Hometown Broadcasting News Thursday 5/28/20
28 May 2020 News
COVID Symptoms Mistaken For Summer Allergies
A member of the Ripon Community COVID 19 Task Force says a spike in cases in Fond du Lac County over the Memorial Day weekend serves as a reminder that it is too early to relax social distancing requirements. County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller said some of the 25 cases were connected to parties and social gatherings. Task Force member Jeff Puhlmann-Becker says social distancing is important, but so is wearing a protective face mask. “At this point one of the wisest things we can do is social distancing to the extent you can and wear a mask as often as you can when you’re in public. Whether its allergies or its COVID that will make a big difference.” Mueller says some of those attending the gatherings mistakenly took their symptoms as summer allergies.
National Guard Specimen Collections Tops 70,000
Officials with the Wisconsin National Guard says teams handling specimen collection at prisons in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties have collected over 1,300 specimens to be tested for the COVID-19 virus. The two teams that started collecting at Dodge Correctional Tuesday had collected over 350 specimens through Wednesday. Two more teams collecting at Waupun Correctional had collected over 1,000 specimens through Wednesday. Twenty-five Wisconsin National Guard teams are helping out local health departments and Wisconsin’s Health Service Department by collecting specimens throughout the state. Through Tuesday the cumulative total for those collections had reached 72,000.
Feyen Says Unemployment Is A Mess
State Senator Dan Feyen says unemployment in Wisconsin is a mess. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says months after the Safer at Home order sent the state’s economy into a tailspin; hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents still haven’t seen any assistance and are having a difficult time making ends meet. He calls it heartbreaking and unacceptable. Feyen says his offers to speed up the process through the legislative process have been rejected by Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman. Frostman says the long-awaited payments for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance began going out last Friday. People will be notified by mail and in their claims portal.
Complete County Important
(U.S. Census Bureau photo)
Census workers are beginning to make rounds in the area following up with those who haven’t filled out the 2020 Census online. Ellen Sorensen is with the Complete Count Committee of Fond du Lac County. She says the Census is important because one of the things it helps to determine is federal revenue sharing funds that state and local governments receive. Shared revenue really does help offset any increases in property taxes. So participating in the Census and getting a complete count helps Ripon draw down more federal shared revenue to offset cost of services.” She says right now Wisconsin trails only Minnesota in the percentage of Census forms that have been completed with 66.4 percent. Fond du Lac County is at 72.7 percent and Ripon is at 71.5 percent. Census workers who come to your home will have a valid ID badge with their photography, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date. Census workers may also carry Census Bureau bags and other equipment with the Census Bureau logo. Census taker operations will be adjusted as needed with the current pandemic.
For more information click here.
Bicycles Not Allowed On Sidewalks In Downtown Ripon
Ripon Police Chief Bill Wallner says now that businesses are reopening they want to make sure those shopping in the downtown area are safe so they are asking that bicycles stay off the sidewalks. “You know now that are businesses are back open and trying to get those customers in we want to make sure that our customers don’t get run over as they exit a business or collide with anybody on a bicycle. Obviously those small children ten and under can still operate bicycles on the sidewalks in the downtown.” He asks anyone over ten to walk their bike through that area or ride in the roadway downtown to avoid collisions with pedestrians on the sidewalks.
Schreiner’s In FDL Closing
An iconic restaurant in Fond du Lac is closing its doors after more than 80 years in business. Travelers familiar with Schreiner’s would make a point of stopping there for a meal. Schreiner’s opened its doors in 1938 as “The Grill.” It’s had several location changes over the years moving to its current location at the intersection of Interstate 41 and Highway 23 in 1971. Recent years have seen the restaurant cut back to offering only breakfast and lunch, with Safer at Home restrictions reducing it to only offering curbside take-out one day a week. An official timeline for its closing has not been announced.
To read more click here.
Grass Clippings Reminder
(Town of Ripon Police Department photo)
Waupun Mayor Julie Nickel is reminding residents that the city has an ordinance that prohibits blowing grass clippings into the streets, on sidewalks, and other public surfaces. When wet the clippings can pose a danger for bikes, motorcycles and others. Keeping the clippings off hard public surfaces also helps the city manage stormwater runoff. Town of Ripon Police recently issued a similar warning reminding residents that it falls under a local ordinance and state statute as “debris on the roadway,” which both carry fines.
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