspends evictions, other civil actions The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is temporarily suspending several of its services due to the COVD-19 pandemic, including evictions and other actions based on court orders. According to a Thursday, March 19 news release, DSCO announced the availability of online forms from Public Health of Madison and Dane County for reporting violations to help enforce the recent county regulations against gatherings of 10 or more people, including restaurants

and taverns. The form is available at publichealthmdc.com. Sheriff Dave Mahoney said in the release he is working closely with his county law enforcement to decrease the number of people arrested who are brought to jail. The Dane County Courthouse announced earlier this week that it would limit hearings to being conducted over phone calls or video chat, and

postpone jury trials to slow the spread of COVID-19. New applicants are not being accepted into the county’s bail monitoring program as a result. “Whenever possible we are looking for alternatives to incarcerating people in jail, and issuing a citation or assigning a future court date to appear on the charge,” he said. Email Unified Newspaper Group reporter Scott De Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@ wcinet.com.

County Executive announces hiring freeze Parisi: Won’t apply On the Web to positions needed For information about the county’s to the coronavirus to battle coronavirus response pandemic, visit Noting the recent drastic changes in day-to-day life, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced last week the county is temporarily freezing hiring for most positions. In a Thursday, March 19, county news release, Parisi said the county’s budget will be “one of the casualties” of the crisis, with expected declines in sales tax and investment income – two key revenue sources for the county. To help mitigate those effects, he announced an immediate freeze on any position not critical to coronavirus response

countyofdane.com efforts. Those positions exempt from the hiring freeze include janitorial positions, sheriff’s deputies, 911 communicators, election staff, Badger Prairie Health Care Center staff, social workers and airport and solid waste employees, the release said. “Other positions will be subject to an appeal process to help prioritize the most critical county functions in the context of reduced resources,” the release said. Parisi said if the current

investment income trend con- Group reporter Scott De Larutinues for the balance of the elle at scott.delaruelle@wcinet. com. year, the county will lose around $1.4 million in revenue. Other county programs will suffer losses, he said, including parks and Heritage Center revenues, and concessions at the Henry Vilas Zoo. “At this point, we can only project that substantial financial declines are on the horizon,” Parisi said. “No one can yet foresee the duration of the mitigation strategies that are and will be implemented, so it is difficult to make predictions about the extent of the financial losses we face. “These are historic times,” he continued. “We face a challenge like none we have experienced in this modern era.” Email Unified Newspaper

UW Health consolidates clinics Nine Mound Road location remains open

EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group

UW Health is consolidating its primary care clinics to keep staff safe d u r i n g t h e C OV I D - 1 9 health crisis. This means the Verona clinic at 101 N. Nine Mound Road will serve customers who would normally visit the UW Health c l i n i c s i n B e l l ev i l l e , Mount Horeb and Cross Plains. Those three clinics are temporarily closing Thursday, March 26. The move is intended to accommodate patients

who have urgent medical needs that require in-person care, while at the same time supporting social distancing goals, the release states. The following primary care locations will remain open for in-person and essential visits: • 20 S. Park • Beaver Dam • DeForest Clinic • East Clinic • Odana Clinic • Portage Clinic • Verona Clinic • West Clinic • Wingra Clinic • Yahara Clinic Email Emilie Heidemann at emilie.heidemann@ wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @HeidemannEmilie.

Briana Hardyman and Adam Kidd, both of Sparta, Tennessee, announce their engagement and wedding. The couple were married March 21, 2020, in Cookeville, Tennessee. They had a private ceremony in the East Tennessee Mountains. Rev. Terry McCloud officiated the ceremony. The bride is from Darlington, Wisconsin and is a licensed professional counselor. She is employed as Clinical Director of Spring 2 Life Recovery in Woodbury TN. Her parents are Rick and Becky Hardyman. The groom is from Tullahoma, Tennessee, and is a licensed HVAC technician. He is employed as Director of Maintenance at Spring 2 Life Recovery in Woodbury TN. His parents are Ken and Sherri Stone.

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Town declares emergency, hall closed for non-essential services

WE KEEP YOU INFORMED

County board set for virtual meetings Staff evaluate need to continue meetings in wake of coronavirus

being open to the public.” call 266-5758. To contact the Additionally, the board’s entire board, email county_ office is closed until further board_recipients@countyofdane.com. notice. Email Unified Newspaper To contact a supervisor, Group reporter Scott De visit the board website at Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@ board.countyofdane.com. For now, the Dane Coun- To speak with board staff, wcinet.com. ty Board of Supervisors and committees will meet online, rather than in person to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. The board met Thursday, March 19, where it passed resolutions to allow committees to conduct necessary business remotely in the coming weeks as Dane County prepares to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. According to the board’s website, it will be evaluating the need for committee and board meetings. “These are unusual times,” said board chair Analiese Eicher in a Wednesday, March 18, news release. “We’re doing our best to keep the county 608-845-3006 moving forward, while still adno=143988

As we struggle to grasp the recent events, I would like to take a moment to reflect. Rekindle Family, Check on Neighbors, Cherish Friendships, Renew Friendships. We offer our help to anyone in need! Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Strong!

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March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

ConnectVerona.com

Restaurants in Verona still open for carryout or delivery Please email ungbusiness@wncinet. com if you’d like to be added to this list.

5th Quarter Sports Bar and Grill Available: Carryout and curbside delivery starting March 23 Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Icki Sticki

Sugar River Pizza

Available: Curbside or carryout Available: Delivery, curbside, (full menu of coffee, sandwiches, pickup inside for carryout avocado toast), pickup inside (ice Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. cream) Tuvalu Coffeehouse and GalHours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Jordandal Cookhouse

Available: Carryout Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Brew’s Taphouse

Paoli Schoolhouse American

Available: Drive-through or curb- Bistro Available: Limited menu carryout side via a mobile ordering app and delivery starting 3/25 Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hours: TBD

El Charro

Pizza Ranch

Available: Delivery within 10 Available: Contactless delivery and miles, curbside, pickup inside for regular delivery, curbside, pickup inside for carryout (lots of specials carryout for carryout orders) Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Fisher King Winery

Sow’s Ear

Available: Curbside pickup Available: Pickup orders Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. MonHours: 4-6 p.m. Thursday and day-Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Saturday

Friday, Mar. 27 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 Senior Center

4:30 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 6 p.m. Common Council from 030920 9  p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center Sunday, Mar. 29 7  a.m. Hindu Cultural Hour 9 a.m. Resurrection Church 10  a.m. Salem Church Service 12 p.m. Common Council from 030920 3  p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 4:30 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 6 p.m. Common Council from 030920 9  p.m. Vintage Verona Sports 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society 11 p.m. Personal Safety at Senior Center

Monday, Mar. 30 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 Saturday, Mar. 28 Center 8 a.m. Common Council 5  p.m. 2018 Wildcats from 030920 Football 11 a.m. Vintage Verona 7 p.m. Common Council Sports Live 1  p.m. 2018 Wildcats 9  p.m. Hindu Cultural Football Hour

