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MADISON (May 29) — Gov. Tony Evers today released the following statement on the death of George Floyd:
“Earlier this week, another Black life was extinguished before our eyes. His name was George Floyd. He was 46. His life matters and his family deserves justice.
There was no empathy or humanity in his death. This was not an anomaly. We hear the echo of the words of Eric Garner. We relive the pain of the death of Black Wisconsinites like Dontre Hamilton, Ernest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. Frustration and anger about systemic injustices are always justified.
Folks in Wisconsin should be able to protest peacefully and to report on these events without the fear of being unsafe or arrested. And if you’re exercising that right, please wear your masks and keep social distance as best as you can.
We must see the trauma, fear, and exhaustion of being Black in our state and our country. We must offer our empathy, we must offer our support, but most of all we must offer our action. The solution isn’t in one person, it’s in all of us, together. We must confront our comfortability with racism. We must reestablish trust with communities of color. We must be willing to listen, we must be willing to be uncomfortable, we must be willing to do the work.”
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner Staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
There are two types of COVID-19 testing. One type is designed to show whether a person has an active infection. That test will be available from this Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the UW-W Campus. The other test aims to determine whether a person has previously been infected by the coronavirus but has recovered and developed antibodies. Information on that test is provided in the press release below. Although it is hoped that a positive antibody result would demonstrate that the individual may have immunity from further COVID-19 infection for a certain period of time, this has not yet been proven. Consequently even a person who is found to have antibodies should not discontinue physical distancing, use of a mask, etc.
The Banner inquired of both Mercyhealth and SSM Health regarding the anticipated false positive/negative results that might be anticipated, as well as what the costs would be for the test if a person did not have insurance coverage for it.
Trish Reed, Media/Public Relations Specialist III for Mercyhealth, provided the following response from their medical director: “This antibody test gives us a better understanding of how many people in Rock County or specific community have been infected. There isn’t enough information currently available on whether testing positive means the person really has immunity or future immunity. We will not know until medical professionals understand the virus better which will come with time. Currently, the cost varies.”
Erica Mathis, Marketing & Communications Liasison at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital Janesville responded, “SSM Health does not anticipate to see a high rate of positive results from the antibody tests, but knowing the amount of positive test results could have public health benefits. It can help our health agencies have a more complete picture of how the virus spread. It also helps to identify individuals who were infected but asymptomatic. Under the CARES Act, insurance is supposed to cover the cost of the antibody test. However, we recommend patients contact their insurance company to understand their individual insurance plan and if there would be any other associated costs to account for. Anyone is eligible to receive the antibody test if they are not and have not exhibited symptoms of an active COVID-19 infection, such as fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, sore throat or new loss of taste/smell within the past 14 days.”
Although the press release only refers to the test being available in Janesville, Roberta Wedl, MD, SSM Dean Medical Group, confirmed, “Yes, the covid antibody test can be obtained at any of the SSM Labs including Fort Atkinson. A provider needs to order the test and the patient needs to schedule a lab appointment (it is not a “walk in” test). Interested patients should contact their doctor or other primary care provider.” (Banner note: The Whitewater clinic is currently temporarily closed, with the providers practicing in the Fort clinic.)
Angie Rucker, Manager of the Mercyhealth Clinic in Whitewater confirmed that the antibody test is also available through that clinic. However, a staff member at the Fort Healthcare Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinic in Whitewater indicated that their providers would refer their patients to a lab such as at Fort Memorial Hospital for the test.
This article from Fox6 provides some cautions issued by the American Medical Association regarding limitations to the test.
For reference, since the Banner was unable to obtain cost information for the local providers, healthlabs.com indicates that they do not bill insurance, but their price for the test is reported to be $139. Though they have no local lab, they indicate that they have some in the general area.
UPDATE: Per the following statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the reliability of the antibody test is particularly low when the prevalence of antibodies in a population is low, which is almost certainly the case in our population currently. CDC indicates that in that case, less than those testing positive may actually have antibodies. The following statement is taken from this CDC page.
“Testing strategies
In the current pandemic, maximizing specificity and thus positive predictive value in a serologic algorithm is preferred in most instances, since the overall prevalence of antibodies in most populations is likely low. For example, in a population where the prevalence is 5%, a test with 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity will yield a positive predictive value of 49%. In other words, less than half of those testing positive will truly have antibodies. Alternatively, the same test in a population with an antibody prevalence exceeding 52% will yield a positive predictive greater than 95%, meaning that less than one in 20 people testing positive will have a false positive test result.”
