Reopening Wisconsin: Risky business in 5 southeastern counties

Public Health Experts Say Many States Are Opening Too Soon To Do So Safely.  (NPR, 5/8/2020)

By Monday, at least 31 states will have partially reopened after seven weeks of restrictions. The moves come as President Trump pushes for the country to get back to work despite public health experts warning that it's too soon. 

"The early lesson that was learned, really, we learned from the island of Hokkaido in Japan, where they did a really good job of controlling the initial phase of the outbreak," said Bob Bednarczyk, assistant professor of global health and epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. 

Because of that success, many of the restrictions on the island were lifted. But cases and deaths surged in a second wave of infections. Twenty-six days later, the island was back on lockdown. 

"That's the concern that we have right now," he said.

Source:  Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Frances Gruttaria Culberton Bevevino (1934-2020) Warren High School class of 1952

Source:  Warren Times Observer

1952 Dragon yearbook

1967 Warren City Directory

• Gruttaria Frank (Sara M) machinist Techs h10 Sixth Avenue

1983 Warren City Directory

• Culbertson David A & Frances; employee Deluxe Inter Royal h21 Biddle Street

The popularity of Frances as a baby name is graphed here.  Let's take a look at grandson Mason.

Source:  Social Security Administration

Mason bounced around for most of the 20th century.  He started to come into his own in the 1980s and is now enjoying his 8th year in the top 10.  He peaked at #2 in 2011 and 2012.

Other class of '52 grads:
2019
Carol Barrett Boltz.  (11/28/2019)
Marilyn Smith Miller.  (8/2/2019)
Ralph Wade.  (7/8/2019)
Dudley Donaldson.  (2/8/2019)
June Odmark Wiggins.  (1/5/2019)

2018
Richard Hansen.  (1/2/2018)

2017
Donald "Dean" Webster.  (8/2/2017)
Earl Henry Campbell.  (7/17/2017)
Theodore Shaw.  (6/7/2017)
Richard Suppa.  (5/27/2017)
Neil Siefert.  (4/18/2017)

Mary Anne Handest McHenry.  (3/23/2017)
Reynold Flatt.  (2/27/2017)

2016
Donald Merkle.  (9/23/2016)
Minnie Bonavita Miller.  (6/10/2016)
Myra Wilson Babcock.  (5/19/2016)
Norma Pierce Nielsen.  (4/6/2016)
Santo 'Sam' Pascuzzi.  (2/14/2016)

2015
Glenn Culbertson.  (10/23/2015)

2014
Elizabeth Eggleston Hoffman.  (10/17/2014)

GET ME REWRITE: Oconomowoc City Council tackles a major issue of the pandemic era

City of Oconomowoc

A pedal tavern is coming to Oconomowoc for the first time.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/21/2020)

"I think it's cool," Ald. Andy Rogers said. "I think it's a great idea. It's a first and it's new. It gives another reason to grab your friends and come downtown."

Borkowski said all social distancing guidelines will be adhered to and the pedal tavern will be sanitized after every ride. 

"Between our schedules we allow 15 minutes to clean and sanitize," Borkowski said.

The dying embers of a Trump presidency

A man and his administration starved not just from lack of oxygen but a lack of truth, intelligence, and empathy.

Reported in Trump says US won't close over second COVID-19 wave.  (The Hill, 5/21/2020)

The number of active cases in the U.S. continues to grow.

Worldometer

The number of active cases in Germany peaked at 72,865 on April 6 and as of 5/21/2020 has 12,712 cases, a decrease of 83%.

Worldometer

With the rush-to-reopen craziness taking place in the United States, a second wave is inevitable.

Related reading:
Germany is reopening. Cautiously.  (Vox, 5/1/2020)

Germany has one of the best records managing the coronavirus. Now, the world is watching as it attempts to reopen.

Wisconsin State Journal editorial board wants to have it both ways

Apparently, the State Journal thinks this editorial is a very big deal.

In other words, no matter what the liberal justices do, no matter what decisions they make, they deserve our unending scorn.

GET ME REWRITE: Where stupid people live on Madison's west side

Madison.com, 5/18/2020

A Scranton Court resident reported a weapon missing Thursday after inadvertently leaving their pickup truck unlocked, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said in a statement. 

A Sayner Court homeowner reported a similar crime Wednesday, and the weekend of May 9-10 a man on Stonebridge Drive said a Berretta 9mm was stolen from the glovebox after he left his car unlocked, DeSpain said.

