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(Story submitted by UW-W from article written prior to Halloween by Craig Schreiner | Photos by Craig Schreiner) With Halloween only days away, you expect to see a Wookie or a Pikachu walking on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. Add to that an extraterrestrial skateboarding music-playing messenger of good will. He comes in peace — sometimes with candy.

That spacesuit-clad student is Sid Lara, a freshman from Crystal Lake, Illinois, who began venturing forth from his residence hall room as the space traveler “Astro” about a month ago. Astro has one mission — to draw a smile from everyone he meets.

“I was really bored one weekend,” recalls Lara, who had purchased the suit early for Halloween. “And I thought, ‘What if I just went out in the suit on a longboard and started playing music (from a smartphone)?’ People loved it a lot, so I kept doing it. I started giving out candy eventually.”

Lara said the white NASA-inspired coverall came from a costume shop, while the helmet with mirrored visor was a separate purchase, costing him $35. The people Lara met as Astro began asking to adorn the helmet with their signatures and art, and Astro obliged.

“I don’t really do this for anything (for myself),” said Lara, who is a business student. “I’m just doing it to make people’s day better. I’ve always wanted to do that. I want to do something in the future that makes people happy in some way.”

Lara remembers how it felt when he first tried out Astro in early October, heading out in costume on his longboard from his residence hall room to the University Bookstore and back again.

“It was a really short ride, but people were honking their horns, they were like waving at me,” he said. For Lara, Astro also has become one way of venturing forth as an independent spirit at college.

“College is a big place; it’s definitely not like high school,” he said. “In high school, everyone would know who I am. In college, there are so many more people that I don’t really care what people think. This is what’s fun to me, and as long as I’m having a good impact, that’s all that really matters.”

“If you step outside of your comfort zone just a little bit, you’d be surprised at what you can do,” he adds.

Each week, Lara tries to create time in his schedule for Astro — often late in the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on weekends — to wander campus, often around the residence halls. He hopes to continue brightening spirits into the semester.

“I do have something more festive (planned for November) for everyone to experience, so I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) The team members at New Beginnings APFV are WUL Hometown Heroes “For their work with victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, especially during COVID when the rates of domestic violence have risen, and for acquiring a needed domestic violence shelter in Walworth County.  They offer a lifeline to the victims and survivors in the community, through their work which is heartbreaking, delicate, and largely unseen by the rest of the community.”

Team members at the New Beginnings APFV in Whitewater are: Alejandra Munoz, Lisa Otterbacher, and Araceli Wence.

New Beginnings is available to provide assistance or information about domestic and sexual abuse by calling 262-723-4653.  They also assist with legal information and filling out paperwork for restraining orders.  All of their services are free and confidential. 

New Beginnings also welcomes donations of baby wipes, dish soap, chapsticks, snacks, and hygiene products at their location at 143 West Main Street, Whitewater.

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

 Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
November 1, 2020

• With a 7-day case incidence as of November of 39.4, Walworth County is well into the “very high risk” category under the Jefferson County model that Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) is no longer using as guidance. Whitewater’s case incidence, 36.0, is similar to that of Walworth County. Meanwhile, Jefferson County is currently reporting a 7-day case incidence as of October 28 of 71. The statewide case incidence is reported to be 63.7. (Case incidence = average new cases per 100,000 people.)
• The school district seems to be bucking the trend. WUSD’s current data, indicates that since September 1 there have been fifteen positive cases among students and three staff members, a change of only one student since our report of October 25. This is the second consecutive week with the addition of only one student with a positive case. In-person classes resumed fulltime for 4K – 5th grade on September 28; grades 6-12 began a hybrid model on October 12, and fulltime in-person classes are resuming on November 2.
• UWWs current data shows that last week there were 24 students and 7 staff (up from 19/6 in the initial report) with positive PCR tests. This is an improvement from 34 students in last week’s report, but an unusually high spike for the staff. In the initial four weeks of the semester there had been a total of 371 students and 15 others. In the past five weeks there have been 97 students and 12 others with positive PCR tests. Positive results from the rapid antigen tests that are administered to asymptomatic and random volunteers have increased from 1.1% three weeks ago to 1.9% last week, and 3.35% this week.
• Per this state website, Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties all have “very high” COVID activity levels. The state as a whole is currently rated in the “very high” activity level. Per the state, “COVID-19 remains very contagious and most people in Wisconsin are still at risk of getting sick from the virus.”
• The majority of new positive cases in Whitewater still appear to be at UW-W; however, there clearly is ongoing community spread in the remainder of the city. For example, in the past two weeks there were 75 new cases in the Walworth County portion of the city. UW-W reported 67 cases; however, presumably some of those cases would have been reported in Jefferson County, so there likely were more than 8 new cases among non-UWW persons in the Walworth County portion of the city.
  
