Sharing the Latest News You Can Use: COVID-19
Kenosha - Hello, neighbor. The news is constantly changing these days, and it can be hard to keep up. In this update, you will find a review of news items from the past week as well as news you can use for the week ahead. These are difficult times for all of us, but we will get through it together. I hope this is helpful. Stay safe and healthy.
In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
Evers Joins Other Dem, Republican Midwest Governors in Coalition to Coordinate Re-opening
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/politics/midwest-governors-reopening-pact/index.html
Governor Evers Extends Safer at Home Order, with a Few Changes
Trump Unveils Three-Phase Guidelines for Re-opening
More Help is Coming for the Unemployed
Wisconsin Senate Overwhelmingly Approves COVID-19 Relief Bill, Sending it to Governor Evers
Offering Information and Assistance with Unemployment Benefits
The Week Ahead
*Entertainment
The number of in-home entertainment options while we stay safer-at-home is growing by the day. Here are some of the new activities that are now available or will be coming soon.
The One World: Together @ Home Concert: A global broadcast to support and raise money for frontline health care workers, featuring huge stars like The Rolling Stones, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Michael Buble, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen Degeneres, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Elton John, Keith Urban and many more. Airing on most major broadcast networks, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Twitter, Twitch and more. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/connect/togetherathome/
LeVar Burton Reads on Twitter: The actor perhaps best known as host of the children’s show Reading Rainbow reads books for children and teens on his Twitter account https://twitter.com/levarburton
Virtual Tours of National Parks: Take in the splendor and history of our national parks and historic sites https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/take-virtual-visit-national-park
Free Concert Films From Legendary Artists: Among the most recent to offer live concert footage for online viewing are Pink Floyd (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY2qt3dw2TQJxvBrDiYGHdQ), Radiohead (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq19-LqvG35A-30oyAiPiqA), Genesis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChv9FR8xwUxEkdBUVu4VUOw), The Grateful Dead (https://www.youtube.com/user/gratefuldead/featured) and Metallica (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvQXRgtxlukIkmzucaV3rSFgYYdTr85A).
Virtual Pub Trivia: Missing trivia night at your local restaurant? Try virtual trivia from Quizmaster Trivia (http://quizmastertrivia.com) or The Quizmasters (https://thequizmasters.com)
Streaming Broadway Shows: BroadwayHD (https://broadwayhd.com) lets you watch your favorite Broadway hits from the comfort of home. The service is $8.99 per month but offers a free 7 day trial.
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Need something besides the TV to keep your kids busy? Want to exercise your own mind? Check out the Smithsonian Learning Lab (https://https://learninglab.si.edu/) for all kinds of distance learning resources.
Tribeca Film Festival: The world famous film festival founded in part by Robert DeNiro will stream its entire 2020 lineup online from April 15 - 26. https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival
*Looking for Work? Virtual Job Fair April 15-29
A number of local employers are participating in an online job fair now through April 29 at https://gethired.anywherecareerfair.com/WisconnValley.
*Caring for Your Mental Health During a Pandemic
We are living in a time of great uncertainty. It's completely normal to feel extra worry, stress and anxiety. That's why the state Department of Health Services has launched Resilient Wisconsin, a site bringing together the latest mental and behavioral health self-care tools and practices. You are not alone; we are all in this together. Find more at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/resilient/index.htm.
*Wondering about the Status of Your Stimulus Payment?
The IRS has set up a site where, by entering your personal information, you can check the status of your federal stimulus payment. For those who have not filed a tax return for 2018 or 2019 and are not Social Security or SSI recipients, you can use this same site to file a short form in order to receive the stimulus. Visit https://irs.gov/coronavirus and click “Check your payment status”. From there, to find out when your payment will arrive, select “Get my payment” and follow the directions. For non-filers who need to complete the short form, select “Non-filers: Enter Payment Info Here”. The first direct deposit stimulus payments went out this week.
*How to File an Unemployment Claim
The Department of Workforce Development is encouraging all who have lost their jobs or whose hours have been reduced due to COVID-19 to file their unemployment claims online at https://dwd.wi.gov/ui/. The site also features a "Frequently Asked Questions" section and information on the federal coronavirus stimulus. You can find a how-to video on filing an unemployment claim here: https://media.wisconsin.gov/ui/ext/benefits/how_to_apply.htm. The federal CARES Act extends unemployment benefits to gig workers, independent contractors and self-employed individuals for the first time; those people can begin applying for unemployment benefits through the state site the week of April 20. Additionally, that same federal legislation provides an extra $600 per week for claimants during the public health emergency. Those additional funds will begin paying out the week of April 27.
*Racine Family YMCA Offering Childcare to First Responders and Essential Employees
Beginning April 20, the Racine Family YMCA will be offering emergency childcare for first responders and other essential employees at two of its area branches, the George Bray Neighborhood Y in Racine and the Sealed Air Y in Mount Pleasant. For more information, call (262)898-4756.
*TENUTA’S RE-OPENS!
After celebrating their 70th Anniversary on April 1, Tenuta’s Deli, 3203 52nd St. in Kenosha, has officially reopened for business. They are currently operating limited hours, 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am to 7 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. While the hours have changed, they are still offering the same great food, wine and other merchandise. They are also hoping to get the outside grill up and running soon.
*Local Restaurants Still Serving Delivery and Carryout
A number of local restaurants have remained open, adapting their business to delivery and carryout service. A great way to support the local economy during this time is to support our restaurants. Use the links below to find restaurants still serving in Kenosha and Racine Counties:
KENOSHA: http://wirestaurant.org/resources/coronavirus/coronavirus-updates-for-diners#kenosha or https://kenoshanews.com/takeout
RACINE: http://wirestaurant.org/resources/coronavirus/coronavirus-updates-for-diners#racine or https://journaltimes.com/takeout
Know of a restaurant not on any of these lists offering to-go or delivery? Let me know.
*Kenosha County Offering Online Narcan Trainings
The Kenosha County Division of Health is now offering online Narcan trainings. Individual and group trainings can be scheduled by contacting program staff at narcan@kenoshacounty.org or (262)605-6741. Trainings take approximately 30 minutes, and Narcan is distributed either by mail or porch drop off.