May 2020

Sat
16
May
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Middleton A.D. Bob Joers passes away

Bob Joers led Middleton’s athletic department into the 21st century.

Joers helped the Cardinals become arguably the top athletic program in the state.

And through it all, he remained one of the most flexible, accessible and personable people in his industry.

Joers, Middleton’s athletic director from 1995-2004 and again from 2011-2020, died Friday evening after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

“We are heartbroken,” Cindy Joers, Bob’s wife, wrote on his CaringBridge page. “But we are at peace because he is at peace.”

Joers was the face of Middleton athletics the majority of the past quarter century. Whether it was a Friday night football game or a Tuesday afternoon tennis match, Joers was typically running the event.

Thu
14
May
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Girls soccer team had high hopes

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

 

Mary Duffy is always packed with optimism.

And it’s easy to see why.

Duffy, Middleton’s girls soccer coach, has taken a great program and kept it among the state’s elite. And Duffy expected more of the same in 2020.

Middleton, which went 12-4-4 last year and reached the WIAA Division 1 sectional finals, returned a gifted side. And Duffy fully believed the Cardinals could go one step further this spring and reach the state tournament.

That dream was shattered, though, when the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thu
14
May
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Girls track team was thinking big

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

 

Jay Schweitzer felt like he was the new guy at the poker table — and he was just dealt four of a kind.

Schweitzer took over Middleton’s girls track and field program this season. And Schweitzer inherited a team ready for big things.

We’ll never know if the Cardinals would have reached their lofty aspirations, as the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April. But Schweitzer believes that Middleton was ready for a memorable year.

“We were positioned to finish strong at the conference meet,” Schweitzer said. “I really felt like we had a good chance to win the meet. We were a deep team with talent at every area.”

Thu
14
May
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Boys track team had great expectations

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Times-Tribune, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely.

So, we’re running a series of stories on the teams that didn’t get a chance to perform in 2020.

 

Middleton’s boys track and field team has ranked among the state’s elite programs for years now.

The Cardinals have won a remarkable seven straight Big Eight Conference championships. Middleton also finished second at state in 2016 and had three consecutive top-five finishes at state between 2014-’16.

The Cardinals expected much of the same in 2020.

Middleton brought back an experienced and gifted squad that had extremely high hopes. When the WIAA canceled spring sports in late-April, though, the Cardinals were left wondering what could have been?

Thu
14
May
Thu
14
May
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Supreme Court Strikes Down Safer at Home Order

WISCONSIN–In a 4-3 decision on Wednesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order, calling is “unlawful” and “unenforceable.” Conservative Judge Brian Hagedorn dissented, joining liberal justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet in voting to maintain the order.

In their findings, justices said Evers overstepped his authority when he extended the original 60 day order to May 26. 

The lawsuit was filed against state Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm as well as other health officials because they made the decision to extend the order on April 12.

The court ruling came just two days after restrictions on many businesses were lifted, allowing stores to have five people or less at any given time.

Mon
11
May
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COVID-19 Community Testing Starts at Alliant Energy Center

DANE COUNTY–Beginning today, May 11, the Wisconsin National Guard opened a Dane County community testing site for COVID-19.

Free, drive-thru and walk-up testing is available to all residents. No appointment is necessary. Depending on utilization, the testing site will be open until further notice.

The testing will be conducted in the New Holland Pavilion at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.  It is open Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. If you drive up, you will remain in your car the entire time. Using the Exact Sciences test, Wisconsin National Guard staff will collect specimens.

The community testing site is available to all residents.

The test is not an antibody test and does not indicate if someone has had COVID-19 in the past. Results are expected within 3-5 days.

Fri
08
May
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Planning Proceeds for 2020 Good Neighbor Festival

MIDDLETON–These are uncertain times, and the entire Middleton community is faced with new challenges. While many activities have been cancelled through the spring and early summer, the Good Neighbor Festival Board of Trustees continues to plan for the 57th Annual Good Neighbor Festival on August 28-30, and they remain cautiously optimistic that the event can take place. 

Although organizers are seeking to preserve this cherished community tradition, there will be changes to adjust to the COVID-19 situation as necessary. One significant change that was already in the works is that the festival will adopt an “open campus“ concept in 2020, allowing alcoholic beverages to be consumed on most of the festival grounds instead of being limited to two separate beer tents. William “Sonny” Simon VFW Post 8216 and Middleton Youth Hockey will operate individual beer stands as in the past, with the VFW focusing on domestic beer and Hockey featuring craft beer options.

Fri
08
May
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Sunflower Days May Bloom Again

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–The Town of Middleton Tourism Commission Monday cancelled Sunflower Days this summer and cast doubt on whether the event would ever be scheduled again.

Not only does a $15,045 deficit remain from last year’s flower festival but the current COVID-19 pandemic has caused the cancellation of other long-standing summer events including Madison’s Shake the Lake and Oshkosh’s Air Adventure.

As recently as early March, the town board was considering holding a scaled-back Sunflower Days at Pope Farm Conservancy as only $8,811 in room tax revenue, which partly funds the event, was expected to be available.

First quarter room tax revenue this year totaled $4,023 but the “Safer At Home” statewide order is expected to depress travel and the resulting revenue.

The tourism commission is comprised of town board members and they expressed little enthusiasm for hosting an event this summer.

Fri
08
May
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Library Open for Pick-Up Service

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Public Library is now offering expanded curbside pickup. Due to a variety of logistical factors, such as no inter-library delivery, building design, and staffing for social distancing, curbside pickup services are limited and vary by location www.scls.info/librariesbounceback.

Please see the below instructions for placing holds on Middleton owned materials and scheduling a pick-up time.  

Due Dates & Returns: July 1 is the updated and extended due date for all materials checked out from the Middleton Public Library. The library is asking that patrons hold on to the items they currently have checked out–all book drops remain closed at this time.

Hold Materials and Curbside Pickup: 

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