GET ME REWRITE: Trump wants our tax dollars to pay for Pompeo housekeeper

A statement that reeks of white privilege

USA Today, 5/19/2020

Retiring Guy suggests Pompeo watch this video.



On the other hand, Pompeo can certainly afford to hire his own help.

GET ME REWRITE: U.S. per capita COVID numbers rank 12th among 215 countries of the world

Map:  TIME

Reported in Virus review: States accused of fudging testing data; US-Canada border to remain closed.  (Madison.com, 5/19/2020)

Cases per 1 million population

Worldometer

Deaths per 1 million population

Stupidity rises to the top (Republican Party of Kenosha County edition)

Photo credit:  Kenosha County Board of Supervisors

The names of the other 4 Gomers are found here.

Evers Wants 270-Day Shutdown! Nope. (Urban Milwaukee, 5/18/2020)

Republicans deal in their speciality: Fake news. A copy-and-paste social media post, shared by a number of conservative groups, alleges that Governor Tony Evers is making an end run around the Wisconsin Supreme Court and seeking to close Wisconsin for 270 days.

Wishful thinking: Mike Pence makes the virus go away

Just because state and local officials are reopening does not mean the virus is soon behind us.

4/23/2020 Fox News propaganda: Pence says coronavirus could be 'largely' behind us by Memorial Day weekend. 

In fact, the number of active COVID-19 cases has grown 8.5% during the past 10 days.

Source:  Worldometer

When Pence made this inane remark, the U.S. had 745,151 active cases.  We've experienced an increase of 356,679 cases -- an increase of nearly one-third --  since then.

The coronavirus epidemic will most certainly not be behind us in 6 days.

Iowa GOP Senator Joni Ernst offers up some coronavirus pabulum on Breitbart Daily News

Quoted in Ernst: ‘Iowa Has Fared Pretty Well’ During Coronavirus Pandemic.   (Iowa Starting Line, 4/28/2020)

From an April 23, 2020, interview broadcast on Breitbart Daily News.

On the day of the interview, Iowa had 3,924 confirmed cases of COVID-19.   Twenty-five days later, the number of cases has reached 14,955 -- an increase of nearly 300%.  Iowa currently ranks 13th among the 50 states in total cases among 100,000 people, ahead of such coastal states as California and Washington.

Related post:
Week by week:  COVID-19 cases in Iowa.

This is what happens when billionaires call the shots (Betsy DeVos edition)

Reported in DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and Religious Schools.  (The New York Times, 5/15/2020)

Related reading:
Inside Betsy DeVos’ Billions: Just How Rich Is The Education Secretary?  (Forbes, 7/24/2019)

Among Donald Trump’s historically rich cabinet members, Betsy DeVos is the richest. But for more than two years, the extent of her finances has been a mystery. Now Forbes has zeroed in on the root of the DeVos family fortune, Amway, to come up with what we believe is the most realistic estimate of the size of her fortune published so far. Together, Betsy DeVos, her husband and their four adult children are worth roughly $2 billion.

Related posts:
Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos approves of these tactics.  (6/19/2019)
Christine Baranski and Betsy DeVos: Separated at birth?  (9/1/2017)
Apparently, Betsy DeVos doesn't give a shit if your for-profit school leaves you deep in debt and degreeless.  (5/17/2017)
UPDATE. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos approves this message. Awesome!  (2/26/2017)
Afraid to show his pearly whites, John Humphries nonetheless sez he's thrilled with Betsy DeVos.  (2/17/2017)
Not $urpri$ingly, $cott Walker has a love jone$ for Bet$y DeVo$.  (1/30/2017)
Headline news: Why are we even having this conversation?  (1/19/2017)

What happens when people have too much money

How the ultra rich customized Bugatti's $5.4 million Divo car.  (USA Today, 5/17/2020)

AND I QUOTE:

Customers often use family crests, national flags or personal logos as inspiration. Some choose the leather and colors that match their handbag or their favorite pair of shoes. Customers from the United States tend to order "eye-catching" and "extravagant" color combinations, Bugatti said. 

RETIRING GUY'S QUESTION: 

What happens when these ultra rich popinjays tire of that new handbag or pair of shoes after a few months?

REVIVED SERIES: Only 904 days until we can vote Our Dumb Senator out of office

So then those are real tears, huh?

Reported in 'A threat to accountable democracy': Some Republicans object to Trump dismissal of federal watchdog.  (USA Today, 5/18/2020)

The 'some Republicans' in the headline includes 3 of 53 GOP Senators (Chuck Grassley, Susan Collins, Mitt Romneyj) and none of the 199 GOP House Representatives.

