West of the I

Skills that you might have learned around the farmstead will come in handy at the Ag Olympics to be held on Wednesday evening at the Kenosha County Fair.

The competition with be for Junior (Ages 8-11), Intermediate, (Ages 12-14 – two person teams) Seniors (Ages 15-18 – two person teams 1 guy & 1 girl) and Adults (At least 19 years of age – two person teams 1 guy & 1 girl).

Contests will vary by age group and include things such as Hurry Up Gardener Race, Feed Haul Race, and apple bobbing.

Registration will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the Show & Sale Arena from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. There’s no entry fee and the competition is open to every one. Intermediate, seniors and adults limited to 10 teams.

More information here.

The Kenosha County Fair runs Aug. 18-22 this year at the fairgrounds in Wilmot.

At about 8:30 p.m., Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue units are responding to a crash in the 26800 block of Highway SA in Camp Lake.

Per dispatch: This is a single motorcycle crash.

At about 6:09 p.m., Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue units and a sheriff’s deputy are responding to a report of a possible fire creating plume of black smoke int eh area of Highway 83 and Highway AH in Salem.

UPDATE 6:11 p.m. — Unit on scene reports active fire in woods behind a residence in the 9000 block of Highway 83.

UPDATE 6:12 p.m. — Additional Salem Lakes personnel manning grass rigs dispatched to respond to scene.

UPDATE 6:14 p.m. — Bristol Fire and Rescue requested to respond with a grass rig and ATV.

UPDATE 6:20 p.m. — Response from grass rig in Bristol cancelled.

Congressman Bryan Steil has announced he will be holding six listening sessions in Southeast Wisconsin next week, including one in Western Kenosha County.

The listening sessions are free and open to the people of Wisconsin’s First Congressional District. Residents are encouraged to attend to discuss issues pending in Congress or to request assistance dealing with federal agencies. Individuals needing additional assistance or special accommodations should contact the Office of Congressman Steil at 608-752-4050 in advance. 

“Our upcoming listening sessions in all six counties of the First Congressional District are part of my commitment to be available and accessible to the residents of Southeast Wisconsin. I look forward to hearing directly from you about the issues facing our community, our state, and our country,” said Steil.

The Kenosha County Listening Session will take place Monday, Aug. 2, from 1:30-2:20 p.m., at the Kenosha County Center, 19600 75th Street (Highways 45 and 50) in Bristol. Due to distancing requirements put in place by the venue, capacity will be limited at the Kenosha County Center. 

Other listening session are:

At about 8:14 a.m., Town of Wheatland Fire Department and Twin Lakes Rescue units and a sheriff’s deputy are responding to a report of a fire alarm at 77th Street and 336th Avenue in Lilly Lake.

Per dispatch: This is a fire alarm from a mobile device that is mapping to the intersection.

UPDATE 8:24 a.m. — Units on scene and investigating. No signs of fire at this time.

Note: The Kenosha County Fair is a westofthei.com sponsor. — DH

What fairgoers used to know as the Commercial Building at the Kenosha County Fair has a new name reflecting what is going on inside — Marketplace.

Marketplace will host a wide variety of booths.

Through the years I have seen booths from law enforcement, political parties, builders, media, sellers of all types of merchandise and even cooking demonstrations. If for no other reason, a trip or two or three through Marketplace is worthwhile because many of the booths have fun stuff to give away too.

There are always some mainstays that you see year after year. But there is almost always something new to see too.

Marketplace also includes an information booth where fair directors and other friends of the fair can answer your questions.

West of the I will again have a booth in Marketplace. Please come out and share your thoughts about the site or perhaps what you’d like to see us follow in the future. We’d love to share our knowledge of the fair or connect you with one of our sponsors for the goods and services you need. We’ll have a fun giveaway and a guessing game too, with the top prize being a lifetime membership to the Kenosha County Fair.

This year’s Kenosha County Fair runs from Aug. 18-22.

Note: All numbers are cumulative since data started being reported in early 2020, unless otherwise noted. — DH

Kenosha County Public Heath is reporting 16,113 total positive COVID-19 test results in Kenosha County as of Wednesday. That’s 11 more than Monday. There have been 316 COVID-19 deaths in Kenosha County. Kenosha County Public Health is reporting 83,095 negative test results (same total as Tuesday).

Wisconsin Department of Health Services is reporting a positive rate of 9,599/100,000 people and a 2 percent case fatality rate in Kenosha County as of Wednesday.

In Kenosha County, 46.35 percent of the population has had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination and 43.82 percent are fully vaccinated as of Wednesday, reports Kenosha County Public Health.

Kenosha County Public Health is reporting the following total positive COVID-19 test results for Western Kenosha County as of June 29 (new data has not been accessible since then):

• Bristol — 436 cases
• Paddock Lake — 279 cases
• Salem Lakes — 1,083 cases
• Randall — 240 cases
• Twin Lakes — 421 cases
• Wheatland — 255 cases
• Paris — 103 cases
• Brighton — 118 cases

All other county cases reported above are from Kenosha, Somers and Pleasant Prairie.

Here are Kenosha County COVID-19 daily positives and negatives over time:

Here are Kenosha County COVID-19 positives as a percentage of daily tests over time along with a 14-day moving average (Note: Moving average has been paused due to adjustment of positives for March 5, 6 and 17– DH):

The Kenosha County Division of Health announced Kenosha County’s first case of COVID-19 coronavirus on March 16, 2020.

Wisconsin DHS is reporting 619,040 positive tests and 3,023,161 negative tests with 7,433 deaths statewide as of Wednesday.

In Lake County, Ill., where many people from Kenosha County work, there have been 62,536 positives as of Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for much of Wisconsin, including Kenosha County.

The watch is set to be in effect until 2 a.m.

The message from the NWS about what to expect is a little mixed.

The latest, local forecast is calling for “showers and thunderstorms before 2 am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2am and 3am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 am. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. Low around 72. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.”

A hazardous weather outlook issued before the watch seems a bit more concerning: “Severe thunderstorms will be possible with damaging winds as the main concern. Large hail and a tornado are possible as well.”

We will let you know if more clarity comes to the outlook.

West of the I’s garage sales page has been updated.

Be sure to check it out each week before you begin your bargain hunting.

If you’d like your sale added to the list, please drop us a line at darren@westofthei.com. Include your address, days, hours etc. We’ll even add a map to your info.

The Wheat;and J1 School District (Wheatland Center School) is scheduled to hold a regular meeting Wednesday, starting at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.

Among the agenda items are:

• Opportunity for Public Input on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Expenditures.
• Nonrecurring Referendum Expiration Update.

The full agenda is available here.