Cap Times coverage of COVID-19
As local officials move to slow the spread of the coronavirus, schools and other local institutions cancel events and plan for a disrupted spring.
The Cap Times staff is working to provide answers to readers’ questions about coronavirus so they can make sound decisions about their health and daily lives.
Cap Times readers had questions about whether specific events will be held, in addition to how best to judge whether to attend a gathering. Here's what we found out. We'll update this list of questions and answers as we get them.
Senior class president: “It’s hard to imagine that, if this gets extended to the end of the year, that I might never see my classmates again.”
Editor’s note: The Cap Times staff is working to provide answers to readers’ questions about coronavirus so they can make sound decisions abou…
Health officials are urging people to take preventative measures now.
Large events are on the docket in Dane County as the coronavirus spreads.
“It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail — all without having to meet a census taker,” the U.S. Census Bureau said in a statement.
The forum had been set to take place on Tuesday, March 17 at East High School, but the building is now closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those studying in Italy, the epicenter of the European outbreak, arrived back in the states earlier this week.
The state is ramping up testing capacity as the disease gains a foothold in the U.S.
For UW-Madison professors Thomas Friedrich and David O’Connor, some of the biggest questions are how the virus made its way to humans in the first place.
In a Wednesday night update, Epic said it's watching for COVID-19 updates but that its nearly 10,000 employees will continue in-person work and "essential" travel.
“We’ve never had so many places back out last minute,” Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said.
After the state issued guidelines on crowd size Thursday, cancellations are piling up.
The Verona-based health records giant announced new plans in response to the novel coronavirus, but some employees say the moves are too little too late.
Excess food from Monona Terrace events will be reduced significantly as events there are canceled.
Evers' announcement came hours after the Madison Metropolitan School District had moved its spring break up a week and added two days to the beginning of it. Madison students will be in school through March 17.
All Dane County public schools are closed immediately to slow the spread of COVID-19, local officials announced Sunday.
"One of my key messages right now is I think the fastest path back to normalcy and economic recovery is pretty severe blanket swift cocooning right now," said Malia Jones, who is an assistant scientist at UW-Madison’s Applied Population Laboratory.
COVID-19 is on a lot of minds, and the Madsplainers are here to help you understand what's going on and what you can do to keep the virus from overwhelming the nation's health care system.
Historically Black Colleges and University spring break trip, DECA conference in Tennessee among canceled out-of-state trips.
Cases of the novel coronavirus spread without a known source, reinforcing the need for social distancing.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is delaying the chamber's final floor session period. Senators were originally scheduled to convene next Tuesday, but instead will do so later this spring, Fitzgerald said.
Dozens of restaurants have closed temporarily or shuttered dining rooms to stall the spread of the novel coronavirus. But at many spots, take-out is still an option.
School closures have created a new sense of anxiety for some parents as they scramble to find child care, adjust to working from home when possible and navigate a worldwide pandemic themselves.
Both local governments plan to act on measures that would allow meetings to be held using remote meeting technology.
A GoFundMe set up by Leopold Elementary School raised more than $5,000 in 24 hours.
Madison Teachers Inc. had asked for the guarantee last week before school closures were announced.
Efforts to serve clients hampered by social distancing, economic uncertainty.
"We are taking these measures to protect our employees and the public while delivering as many services as possible," Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said.
“For us to be thinking that for the next couple of months at least, that we should not be operating in a very, very narrow way as a city government, is really kidding ourselves,” Council President Shiva Bidar said at the City Council’s in-person meeting Tuesday.
Immigrants could be hit hard by the fallout from the coronavirus, but the local Latinx community — from radio hosts to doctors to business leaders — is taking care of itself.
A ban on in-person classes includes final exams.
The order also bans gatherings of 10 or more people, a move that came amid evidence of community spread cases in three Wisconsin counties.
The order came Wednesday, shortly followed by the Department of Health Services announcing 106 positive tests in Wisconsin to date, including 23 in Dane County.
Madison’s pizzerias, Mediterranean spots, cheese shops, coffee houses and fine-dining establishments have adapted in creative and evolving ways.
The Waupun Correctional Institution is the first COVID-19 case in the state prison system.
A UW-Madison food researcher said COVID-19 will put many people who were already struggling over the edge.
With the state's April 7 presidential primary three weeks away, Elections Commission officials grappled with how to keep voters, poll workers and others safe amid the spread of the coronavirus in a Wednesday meeting.
An initiative called FEED to Go will bring dinners made by food cart owners to the Boys & Girls Club on Taft Street on Thursday. It's the first of many planned drops.
