Now what? (Life now that the Stay at Home order has been overturned)

“But according to the Code of the Order of the Brethren...”

“The code, Miss Turner, is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules.”

Captain Barbossa to Elizabeth Swan in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

On Wednesday night, May 13, an hour before the monthly city council meeting, the news went out that the Wisconsin Supreme Court had struck down Governor Ever's Safer at Home order essentially taking the teeth out of that dog's bite. The day before that our own sheriff Chris Fitzgerald had released a letter stating his intention to no longer enforce an order he considered unenforceable. So the question on everyone's mind is “Now what?”

Can restaurants and taverns open?

Can worshipers return to worshiping inside their sanctuary regularly instead of on-line?

And will there be a Memorial Day parade or Liberty Fest?

The day after the Supreme Court's ruling I happened to be hiking on the Ice Age Trail south of Stevens Point when I received a call from one of the owners of a local eatery wanting to know if they could open. They had been unsuccessful in reaching anyone at HHS and wanted to know if I had heard anything. While I hadn't I offered to reach out to Program Manager for Public Health Laura Sauve and she informed me that since the Safer at Home order had been struck down that there was no official order restraining them from opening. That being said she encouraged the owners to check in with Dave Armstrong at Barron County Economic Development in their preparations to open up their doors to make sure they were following recommended guidelines.

On Friday, Barron County Executive Jeff French made public Barron County COVID-19 Guidance for Community Members, Businesses, and Community Organizations. In a conversation I had with him prior to its release he wanted to emphasize that these were not rules per se with ramifications of enforcement but simply guidelines for people to reference. Unlike an armistice at the end of a war when people run out into the streets to celebrate, the threat of people becoming infected with the virus remains real. So the gist of what I got from Jeff is get back to living but do so responsibly.

So, can a restaurant or tavern open? Well, they already are so, yes. They are encouraged, however, to responsibly arrange their tables within their dining establishment, to offer hand sanitizer and encourage “social distancing”, that phrase that is now part of our daily parlance. So dine responsibly.

Can churches re-open? While the county's official position is to continue to discourage gatherings of 10 or more at this time they will defer to each congregation or denomination to determine under what conditions they reopen. Two local congregations “re-opened” this past Sunday and others will soon follow. I know definitively that no one from Chetek PD or Barron County will be issuing citations to any congregation that decides to gather in their building. My guess is all of us who have been on-line these past 8 weeks will remain on-line in the future as a service to those who feel uncomfortable participating in a large gathering right now or simply because we discovered that by being on-line creates another door to our ministry. Worship responsibly.

And what about graduation? The operations of our schools are governed by the Department of Public Instruction and what they say goes. I know that a few weeks ago C-WHS was working on a plan to hold a graduation ceremony on the football field but that idea got shot down by “the powers that be.” While I don't speak for the schools at this point I am not aware of any formal graduation plan for the graduates of the Class of 2020. I'm sure Superintendent Johnson and Principal Zeman will keep parents and students in the loop when their plan becomes do-able.

And what about Memorial Day observances and Liberty Fest? Again, while these beloved events occur within city limits they really are not run by the city. The American Legion oversees Memorial Day observances and the Chamber is responsible for Liberty Fest. Last week Robert Lund of the American Legion reached out to me wondering about the city's official position on parades to wit I replied that officially we have none. While I'm pretty sure there will be something going out on the bridge and then at the new Veteran's Memorial across from Lake View Cemetery this coming Monday, it definitely won't look like what we're used to. Observe responsibly.

Same goes for Liberty Fest. We lost the Fishy Four this year but that was the C-W Scholarship Foundation's call. It is their fundraiser after all. In my brief conversations with Chamber event coordinator Jennifer Blatz she remains certain that there will be fireworks and hopeful for a number of the other standard Liberty Fest events like the craft show, the car show and, of course, the parade. But again that is the Chamber's call.

The other night I thought I heard Governor Evers say on one of the nightly news programs that with the Supreme Court's ruling it was now the "Wild West" in Wisconsin as anything goes. I beg to differ. Before this all began our way of life ran for the most part on certain firm ground rules and a lot of common sense. There will always be that pull for more “rules and regulations” to govern how we do

things. But the minute you invent a rule a governing authority has to be ready to enforce that rule which comes back to Sheriff Fitzgerald's argument: there are simply not enough cops and deputies to enforce all the rules. Every restaurant and tavern owner wants customers in their establishment. Every pastor wishes for more people in their sanctuary. Trust them to do what must be done to make sure that eating, drinking and worshiping may be done in a safe and responsible manner. I think we're gonna be okay. But we'll know soon enough if my faith in common sense is well-placed – or not.

