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(University of Wisconsin-Whitewater submission) If anyone still needs an incentive to use a face covering, David Welsch has one. 

Welsch, a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, determined that if people who interact with others increase their use of face masks by just one percent, it could reduce COVID-19 deaths by 10.5 percent.

Working with data from 3,069 of the 3,131 counties in the United States and applying a series of mathematical controls to allow for variations in the county populations, Welsch concluded that the lives of six people might be saved in the average county if the number of people who wear face coverings within six feet of others increased by a single percentage point.

“Even if that number is off by a bit — even if it’s three people per county — that is still a big number,” said Welsch. “Showing that masks can reduce COVID-19 deaths is the most important outcome (of the study).”

Welsch’s study, which was published as “Do Masks Reduce COVID-19 Deaths? A County Level Analysis” on Nov. 13, 2020, in issue 57 of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, adds to a growing body of research on face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan Westergaard, a chief medical officer with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said Welsch’s study addresses what public health experts have been saying all along about the importance of wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets from our mouths and noses, and face masks contain those droplets, so wearing masks is important when people need to be out in public, said Westergaard. “But masks are just one tool to prevent the spread of the virus. Other prevention methods, like staying at home, maintaining social distance when you need to go out and washing hands thoroughly and frequently, also reduce the spread of the virus in the community.”

By the summer of 2020, Welsch had begun to notice the range of responses to wearing face coverings, from adherence to outright defiance.

“A lot of economists are inspired by things they see going on in the real world,” said Welsch, whose wife, a pediatrician, routinely wears a face mask and face shield at work. Welsch said their two children also wear masks at school and in basketball leagues. As a result, Welsch did not anticipate the widespread resistance to face masks that developed. 

“I didn’t realize how controversial mask usage was. I was surprised.”

Welsch decided to investigate, using a powerful mathematical tool called “econometrics.” He drew on the daily COVID-19 reporting by counties to the Centers for Disease Control and a nationwide map of face covering use from 250,000 surveys compiled in July by the New York Times using global data and survey firm Dynata. He also used the U.S. Census and other sources. Welsch omitted only 62 counties due to missing information in their reporting to the CDC.

“Correlation is not causation. If you just look at (one correlation), you can get this weird result,” said Welsch. “Like, let’s say they have an older population. People in that county are probably going to use more masks because they’re worried about their vulnerable relatives who are older.”

“That county is going to have more deaths, but they’re also going to have more mask usage.”

By applying econometrics, economists over the past 50 years have learned how to use observable data documented by sources like the CDC to mathematically control the more subtle, unseen variables that can lead to distorted results. Honing in only on COVID-19 deaths helped refine Welsch’s study even more.

“So it’s almost like a laboratory experiment where we’re comparing two things that are exactly the same and then altering one dimension,” said Welsch. “These techniques allow us to compare counties with the same-aged population where one has higher mask usage than the other.”

Will more people come around to face coverings? Will the conclusions by Welsch and others tip the balance toward creating an incentive?

“Economists make an assumption that people on average are rational,” said Welsch. “Humans might do weird things once in a while, right? Or irrational things. But, on average, we’re rational and we react to incentives.”

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“21 Bridges” (Action/Police/Crime/Thriller) – Tuesday, February 23, 1 p.m. – Rated R (Violence, language) -1 hour, 39 minutes (2019)

An embattled NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman)is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive conspiracy that links his fellow officers to a criminal empire. He then must decide who he is hunting, and who is actually hunting him. During the manhunt, Manhattan is completely locked down for the first time in its history, with no exit or entry to the island, including all 21 bridges. This cops and robbers “ride-along” will leave you breathless!!

There is a capacity limit, and COVID-19 precautions, including facial mask, are required. Please register in advance online, by email (dweberpal@whitewater-wi.gov), or phone (473-0535).

Whitewater native and Voto Latino Wisconsin State Coordinator Miguel Aranda will be hosting a statewide virtual event on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). King & Spalding Associate Ahsin Azim will be leading the conversation. Individuals who qualify, have the potential for pro bono legal consultation related to DACA and filing fee assistance.

This opportunity is only possible through the partnership of the national Voto Latino organization and the globally recognized law firm of King & Spalding.

The virtual event will take place Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 5:15 PM central time. Open to the public, no registration required. The event is planned to also be available on Voto Latino Wisconsin’s Facebook page as a live event. A Facebook account should not be required to view. Event will be in English due to event logistics and resources.

Spanish:
Miguel Aranda, nativo de Whitewater y coordinador estatal de Voto Latino Wisconsin, organizará un evento virtual en todo el estado sobre Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA). Ahsin Azim, asociado de King & Spalding, dirigirá la conversación. Las personas que califiquen tienen el potencial para una consulta legal pro bono relacionada con DACA y asistencia con las tarifas de presentación.