NEAL PATTEN

Available: Carryout with limited menu – beverages and breakfast items Hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Churches in Verona are responding to COVID-19 with suspension of religious gatherings and services. Initially, on Saturday, March 14, Public Health Madison and Dane County announced restrictions for services in places of wo r s h i p a n d r e l i g i o u s gathering centers where over 250 people assemble. That initial ruling was u n l i ke l y t o a ff e c t a ny churches in Verona. H ow eve r, w i t h D a n e County’s order Sunday, March 15, limiting all gatherings to 50 people or less, and Gov. Tony Evers’ executive order the following day taking that statewide, most Verona churches were forced to postpone services. All masses at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 301 N. Main St., are canc e l e d t h r o u g h F r i d a y, April 3. All in-person activities and gatherings have been suspended at Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church, 427 S. Main St., until further notice. Online recordings or internet streaming of services is being considered. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 7291 County Hwy. PD, has closed

Closed Avantis Italian Restaurant Boulder Brewpub Gus’ Diner Hop Garden Hop Haus Brewing Company It’s Time Tavern Klassik Tavern Little Caesars Monk’s Bar & Grill N+1 Coffee and Beer Ole Duffer’s Pub Paoli Pub and Grill Pasqual’s Cantina Riley Tavern The Draft House Toot + Kate’s winebar

No answer Chiang Jiang Dragon City

What’s on VHAT-98 Thursday, Mar. 26 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. MIA at Senior Center 8 p.m. Daily Exercise 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Historical Society

Some will offer worship via streaming Unified Newspaper Group

Available: Carryout, curbside, online ordering for delivery, can fill Wisconsin Brewing Company growlers and serving full menu Available: Carryout and delivery Available: Taproom is closed, but H o u r s : 1 1   a . m . - 9   p . m . S u n - gift shop is open for packaged beer, Hours: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and day-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fri- including growlers 4-7 p.m. day-Saturday Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday Arby’s North and South Seafood and through Friday

Culver’s

Most Verona churches postponing services

lery

AJ’s Pizza and Diner

Available: Carryout, drive-through, Smokehouse Available: Eat Street for delivery, delivery via DoorDash and EatStreet curbside, pickup inside for carryout Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

COVID-19 response

10 p.m. Ron, Rosie & Sports Rodger at Senior Center 5 p.m. Common Council 11 p.m. Personal Safety from 030920 at Senior Center 7 p.m. Capital City Band 8  p.m. Vintage Verona Sports Tuesday, Mar. 31 10 p.m. Ron, Rosie & 7  a.m. Ron, Rosie & Rodger at Senior Center Rodger at Senior Center 11 p.m. Personal Safety 10 a.m. Zumba Gold at Senior Center 9 a.m. Daily Exercise 10 a.m. Personal Safety Thursday, Apr. 2 at Senior Center 2 p.m. Zumba Gold 7  a.m. Ron, Rosie & 3 p.m. Daily Exercise Rodger at Senior Center 4 p.m. Happy Hour Trio at 8 a.m. Zumba Gold Senior Center 9 a.m. Daily Exercise 5 p.m. Japan at Senior 10 a.m. Personal Safety Center at Senior Center 6 p.m. Resurrection 2 p.m. Zumba Gold Church 3 p.m. Daily Exercise 8  p.m. MIA at Senior 4 p.m. Happy Hour Trio at Center Senior Center 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at 5 p.m. Japan at Senior Senior Center Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at 6  p.m. Salem Church Historical Society Service 7  p.m. MIA at Senior Center Wednesday, Apr. 1 8 p.m. Daily Exercise 7 a.m. Happy Hour Trio at 9 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 1 p.m. Greg Anderson at Senior Center 10 p.m. Quiveys Grove at Senior Center Historical Society 3  p.m. Vintage Verona

Support groups • AA Meeting, senior center, Thursdays at 1 p.m. • Caregivers Support Group, senior center, first and third Tuesday, 10 a.m. • Healthy Lifestyles Group meeting, senior center, second Thursday from 10:30 a.m. • Parkinson’s Group, senior center, third Friday at 10 a.m.

to visits, including Little Blessings Preschool. Worship services will be streamed on YouTube. For now, there will be no Sunday gatherings at Memorial Baptist Church, 201 S. Main St., but services will be streamed on YouTube. Sunday School and Wednesday night worship services have been postponed at Redeemer B i b l e F e l l ow s h i p , 1 3 0 N. Franklin St., through April 6. At this time, the church still plans to hold its Sunday worship services. All meals, Easter for Kids and canvassing for Easter have been canceled at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6705 Wesner Road. As of Tuesday, a decision had not yet been made on canceling worship services. Public worship, classes, meetings and all other programming are canceled indefinitely at Salem United Church of Christ, 502 Mark Drive. All gatherings, including Sunday worship services, are canceled a t S u ga r R ive r U n i t e d Methodist Church 415 W. Verona Ave., until at least March 27. Sunday services can still be watched live on the church’s Facebook page. We s t M a d i s o n B i b l e Church, 2920 Cty Hwy M, has canceled services for the time being. Neal Patten, community reporter, can be contacted at neal.patten@wcinet. com.

Meditation As a spiritual discipline, meditation can take many forms. Sitting, lying or kneeling quietly and emptying the mind is perhaps one of the simplest forms of meditation, and can be done almost anytime or anywhere, even during the interstitial spaces of a hectic day. Another form of meditation is to ponder a piece of scripture,for instance, repeating a short verse,such as “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Meditation can be done with eyes open or closed, and one can meditate while outdoors by simply contemplating nature. Taking in the glory of creation and reflecting on God’s handiwork is a form of meditation that can be practiced while looking at the trees and listening to the birds, or even while watching insects. For most forms of meditation, it helps to have a quiet place to meditate, away from the distractions of daily life, especially the phone and the computer screen, and a relaxed but upright posture is usually best. You want to be relaxed, but not in a position where you are likely to fall asleep. A final form of meditation is to meditate on some current event, and to contemplate a spiritual response to that event. As a way to foster spiritual growth, meditation is a discipline that should be done regularly, and with the aim of becoming a better person. The lessons that one learns during meditation should have a positive impact on your relationships with others and should be part of a wider effort to improve the world. –Christopher Simon

210 S. Main St., Verona • 845-6478 adno=132740

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ConnectVerona.com

March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

7

COVID-19 response

Gyms find ways Thrift stores closing until further notice to keep people fit during closures NEAL PATTEN