The parks are open and the playground equipment too. Same goes for the bathrooms there. You'll note a sign on the bathroom doors that indicates how often they are cleaned. They'll also be locked at night. You be the judge. If you're comfortable knowing that we cannot clean the bathrooms every four hours as HHS is recommending then you're welcome to use them. And if not, well don't – but please don't pee in the bushes instead!

A lot of us see things differently. Some think we should have never shut down. Others think we're rushing way too soon to get back open. And a lot of us find ourselves somewhere in between. Let's be nice to each other and be gracious to another as well as we all try to navigate these strange waters the best we can.

OPEN (a four letter-word worth saying over and over again)

It has begun.

Slowly yet surely the “open” lights are beginning to come back on around town.

Two weeks ago, golf courses opened.

Last week, area resorts threw down the welcome mat.

And tomorrow – Tuesday, May 12 – 61 days after the Safer-at-Home order was given, local retail shops like Whimsical Wares, Lucky Day, and Time Again will open their doors to customers after Governor Tony Evers issued yet another order from Madison permitting them to do so.

Today Chief Ron Ambrozaitus and myself reached out to the owners to make sure they had seen the most recent order (of course, they had) and understood what the conditions of that order were. The number one question we most wanted to know was: “When do you think you can open?" Here is what they told us:

Wendy from Whimsical Wares:

OPEN!

“Tomorrow or Wednesday by the latest.”

Terry Warren from Time & Again:

“Tomorrow! I'm so excited!”

The Moulettes from Lucky Day:

“Probably by the weekend. We want to confer with the other owners in town so that we're all on the same page.”

Bill from Candy Corner & Creations:

OPEN!

“We'll be open this weekend. This is such great news!”

Lori & Kelly from Off 'R Rockers:

“We're shooting for this weekend!”

(We were unsuccessful in reaching Kelly Timm of Carpe

OPEN!

Diem.)

And what of the eateries and the taverns in town? When do they get to open? That's anybody's guess. As it stands, officially May 26 but the Supreme Court is still conferring and the politicians in Madison are still working out deals in those proverbial “smoke-filled” rooms down there. We can only keep hoping for the best. But a baby step like this is still something to celebrate.

Other “newsie” items:

• The special election for Representative Sean Duffy's former seat is TOMORROW (May 12). You may vote in person at City Hall. Election workers will be masked and gloved and you will be need to don gloves at the door. The machine will be periodically wiped down. Unlike the April election if you are voting by absentee ballot it is too late to mail it. Simply drive by City Hall and drop it off.
• The Chetek Food Shelf is adequately stocked and then some. You may see on the national news that there are food shortages in certain places but NOT HERE. The Chetek Food Shelf is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am – 1 pm for all residents of the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District.
• The MAY council meeting is on WEDNESDAY, May 13 on account of the special election on Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 6 pm as usual. There will be three lines available for the public comment portion of the meeting. If you have something you would like to share with the council please call (715) 924-4838 and you will be placed on speaker phone. You may also join via the Chetek Alert's LIVE Facebook feed and add your pubic comments at that time in the meeting. While the council does not any action on what is shared with them it is your opportunity to be heard. Seating is limited in chambers in order to comply with social distancing recommendations.

Here are the recommendations that they will be operating under:

From Dave Armstrong (Barron County Economic Development Director)

We are all eager to “get on” with living. I so appreciate how this town cares for each other. Here's a message I got from one of our local businesses still able to serve food during this time: “We live in an awesome community! People have been awesome.” I'm sure we all agree. But the rest of their sentence was “but with that being said I can't do just take-out much longer. I am waiting to hear when we can open...” Let's keep hoping for their sake and for everyone elses that's sooner than later.

WWLD? (What Would Fiorella LaGuardia Do?)

Fiorella LaGuardia, New York's 99th Mayor

“What would Fiorello LaGuardia do?”

This is a text I received this past week after the news broke that the city of Rice Lake passed Resolution 20-16 giving the green light to Rice Lake area businesses to “reopen” prior to the official end of Governor Ever's official Shelter-in-Place order which is set to expire May 26. For those who don't recognize the name, Fiorello LaGuardia was the 99^th Mayor of New York City who served for three terms between 1934-1945 and was, as we would say now, a “big deal” back then. My friend who grew up in New York state, tongue-in-cheek, was asking if I was thinking about asking Chetek's common council to follow suit.