  

DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,000 PEOPLE – WALWORTH COUNTY

End Date	New cases/14 days	Incidence	New cases/7 days	Incidence
9/15	527	38.8	403	59.2
9/22	648	47.7	245	36
9/29	379	27.9	134	19.7
10/5	302	22.2	176	25.9
10/16	308	22.6	176	25.9
10/25	427	31.4	265	39.0
11/1	533	39.2	268	39.4

DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,00 PEOPLE – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)

End Date	New cases/14 days	Incidence	New cases/7 days	Incidence
9/15	345	206.8	284	340.4
9/22	419	251.1	132	158.1
9/29	180	107.9	48	57.6
10/17	42	25.1	20	24.0
10/25	61	36.6	45	54.0
11/1	75	44.9	30	36.0

TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	# Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	#Positive	Positivity %
8/22	216	27	12.5%	103	6	5.8%
8/29	240	19	7.9%	128	13	9.2%
9/7	421	77	18.3%	274	60	21.9%
9/20	958	404	42.2%	571	204	35.7%
9/29	663	180	27.1%	236	48	20.3%
10/17	175	42	24.0%	80	20	25.0%
10/25	310	61	19.7%	140	45	32.1%
11/1	266	75	28.2%	126	30	23.8%

TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – WALWORTH COUNTY

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	#Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	# Positive	Positivity %	% of Those with Positive Results Who Reported being Asymptomatic	Total Deaths
8/22	2386	277	11.6%	1071	112	10.5%	11.4%	25
8/29	1972	210	10.6%	901	98	10.9%	11.1%	27
9/7	1953	228	11.7%	986	129	13.1%	10.9%	32
9/22	2689	648	24.1%	1249	245	19.6%	9.7%	34
9/29	2504	379	15.1%	1255	134	10.7%	9.75%	35
10/5	2189	302	13.8%	864	176	25.6%	9.49%	35
10/16	1803	308	14.6%	1142	176	15.4%	9.47%	36
10/25	3304	427	12.9%	1097	265	24.2%	9.36%	38
11/1	2289	533	23.3%	1192	268	22.5%	9.10%	39

WUSD is providing the following “COVID Tracking Data” on its website at this link.

COVID TRACKING DATA

On September 23, 2020 the WUSD School Board voted to suspend the utilization of a community level metric.

Below is the cumulative and current number of close contact, symptomatic, COVID positive staff and students.

District COVID Tracking Data Sept 1 – October 23 (updated October 26)
		Cumulative	October 23
STAFF
	Close Contact Positive Person	28	5
	Showing Symptoms	36	3
	Tested COVID-Positive	3	0
	Total Quarantined Staff	67
STUDENTS	Close Contact Positive Person	110	41
	Showing Symptoms	215	56
	Tested COVID-Positive	15	3
	Total Quarantined Students	340
	Totals	Number of Positive COVID Cases	18
	Number of Days of School	39

UWW has established the following dashboard which provides useful information. It is found at this link.

COVID-19 Dashboard

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-changing situation and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater actively monitors and reviews a series of health, safety, and resource metrics to guide decision-making with regard to university operations. These metrics are considered in combination and consultation with recommendations and orders from the state and county health departments before any changes in operations are made.

Last Updated 10/30/2020 at 9:00 AM

COVID-19 cases reported to UW-Whitewater

	New reports – Week of Oct. 18 – Oct. 24	Previous week	Cumulative reports since March 2020
Students	24	34	471
Employees	7	1	26
Other	0	1	4
Unknown	0	0	0

Dashboard is updated on business days with available data. Numbers include cases reported through university-coordinated testing, as well as those reported through the COVID-19 Hotline, which may include testing that occurred off-campus through other health clinics/providers. Student employees are counted in the student numbers. The “Other” category is defined as any positive cases reported to UW-Whitewater who are neither students nor employees and may include visitors to the university, contractors or vendors, or others who have been to the university in person.  These numbers represent individuals who have had direct contact with the campuses.  Individuals who are working or attending solely in a remote manner and not living in University Housing are not included.