Unified Newspaper Group

NEAL PATTEN Unified Newspaper Group

Both gyms in Verona have closed their doors as a result of COVID-19, but are still trying to find ways to keep people fit from afar. Burn Fitness 24/7 and Anytime Fitness have each devised solutions to continue offering fitness opportunities, including fitness videos and virtual coaching. Gov. Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order on Tuesday, March 24, required all gyms in the state to close. “When it came to the point we knew we had to close our doors, the first thing our owners said was ‘What are we going to do as a team to help members?’” said Kyle Brodd, one of the directors of operations at Anytime Fitness. “That was our mindset as this has progressed over the past week.” Burn Fitness owner Jenny Blake tried to keep its doors open as long as it could, but ultimately announced on Monday, March 23, that it would close following the Safer at Home order from Gov. Tony Evers. “It is with the most h e av i e s t o f h e a r t , a n d humbling of moments that I have to tell you all that the doors to Burn Fitness will be closed until this virus is over due to the Safer At Home mandate being issued by Governor Tony Evers,” Blake wrote on Facebook on March 23. “It pains me as I know the relief that is offered by having a space to go to just to step away from the struggles of life.” Previously, Blake had cancelled all of the gym’s classes, but still allowed for members to come to the gym as long as there h a d n ’t b e e n m o r e t h a n 10 working out at a time,

offered day passes to non-members, and she had reduced the hours f r o m 6 : 3 0  a . m . u n t i l 2 p.m. Brodd said he has turned to Facebook as a way to continue interacting with gym members. Staff members are recordi n g f o u r v i d e o s a d a y, accessible not only to the gym’s members, but to anyone who visits Anytime’s Facebook pages. Brodd said the videos focus on different areas of wellness: One teaches strength, one provides a cardio workout, one focuses on stretching and o n e o ff e r s e d u c a t i o n a l insight into technology such as the Anytime Fitness coaching and workout apps. Anytime already offered virtual coaching including nutrition guidance and i n d iv i d u a l i z e d c u s t o m workouts, and that will be continuing. One change will be progress check-ins with members. Normally held in-person, coaches and trainers are going to start reaching out to members this week, using the video conferencing platform Zoom, to do the coaching meetings and progress check-ins virtually. Despite the gyms being closed, Brodd said if someone is looking for fi t n e s s s u p p o r t a t t h i s time, they could reach out and get enrolled with virtual coaching. “One tough thing is t h e r e ’s n o t i m e l i n e o f when this will get better,” Brodd said. “You’ve just got to do the best you can, take care of the customers in these times, take care of your team and members and good things will happen in the long run.” Neal Patten can be contacted at neal.patten@ wcinet.com.

The Verona Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes the Business of the Month!

210 South Main Street, Verona (608) 845-6478 Open daily 6:30am - 9:00pm millerandsonssupermarket.com

Two regional thrift store chains have made adjustments in response to COVID-19. St. Vincent de Paul Store has closed all of its seven locations until further notice, including one on West Verona Avenue.

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, the stores closed indefinitely. Home pick-ups of donations are on hold, as are donations directly to stores. People can still make donations at the drop boxes around Dane County. Initially, Goodwill Industries had just planned to scale its hours back to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, the nonprofit changed course and closed all stores

Dinners: Rules on social gatherings put out on March 17 created obstacles for Draft House, American Legion Continued from page 1 hovering just below 50 patrons when Evers made his announcement. At the other, American Legion Post 385, the ruling on social gatherings stymied the dinner before it even began. Tonya Patten, co-owner of The Draft House, still said “it was a great day,” and after she announced on Facebook that the bar and restaurant would be closing indefinitely after that evening there was an “outpouring of response of people coming and having a drink or sharing kind words, supporting each other.” Patten had been serving corned beef and cabbage all day. She was sold out by 6 p.m., which she said was sooner than expected. At 2 p.m. she had still had 60 pounds of corned beef left. Despite being able to still offer carryout under the increased social distancing restrictions related to the coronavirus, Patten decided to shut down The Draft House indefinitely after last call Tuesday, March 17. The disease the virus causes, COVID-19, was declared a pandemic March 11 by the World Health Organization “We decided not to serve carryout past Tuesday, for the simple fact that we wanted to do the right thing to help people get healthy,” Patten said. “We’re taking this time to do deep cleaning. We’ll be stronger and healthier and give back to the community when we reopen. People have been going out of their way sending us messages of support. The generosity has been amazing.” No Draft House staff are currently working, a reality that Patten said she hopes ends soon. “It was the longest shortest week ever, and the ups and downs were emotionally draining,” Patten said. “Who knows what’s to come? The unknowns are the scary part.” At the American Legion Post 385

Photo by Neal Patten

The American Legion’s corned beef and cabbage dinner on Tuesday, March 17 served approximately 130 carry out meals. on Legion Street, despite fears of the virus, 155 corned beef and cabbage meals were served between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., down only slightly from the average 170 meals. “We were already into the swing of things when we heard Evers’ announcement around 4 p.m. We had some concerns, we really encouraged people to do carryout,” said Stan Hook, Post 385 commander. Hook said only 35 of the 155 meals were eat-in, 10 of which were workers. Hook said the remaining 25 eatins were spread out over the three hours. “I’m really glad people did carryout; we really were pushing it,” he said. “We were down a bit for total meals served, but not by much.” As of March 23, the Legion had canceled all immediate plans going forward. That includes a membership meeting April 1 and a beef tip dinner April 8, which usually serves 140 people. “I’m hoping this will blow over in

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a couple weeks and get back to normal. We depend on meals for revenue income, so canceling the beef tip dinner is going to be a revenue loss for us,” Hook said. Hook hopes that restrictions will be relaxed in time for the Legion to hold its annual ham dinner in May. “We can survive for a fair amount of time, but we may just have to cut back on what we do for the community,” he said. Hook cited Badger Boys State and community baseball as two benefactors of the Legion’s revenues that might not receive funds this year as a result of the canceled meals. However, he wanted to remind Verona whom the American Legion foremost exists to serve. “If there are any veterans that need assistance at this time, that’s what we’re here for and we’ll do what we can to help them.” Neal Patten can be contacted at neal. patten@wcinet.com.

Start planning today. Visit sbcp.bank/trust or call (608) 826-3570 to speak with a financial planner.

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indefinitely. Donations are still being accepted daily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the stores. Goodwill operates a store just outside of the Town of Verona, in Fitchburg, and the organization is planning on moving into a Verona building at 114 S. Main St. Neal Patten can be contacted at neal. patten@wcinet.com.

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

The

Verona Press For more sports coverage, visit: ConnectVerona.com

Sports

Adam Feiner, sports editor

845-9559 x226 • ungsportseditor@wcinet.com

Mark Nesbitt, assistant sports editor 845-9559 x237 • sportsreporter@wcinet.com Fax: 845-9550

Prep sports

No spring sports on horizon MARK NESBITT Assistant sports editor

Two more Verona baseball games and a boys and girls track meet was canceled last week as Gov. Tony Evers announced that public and private schools across the state would be closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ve r o n a b a s e b a l l ’ s n o n conference home games against Oregon (April 20) and Waunakee (April 24) were scrapped, as well as Verona track and field’s dual home dual meet against Madison East on April 28. With the indefinite closure date, the earliest Big Eight schools would return to practice is April 6. At the earliest, conference competitions would begin

April 20th, although school-byschool decisions for non-conference competition may vary. The closure date will likely be extended further after Evers’ order to cancel school indefinitely, limit crowds to 10 or less and declare all nonessential businesses to close down Tuesday, March 24. Verona baseball has now had eight games canceled and had its

pitchers instruction week wiped out. Theirs and the Verona girls soccer team’s first official practices were originally scheduled for Monday, March 23. The only spring sports that had one week of practice before schools closed were boys and girls track and field. The other sports will need to meet a minimum number of practices before they can play games. For

Boys hockey

example, baseball teams must have seven practices before a game. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control voted Thursday, March 19 to cancel the April 22 annual meeting and to delay a decision about whether a shortened spring sports season will be played or canceled.

Girls basketball

Briggs to play in WBCA All-Star Game MARK NESBITT Assistant sports editor

Photos by Mark Nesbitt

Verona senior Cale Rufenacht (left) skates past Notre Dame de la Baie’s Callan Budinger in the Division 1 state championship. Rufenacht scored nine postseason goals and had a team-high 60 points on his way to first-team all-state honors.

