Community

MADISON–Local health organizations are calling on the public to be vigilant over the holidays in protecting themselves from COVID-19. Despite recent positive news about vaccine development, the general public is unlikely to receive vaccines until Spring of 2021 at the earliest.

Rather than calling your healthcare provider, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Wisconsin Department of Health Services websites below for answers to frequently asked questions about the vaccine. This helps reserve healthcare systems’ staffed phone lines for those calling with active symptoms and acute care needs.

DANE COUNTY–The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped Christmas tree sellers from putting a little Ho, Ho, Ho into the holiday season.

Wanting their customers to feel safe while enjoying a traditional Yuletide experience, they’ve adopted public health guidelines for businesses and gatherings

“We got the hang of it during our fall season, our busy season,” said Chris Krisch, of Enchanted Valley Acres, 5047 Enchanted Valley Rd., Cross Plains.

The fall corn mazes and pumpkin patch gives way to cut-your-own and selecting pre-cut Fraser Fir, Balsam and other evergreen tree species beginning with a “soft opening” on Nov. 23, a few days before Thanksgiving.

Enchanted Valley’s employees wear masks for all customer contacts, receive daily health checks and frequently sanitize hay wagons, tables and other “high-touch” areas. Sanitizers are stationed throughout the farm.

MADISON–The Madison Police Department (MPD) is seeking help from the public in locating Carlos A. Wible, 37 of Middleton.

MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said a case detective has probable cause to arrest Wible for second degree sexual assault for an incident that allegedly occurred on Madison’s west side on Aug. 1.

Anyone with information as to Wible’s whereabouts is asked to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or online at P3Tips.com.

MIDDLETON–Some unlikely workers showed up at the Middleton Municipal Airport-Morey Field in October to clear invasive species on the property–a group of goats from Vegetation Solutions in Muscoda.

The idea for goats to clear the brush at the airport came from volunteer Kara Randall who was tasked with removing overgrowth. “When I got out there, I realized we were doing something much bigger than one person or a couple could handle,” said Randall.

After living in the Caribbean and seeing goats clear areas that were difficult to reach or environmentally sensitive, Randall began to do some research. She found that Chicago O’Hare International Airport was using goats as groundskeepers and began calling companies that provided the service. She ended up connecting with Vegetation Solutions, who by coincidence was the company proving the service to O’Hare. 

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–At approximately 11:24 p.m. on Nov. 9, Dane County Deputies and City of Madison Officers responded to the Quality Inn located at 6900 Seybold Rd., in the Town of Middleton, for a gunshot wound victim.

A 30-year-old male sustained gunshot wounds to his right thigh and left forearm. The victim was able to run into the lobby for help. A responding deputy applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The victim was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

MIDDLETON–A 14-year-old girl has accused a gas station employee of offering to exchange sex for tobacco products and money according to a complaint filed with the Middleton Police Department last week.

On Oct. 29, police arrested 37-year-old Mohd Abdul Mujeeb of Madison, an employee at Pit Stop Express, 3303 Parmenter Street, for child sex offenses. The victim reported to police that over the course of a couple weeks Mujeeb had asked her for nude images of herself in exchange for free tobacco products. The victim stated that Mujeeb had also engaged in sexual activity with her at the store in exchange for free products and money.

Police allegedly found nude images of the victim on Mujeeb’s phone. Mujeeb was jailed and has been charged with Repeated Acts of Sexual Assault of a Child, Possession of Child Pornography, and Child Enticement. The investigation is ongoing.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune will sponsor Takeout Takeover, two weeks of takeout specials offered by locally owned restaurants within the newspaper’s coverage area. 

The idea came about in October, when editor Michelle Phillips approached local organizations to discuss how to help restaurants, which are particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I approached the City of Middleton, Downtown Middleton Business Association, Chamber of Commerce and Tourism department to get input on whether we could feasibly do a takeout week, and Takeout Takeover is the idea that came out of those conversations,” said Phillips.

The event will be held from Nov. 28- Dec. 12, and each participating restaurant will have the option of including a lunch special, dinner special and family dinner special with the price points of $15, $25 and $50, respectively. All of the meals will be takeout only. 

MIDDLETON–As daylight savings time begins on Nov. 1 the Middleton Fire District wants to remind residents to make another change that could save their lives–changing the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Communities nationwide witness tragic home fire deaths each year. Non-working smoke alarms rob residents of the protective benefits home fire safety devices were designed to provide. The most commonly cited cause of non-working smoke alarms: worn or missing batteries.

Changing smoke alarm batteries at least twice per year is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce these tragic deaths and injuries. In fact, working smoke alarms nearly cut in half the risk of dying in a home fire. Additionally, the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommends replacing your smoke alarms every 10 years.

MIDDLETON–Abby Attoun, Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Middleton is the 2020 recipient of the Jean B. Tyler Leader of the Future Award, presented by the Wisconsin Policy Forum. The award recognized a leader in city government under 40 years old.

City Administrator Mike Davis nominated Attoun for the award, which was announced last week. 

“He knows my work style and my workload better than anyone at the city, so being nominated by him makes this award even more gratifying,”said Attoun.

MIDDLETON–A mural declaring “Love Your Neighbor,” a take on Good Neighbor City, is currently being installed on the side of the Roman Candle Pizza at the southwest corner of Parmenter Street and University Avenue.

The mural is a joint project between the Middleton Arts Committee, Candle Holder LLC (the entity that owns the building), the Downtown Middleton Business Association and the Community Development Authority. The aim of the sign is to welcome visitors into town, while adding an element of art to the design.

The $5,000 project is being executed by OhYa! Studio Design and should be completed by the end of the week.