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Thursday, March 19, 2020 • Vol. 135, No. 38 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1.50
COVID-19 response
SHUT DOWN Schools, services in Oregon close amid concerns over spreading COVID-19
112 Janesville Street, Oregon, WI 53575 Phone: 835-8276 • Fax: 835-8277 Mon., Fri. & Sat. appointment only Tues. & Thurs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Wed. 12 p.m.-6 p.m.,
Cancellation robs Panthers of state tournament Girls basketball team earned first trip in 40 years
UNG STAFF Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Mackenzie Krumme
On Friday, March 13, Bill’s Food Center had to limit the amount of toilet paper patrons could purchase. Owner Bill Faust Jr. said if people keep “panic purchasing,” the shortages will continue to get worse. School District closing schools at the direction of the state, civic services like the library and the senior center being shut off to the public, limitations for the Oregon Area Food Pantry, emergency powers for the Village of Oregon and difficult decisions for business owners.
Schools tentatively planned to reopen Monday, April 6. In the meantime, the district will begin virtual learning from Tuesday, March 31 through at least Friday, April 3. The first cases of COVID-19 were seen in China in late 2019, and the disease has since
spread internationally, affecting 182,000 people and killing 7,400. COVID-19 was deemed a worldwide pandemic March 11 by the World Health Organization, the first since H1N1 influenza in 2009.
Turn to COVID-19/Page 11
The Oregon girls basketball team’s dreams of a Division 2 state championship came to an end before the Panthers stepped on the Resch Center court in Green Bay. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) late Thursday, March 12, canceled all remaining games of the state girls basketball tournament, including Oregon’s state semifinal matchup against Hortonville. The decision to cancel the tournament came as a response to evolving concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The fourth-seeded Panthers (215) were set to take on the top-seeded Polar Bears (25-1) at 1:35 p.m. Friday, March 13. It was going to be Oregon’s first state tournament game since 1980. Tickets for the girls state basketball tournament will be refunded in full. Fans are asked to contact the WIAA office only if you do not see a refund to your account within two weeks of the tournament. Any tickets purchased at Oregon High School will be refunded by the school and not the Resch Center or the WIAA. Full story: Page 12 — Adam Feiner
Inside
Oregon School District
Inside Village encourages absentee voting Page 3 Village declares health emergency Page 5 Restaurants take hit Page 5 Spring sports in holding pattern Page 12 Oregon Correctional Center suspends visits Page 15
School’s out for … ? All district classes, events cancelled; re-evaluation in 2 weeks SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
It’s the kind of “spring break” no one saw coming when the 2020-21 calendar came out last year. Due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, the Oregon School District has been required to cancel all classes and activities from Monday, March 16, through at least Friday, April 3, with plans to use virtual learning to meet students’ educational needs in the meantime. Gov. Tony Evers announced the
closings of all schools in the state in a Friday, March 13, news release. The anticipated reopening date is Monday, April 6; however, that is subject to change pending further information. While Evers mandated that schools close as of March 18, on Sunday, March 15, Dane County made it an immediate closure. Virtual learning will cease during Spring Break, which will still take place at its previously scheduled dates from March 23-27. Virtual learning will resume March 30 until at least April 3. Grab and go lunches will also be available for district children 18 and under during the school closures, and the district is providing technology
A 2020 special
A Madison-area parent’s guide to everything kids!
supplement by
Stories about education, games and activities for young ones Special section
Health and wellness for senior citizens Pages 7-10
Turn to School/Page 14
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Editor’s Note: The Observer has a print deadline of Tuesday afternoon. Some of the information included in this reporting is reflective of accurate information at that time. We will be updating our online stories with developments. Ross Berndt-Kindschi has worked for Bill’s Food Center in Oregon for 10 years. He usually orders between 12-25 cases of items for aisles 15-18, which includes items like soaps, bleach and hand wipes. This week, he ordered 200. As busy as Bill’s has been, other businesses, including Firefly Coffeehouse and Artisan Cheese and Charlie’s on Main among other restaurants, have closed to the public, only offering curbside options for now. The cause for concern is in the quickly spreading coronavirus pandemic, which has brought 72 active cases of COVID-19 in the state, with 19 in Dane County. It has resulted in the Oregon
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