Six Wildcats earn all-state honors MARK NESBITT Assistant sports editor

The postseason honors for the state champion Verona boys hockey team keep rolling in. The Wildcats had six players named to the Division 1 Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association All-State team. Senior forward Cale Rufenacht, junior defenseman Nathan Jurrens and junior goaltender Kaden Grant headlined the group with first-team honors. Rufenacht led the team with 60 points (29 goals, 31 assists). He scored nine postseason goals, including a game-tying tally in the Division 1 state championship against Notre Dame de la Baie. Rufenacht and Sun Prairie senior forward Kaden Brunson were named co-Big Eight Conference Players of the Year. Jurrens racked up 36 points (13 goals, 18 assists) and anchored a defense that recorded 11 shutouts in 29 games. Grant allowed just 1.33 goals per game and posted 10 shutouts. He stopped 60 of 61 shots in the two state tournament games, finishing the season with a .942 save percentage and 589 saves. Juniors Walker Haessig (forward), Leo Renlund (forward) and Josh

Verona junior Kaden Grant was also named first-team all-state after he finished the season 24-4 with 10 shutouts. Osting (defenseman) were honorable mention selections. Haessig racked up 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) on the season and scored the game-winning goal in the Wildcats’ 1-0 double-overtime victory over Chippewa Falls in the state semifinals. Renlund had 42 points (12 goals, 30 assists) and scored the game-winning goal in the state title game.

Osting tallied 30 points (six goals, 24 assists) on Verona’s first line. The Wildcats (25-4) won their fourth consecutive Big Eight Conference championship by going 14-0. Joel Marshall was named the conference’s coach of the year. Verona also received the Division 1 Section 2 Academic All-State award.

Ve r o n a s e n i o r R a y na Briggs was selected to play in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game o n F r i d a y, J u n e 1 9 , a t JustAgame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells. Briggs will play in the WBCA All-Star game as a member of the Division 1 South team. She will be teammates with Madison Memorial senior and Penn State recruit Leilani Kapinus and Middleton senior and Loyola University recruit Sitori Tanin, who were both named to the D1 WBCA All-State team. “ I ’ m ex c i t e d t o p l a y with them,” Briggs said. “They are both Division I, so I feel like we will be really strong.” Each athlete participating must raise money through donations for Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer Fund. “It’s probably one of the biggest honors I have had,” Briggs said. “It’s really just an honor to be asked to play. I was excited because I get to play with some of the best basketball players in the state.” The MACC Fund was launched by former Milwaukee Bucks player Jon McGlocklin in 1976. McGlocklin started the fund in honor of longtime Bucks broadcaster Eddie Doucette, whose son was diagnosed with childhood cancer at the age of 2. To date, the WBCA has raised $2.8 million for the MACC Fund. Briggs, a first-team all-conference honoree,

Photo by Mark Nesbitt

Verona senior Rayna Briggs was one of three Big Eight Conference players selected to the WBCA All-Star Game. She will be teammates with Madison Memorial’s Leilani Kapinus and Middleton’s Sitori Tanin.

averaged a team-high 12.9 points per game a n d w a s t h e Wi l d c a t s ’ top rebounder this season. She led Verona to an 11-12 record and a fifthplace finish (9-9) in the Big Eight. Briggs plans to attend Edgewood College next fall. She hasn’t decided if she will play basketball, but plans to major in elementary education.

ConnectVerona.com

March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

9

Obituaries

Spring election

Kermit Wesley Franzen

Verona Area Board of Education City of Verona candidates

Kermit Wesley Franzen, age 84, passed away Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in his sleep. He was born Feb. 24, 1936, in Huron, South Dakota, the son of Ruben and Ann Franzen. Kermit married Marlyn Ahn Windedahl on June 20, 1960. Kermit graduated from Carthage South Dakota High School and completed a degree in engineering at South Dakota State University in 1958. In 1960, they moved to Wisconsin and Kermit began work as a civil engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. He worked for the DOT for 34 years, retiring at age 58 in 1994. Kermit and Marlyn made their home in Madison until they moved to a home in the country outside Verona in 1975. For many years he was a member of the Verona Optimists. Kerm was an avid bowler early in life. Later, he enjoyed painting and completing jigsaw puzzles. Throughout his life he loved to fish and to play bridge. After his kids, Kerm’s gardens were his pride and joy. In addition to fruits, flowers and vegetables he loved transforming the hills and ravines on his property into various Wisconsin native ecosystems for wild flowers and native grasses. Kerm loved to travel and spend time with family and friends by Marlyn’s side. They traveled the world, were snowbirds in Tucson, Arizona and loved watching their grandchildren grow and

The Verona Press sent candidate questionnaires to both candidate Kristina Navarro-Haffner for the City of Verona seat for the Verona Area Board of Education.

Kermit Wesley Franzen

blossom. Kermit is survived by his son, Mark (Janice) Franzen of New Berlin, Wis.; daughter, Karyn (Carmine Morra) of Los Angeles, California; grandchildren, Bryan and Sarah; and sister, Alice Bofenkamp of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marlyn in 2010. The family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful staff at Oakwood Village, Skilled Nursing and Memory Care, and Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg for their loving care and support of Kermit. A Memorial service will be held at St. James Lutheran Church at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Kermit Franzen Scholarship Fund at the SDSU College of Engineering, or to Agrace HospiceCare, Fitchburg. Please visit gundersonfh. com for service updates and we encourage you to share your online condolences with Kermit’s family. Gunderson Fitchburg Funeral and Cremation Care 2950 Chapel Valley Rd. 442-5002

Herbert A. Bircher Herbert A. Bircher, age 85 of Mt. Vernon passed away on Monday, March 16, 2020 at his home. He was born on November 7, 1934 to his parents Fred and Rosa (Feller) Bircher. After leaving school Herb served in the United States Army in the 1950’s. Following his discharge from the Army Herb worked as a carpenter for many years. Herb was known as a hard worker who was always willing to help out anyone in need. On October 3, 1964 Herb was united in marriage to Arline Scholz and the couple celebrated 55 years together. Herb was known as the Mayor of Mt. Vernon, he kept tabs on the goings on and assisted with the Chicken BBQ and Tug of War Days. Herb is survived by his sons Brad and John Bircher, nephew Ron (Shirley) Bircher, and nieces Beverly (John) Campbell and Sandra Bircher. He is further survived by a sister and brother-in-law Gladys (Charles) Hustad, nieces Debra Hustad and

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Cindy (Tom) Carlson, relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Arline, brother John and sister Marion. Private family services will be held at the Zentner-Beal F u n e r a l H o m e i n N ew Glarus. A public celebration of Herb’s life will be held at a later date. The family would like to thank the staffs of Agrace HospicCare, Inc., the VA West Clinic and BrightStar for the kind and compassionate care given to Herb. Online condolences may be given at www.bealfuneralhomes.com

Navarro-Haffner is running for of one question up to 100 words. her second term after being first They were also allowed to skip elected in 2017. All candidates two questions. were asked to limit their answers to 50 words, with an exception