Attention restaurants and other businesses: as reopening progresses, The Banner will be featuring an update page.
The Banner does not normally include announcements regarding businesses. However, we have done so during the “Safer at Home” order, and we recognize the ongoing challenges as businesses continue to reopen. Consequently we are happy to announce that for the next several weeks we will include a continuously updated article for business updates. Owners/managers are welcome to submit information for our review and consideration for posting. We encourage mentioning any steps that you are taking in an effort to minimize the risks of COVID-19 transmission to your staff and customers. Among the items that restaurants may wish to include is if they are offering curbside pickup and/or delivery. The Banner may be reached at whitewaterbanner@gmail.com.
Fortunately, many of us in Whitewater still don’t personally know anyone who has passed away from COVID-19; in fact, we may not even know anyone who has had a confirmed case.
The New York Times indicates that “As the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States approaches 100,000, a number expected to be reached in the coming days, editors at The Times have been planning how to mark the grim milestone….Simone Landon, assistant editor of the Graphics desk, wanted to represent the number in a way that conveyed both the vastness and the variety of lives lost…The New York Times gathered names of the dead and memories of their lives from obituaries across the country.” Names and memories of hundreds of those people covered the entire front page of the newspaper on Sunday, May 24, and were continued inside the paper. Still, only about 1% of the victims were named. The online version, which may be viewed by clicking here, includes a figure to represent each of the persons who has lost their life. As a reader scolls through the list, on the right side of the page, dates of the deaths are shown, together with the mounting toll.
A copy of the front page itself, together with the story of how the remembrances were compiled, may be seen here.
The comments that have been made on the article certainly indicate that the gesture was much appreciated, especially by those who have lost loved ones. Here are a couple that The Times selected to especially feature.
Sherry Hornell, NY
“I literally stared for unknown minutes seeing the NY Times front page online, attempting to process what I was seeing. Trying to understand how I “fit” into this moment. Yet, for the first time since I lost my mom to the virus in March, I finally felt I wasn’t alone. How strange to find belonging in such a place. I quickly scanned the names to see if my mom might be there. I soon realized, I didn’t have the additional pages, and like some others, Covid was not noted in her obituary by the funeral director, in an attempt to mitigate any issues with a public pronouncement. (Arrangements across state lines was reminder enough.) So as of this moment I don’t know if my mom is listed here. Regardless, I am heartened by this remembrance. I read an on-line magazine piece regarding the struggle related to Covid grieving, so many layers to be grieved. That is me. No generations of family to share grief, or the memories and stories that initiate healing and immortalize my mom in a loving family circle. I feel the loneliness of three generations of only children. My mom probably is not listed here but for a brief moment I didn’t feel so alone. Even as I cried, not only in my own loss, but for these wonderful real people on this list and their families. It’s not quite what any of us would have anticipated in the death of a loved one. Thank you NY TIMES for trying to capture the indescribable. All the love. And a place to belong when few can understand your unique kind of grief.”
abigail49, Georgia
“Thank you, thank you for this memorial. We have heard and read the numbers. day in and day out and those of us who do not know a victim of the virus can slip into a very self-centered state of mind. In that state of mind, we can focus on our differences — political, cultural, racial, and class — and not our commonality and our interdependence. It is fitting that this memorial to the victims of a pandemic is presented on a weekend when we remember our fallen soldiers. Our military includes all Americans from every walk of life. Each of their lives is equally valuable. Each of their contributions to the defense of our nation is equally valuable. Each of them sacrificed much, even their lives, to serve us all. I hope that reading these names and learning a little about their lives will unite us as a country in common cause to defeat it and we will willingly sacrifice something in that cause.”
Eid Mubarak to the Banner’s readers of the Muslim faith.
Eid al-Fitr in 2020 is on Sunday, the 24th of May (24/5/2020).
Note that in the Muslim calendar, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr on the sunset of Saturday, the 23rd of May.