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, he talks of jail safety, protecting the public … and toilet paper disputes.
Dane County Sheriff's Office is suspending court ordered evictions.
Residence halls are scheduling move-out times for students, who will be reimbursed for housing and dining rates by the end of spring semester.
The United Way of Dane County, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Selfless Ambition and other area organizations announced Friday a collaborative fundraising campaign to support short-term emergency needs and future recovery efforts related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The group of 14-year-olds are delivering on the city's east side from Woodman's, Walgreens, Jennifer Street Market and the Willy Street Co-op.
After 44 years, Madison's alternative weekly is turning out the lights.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Tim Metcalfe, president of Metcalfe’s Market, urge residents to purchase one to two weeks of supplies. Also, leave the reusable bags at home.
Principals and teachers are offering a sense of routine with their familiar faces and voices reading, doing daily announcements.
Livestreaming is the new normal for working musicians these days, as concerns about the novel coronavirus pandemic have prompted concert halls, bars and coffee houses to shut down — the places where musicians perform live before audiences.
Mark Lessner, owner and operator Wash for Less Laundry in Madison and Edgerton, said he is implementing more stringent cleaning procedures at his facilites.
The pandemic tests health systems already running lean. Hospitals are short on beds, protective gear and staff, though some see reason for hope.
Local hospitals have expressed interest but are still figuring out how they might use the volunteers’ sewing skills.
As the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, continues to spread, couples planning nuptials and the local businesses that depend on those events are making adjustments.
Providers are looking for ways to treat an already anxious population.
With the situation changing quickly, making sure English learners have access to accurate information is critical for the Literacy Network.
Evers' "safer at home" order took effect Wednesday morning. What does it mean for you?
Candidates in the two contested Madison School Board races are shifting to mail, online focus.
Public Health Madison & Dane County announced the death Wednesday morning.
Evers' order puts the state in a month-long freeze on normal social life.
Madison, like college towns across the nation, will lose out on the bustle of graduates and families who flood hotels and restaurants each May.
With Gov. Evers’ Safer at Home order set to go into effect at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, public places, such as the Capitol Square are nearly vacant…
Schools had been closed "until further notice" under an order last week.
Jessie Opoien: Here’s what we can do locally to help people who have lost their jobs to the pandemic
There are steps state lawmakers can take to ease the burden on the many people who are suffering, but there are things the rest of us can do too.
Medical staff at the jail are coordinating testing for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The policy has a much later deadline and applies to more courses than standard pass/fail guidelines.
A district spokesman says it's among the options being considered and they hope to have a decision by "early next week."
I put the call out on social media and in the Morning Update newsletter for people to pass along their ideas for shows to watch. Please keep them coming (I hear Netflix’s “Tiger King” is bananas) and I’ll keep sharing them.
Small farmers and market managers shift to community supported agriculture (CSA), prepping local food boxes for delivery and upping orders to grocery stores.
The building, 610 Langdon St., will be used for people who have or have been exposed to COVID-19 who need housing.
This Madison pediatrician and her team built a contraption to protect providers and save scarce safety equipment during COVID-19 tests. Then the community stepped up to make the invention even better.
Please submit your own thoughts, ideas and favorite recipes to lchristians@madison.com. Tell us why you love it! And thanks to those who’ve already submitted, it’s already been a source of comfort and joy in my inbox.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos back Evers' on moving ahead with the April 7 election.
State could see third lawsuit over changing the election because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Capitol Square, Beltline and other normally bustling spots were empty and many local businesses were closed on the second day of Gov. Tony…
The grant committee set up through the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County announced 39 recipients in a Facebook Live press conference Friday morning.
UW-Madison saw a rise in bias incident reports this week about racist graffiti about the coronavirus.
BioForward donates thousands of gloves and eye protectors, and Gov. Evers calls on businesses and organizations to donate or sell their unneeded protective equipment to the state.
UPDATED: Madison School District takes back child care requirement, still asks staff to ‘plan ahead’
An email Thursday night informed Madison School District staff that they "cannot watch your children and work at the same time."
A sweeping bill sent to Republican lawmakers last Monday aims to give agencies broader spending power to fight COVID-19, which as of Saturday has left more than a dozen dead across Wisconsin.
The bill provides a dramatic boost to unemployment insurance, business loans and tax-free payouts to families.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Madison Metropolitan School District had distributed more than 15,000 meals since Monday, March 16.
Evers said evictions and foreclosures “pose a direct and serious threat to the health and well-being of Wisconsinites."
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is not a failure. It is, in fact, the opposite.
We collected links to 32 songs designed to boost your mood, and also combined them into a Spotify playlist.
