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MADISON — Barring local county health departments issuing an order for closure, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison will return to in-person instruction this fall, but how that looks from school to school will vary. “All of our schools are very different,” said Michael Lancaster, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Madison.

TOWN OF ROXBURY — A leaky roof has created a rare vantage point in northwestern Dane County. The view from the top of the scaffolding that surrounds the steeple of St. Norbert Catholic Church will only be around for another month or so. But the work, which includes repairing and replacing some of the stone and mortar along with upgrades to the spire, is designed to preserve, restore and stabilize the church building. The goal of the $1.2 million project is also to ensure that one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Wisconsin remains viable.

PARDEEVILLE, Wis. – The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is launching a police chaplaincy program to help its deputies and community members deal with traumatic situations. “Deputies see a lot of different, difficult situations weekly, sometimes daily,” said Capt. Jim Stilson. “It’s not so much the incident and what they see. It’s also dealing with the families and humanity of it.” Stilson said tough situations, such as notifying a family they’ve lost a loved one, can stick with you.

The American Solidarity Party, which supports “the sanctity of human life, the necessity of social justice, our responsibility to care for the environment, and promotion of a more peaceful world,” is expected to be included in the Wisconsin November 3 election ballot when slots are decided by the Wisconsin Election Commission on September 1. David Bovee, Wisconsin ASP Chair, announced in an email to supporters the successful result of the 2020 Wisconsin petition drive on behalf of presidential candidate Brian Carroll and vice presidential candidate Amar Patel:

Over four to five hours a day, Laurie Warren Jones cuts fabric, snips elastic to length and sews the pieces together. The retired American Girl employee has turned her home on Madison’s North Side into a one-woman assembly line for cloth face masks: Churning out 3,300 facial coverings in nearly five months of work — all of which have been donated. More than half have gone to St. Mary’s Hospital. Others were donated to organizations and groups like the Lussier Community Education Center, the Platteville Library, the YMCA of Dane County and Pres House — a Presbyterian ministry and apartments…

On June 19, the African American Council of Churches (AACC) organized a celebration of Juneteenth by serving over 2,000 households in Dane County. Over the course of an afternoon, more than a hundred volunteers from 30 local churches came together to celebrate through united service. Considering the number of families served and volunteers involved, one would think an event like this took months of preparation… Yet, just two weeks prior to Juneteenth, Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen — Senior Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and President of the AACC — put his plan in motion to gather in a big…

What does “love your neighbor” look like when a perfect storm hits? Who is our neighbor? What’s the perfect storm?

When Blackhawk Church opened its 42,000 square foot facility in December, providing space as a community resource was a part of its plans. But its leaders found unexpected ways to bring those plans to fruition after the spread of coronavirus forced churches and congregations to close. The building, which can seat over 750 people during gatherings at 5935 Astor Drive, is closed for church services until Dane County reaches at least Phase 3 in its Forward Dane plan, but it’s been open to a Red Cross blood drive and YMCA child care services, and lead pastor Daniel Owen said he’s…

MADISON (WKOW) — Sunday brought another pair of drive-up and virtual services at Mount Zion Baptist Church. This Sunday also included church leaders launching a fundraising effort to pay off the church’s remaining debt. “It’ll be amazing for us to say ‘that’s our property, that’s ours, it belongs to us,” said Rev. Marcus Allen, the church’s pastor. “That we paid off the debt, that we accomplished that goal.” Currently, a little more than 10 percent of Black families in Dane County own their own homes. It’s one of the worst rates in a state that ranks among the nation’s worst…

WAUKESHA – The presidential race finally arrived in the Wisconsin battleground Tuesday as Vice President Mike Pence sought to improve enthusiasm for the president in a reliable Republican stronghold. Pence kicked off President Donald Trump’s campaign against former Vice President Joe Biden with a pair of appearances in Waukesha County to focus on issues important to the Wisconsin GOP: school choice, religious faith and security.