Visit https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/eid-al-fitr-2020-200518142558169.html for more information about Eid al-Fitr/
| Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System Ready and Available for Use in Wisconsin |
| State’s Health Care Workers and First Responders Encouraged to Submit N95 Respirators For Decontamination and Reuse |
| MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers announced Wisconsin’s new Battelle Memorial Institute Critical Care Decontamination System™ is now ready and available for use by the state’s health care workers and first responders to decontaminate their N95 respirators so they can be reused up to 20 times. The Battelle system decontaminates N95 respirators by killing viruses and bacteria using hydrogen peroxide gas, and will greatly extend the life of a vital piece of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).“The addition of our new Battelle decontamination system will greatly aid in our state’s fight against the COVID-19 outbreak,” Gov. Evers said. “Our front line workers are in need of these critical PPE supplies, and we are doing everything we can to supply them with the tools to effectively do their jobs while preventing further spread. I encourage all of our frontline workers to save their N95 respirators so they can be decontaminated using our new Battelle system. The Battelle system represents one of the many ways Wisconsin is working to have decontamination services readily available for health care workers and first responders.”The Battelle system will be able to decontaminate up to 80,000 N95 respirators on a daily basis. It can decontaminate respirators up to 20 times without degrading filtration performance. The usual decontamination turnaround time for users is a maximum of 72 hours, plus shipping time, as long as the site is not over its capacity for use. The Battelle system can only decontaminate respirators, and not other items of PPE. It is also not authorized for use with respirators containing cellulose-based materials.Battelle decontamination services, including shipping, will be provided to Wisconsin healthcare organizations and professionals free of charge. Eligible healthcare providers include, but are not limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, public health professionals, human and child protective services offices, emergency managers, first responders, coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement and correctional institutions, home health organizations, pharmacists, rural health services and dental offices. “Our Wisconsin site will be a state-wide operation, and we are hoping to get respirators from throughout the Badger state here for decontamination,” said Caitlyn Farragher, Battelle’s Wisconsin site lead. “We plan to run a 24-hour operation in order to ensure a timely turnaround time for all of our users.”The new Battelle system highlights decontamination efforts ongoing throughout Wisconsin to try to ensure that health care workers and first responders can be as safe as possible when performing their duties.With all of the decontamination efforts underway in Wisconsin, health care workers and first responders are being asked to save their used PPE supplies for decontamination. Throughout the past couple of weeks, outreach efforts were conducted to inform health care workers and first responders on how to sign up for the Battelle system decontamination service, and ensure their masks are safely returned to them. “It is our goal to get as many N95 respirators decontaminated as we possibly can,” said Jim Langdon, COVID-19 decontamination response lead at the State Emergency Operations Center. “We are also working to ensure that the process for submitting an item for decontamination is easy and timely for our state’s health care workers and first responders. ”Through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the State of Wisconsin received the Battelle system this week. Battelle developed the system in 2015 to help decontaminate PPE to prevent further spread of Ebola. The Columbus, Ohio company is currently deploying the system to 60 different sites across the nation. Beyond the Battelle system, other decontamination efforts in Wisconsin include UV decontamination sites. These sites service N95 respirators as well as other types of PPE, such as face shields, gowns, and aprons. UV decontamination facilities are currently operating in much of Wisconsin, highlighted by sites in Brown, Dane, Kenosha, and Sawyer counties. In addition to statewide decontamination efforts, Wisconsin continues to work on building up its stockpile of PPE supplies. Last week Wisconsin received a delivery of 230,000 N95 respirators from FEMA. Gov. Evers continues to request more of these supplies to meet Wisconsin’s pressing need. For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. We encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook, Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram for more information on COVID-19. Banner note: Click here for an interesting article in Time on Battelle, a non-profit organization that manufactures this device. The organization is also responsible for much of the technology behind Xerox copy machines, product barcodes and compact disks. |
Recently the City announced that there would be bulk trash pickup on every Thursday during the month of May. Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding between John’s Disposal and City staff. Per John’s, in prior years the extra bulk pickups have only been scheduled around the student housing near campus.
We are sorry for the inconvenience to those residents who put items out for the May 7 pickup that were not picked up. Obviously the terrace lawns would look nicer if it’s not too much trouble to take the items back until the citywide pickup on May 14. If, however, that is inconvenient, no fines will be issued for items that are left out until the 14th.
The bulk pickup on May 21 will again only be campus focused. May 28 will be an all city pickup.
Apologies for the confusion on this matter.
Brad Marquardt
Department of Public Works Director
Per an announcement in the May 6 newspaper, The (Janesville) Gazette will end its Saturday and Sunday print editions, trimming print publication to five days a week as economic pressures on the news industry continue to mount amid the COVID-19 crisis. The Gazette has delivered seven editions a week for 32 years. The change goes into effect June 1.
The decision comes as the paper faces a falloff in advertising and subscriber revenue that’s worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s a measure the newspaper’s ownership had been discussing “for some time,” said Mary Jo Villa, Gazette publisher and Adams Publishing Group regional president.
