Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit newsroom that focuses on government integrity and quality of life issues, and we always provide our news for free.
You can read all of our coronavirus/COVID-19 coverage by signing up for our Wisconsin COVID-19 Update newsletter, and please consider becoming a member to support our nonprofit journalism.
Add this to the litany of bad news about the coronavirus pandemic: Opioid overdoses are up, likely because of stress. And La Crosse County may have seen the nation’s first verified reinfection of a person who previously was diagnosed with COVID-19. On the positive side, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are testing a COVID-19 saliva test that could provide results in just a few hours, allowing schools and workplaces to reopen.
Top Stories
Opioid overdose increase in Madison, state linked to COVID-19 stress — Wisconsin State Journal
A Wisconsin county says a resident was ‘reinfected’ with COVID-19, though scientists have no proof that can happen yet — Appleton Post Crescent
A Wisconsin man with visual impairment tried to vote. The coronavirus pandemic got in his way — Wisconsin Watch
‘This is a sea change’: Federal judge hears arguments in pandemic voting case — WPR
Graduation parties in Mequon, Thiensville are linked to an uptick in coronavirus cases in young adults, health officials say — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin passes 1 million tested for COVID-19 — Beloit Daily News
Evers administration says statewide mask mandate can be enforced despite sheriffs’ opposition — WPR
What are we missing? And how are you coping? Help us provide critical information and accountability by filling out this form or emailing us at tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
Housing trouble?
Are you worried about losing your home or apartment because of the pandemic? Share your experience with News414, Wisconsin Watch’s service journalism collaboration with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and Outlier media. Click here for details.
Quotable
“My deputies have sworn an oath to the Constitution, and when a law or order is in conflict, we must defend the individual rights of our people. You have an individual right to make your own medical decisions. We as government officials shall not intrude. The Constitution can’t be suspended, whether people get sick or not.”
Washburn County Sheriff Dennis Stuart in a Facebook post quoted by WPR
Data to note
Here are the latest visualizations of COVID-19 cases and deaths from our partners at WisContext.
!function(e,i,n,s){var t=”InfogramEmbeds”,d=e.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(“script”);o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=”https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js”,d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,”infogram-async”); !function(e,i,n,s){var t=”InfogramEmbeds”,d=e.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(“script”);o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=”https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js”,d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,”infogram-async”);Resilient Wisconsin
People helping others and showing resilience during this time of anxiety. Send suggestions by tagging us on social media — @wisconsinwatch — or emailing us: tips@wisconsinwatch.org.
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers say they are testing the efficacy of a saliva test for COVID-19 that could generate results in a few hours. “This sort of testing, if it is successful and can be expanded, offers hope that schools and workplaces could receive rapid turnaround testing to assist in the complex decision of managing education during the outbreak with a test that is still sensitive enough to catch the people who are contagious, but exceptional in terms of accessibility, cost and turnaround time,” said David O’Connor, professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Access to some stories listed in the Wisconsin COVID-19 Update may be limited to subscribers of the news organizations that produced them. We urge our readers to consider supporting these important news outlets by subscribing.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
