Schools in Walworth County have reported declining student immunization rates — down sharply in some cases — as parent skepticism grows amid an anti-vaccination movement that critics say is based on junk science.
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Faith Christian School in the town of Delavan reported a decline from 83 percent to 73 percent of students who are immunized against childhood diseases.
Remembering 2019: The Lake Geneva region's year in pictures
Williams Bay centennial
Hally Speckman, 5, of Lake Geneva, right, settles in for a kiddie train ride at the Williams Bay village centennial celebration in October in Edgewater Park, joined by her sisters, Claire Speckman, 4, center, and Alice Speckman, 1.
Horse and buggy rides return
Richard Costa, left, and Katherine Farli wait in June for riders anxious to see downtown Lake Geneva from horse-and-buggy rides, which returned downtown after a five-year absence.
Fontana's new ice cream shop
Enjoying a few cones at Blue Heaven, a new ice cream shop that opened in May in Fontana, are, from left, Jeff Martin, Ashley Miller, Eli Laing, Jacob Laing and Lauren Miller.
Sheriff's deputy selfie
Walworth County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Dodge, left, uses a cellphone in May to snap a picture with Sheriff Kurt Picknell as Picknell awards Dodge a lifesaving award.
Rainy Farm Aid concert
Huddling under a tarp to keep dry in September during a rainy Farm Aid concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy are St. Louis concert goers Jerry Block, Dave Block and Anne Marie Block.
Fontana frog named
Lidia Pastiu, left, and Nick Pastiu at the foot of their frog, newly named "Fontana C. Frog," in August after a community content to name the local mascot.
Halloween snowstorm
Susie Pody clears snow off her car Oct. 31 outside her home on Crawford Street in Lake Geneva during an unusual Halloween snowstorm that brought about five inches and disrupted area trick-or-treating.
Big Foot groundbreaking
Big Foot school officials celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony in April 2019 for nearly $9 million in improvements to the Walworth school's football field and other athletic facilities.
Church organ comes home
Crew member Chris Cronje works in May on reassembling a restored 19th-century pipe organ inside Holy Communion Episcopal Church in downtown Lake Geneva.
Star-gazing in Lake Geneva
Yerkes Observatory boosters Adam McCullough, from left, Kate Meredith and Deb Kaelbli in May bring equipment to Lake Geneva's lakefront Riviera landmark for public star-gazing events that were relocated after the closure of Yerkes.
Venetian Fest friends
Addi West, left, of Lake Geneva, and Charlet Riley, of Madison, are joined by Addi’s dog Floura on a stroll around the grounds in August at the Lake Geneva Jaycees Venetian Festival, in one of the top local news photos of 2019. See pages A3 and A4 for a complete list of the year’s top local news stories and local news photos.
Bloomfield candidate event
Bloomfield village president hopeful Dan Aronson, left, answers a question during a March forum with other candidates in the April municipal elections.
New Marriott hotel
General manager Tina Fierros, left, and sales director Michelle Adkins pause near a sign that marked the opening in September of a new 92-room Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel in Lake Geneva.
Climate change rally
Kirsten Siedenburg-Sis, right, a student at Elkhorn High School, joins other demonstrators at Edgewater Park in Williams Bay during a rally in September for climate change awareness.
Alice in Dairyland at tree farm
Alice in Dairyland Abigail Martin waves her saw after cutting down a ceremonial holiday tree in November at Country Side Trees in the town of Walworth as part of an event organized by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Poll worker who retired
Barbara Braden retired as a poll worker in 2019 after many years of service, but current poll workers now will be earning more money during elections, now that a city council committee has approved a pay raise for them.
Football championship reunion
Big Foot High School coaches, players and team managers from the school’s 2009 state championship team gather in September 2019 to mark the 10-year anniversary of their championship game.
Food pantry donation
Jeanne Cizon, right, director of St. Mary’s Memorial Food Pantry in Bloomfield, shares a hug in September with Lake Geneva Jaycees President Nate Love after the Jaycees donated $1,000 to help the food pantry recovery from a burglary and theft.
Homecoming parade students
Big Foot High School students River Riley, left, and Jocelyn Arnold ride on their float representing the school's junior class in September during the Big Foot homecoming parade.
Tree crew clears site
Lake Geneva city public works employees Jon Foster, left, and Morgan Sheppard, cut down trees in October to improve public safety in an area near downtown where a 15-year-old girl allegedly was sexually assaulted in broad daylight.