“I absolutely believe it is the appropriate and necessary step to ensure we remain viable and have the ability to publish quality local journalism for many years to come,” Villa said in a statement. “The COVID crisis further put into perspective how important it is that we size our organization in a manner that ensures we can continue to provide the quality of journalism our communities deserve.”
The Gazette will continue to deliver news and advertising on GazetteXtra.com, the paper’s website, seven days a week, Villa said.
The elimination of two print editions a week will result in a total of six employees being laid off—some in the newsroom and some in the circulation and distribution divisions. The layoffs are effective at the end of May.
As the newspaper industry grapples with changing realities in business, one common response is to decrease the frequency of print products or end publication on certain days of the week, Villa said.
In an interview, Villa said The Gazette’s weekend papers have tended to be the most costly to produce given typical staffing at the printing plant in Janesville, which Adams Publishing also owns and manages.
The decision ends a seven-day-a-week print schedule established in 1988 to capitalize on advertiser demand and growth in preprinted advertising inserts. During most of The Gazette’s 175 years of publication, the paper printed five days a week.
In the last few years, the demise of local advertisers, including Shopko, Sears, Boston Store, JCPenney, Pick ’n Save and Maurer’s Market, among others, has hurt Gazette revenue, Villa said.
The COVID-19 crisis brought on a worsening falloff in advertising revenue, in part because many businesses have temporarily shuttered during the pandemic. In response to losses in ad revenue and the fallout of the novel coronavirus crisis, Adams Publishing in late March instituted a reduction in employee work hours at The Gazette and its other publications.
Villa said the Friday paper will become a “weekend” edition.
“We are not eliminating any content,” Villa said. “Most of the Sunday content will be in Friday’s edition, which will become a weekend edition. I believe each edition Monday through Friday will be improved, particularly as we recover from the COVID crisis and things such as sports and community events return.”
The Gazette will continue to deliver around-the-clock coverage of breaking news and sports every day, including weekends, via GazetteXtra.com.
Villa said The Gazette plans to launch an emailed newsletter to deliver readers the latest news.
The same assortment of pre-printed retail shopping fliers typically inserted in Sunday’s paper will be distributed in the Wednesday and Friday print editions. Villa said the Friday edition will include a bonus volume of games and comics.
Under the shift, subscription prices for The Gazette won’t change because Saturday and Sunday content previously printed both online and in print will continue to be available to subscribers online.
The Friday weekend edition will be delivered the same as other weekday papers, and the newsstand price for the Friday edition will be $2.50. The Sunday paper, which will cease at the end of this month, now costs $4 at newsstands. Monday through Thursday editions will sell for $1.50, which is the current newsstand price for weekday editions.
Gazette circulation surveys show at least 70% of the paper’s readers receive The Gazette’s content through online and multimedia channels.
Villa said she expects some backlash from readers who prefer to read news in print or who can’t or won’t read the paper via an electronic device.
“There is a slice of our readership that don’t have computers, they don’t have tablets, they don’t have smartphones. And I anticipate those individuals will be very disappointed,” Villa said. “But to perpetuate delivery seven days (a week) for what’s probably 20% of our customer base at the peril of the other 75% to 80% isn’t a good business strategy in my opinion.”
The Gazette is among several area newspapers owned and operated by Adams Publishing Group, a family-owned company headquartered in Minnesota. Adams acquired The Gazette and the Janesville printing facility in June 2019 in a sale by the Bliss family, who had operated The Gazette since the 1880s.
Adams media holdings in southern and southcentral Wisconsin include the Beloit Daily News, the Daily Jefferson County Union in Fort Atkinson and the Watertown Daily Times.
Obituaries
A celebration of life for Dave Triebold will be held July 27 at Triebold Farms, with festivities beginning around 11:30 am. A rememberance service will take place at 12:30 pm. A pig roast will follow, and the pool will be open. The family encourages you to stay through the evening for a bonfire as well. Contact Kris (262)949-5474 or Kath (414)412-4385 with questions.