Two additional deputies are awaiting COVID-19 test results.
The Corner Table is a podcast about food and drink in Madison. This week, we're talking to Brandon Brieske, who started a Facebook group to bring service industry workers together as they weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news comes days after eight male inmates were quarantined March 26 due to fever, two of whom tested positive for the disease and were placed in isolation.
Most Wisconsinites say they support governmental efforts to combat the novel coronavirus, including school closures and a new federal law providing direct cash payments to individuals, a new Marquette University Law School poll finds.
The windows of Fair Oaks Diner stand dark, the door is locked and the interior’s checkerboard flooring and red pleather bar stools haven’t fel…
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said the legislation would likely include components of Gov. Tony Evers' $700 million plan to combat the novel virus.
New ordinance hopes to give teeth to city enforcement
“It feels like a gigantic collaborative art project that we all get to work on together. Using art to stay connected and to speak to one another in this moment is a really important thing.”
During a meeting that lasted until the early hours of Wednesday morning, the City Council also sustained an appeal over a project on Milwaukee Street and expressed opposition to locating a squadron of F-35 fighter jets in Madison.
Cap Times state government reporter Briana Reilly explains what we know so far about how COVID-19 is changing Wisconsin's economy and what the state's small business are doing to cope.
“Holding elections is a walk back to the fragile, but effective, system of social distancing we have established in Wisconsin and a risk we should not willingly take,” a March 30 memo from Public Health Madison & Dane County said.
The Urban League COVID-19 Workforce Recovery Team aims to support individuals and families who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Certain requirements for student teachers have been suspended in order for them to obtain their teaching licenses, but schools of education are still determining how to best assess prospective teachers.
Every week we’re bringing you ideas for weeknight suppers, simple lunches, baking projects and freezer meals. This week we've got roasted chicken, seared scallops and short rib stew.
The move came after former Vice President Joe Biden Wednesday night told late night show host Jimmy Fallon that he doubts the convention could "be held in mid-July or early July. I think it’s going to have to move into August."
Republican lawmakers in a letter to Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm on Thursday urged her to shutter abortion services across Wisconsin over the duration of the state's "safer at home" order.
Schlesinger died Wednesday of complications related to the coronavirus. He was 52.
Evers wants the Republican-controlled Legislature to meet in special session Saturday at 4 p.m. to take up the legislation.
U.S. Judge William Conley Thursday handed down a ruling — part of which is already under appeal — to extend absentee voting and more, though he stopped short of delaying the election.
UW-Madison epidemiologist Malia Jones said the spread of the COVID-19 disease is starting to slow down in Wisconsin, but lifting social distancing restrictions now would make the situation “infinitely worse.”
It's been three weeks since we spoke with Malia Jones about how to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, by popular demand, she's back to talk about what's changed since then and what could and should come next.
Shifting from dine-in to delivery requires digital literacy as restaurants adjust hours, change menus and remind people that the curry is still simmering.
Dining and housing refunds alone add up to about $78 million across the System, Cross said.
Candidates for teaching positions would normally visit schools for in-person interviews in mid- to late-April.
Ben Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez talked to the Cap Times about their adjusted plans, what the experience of teaching at the UW has meant for them, and how COVID-19 fears have inadvertently reinforced one of the key themes of the Afro Yaqui Music Collective, “a reminder of how connected our global biological and economic circuits are.”
Many Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations across the city are livestreaming their services on Facebook or YouTube and are supplementing their normal weekly services with other programs to reach people.
Physicians face a balancing act for what can wait, and what can't.
Dressed for a party, complete with a homemade birthday hat, Ingrid waved back to the passersby honking and carrying "Happy Birthday" signs.
Under the directive, absentee ballots that have already been cast will still be counted, while voters who are already registered could continue to request absentee ballots until June 5.
New federal policies that relax restrictions on blood donation at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has made donations desperately needed are a step in the right direction, but they are only a start.
Virtual learning will begin April 6 with a focus on learning the new medium and reconnecting students and teachers.
New campaigns aim to help the helpers: doctors and nurses, post office workers and city clerks. "It’s not just pizza I’m sending, but my gratitude."
Madison Metropolitan School District Class of 2020 members would need fewer credits to graduate this year under the proposal.
Wisconsin is still holding its in-person election. Local clerks have prepared to hold an election as safely as possible during a pandemic.
Wisconsin’s election is underway. In Madison, turnout was at 24.69% at 4 p.m.
Veteran poll inspector Brook Soltvedt says Madison has done everything it can to keep voters safe, but in-person voting is bound to make some people sick.