Kristina Navarro-Haffner Age:48 Fa m i l y : M a r r i e d f o r 25 years to Matt Haffner; parent of 3 children — a college freshman (VAHS Class of 2019), a junior at VAHS and a 6th-grader at BRMS; children have all attended/ are currently attending VASD schools Originally from: Grew up in Wheaton, Illinois Lived in Verona since: Fall 2007 Education BSJ from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois Occupation: Self-employed – professional communicator with work experience in copy writi n g / e d i t i n g , m a r ke t i n g communications, public affairs, internal communications, media relations, crisis communications Political experience: Currently finishing up my first term on VASD Board of Education (elected in 2017) Notable affiliations: Many volunteer roles in VASD — past site council member (at both New Century School & Glacier Edge Elementary), active in PTOs, member of VASD Key Communicators Group, classroom volunteer, etc. Other prev i o u s vo l u n t e e r ex p e rience includes: coach for Girls on the Run of South-Central Wisconsin; volunteer for Verona Little League, volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Dane County; catechist & lector at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, WI

Essay Questions Why are you running for school board? I am running again because I believe strongly in the importance of

public service and wish to use my skills to make a positive difference in the communiKristina ty. Serving Navarro-Haffner as a board member has a learning curve — it necessitates learning a b o u t s c h o o l fi n a n c e , enrollment, curriculum issues, personnel, safety, discipline, technology, transportation, measures of achievement, services for students with special needs. I bring this knowledge and my passion to serve, along with my skills as a professional communicator, to my work on the board. W h a t a re t h e m o s t important issues facing the district over the next three years? • P l a n n i n g f o r e n r o l l ment growth and ensuring VASD has the resources (both human and physical) to serve an increasing population of students. • C h o o s i n g o u r n e x t superintendent — selecting a leader who will be tasked with managing a growing district and working tirelessly to provide a top-notch education to a diverse student population. • Wo r k i n g t o p r o m o t e equitable outcomes for students. What can the district do to close “achievement gaps” between students of color and their white peers? To close the achievem e n t g a p , VA S D c a n work diligently to establish authentic relationships with students and families of all

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c o l l a b o r a t i o n . H av i n g buses run between buildings for access to extrac u r r i c u l a r a c t iv i t i e s i s already a reality. I believe other opportunities for joint efforts among middle-school staff and students from both buildings abound. Has the district done a good job of implementing initiatives like personalized learning, the Nurtured Heart Approach and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports? Initiatives such as PBIS, Nurtured Heart and Personalized Learning have had substantial success in learning environments. None can be considered a magic key to educational success – I consider them to be part of the approach that educators are using to cultivate positive, engagi n g , s a f e a n d r e l eva n t learning environments for students. Has the district done e n o u g h t o e n s u re i t s schools are safe? Ensuring school safety in the current era is an ongoing effort. I believe VA S D h a s m a d e s o l i d strides in this area. School safety will remain on the minds of everyone for the foreseeable future. Truly, our efforts to establish authentic relationships with students will go a long way to promoting safety.

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backgrounds, then leverage these connections to help promote student achievement. We must set high expectations for student growth and prioritize allocation of resources to efforts that most directly impact students’ progress. We must continue to work toward increasing divers i t y i n o u r wo r k f o r c e , as students from diverse backgrounds benefit from having teachers and role models who reflect their diversity. We must continue to become more aware of equity issues and seek to remove barriers to accessing opportunity. Do the new attendance boundaries provide enough diversity in VASD schools? T h e n ew b o u n d a r i e s r e f l e c t a s t r o n g e ff o r t to provide diversity in e n r o l l m e n t , y e t VA S D will continue to grapple with this issue for years. With the growth anticipated for the foreseeable future, new development may continue to create scenarios where newer neighborhoods increase the need for classroom space without adding diversity. How important is it to ensure students at the two middle schools – w i t h ve r y d i f f e re n t facilities – have the same access to programs? While our two middle schools will be housed i n f a c i l i t i e s w i t h va ried resources, I see lots of opportunity for

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New orders only. Minimum purchase required. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Does not include material costs. Offer valid through estimate appointment dates of 3/31/19.2 Financing available with minimum purchase and approved credit. Mad City Windows & Baths, Inc., is neither a broker nor a lender. Financing is provided by third-party lenders unaffiliated with Mad City Windows & Baths, Inc. under terms and conditions arranged directly between the customer and such lender, all subject to credit requirements and satisfactory completion of finance documents. Any finance terms advertised are estimate only. Ask for details. New orders only. Not valid with any other offer, or previous job. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within the/by the end of the 18 month period or if you make a late payment. 3 New orders only. Minimum purchase required. Cannot be combined with other offers. 1

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March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

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Learning: Equity, availability of materials factors in how lesson plans are created Continued from page 1 relating to schools, on March 17, amended the original timeline of April 6 or later, requiring all public and private schools to be closed until further notice. The district began discussing the potential need for online lessons at the beginning of March, and district assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos told the Press Thursday, March 19, the planning for it has been intense. That has included researching how other districts have handled it, discussing how to communicate with families, how to ensure access to Internet and technology and what platforms teachers should use. Burgos said the need to be equitable to all students drove the building of a lesson plan structure to incorporate students who are English language learners, those who have Individualized Education Programs or are on 504 plans that remove barriers to education for students with disabilities. “Those conversations were at the forefront when we were thinking about how are we going to get something like this up and running,” she said. Having each student in the district already assigned an iPad helped ease the rollout of the virtual learning, Burgos said, noting that the devices all have filters on them that limit what is accessible. At the elementary school level, students do much of their learning on the family friendly educational app Seesaw, while middle and high schoolers primarily use a learning management system called Canvas. Justin Rippl, a fourth grade teacher at Sugar Creek, said the teacher team of himself, Martin and Chris Westberg are trying to make the experience of virtual education seem both normal and exciting at the same time to students. “It’s creating those videos that are engaging for the kids to watch, but also having assignments created so they don’t feel like they’re just doing busy work, but they actually get to experience some new things,” Rippl said. Westberg said he transitioned his in-person lesson plans into virtual learning by teaching five minute lessons on specific topics. “We’re trying to adapt things like articles or books, so we’re reading them

aloud and taking videos of us,” he said. Burgos said the district’s staff – not just teachers, but learning aides and food service staff, too – took to the concept of virtual learning well and have done the best they could to keep students learning. “This is one of those instances where a crisis arises, and everybody immediately rolled up their sleeves and rose to the challenge,” she said. “There are some beautiful things amidst the sadness and the mess.”