Regional Metrics

	University Health and Counseling Services (10/15-10/29)	Walworth County (10/13-10/26)	Rock County (10/14-10/27)	Jefferson County	Wisconsin (7-day average)
Percent Positive	32% (42/132*)	15.01%	16.1%	33.9%	27.1%
Time to complete contact tracing	100% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours**	93% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	65% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	Not Available	N/A
Healthcare system capacity level	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	Not Available	14% Available (Based on Immediate Bed Availability)
Total cases per 100,000	n/a	440.5 (31.5 per day)	998.3 (71.3 per day)	847.9 (60.6/day)	891.7 (63.7/day)

*UHCS percentage positive is based on PCR testing performed at the University Clinic site of students only.  Case totals are represented by (Total Positives/Total PCR Tests)

**To avoid duplication, UHCS actively partners with Walworth, Rock, and Jefferson Health Departments.  County Health Departments do tracing of positive cases and UHCS employees do tracing of contact cases. 

Previous 7 days of PCR Tests Administered

PCR* Test Date	# of PCR Tests Administered
10/21/20	14
10/22/20	18
10/23/20	10
10/26/20	11
10/27/20	20
10/28/20	9
10/29/20	20

*PCR testing is conducted on symptomatic individuals and individuals with positive Antigen testing results.

Total All PCR Tests	# of PCR Negative	# of PCR Positive	Percentage Positive
1068	790	290	26.9%

Antigen* Test Date	# of Antigen Tests Administered	# of Antigen Negative Results	# of Antigen Positive Results	Percentage Positive
10/21/20	156	153	3	2.0%
10/22/20	73	68	5	7.4%
10/23/20	73	70	3	4.3%
10/26/20	126	123	3	2.4%
10/27/20	162	158	4	2.5%
10/28/20	200	191	9	4.7%
10/29/20	104	101	3	3.0%
Weekly total	894	864	30	3.35%
Total All Antigen Tests	3,487	3,384	103	3.0%

Previous 7 days of Antigen Testing Administered

Antigen* Test Date	# of Antigen Tests Administered	# of Antigen Negative Results	# of Antigen Positive Results	Percentage Positive
10/14/20	62	62	0	0.0%
10/15/20	69	67	2	3.0%
10/16/20	65	65	0	0.0%
10/19/20	124	117	7	6.0%
10/20/20	181	177	4	2.3%
10/21/20	156	153	3	2.0%
10/22/20	73	68	5	7.4%
Weekly total	730	709	14	1.9%
Total All Antigen Tests	2,822	2,741	81	3.0%

Antigen* Test Date	# of Antigen Tests Administered	# of Antigen Negative Results	# of Antigen Positive Results	Percentage Positive
10/7/20	99	98	1	1.0%
10/8/20	60	58	2	3.4%
10/9/20	60	60	0	0.0%
10/12/20	123	123	0	0.0%
10/13/20	159	157	2	1.3%
10/14/20	62	62	0	0.0%
10/15/20	69	67	2	3.0%
Weekly total	632	625	7	1.1%
Total All Antigen Tests	2,223	2,161	62	2.9%

*Antigen testing is conducted on asymptomatic and random volunteers.

(City of Whitewater press release) October 28, 2020- The Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis Club has initiated a project to enable children with disabilities to more fully enjoy the playground in Starin Park. Although the Kiwanis will be making a major contribution, the City of Whitewater is excited to partner with the club and the Whitewater Community Foundation to give residents a way to also play an important part in making this vision a reality.

The new piece of equipment is called a We-Go-Round, which is a merry-go-round designed to allow wheeled
mobility devices to fit in comfortably so all children can enjoy the experience. The We-Go-Round has a center
post wheel for all children to use and create the spinning motion from inside and outside.

The We-Go-Round encourages social play for all children as both riders and pushers while they cooperate to
make this a fun experience for all. The children pushing work on motor planning and coordination through
engagement of their muscles and joints. Kids can use motor skills of balance, along with core, lower and upper body strength. They will also use their cognitive skills for problem solving. This new equipment will bring imaginative play and the ability for all kids to socialize, no matter their degree of mobility.

“A huge thank you goes to the Kiwanis Club for wanting to add this fun piece of equipment to Starin Park,” said
Eric Boettcher, Parks and Recreation Director. “This new We-Go-Round will be a great addition allowing all
children to participate and enjoy the playground. That is exactly what a playground should be, a place for
everyone to enjoy their experience.”

The Whitewater Community Foundation has set up a fund for the project and donations can now be made. Donations may be tax deductible. It may be of interest to note that the CARES act permits eligible individuals who do not itemize deductions to deduct $300 of qualified charitable contributions as an “above-the-line” deduction, i.e., as an adjustment in determining adjusted gross income (AGI), for tax years beginning in 2020.To
donate, visit http://whitewatercommunityfoundation.org/donate/. Click the Donate Now button and the site will
direct you to choose a dollar amount, how often you wish to donate and which cause you wish to support as
there are additional options for donations. Donors can also choose to share a note of why you are gifting the
money to the cause.

