Oregon Observer The
Thursday, March 26, 2020 • Vol. 135, No. 39 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1.50
VOTE FOR
JERRY BOLLIG
*Paid for by Bollig for County Board, Ruth Klahn Treasurer
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COVID-19 response
Oregon adapts to a new normal STAFF REPORT Unified Newspaper Group
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow more real to Oregon residents, businesses and other organizations have been adapting to what seems like new realities every day. National, state and local restrictions aimed at stemming the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus grew tighter every few days, with Gov. Tony Evers declaring on Tuesday, March 24, that only essential business operations may continue. What qualified as essential was a long list that included all food service, professional services, charity organizations, construction, delivery and financial institutions. That 16-page edict – foreshadowed four days earlier with an update to the governor’s March 17 mass gathering order – f o r c e d m a ny O r eg o n businesses to adjust their models or close, at least t e m p o r a r i l y. S i t - d o w n
Inside Oregon neighborhood hosts parade Page 2 Pantry moves to pre-packaged food, curbside pickup Page 3 Restaurant listings for where to order carryout Page 6 County announces a hiring freeze Page 7 restaurants and bars either stopped serving or switched to curbside pickup, funeral homes restricted visitors, while grocery stores and drive-thru
Turn to Crisis/Page 12
Educators prepare for long-distance teaching Virtual learning becoming the new normal for schools SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Schools in the Oregon School District are quiet. But there’s still a lot of learning going on. Since Dane County ordered all schools to close starting Monday, March 16, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a new normal for educators, students and parents.
Schools statewide will be shut down for an indefinite period of time, as Gov. Tony Evers has ordered the closure for the duration of the public health emergency. After a welcome pause this week for spring break, they’ll be back at it – teaching and learning in their new home classrooms. For administrators, the week of March 16-20 was focused on reaching out to families and connecting with students to ensure all district families are ready to access distance learning when it
Turn to School/Page 7
Photo by Emilie Heidemann
Charlie’s on Main closed its bar until further notice — until the COVID-19 pandemic lifts. However, the establishment is still open for to-go orders.
Weathering the storm Oregon businesses do their best to adapt to ever-evolving pandemic EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group
Almost overnight, Oregon’s streets went from bustling to silent. Amid a COVID-19 pandemic that has increasingly dominated headlines the past few weeks, businesses and food establishments have been forced to adapt as the disease continues to spread. Gov. Tony Evers signed an order Tuesday, March 24, calling for the public to stay at home and closing all non-essential businesses in the state. This comes a week after he ordered a ban on gatherings of 10 people or more, updating the order Friday, March 20, to close salons, spas and body art parlors. According to that order, media and news organizations, laundromats, financial institutions, public transportation, healthcare institutions and grocery stores may remain open. It is unclear, according to Evers’ Tweets, whether that list will change. But as the Observer reached out to affected businesses and food establishments, one thing became clear — they aren’t going down
without a fight. Some restaurants and bars continue to offer curbside pickup and online ordering. Other businesses have shifted employees to working from home, offering meetings and classes virtually. The Observer spoke with four businessowners — Dave Heide, Charlie’s on Main; Dave Grueneberg, White Rock Bar in Rutland; Dan Donoghue, Chocolate Caper; Erin Chisman, Academy of Sound and Kelly Scholz-Temte, Wishing Tree Studio. The five provided a window into what the business climate is now like in Oregon. They all voiced concerns about their employees’ financial wellbeing and health, but offered hopes they will all weather this storm together. The owners come from varying circumstances. While Gruenewald said he’s retired and the majority of his employees were part-time with other jobs, Heide said he worries the pandemic will greatly impact his staff ’s income. Donoghue said his staff is doing all they can to stay afloat. Both Chisman and Scholz-Temte said their businesses have so far adapted well to going virtual for now. Academy of Sound, which relies on foot traffic
Turn to Pandemic/Page 10
How to help The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has released a guide for small businesses and community organizations to help navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes sections on protecting the health of employees and customers, community level initiatives, technology-based solutions and ideas for products and services to offer as people are homebound. The guide can be downloaded at wedc.org/programs-and-resources/ covid-19-response. WEDC also has $5 million in its arsenal available to Community Development Financial Institutions to make grants up to $20,000 each to existing loan clients, an email news release states. Other organizations, including the Small Business Administration, have an economic injury disaster loans program available once the federal government declares Wisconsin a disaster area. Current funding is capped at $50 billion nationwide, the release states.
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As the health crisis deepens, state limits public interactions