Going live

The planning for the virtual rollout was all hypothetical until it wasn’t, Stoner Prairie Elementary principal Tammy Thompson-Kapp said. That started with creating a week of lesson plans at a glance. So far, leading into the first two days before spring break, staff has risen to the occasion, she said. “I’ve been monitoring it all morning, and it’s amazing to see all of the teachers push their lessons out,” she said March 19. Brunner said the transition to virtual learning presents a significant learning curve for staff, and for the first two days last week, he was just encouraging his staff to get students to mentally engage with school again rather than expect perfection. “We’re being incredibly gracious with the understanding of staff members who just aren’t quite there yet,” he said. “We don’t want people stressing themselves out, overwhelming themselves.” Burgos said the first two days were a learning experience for the teachers and staff involved with creating the lesson plans. “I know it’s not perfect, and we know there’s a lot of things we need to work out, but I’m really proud of the fact that all of us were able to pull together and be able to offer our students some learning opportunities,” she said. “We’ll get better at it.” Savanna Oaks information technology teacher Greg Puent said he’s fortunate that most of the curriculum he’s now giving to students virtually was already being done through online platforms to begin with. “It’s fun – the kids have been good, they’re asking good questions,” he said. “I can absolutely tell that they’re frustrated, but they’re sometimes frustrated

in class, so it’s a different way of learning and it’s just going to take a little bit of time for everyone to get used to.” Sugar Creek Elementary music teacher Melissa Bremmer will be teaching Sugar Creek students piano via an iPad app, which is part of her normal curriculum, having students play instruments with Garageband or sing songs to them through recordings. “It’s neat to explore different ways they can engage with music at home, even if they don’t have all the instruments,” she said.

Equitable lesson plans

Puent said the district set teachers up well to jump into virtual learning by ensuring access to technology is as equal as possible for the students. That has included providing hotspots to families who lack Internet access at home. Ensuring equity – one of the five pillars of the district’s strategic plan – goes beyond making sure every student can access the assignments. Brunner said he reminded staff they can’t assume all students have the ability to go outside for physical education or any supplies beyond the iPad, unlike in traditional classrooms. That equity mindset has evolved into giving students options for their education based on what they have access to at home. Glacier Edge Elementary art teacher Lois Feiner said her lesson plans include drawing challenges, where students don’t need more than a piece of paper and a pencil to get to work. The challenges also vary in difficulty, she said, from anything a kindergartener could draw to more intricate drawings for older students such as monster trucks of their own design or three-dimensional structures. Students are also allowed to use art applications that come preloaded on their iPads. “The biggest change has been the range of supplies that kids may or may not have at home, and then how to find step-by-step directions online to show kids what I mean when I might be talking about crayon resist or drawing three-dimensional,” she said. Providing additional support for students the way it’s done in the classroom is a work in progress for her staff, Thompson-Kapp said. “We know that, for some kids, they’re going to have a grown-up at

home who’s able to help them with their work, and then other families who have to work,” she said. “We know that there’s going to need to be some component that addresses the barriers that might exist for some kids more than others.”

Re-creating the classroom

Martin said that while virtual education keeps students engaged, it doesn’t replace the interactions teachers have with them on a daily basis. “My job is working with kids and people, and you’re just sort of shocked that we are where we are when you didn’t think it would get to that level,” she said. Feiner said watching students create is what gives her a sense of purpose in her job, and she found the idea of not interacting with students in the days that followed the shutdown difficult. Being able to interact with them virtually has allowed her to gain some of that purpose back. “We need students, we need that human interaction as human beings, but definitely as teachers,” she said. “As an elementary art teacher, the act of creating art is so rewarding, and so fulfilling to see students who may struggle in other areas find success in art is beyond what I could put into words.” Creating a sense of normalcy for staff and students is something Thompson-Kapp said she wants to provide for both her staff and students at Stoner Prairie. That normalcy showed up on the first day of virtual school as a friendly face and a familiar routine. Thompson-Kapp said she recorded a video of herself that introduced the concept of virtual learning, as well as a guided affirmation similar to what the students do during breakfast time on Mondays. “We’re trying to get our faces out so that kids can see us and hear us,” she said. “I think it’s super reassuring to them … as grown-ups, what we need to do is provide as much regular structure as possible for our kids.” Though Bremmer is disappointed she won’t be teaching in-person for the foreseeable future, there are some benefits. “It gives us an opportunity to rethink things in new ways, and rethink possibilities, and I think that’s exciting from a learning aspect,” she said.

Virtual learning goes from planning to reality KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

As news of the global coronavirus outbreak made the threat more imminent this winter, Verona Area School District officials began considering the possibility of a temporary closure of schools or a high number of absences. On March 6, assistant superintendent for academic services Laurie Burgos pulled together a team of district education coordinators and other staff to prepare for implications, she told the Press, including virtual learning. But at the time, the group didn’t know what it was planning for

or how long it might last. One week later, those plans went from being precautionary to reality, as Gov. Tony Evers put out a mandate March 13 that all schools close by the following Wednesday. At that point, the number of coronavirus cases in the state had risen to 19. By March 23, that number was past 400. The district initially planned for school to be in session Monday and Tuesday, March 16-17, but on March 15, Dane County ordered all schools to close effective the next day. Burgos said having such an abrupt ending was emotional for both staff and students.

“I felt very sad knowing our students and teachers wouldn’t get to say goodbye to each other,” she said. “They have such great relationships, and we all thought we had two more days.” Burgos said district staff started to build virtual learning by starting with the state’s Department of Public Instruction website, as well as other districts that had done virtual learning days for students. As they were doing the research, Burgos said the district’s team was looking at what might be needed if teachers had to provide virtual learning for a few days, but mindsets continued to shift

as the possibility of longer and longer school shutdowns grew. The team also had to consider communication with families and access to technology and the Internet. “There was an immediate outreach campaign to get as many families connected as we possibly could,” she said. Another consideration for the district’s most vulnerable families was breakfast and lunch – which are being provided on a grab-and-go basis even during the week of spring break – and even mental health support, which Burgos said will be looked into in the coming weeks.

“It wasn’t something we thought twice about,” she said. “We just knew that we were really committed to being able to provide as much support as we possibly could.” Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@ wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.​

Unified Newspaper Group

Verona Area School District is adding two more meal pick-up locations for students starting Monday, March 23. Those two new locations are the New Fountains Apartments tennis court area off of Williamsburg Way in Fitchburg and Hometown Junction Park off of Main Street in Verona. Both of those locations

will be serving free grab-and-go lunch and breakfast meals from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday for students ages 18 and younger. Students can have parents pick up meals for them, and no school ID numbers are required. The three original locations, at Harriet Park in Verona, and Stone Crest and Nakoma Heights apartment complex community rooms in Fitchburg, will continue to serve meals from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

The district is providing meals for students through the duration of spring break as a response to a state mandate that has closed schools indefinitely as a means of reducing the spread of the COVID-19 illness. Meal handouts started this week as the district pivoted to virtual learning for students. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.​

Interviews for firms rescheduled for late April, early May KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group

The school board’s decision on selecting a superintendent search firm has been postponed from its original date because of COVID-19 concerns. But having built a timeline with wiggle room for finding current superintendent Dean Gorrell’s successor will allow them to stay on track, board member Meredith Stier Christensen wrote to the Press in an email. “I don’t anticipate that this temporary postponement of search firm interviews will set us behind in the least,” she wrote. “Flexibility within the entire process will be necessary as we move forward.” The board was scheduled to do in-person interviews with superintendent search firms in closed session at its Monday, March 16, meeting, but instead will be postponing them until late April or early May depending on what the situation is like with COVID-19, Stier Christensen wrote. None of the board members attended the meeting in person on March 16, opting to call in. Gorrell announced his upcoming retirement in early January. He will leave the district on June 30, 2021, done intentionally to give the board ample time to select a successor. The board’s timeline for selecting a new superintendent, published in January, involved board 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 for it to select a superintendent candidate in December. Email reporter Kimberly Wethal at kimberly.wethal@ wcinet.com and follow her on Twitter @kimberly_wethal.​

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Superintendent search postponed

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HIGHLAND MEMORY GARDENS. Two adjoining cemetery plots for sale in Madison. Located in Garden of Apostles. Asking $2,300 for both plots. Buyer pays transfer fee of approximately $199. Call for more information: 608-712-8611.