(Walworth Co. Public Health Dept. news release – October 30)

Walworth County Public Health Department Temporarily Implements Crisis Standards of Practice for Contact Tracing

Health Officer Erica Bergstrom announced today that the Walworth County Public Health Department has implemented Crisis Standards of Practice in response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Walworth County.

During the past two weeks, nearly 600 new COVID-19 cases were reported to the Walworth County Public Health Department. This number has risen exponentially, nearly doubling over the previous two-week period. This increase has created an overwhelming number of cases and close contacts. Despite increased staffing, the number of people to be contacted has now exceeded the capacity of the Walworth County Public Health Department. “We are no longer able to conduct the same level of notification and contact tracing that we would during a typical outbreak. The pandemic has now reached a level in Walworth County that has required us to adapt our response. As suggested by Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist for Communicable Diseases, we will begin to implement Crisis Standards of Practice to ensure we are protecting our most vulnerable,” stated Bergstrom.

Neighboring counties, Jefferson and Rock began implementing Crisis Standards of Practice in early October. Laboratories have also experienced the effects of rising cases and are taking longer to notify Public Health of results, further extending contact timelines.

Effective starting October 30, 2020, Crisis Standards of Practice will prioritize contacting positive cases who are:

• Age 60 and older
• Children who are 18 years old and younger
• All other individuals will be contacted as capacity allows

Long term care facilities and schools remain a priority for the Walworth County Public Health Department. Employers are encouraged to contact the Public Health Department if they have two or more positive employees, which is the definition of an outbreak.

As part of our response, the Walworth County Public Health Department is asking for the assistance of Walworth County residents to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Please review the following guidance:

If you are awaiting COVID-19 test results:

• If you have concern that you may have been in close contact with anyone who has or suspected to have COVID-19 or if you are exhibiting any symptoms, it is recommended that you test for COVID-19. You should stay home away from others while waiting for your test results even if you are not experiencing any symptoms. Anyone that lives in your household should also stay home while until you get the test results.
• If you have no reason to believe that you may have been in close contact and are not exhibiting any symptoms, but you took a test for some other reason, such as a pre-screen for a medical procedure, you are not required to isolate while awaiting the results.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19:

• Answer your phone. A Public Health Nurse or Disease Investigator may be contacting you to ask about your symptoms and provide you with guidance and resources.
• Notify your close contacts. A close contact is anyone with whom you have had physical contact or who has been within 6 feet of you for 15 minutes or more (either continuously or over any 24-hour period). Talk to anyone who was a close contact two days before you started to have symptoms through the end of your isolation. If you did not experience symptoms at the time of the test, talk to anyone you had close contact with two days prior to taking the test through the end of your isolation. Let them know that you tested positive for COVID-19 and instruct them to quarantine for at least 14 days from when the close contact occurred.
• Notify your employer, school, or other organizations you were at so they can complete contact tracing and quarantine those that were exposed.
• Stay home. Stay home and away from household members until you finish your isolation period.

If you have been told by someone who tested positive that you are a close contact:

• Stay home and self-quarantine. You should quarantine for at least 14 days from when the close contact occurred.
• If you develop symptoms, isolate from others and contact your health care provider.
• Recent CDC guidance indicates that even if you test negative for COVID-19 or feel healthy, you should stay home (quarantine) since symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

If you have not tested positive, are not a close contact, or are unaware if you are a close contact:

• Avoid large gatherings.
• Wear a mask or face covering. Face coverings limit the chances of spreading the virus from person to person.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
• Maintain physical distance. Physical distancing can decrease the risk of spreading or catching the virus.
• Stay home if you feel sick. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild, stay home. Do not go to work, school, or run errands.
• Keep track of your close contacts. If you do get sick and test positive for COVID-19, you will need to know who you have been in contact with for at least the last two days prior to getting sick or a positive test result so you can notify them.

Walworth County Public Health Department thanks everyone for doing their part to help keep the community safe. “By working together, we can slow the spread and keep our businesses and schools open,” said Bergstrom. If you have questions or would like more information, please visit our website or email walcoph@co.walworth.wi.us.

Daylight Savings Time Ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Longtime Whitewater resident Rollie Cooper celebrated his 90th birthday on October 30. A surprise drive-by parade of family and friends, organized by his son Bill, wished him a happy birthday as they passed by Rollie and his wife Nancy’s home on Walworth Avenue on Friday afternoon. The police led the procession of nearly 30 cars with lights and sirens. The parade also featured Rollie’s tractor pulling a hay wagon filled with more well-wishers. Rollie’s good friend and horse, Jim, was the Grand Finale.

Nancy and their daughter Amy also organized a surprise card shower for Rollie.