Esta oportunidad solo es posible a través de la asociación de la organización nacional Voto Latino y el bufete de abogados King & Spalding, reconocido mundialmente.

El evento virtual se llevará a cabo el jueves 25 de febrero de 2021 a las 5:15 p.m. hora central. Abierto al público, no es necesario registrarse. Se planea que el evento también esté disponible en la página de Facebook de Voto Latino Wisconsin como un evento en vivo. No se debería requerir una cuenta de Facebook para ver. El evento será en inglés debido a la logística y los recursos del evento.

Facebook Event Page (Pagina del Evento):  Click here 
WebEx Meeting Link (Sitio del Evento)

King & Spalding Associate Ahsin Azim Bibliography:
Bibliografía de Ahsin Azim, asociado de King & Spalding

Want to help support the Latino community and related programming? Please consider donating to the national organization of Voto Latino at https://votolatino.org/

¿Quiere ayudar a apoyar a la comunidad latina y la programación relacionada? Considere hacer una donación a la organización nacional de Voto Latino en https://votolatino.org/

More Information on DACA from the Department of Homeland Security:
Más información sobre DACA del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional:
https://www.dhs.gov/deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
February 16, 2021

In the primary election on February 16, voters could choose up to two candidates of the five who were running for one of two open seats on the Whitewater Unified School District School Board. The four candidates with the highest votes will advance to the general election on April 6. Jakub Fadrowski had the lowest number of votes and will not appear on that ballot. The unofficial results, as shown on the Walworth County Clerk, Jefferson County, and Rock County Clerk websites, are as follows.

Candidate	Jefferson County	Walworth County	Rock County	Total
*Tom Ganser (I)	58	436	40	534
*Larry Kachel	61	387	40	488
*Maryann Zimmerman	54	358	49	461
*Andrea M. Svec	22	189	22	233
Jakub Fadrowski	8	46	2	56
Write-in	0	7	2	9
Total	203	1423	155	1781

Shoe – A Virtual Reading

• Thursday, February 18, 2021
• 6:00 p.m.  

A collaboration between UW-Whitewater Dream Scholars and Colleagues, Whitewater Arts Alliance, and MD Productions.

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Shoe by Marisela Treviño Orta

Directed by Isabella Virrueta

In the sixteen years since her father left, Marta has felt trapped in her family’s double-wide in Texas. She gave up college and stayed home to take care of her siblings and mother. Just as a secret online relationship reignites Marta’s dreams and curiosity about the world outside, her siblings each decide they will do anything it takes to escape their home lives – even if it means leaving Marta behind.

Tickets are Pay What You Can (suggested donation of $5). All proceeds will go back to the Whitewater Dream Fund, which helps to support UW-Whitewater “Dreamers,” who are required to pay out-of-state tuition even though they may have lived in Wisconsin for nearly all of their lives. Click here for tickets.

(UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication, Department of Music submission) The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Music continues its virtual event offerings with the next concert in the Music Mosaics series, the Whitewater Brass Trio. All proceeds from the Music Mosaic series go directly towards scholarships for Department of Music students. This virtual performance will take place on February 22 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $13 for a single viewer ticket and $26 for a family viewing ticket for two or more. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling (262) 472-2222. 

The Whitewater Brass Trio is comprised of members Dr. Mike Dugan, trombone; Dr. Dafydd Bevil, horn; and Dr. Matthew Onstad, trumpet. The trio will perform works as a group, but also solo pieces. Group works include pieces composed by Beethoven, Vernofsky and more. Solo works “Love Song for Trombone and Tape” by Carl Vine played by Dugan, trombone, “Icarus Wept” by James Mobberly played by Onstad, trumpet and “Visions” for Horn and Fixed Media by James Naigus played by Bevil, horn.

The Music Mosaics series celebrates not only the power of music – especially now as the world experiences socially distant lives – but also the UW-Whitewater faculty that are professional musicians, professors, mentors and friends of the students in the Department of Music. Chair of the Department of Music, Dugan says “Music Mosaics is our main concert series throughout the year. This is where we are able to show the talent of our faculty and staff and the breadth of what we are able to offer to incoming students as their professors. I’m especially excited to be working with this trio in such an interesting time. The pandemic has forced so many musicians onto the virtual stage and we are no exception. I’m proud to be part of the innovation and creativity that’s happening at UW-Whitewater amongst the faculty, staff and our students; their unique ability to pivot and continue creating leaves me hopeful that when we do get back to performing live for our audiences, that our work will have been elevated to a level that we haven’t experienced before – and the level of gratitude that we will experience to have live audiences, will leave us itching to continue that growth.”

The Whitewater Brass Trio virtual performance will take place on February 22 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $13 for a single viewer ticket and $26 for a family viewing ticket for two or more. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling (262) 472-2222.