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James Paul Fisher, 86, known by friends as JP or Jay, passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at UW Hospital, Madison, with his immediate family by his side. His body finally surrendered to a heart attack after battling heart and kidney ailments for many years. Born in Fond du lac, Wisconsin, on October 25, 1937, to Lorraine and James Fisher, JP was a resident of Elkhorn and then Whitewater, Wisconsin. At age 2 JP was diagnosed with polio. Through daily therapy administered by his mother and grandmother, he overcame this life threatening virus, and with a prognosis of limited … Read more
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Shirley M. Messier, 86, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on July 8, 2024. Shirley was born to Erwin and Leona Reese on May 20, 1938, in Farmington, Wisconsin. Shirley (“Shirttail”) attended the local country school, then set out on her own, taking a job doing factory work. On August 24, 1957, she married Blaine Messier in Jefferson, Wisconsin. They had three daughters, Michele (Shelly), Terry, and Karen. Shirley spent many years being a working wife and mother, finally retiring from Polymer Technologies / MacLean Fogg in Whitewater. Shirley loved country music and spent her retirement years going to George Jones … Read more
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Patricia Ann ParrBorn 7/20/42Departed to Heaven 5/10/23 About herself, Patricia often said “I love life, I love God, He always has taken care of me, and He always will”. Patricia died peacefully at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc, after a long and courageously fought season of declining health. Patricia was born in Beaver Dam, to a lovely family, which included her older brother Dennis and not too long after, her lifetime best friend and little sister Mary. They grew up on an idyllic “Gentlemen’s Farm” outside of Jefferson, with horses and many animals. Her parents, Floyd and Kathryn owned the … Read more
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Marjorie Alice “GG” Roloff, 89, passed away Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at Golden Years in Lake Geneva, WI. She was born July 31, 1934, to Fred and Martha (Arndt) Papcke, in Whitewater, WI, the fifth of eleven children. GG attended South Heart Prairie School, across the road from the family’s home farm. She is a Whitewater High School graduate. On April 19, 1953, she married her high school sweetheart, Eric. She worked a variety of jobs over the years. Her most memorable of those being the local canning factory and as a crossing guard. After retiring, she and Eric would … Read more
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Marilyn Mae Fuerstenberg, 81 of Whitewater, WI., passed away on June 27, 2024, at Agrace Hospice in Janesville, WI. Marilyn was born May 27, 1943, in Geneva Township, to Raymond and Doris Kilpin. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, her two younger brothers, Mike and Donny Kilpin. Marilyn married William (Bill) Fuerstenberg on September 21, 1963. Bill and Marilyn lived in Whitewater. Together they raised three children, taking the family on yearly vacations and camping trips throughout the years. Marilyn worked for Walworth County Health and Social Services as a Child Protection Social Worker. She dedicated 25 years … Read more
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Jerome Francis Burke, age 76, of Whitewater, WI, passed away unexpectedly following a brief illness on June 27, 2024. Jerry was born in Evanston, IL on May 13, 1948 to Stephen and Catherine Burke. He grew up in Glenview, IL, where he graduated from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School and then Loyola Academy (Wilmette). Those early days spawned treasured, lifelong friendships. He went on to graduate from St. Joseph’s College (IN) with a BA in Economics, and it was there thathe met his beloved wife, Eileen. They married shortly after graduation and were blessed to share their lives … Read more
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Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz passed away Sunday, June 30th in home beside family and friends in Milford, Delaware from a long battle with cancer. Angelica E. Vicente Santa Cruz was born on February 24, 1965. She was the daughter of Doña Carmen Santa Cruz Valdez and Don Luis Vicente León, who allowed her to share a life of family union with her four brothers: Braulio, Carmen Rosa, Edgar and Juan. She was born in Lima-Peru and grew up in the Ventanilla district of the constitutional province of Callao of Peru. She completed her primary studies at the La Merced … Read more
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Lowell V. Youngs, 87, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, June 24, 2024 in Madison. Lowell was born on September 4, 1936 in Wyoming to Isaac and Violet (Doble) Youngs. He grew up in the very small town of Veteran, Wyoming, where he was one of nine students in his graduating class. After graduating, Lowell attended the University of Colorado, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 1958. Lowell was drafted into the US Army in 1960 and selected to be in the Army Band, where he gladly carried a clarinet instead of a gun. He was … Read more
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Robert Karl Webb passed away peacefully with his loving wife Adrienne by his side on June 14, 2024, at Hearthstone Memory Care in Whitewater, WI. Dr. Webb was born in Trenton, Missouri on September 29, 1926, to parents Karl and Esther (Kull) Webb. During World War II, he served in the Navy aboard the USS Pennsylvania and was honorably discharged in 1946. He received his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in music from the University of Illinois in Urbana. Dr. Webb was a composer and taught in the public schools of Moberly, Missouri, and was the director of the Hobart, Indiana … Read more
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