Of course, municipal leaders all over the county, myself included, have been having lots of conversations about Rice Lake's decision especially since both Sheriff Fitzgerald and the County Board are officially not in favor of it. Every week since “the shutdown” began in mid-March I have been conferring with fellow mayors Ron Fladten (Barron) and Bert Skinner (Cumberland) as they and their municipal councils try to navigate the same waters as we are. As of last Friday, “wait and see” seemed to be the order of the day. Everyone is chomping at the bit, as it were, for May 26 to get here but not ready to charge out of the gate before the starting bell.

Resolution 20-16

As I review Resolution 20-16 it's sounds to me that this is what they might call a “soft” opening – it allows many businesses to operate but under a number of limitations including how many patrons are allowed within and frequent repetition of that phrase that has become very much a part of our American lexicon these days: “practice social distancing.” But it doesn't cover every business. The way I read it, places like Lake 7 Theater and, say, practically every house of worship in Barron County cannot re-open until the official “less than 10” maximum occupancy has been raised. So the resolution gives the locals a shot in the arm and is a sign of solidarity but nothing can truly reopen by their rule until May 11. The Supreme Court is supposed to rule on the legislature's challenge to the Governor's extension of the Shelter-in-Place order by Tuesday morning (as in today, May 5). Depending on which way they rule, it may make this resolution mute. Which brings us back to “wait and see.”

I did reach out to our city attorney, Randi Osberg, for legal advice and his opinion was that it's never good to be first in line for a firing squad (that's my paraphrase of his words). “Being among the first...may mean you bear the cost while others stand by waiting...” Waiting for what? Obviously, to see what happens to the first in line. And what if it doesn't work out so good for him – or us?

As a pastor, I also asked about the constitutionality-issue that has been raised in the news lately; mainly, isn't the State violating citizens foundational right to assemble? His advice on that was that contrary to what many believe it wasn't a slam-dunk case. “The government can regulate these activities and does so all the time (e.g., you can't shout 'fire' in a crowded theater and then claim you were exercising your right to free speech.)” When Chetek Lutheran purchased electronic chimes for their bell tower years ago they still had to comply with city noise ordinances to do so. That's just called being a good neighbor. “The old saw 'your freedom to swing your fist ends at your neighbor's nose' shows the issue. One's right to go to church can impact the public's right to their health. Is the regulation content neutral? A ban on gatherings over a certain size for a limited time probably works; saying no church services probably doesn't. So, if two parts of a law say you can't and only one is unconstitutional, you can still be held in violation...” The long and short of it is his counsel is to “stay the course a bit longer.”

Governor Evers, please let us have our Liberty Fest...

In the last few weeks I have also had convgersations with many local business owners trying to gauge how they're doing and what their thoughts are if we were to be so bold and follow in Rice Lake's path. At the same time Chief Ambrozaitus reached out to the local tavern owners and had similar conversations with them. I won't say that I speak for all of them but what Chief and I heard is that restaurants don't want to risk losing their food service license, bar owners, despite the push of the Tavern League to open up May 12, don't want to risk losing their liquor license, and the specialty shops like Whimsical Wares, Lucky Day and Off 'R Rockers are leery of turning on their “Open” sign without the Governor's official approval. There are too many unanswered questions regarding liability. As far as our local congregations go, they, too, chafe against Executive Order #28 but continue to abide by the parameters of that order. (What a relief that on the eve of Easter weekend Governor Evers issued a statement that clarified that like places that sold beer and liquor, churches were considered an essential business. In case you don't hear it in my tone of voice, that's sarcasm.)

So, what would LaGuardia do? Apparently he was a little guy like me but with a flair for the dramatic. Given his legacy as one of the greatest mayors of all time, I suppose he would be front and center of the “re-open” debate. Of course, it helps when you're the mayor of the largest city in America and personal friends with FDR. I met Governor Evers once on the podium at the ceremony of the dedication of the new school additions in 2000 when he was the Assistant Secretary of Public Instruction. I don't suppose he remembers me.

So, for the time being, we'll stay the course and hope for the best. I know these sound like tired and worn platitudes but at this juncture it seems like the better course of wisdom. We all want to get back to work and what we mean is we want to get back to normal. But “normal” from herein out at least in the short term is probably going to look very not-so-normal. We'll get through it. In the last few years we've weathered a tornado, a few tragic deaths of some great teenage kids, an unprecedented windstorm and now this. We've got through all these things and will get through all of this by the grace of God, a tenacious spirit and a lot of help from each other.