Related posts:
UPDATE: Our dumb senator continues to get hammered .  (105/2019)
UPDATE. Our Dumb Senator -- now in its 7th year!!!  (8/16/2017)
UPDATE: Our dumb senator -- proven scientifically -- on climate change.  (8/8/2016)

GET ME REWRITE: Trump has pandemic death wish for football fans

Reported in Trump Looks Forward to the Return of Sports With Crowds. (The New York Times, 5/17/2020)

No wonder Trump wants to dump Anthony Fauci.

Photo credit:  National Institute of Health

Richelieu Foods: Then and now

Fond du Lac Reporter

Related reading:

Food supply:  The worst is yet to come.  (Politico, 5/12/2020)

Covid outbreaks had been reported in at least 194 meatpacking and processed food plants and four farms, as of Monday afternoon, according to data gathered by the Food and Environment Reporting Network. At least 12,608 meatpacking workers, 936 food processing workers, and 230 farmworkers have tested positive, and 54 have died. Some of the highest reports came at plants owned by Tyson Foods (at least 3,802 cases), JBS (at least 1,700 cases) and Smithfield (at least 1,029 cases).

Related posts: 
GET ME REWRITE: Four years ago, Mason City Iowa declined opportunity to become coronovirus 
hot spot.  (5/11/2020)
Trump's America: In Nobles County, Minnesota, another influx of immigrants reinforces Don Brink's prejudice.   (9/23/2019)

GET ME REWRITE: In responding to question about Obama commencement speech, Trump writes his own epitaph

FutureGravestones

Obama was 'grossly incompetent president': Donald Trump. (Economic Times, 5/18/2020)

Related reading:
Yes, it's OK to speculate on the president's health.  (11/18/2019)

Related post:
Death of a presidency.  (chapters 1-8)

Retiring Guy has a question for the New York Times

As read here.

3?   10, for example, make the graph look awfully jumpy.

Worldometer

Since the beginning of April, the column graph takes on a rthymic effect.  The good news is that we haven't had a 30,000+ day since May 1st.

 Active cases took a dip on May 12th, but otherwise we've seen a steady increase...

...as the teal line in the this graph below.

Other New York Times complacency concern articles:

Cambodia’s Coronavirus Complacency May Exact a Global Toll.  2/17/2020)

Complaeency, Not Panice, Is the Real Danger.  (3/19/2020)

Add 2 more locations: Office and retail space for sale or lease along University Avenue between Allen Boulevard and Park Street in Middleton WI

6603 University Avenue
Offices located here:  Zingg Design, 1848 Construction, and Schwarz Insurance.

6637 University Avenue

After 'an amazing 7 years,' Chocolaterian closes for good.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 8/6/2019)

Leanne Cordisco, the majority owner of the business, said she couldn't survive after a flood and then a fire at the Atwood location, and a flood at the Middleton shop. 

"A fire and two floods. It's just cash flow -- just couldn't overcome it," she said.

Original 4/13/2019 post starts here.

6230 University Avenue.  
Last occupied, six years ago, by Mi Cocina, this building started out as a hamburger joint in the 1960s.

Photos by Retiring Guy

6225 University Avenue
Rambling, 2-story, 1960s-era building with a number of health-related tenants.

6300 University Avenue
Former location of Associated Bank

6333 University Avenue
Mid Town Square shopping center 

Suites 113 and 114 are available

6401 University Avenue
Former Chicken Run (opened December 2017, closed November 2018) and former Crandall's Carryout and Catering

6415 University Avenue
Built on the site of the iconic Rusty's Bar, Sonic got off to a blistering starts, with Middleton police having to direct traffic on University Avenue as well as a few side states.  It quickly became a place that most people avoided.

6519 University Avenue
This Jiffy Lube location is in its second year of being "closed for remodel".

6602 University Avenue
Office building contains 6 to 8 suites.  When my wife and I first moved to Middleton, my ophthalmologist worked out of one.  Despite the business names on the signs, the building seems to be deserted, as there are rarely any cars parked here.

6615 University Avenue

Say goodbye to Papa John's.  (I say good riddance.)

6771 University Avenue

On the Avenue is a late 1980s/early 1990s redevelopment project that replaced a series of single-occupancy, rundown buildings, including one that, from its architectural design, looked to be one of Middleton's first convenience stores (sans gas pumps).

3 of the 14 spaces are available for lease.  100% occupancy has never been a thing here.