Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday 1/21/21
21 January 2021 News
COVID Vaccine Clinics For Older FDL County Residents Filled
Beginning next week the Fond du Lac County Health Department will be holding COVID-19 vaccination clinics for those county residents 65 or older. Unfortunately due to the overwhelming response to the announcement the first clinic has already reached capacity. If you left a voicemail, but did not receive a response you will be placed on a waitlist for a future clinic. Vaccine availability at the local level is determined on a weekly basis through a state and federal allocation process. At this time the Fond du Lac County Health Department will no longer be adding to the callback list for future vaccine clinics. That information will be shared when they have the ability to schedule more appointments and/or can add to the waitlist.
Wisconsin Republican Congressmen Ask Biden To Reconsider Keystone XL Pipeline Project
Wisconsin’s five Republican Congressmen sent a letter to President Joe Biden Wednesday expressing their support for completion of the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline would transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day, support 11,000 U.S. jobs and lower the price of gas at the pump. TC Energy, the company responsible for operating the pipeline, has also pledged that the Keystone XL pipeline would be carbon-neutral by the year 2023. Congressman Glenn Grothman says despite those benefits and the pushback from Jason Kenney, Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta where the pipeline begins, President Biden has chosen to abandon the project.
Long Term Care Facility Vaccinations
The Director of Housing and Clinical Services for LeadingAge Wisconsin says COVID-19 vaccination for residents in long-term care facilities is going well, but the same can’t be said for staff. Robin Wolzenberg is also a member of the Ripon Community COVID-19 Task Force. She says the rate of vaccination is from 40 to 60 percent for staff, but the rate among residents of the facilities is from 80 to 90 percent. She says they need to make sure more staff members are vaccinated as the vaccine is being rolled out. “So I think our job in this community over the next couple weeks when are local assisted living centers rollout vaccines is to really encourage our long-term care health care workers to get the vaccine.” She says there has been some hesitancy for young women working as nursing assistants in those facilities to get the vaccine thinking it might cause some fertility issues. But she says American Obstetrics and Gynecology have put out statements saying that is misinformation.
Calls For Service Up For FDL County Sheriff’s Department
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says their calls for service over the past 20 years have skyrocketed due in part to cell phones. He says people are reporting crimes or accidents as they are happening and are expecting a quick response. “You know 20 years ago very few people had cell phones now everybody’s got a cell phone. Twenty years ago a lot of times you didn’t learn about crimes in progress you learned about a crime after it occurred when somebody could get to a phone to call for help.” He says they get so many more calls now about things that are happening in real time. He says deputies are able to get to a scene quicker now because of how fast things are reported, but it also means needing more manpower to handle those calls. Recently the Sheriff’s Department hired three additional patrol deputies.
Rawhide Breaks Ground For Facility In FDL
The Rawhide organization will be able to expand its counseling services in the Fond du Lac area with a new facility at Highway 45 and County Road K. Ground was broken this week for the 23,000 square foot facility, which will sit on 37 acres. The facility will offer both traditional and equine therapy when it opens in the late spring. Rawhide CEO Alan Loux says they will be able to serve hundreds of youth at the facility. Rawhide has been in the community for about two years and is already serving about 100 to 150 youth a year. The organization will also be expanding its partnership with the Fond du Lac School District. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held on Tuesday. Construction on the facility actually began last month.
Unemployment Benefits Taxable
The state’s Department of Workforce Development is reminding state residents who received Unemployment Insurance benefits last year that they must report their benefits as taxable income on their 2020 tax returns, and that their 1099-G income tax statements for the year are easily accessible through the Unemployment Insurance’s secure and confidential online system. All Unemployment Insurance benefits including those related to the pandemic are considered taxable income for both federal and state income taxes, and the 1099-G form shows the amount of Unemployment Insurance benefits a claimant received during the previous year. To access 1099-G tax statements, claimants can go to the DWD’s website, then follow a few easy steps to get an electronic copy of their 2020 benefit payment records.
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/1099.htm
Share |