In a time of crisis, Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald threw a tantrum, and a partisan majority on the state Supreme Court sided with them.
The School Board will meet in a closed session to discuss next steps "and to carefully evaluate all options," according to a press release.
Local clerks faced tremendous pressure in never-before-seen circumstances to operate an election during the coronavirus pandemic.
'We are asking our voters to choose between democracy and disease,’ said Ann Jacobs, a Democratic state Elections Commission member.
The Cap Times checked in with professors, researchers, politically active students and Chinese faculty to see how they’re coping with circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cap Times higher education reporter Yvonne Kim explains how COVID-19 has turned just about everything at the University of Wisconsin-Madison upside down, and what the school is doing to keep its spirit going strong.
Poll workers and voters donned masks and other protective equipment to keep themselves safe on Election Day amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In s…
“Concerts on the Square is going forward,” said Maestro Andrew Sewell. “It will be on a different day and at a different time, but the gathering is still there."
Some experts concerned that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling might impact the November presidential race.
Overture is set to announce its 2020-21 season, including seven shows in its Broadway series, on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live. The organization had to cancel over 80 shows this spring due to the coronavirus.
"As a result of concerns over the spread of Covid-19, the Kohl Center, Monona Terrace and Sherman's gymnasium will not be available for our graduation ceremonies this year," says the announcement.
Madison Metropolitan School District officials are "operating under a closure timeline" of an April 27 return, but the state superintendent recently told superintendents to be prepared for a "long-term" closure of facilities.
The Corner Table is a podcast about food and drink in Madison. On today's show, Lindsay and Chris talk with Dane County Farmers Market market manager Sarah Elliott about how the market and its farmers are adapting sales for this new pandemic world.
Madison Teachers Inc. is calling on the Madison School Board to hire a new permanent superintendent “as quickly as possible” in the wake of Matthew Gutiérrez backing out of the position, which was made public earlier this week.
Robin Vos has become the face of the Wisconsin election. That it was held in the midst of a deadly pandemic continues to baffle Americans.
As social distancing took effect, Zoom’s popularity began to grow rapidly. Groups got together for work meetings, happy hours and movie watch parties. But that growth also exposed security concerns.
My grandfather’s emigration from Sweden may have saved his life.
The Senate could meet virtually as soon as next week to approve a bill, though it’s unclear when exactly the state Assembly would convene — or what exactly a final proposal would look like.
Park users should practice social distancing when using parkland and avoid coming into contact with often used touchpoints.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services data show that 27% of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 42% of people who have died from it are black.
The outcome of Tuesday's spring general and presidential primary election won't be known until April 13.
The city of some 250,000 has 66 of its normal 92 polling centers open to in-person voting Tuesday, while other large cities across Wisconsin have had to halve the number of sites.
For people who rely so heavily on bedside skills, from eye contact to a reassuring hand on a shoulder, health and safety regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have presented a need for new ways of offering support, said Kendra McIntosh, chaplain supervisor at UW Health.
“There’s probably a growing consensus in the absence of a vaccine, it’s hard to have the economy bounce back,” Dane County Controller Chuck Hicklin said.
Three nurses describe the ‘surreal’ experience of reusing protective equipment to care for gravely ill patients while strangers send food and notes of encouragement.
COVID-19 has also proven to be a disease that doesn’t respect social status, economic wealth or any kind of privilege, yet African Americans are dying the most.
State analysis says up to a quarter of Wisconsin workers could get sidelined.
Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Wisconsin Democrats are implementing new ways to select the 97 delegates who will vote for the party’s pr…
The Assembly is convening Tuesday, while the Senate is meeting on Wednesday to vote on the legislation.
Serving as a poll worker on Election Day highlighted precisely how important our self-isolation and social distancing advice is.
The theater in Spring Green has made many contingency plans based on how long people will need to stay “safer at home” from the spread of COVID-19.
The Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to help the state’s government, industries and health care workers better respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sweeping 97-2 bipartisan vote follows weeks of negotiations between the Legislature and Governor’s office and was conducted in a historic virtual session via Skype. Representatives were allowed to attend in person or virtually.
School Board president Gloria Reyes said the board hopes to start interviews in June.
“This entire election has been a challenge,” Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl said.
The Title and Total Compensation project, previously expected to be effective July 1, has announced an extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The district announced the change, along with updated policies for elementary and middle schools, Monday.
Students can receive up to $1,500 in grant assistance, which will be paid in three installments.
From designers and engineers to sewists and 3D printing hobbyists, they're joining a global movement to combat the shortage of personal protective equipment.