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2003 PARK Avenue, 136K, nice, 2014 International semi, (Cummins). 608778-6600.

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Help Wanted

Wanted

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. Parttime 16-20 hours per week. Administrative support to small rural church. General office duties, scheduling, creating publications for weekly/monthly distribution, meeting notes, budget/finance experience needed. Working with Microsoft office and additional church software programs required. Salary commensurate with experience. West Koshkonong Lutheran Church. Submit inquiries to both: wkoffice@ tds.net and mmbarth@charter.net.

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

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.

*** NOTICE ELECTORS OF THE CITY AND TOWN OF VERONA Notice is hereby given that the Public Test of the Automatic Tabulating and Electronic Voting Equipment to be used for the April 7, 2020 Presidential Preference and Spring Election in the City of Verona and Town of Verona will be conducted on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at the respective municipal buildings. The City of Verona and Town of Verona will conduct their tests at 10:30 AM. This test is open to the general public. Ellen Clark, Clerk City of Verona 111 Lincoln Street Verona, WI 53593 608-845-6495 John Wright, Clerk Town of Verona 7669 County Highway PD Verona, WI 53593 608-845-7187 Published: Thursday, March 26, 2020 WNAXLP ***

Office Space For Rent

Rentals 2-BEDROOM Upper. 708 Ridge St, Stoughton. Quiet neighborhood. $500+some utilities, $750 security deposit. Available April 1. 815-8853583. 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

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.

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.

LOCAL PRIVATE Peterbilt fleet is looking for a full-time diesel mechanic to join our team. Looking for a motivated employee with a great attitude, team-player and good work ethic. Call 608-516-9697.

PLATTEVILLE: TWO bedroom apartment, appliances furnished, North side of Platteville near college, $700 month plus utilities, no pets, no smoking. 608-732-5052.

Services 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. LAWN MOWING Residential & Commercial Fully Insured. 608-873-7038 or 608-669-0025.

Pets BOSTON TERRIER puppies, $500 each, black and white, born December 18. Platteville. WI. 608-732-5052. GERMAN SHEPHERD puppies, 5 males, 2 females. Born 1-29-20. Parents on site, shots, dewormed. $250. Jacob Beiler, 19826 Dunbarton Rd., Shullsburg, WI. No Sunday sales MINI/PETITE MINI Labradoodle/Mini Goldendoodles, Sheepadoodle, Teddy Bears, 1-Cockapoo, 1-Morkie, Toy Poodle, Cavapoos, Cavachons, CavaShis, 1-Maltishi, $895-$1,999 or more, Lic#484991 Shots, Dewormed, 1yr Health Guarantee, Free training advice, www.SpringGreenPups.com 608-574-7931. GOLDEN RETRIEVER puppies, AKC, shots, de-wormed, dew claws removed, micro-chipped and vet checked. 608-574-6204. License #267233.

Antiques

NOTICE The City of Verona Plan Commission will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 111 Lincoln Street, for the following zoning matter: 1) Zoning text amendment to amend Section 14-1-70(u)(9) relating to changing a street name. Interested persons may comment on this zoning matter during the public hearing at the April 8th Plan Commission meeting. The Plan Commission will make a recommendation on this matter, which will then be reviewed by the Common Council for a final decision on Monday, April 13th. For more information on this request, please contact Katherine Holt, Community Development Specialist at 608-845-0909 or Katherine.Holt@ci.verona.wi.us. Ellen Clark, City Clerk Published: March 19 and 26, 2020 WNAXLP

STORAGE FOR Rent in Oregon. 10'x12' $65.00 per month, 10'x24' $85.00 per month. Indoor vehicle storage also available. Price based on size. Call Randy at 608-209-7706.

BUYING US Gold & Silver Coins and Collectibles. Call 608-988-6406 Rick Miles Coin.

STOUGHTON. TWO-BEDROOM upper apartment with garage and utilities included. $685 per month +security. 608-873-6711. 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

Storage Spaces For Rent

Feed & Seed 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 2 JERSEY bull calves, still on milked, $75 each. Jacob Beiler, 19826 Dunbarton Rd, Shullsburg, WI. No Sunday Sales.

STOCKS LIVESTOCK LLC, fully licensed and bonded animal dealer, buying farm calves, pickup twice a week, Tuesday and Friday, Holsteins, cross, beef, Jersey and Brown Swiss. Pay market value on site. Call office 608-482-5251, 608-574-5922.

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Machinery AGRI-PRO 5 shank mulch-ripper, excellent condition, stored inside, $4,500. 608-723-2686. FOR SALE: Allis Chalmers disc, 9', nice! Also, three horse slant horse trailer. Call 608-943-6142. HARVESTER FLYGT pump: 3 phase, very good condition, 5 years old, $4,950, also Harvestore unloader 25ft. diameter, good condition, make offer. 608-778-6026. JD 714 Soil Saver, 9 shank, like new $13,900. 608-574-3377. WANTED TO buy 4 bottom rollover plow. 608-943-8541.

Farm 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. PUBLISHER’S NOTICE - All real estate advertised in this paper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 which makes it illegal to advertise ‘‘…any preference, limitations, or discriminations based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, or an intention to make such preference, limitations, or discrimination.’’ We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law.

Questions? Comments? Story Ideas? Let us know how we’re doing. Your opinion is something we always want to hear.

Call 845-9559 or at connectverona.com

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DEER POINT STORAGE Convenient location behind Stoughton Lumber. Clean-Dry Units 24-HOUR LIGHTED ACCESS 5x10 thru 12x25 608-335-3337 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 NORTH PARK STORAGE 10x10 through 10x40, plus 14x40 with 14' door for RV & Boats. Come & go as you please. 608-873-5088

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REDFEST RED ANGUS SALE, registered bulls, heifers and cows, commercial heifers and cows. Bloomington Livestock Exchange, Sunday, April 5. redfestredangus.com. 608-778-6736.

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Verona City Center is now closed to walk-in traffic. Effective Thursday, March 19, city offices were closed to members of the public for purposes other than voting, city administrator Adam Sayre told the Press in an email. That includes functions such as pet licenses and utility billing. Sayre said the police department would remain open and in-person absentee voting for the April 7 local and presidential choice election would continue to take place normally, but that too changed after Gov. Tony Evers issued a “Safer at Home” order on Tuesday March 24. The city decided to end in-person absentee voting as well by 4:30 on March 24. City clerk Ellen Clark told the Press voters should request and turn in their absentee ballots by mail if possible. Requests for absentee ballots by mail can be made at myvote.wi.gov. Applications must be received by the clerk’s office no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday before Election Day – April 2 this year – according to the Wisconsin Election Commission’s website. Sayre said city staff will still be working – some in the office and some remotely, and will be available to answer inquiries. Bills and other items for drop-off can be left in the city center drop box between the flag poles. For functions such as dropping off building plans, Sayre said residents should call or email the relevant staff member and make arrangements with them. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@ wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ReneeNHickman

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City of Verona

March 26, 2020

To learn more about this opportunity, submit your application and resume today at www.wcinet.com/careers Woodward Communications, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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March 26, 2020

The Verona Press

ConnectVerona.com

Influx of absentee ballots Crisis: Governor Evers declares only city, town hard at work essential business operations may continue has Coronavirus ends inContinued from page 1

gather to 10. By the time Evers announced his plan to sign the “Safer at Home” order on the morning of March 23, more than 10,000 people had signed a Change.org petition asking for it. That order, apparently patterned after the March 19 “Safer at Home” order Los Angeles passed, made only incremental changes to previous limitations. Similar to other states’ “Shelter in Place” requirements, it encourages people to stay home, rather than going out in public, Evers and his staff told reporters in a March 23 media briefing. In his tweets and later in the order, Evers required people to severely limit social interactions. “That means no sleepovers, no play dates, and no dinner parties with friends and neighbors,” he tweeted March 23. “Please don’t take any other unnecessary trips, and limit your travel to essential needs like going to the doctor, grabbing groceries, or getting medication.” With the weather finally beginning to break out of the winter slump, many people got exercise over the weekend. The Prairie Moraine county dog park stayed busy, with 50 or more vehicles in the parking lot Sunday afternoon, and kids occasionally ventured out to ride bikes or play basketball on city sidewalks or at parks. With Americans increasingly worried about their financial situations, national, state and local leaders tried to reassure people they are protected. The U.S. Senate debated a $1 trillion bill that would provide $1,200 per person and bail out struggling businesses while Wisconsin prohibited utility companies from shutting down services and Dane County announced it would not enforce evictions. Evers’ tweets clarified some workers who could continue to go to their jobs. “That includes folks like healthcare professionals, grocers, family caregivers, among other people whose work is critical for folks across our state,” he tweeted. While only 70 of the roughly half-million people in Dane County had tested positive for coronavirus as of March 23, scientists are expecting a sharp rise in the number of cases because of the virus’ long incubation period. That duration between catching the virus and showing symptoms is typically more than five days, according to a study published in Science Daily, and sometimes 11 days or

Safer at Home summary All people must stay at home except for specified activities, including travel to work, getting health care, obtaining groceries, caring for others and doing outdoor exercise, including for pets All activities in shared spaces must maintain six feet of distance from non-household members Non-essential businesses and operations must cease Restaurants and bars are permitted to do takeout and delivery only All schools, places of public activity, salons and spas must close All playgrounds are closed Contact sports are prohibited Weddings, funerals and religious activities must limit to 10 people Violations are subject to 30 days imprisonment and $250 fine Effective 8 a.m. March 25 through 8 a.m. April 24 more, compared with about two days on average for the flu. That means people can carry and transmit it to many people without knowing it. While the virus typically is most deadly to older people and those with underlying health conditions, one of the biggest concerns expressed by political leaders and health experts is the potential collapse of the health care system by having more people in need of ventilators than hospitals can provide. This has been the case in Italy, where nearly 10 percent of the more than 60,000 infected had died by March 23. In Dane County, about one-fourth of people who had tested positive March 23 had no known exposure to anyone with a positive test, travel history or health care, according to that day’s release by Public Health Madison Dane County. “This tells us that community spread is happening,” the release stated. “Every person who stays home makes it more difficult for COVID-19 to spread.” Email Emilie Heidemann at emilie.heidemann@wcinet. com or follow her on Twitter at @HeidemannEmilie.

person absentee voting RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group

Verona-area voters are making sure their votes get counted, despite the threat of coronavirus. Absentee ballots are flooding into the clerk’s office city clerk Ellen Clark told the Press. And city staff are working overtime to make sure everyone who requests them receives their ballots. Given the threat of coronavirus however, Clark told the Press in an email on the morning of Tuesday, March 24 that in-person absentee voting would end that day at 4:30 p.m. Individual appointments can be made on a case-by-case basis for in-person absentee voting for those who have no other way to request a ballot or need special accomodation by calling608-845-6495. Clark said in an email that her office had received 2,723 requests for ballots as of 2 p.m. on Friday, March 20, which includes in-person absentee voters. That’s a significant increase since the 2016 spring election, which was the last time a presidential primary was held. Clark said the current number of absentee ballots given for this year is half the total number of all votes cast during the 2016 spring election. The Town of Verona has also seen a significant increase in absentee ballots being mailed out. As of Saturday, March 21, town clerk John Wright said he had

issued over 360 absentee ballots. The majority of those ballots have been sent out via mail, with six ballots sent by email and 39 being residents who came to the town hall to vote absentee in person. During the 2016 spring election, Wright said there had been a total of 140 absentee ballots sent out or filed in-person, which was a little more than 10% of the overall vote count. As of press time Tuesday, in-person absentee voting for both the city and the town is available and polls will be open on election day, April 7. But, Clark said city staff prefer absentee ballots to be mailed in. City employees who have since found their departments’ services or facilities limited because of COVID-19 are pitching in with the clerk’s office to process ballots. “The best thing residents can do right now to help us, and themselves, is to vote absentee by mail,” Clark said. “Administration employees are all pitching in and working very hard to process the applications as they come in, and prepare the ballots for mailing … We are keeping up with the workload, and ballots are being mailed within one working day of receipt of the request.” Voters can continue to request mail-in absentee ballots at myvote. wi.gov until the Thursday before the election, which is 5 p.m. on April 2 for the April 7 spring election. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @ ReneeNHickman

Dear Readers & Customers,

Things have been changing very quickly with the coronavirus and COVID-19 situation. We recognize that this is an unprecedented time for everyone. The days are filled with uncertainty and our hearts and thoughts go out to you and your loved ones. Since 1965, the Verona Press has been delivered to your home and we are continuing to do that. The printing presses are running; the post office is delivering; our customers are calling. We are closely monitoring and responding to changes along the way, as we take very seriously our responsibility to help care for and protect our co-workers, our customers, their families and the communities we serve. In response to the current situation, we have taken actions to ensure continued service to our readers and customers. While there is limited access to our building, we are open for business and can be reached during normal business hours at 608-845-9559. We are adhering to CDC guidelines, and many of our associates are working remotely. They can be reached via phone or email. Follow our Verona Press Facebook page or read our online edition at connectverona.com. While we all yearn to return to the life we knew before the onset of COVID-19, rest assured, we are prepared to help our local businesses communicate with their customers, just as we’ve done for the past 55 years. Never before, has “Buy Local” been more important as we come together to support one another. Please be safe, stay healthy and take care of others who might need help.

Lee Borkowski

Regional Manager LBorkowski@wicnet.com 608-649-6397

Kathy Neumeister

Advertising & Marketing Manager Kathy.Neumeister@wcinet.com 608-778-2515

Donna Larson

Account Executive & Team Lead (Fitchburg & Verona display ads) VeronaSales@wcinet.com 608-845-9559

Catherine Stang

Angie Roberts

Account Executive Customer Service (Classifieds, (Stoughton & Oregon display ads) Billing & General Information) StoughtonSales@wcinet.com ARoberts@wcinet.com 608-845-9559 608-845-9559

Ken Oglesby

Delivery Ken.Oglesby@wcinet.com 608-845-9559

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