COVID-19

Hillmann shares her NYC experience

Published by fxstandardnews on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 7:31pm

By Denise Bonsack, Publisher

Back in mid-April, we told you about nurse and Gibbon native Megan Hillmann, who was going to New York City to help treat COVID-19 patients and to help provide some relief for hospital workers there.

She is back home now and was willing to share her experience with us.

Governor’s Stay Home order allowed to expire

Published by fxstandardnews on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 7:28pm

By Denise Bonsack, Publisher

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s ‘Stay Home’ order was allowed to expire as of Monday, May 18. The State transitioned from ‘Stay Home Minnesota’ to a ‘Stay Safe’ campaign.

So what does this mean for us? Well, that depends.

Area libraries move to ‘curbside’ service

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 10:14am

By Denise Bonsack, Publisher

You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone.  That statement could be applied to many aspects of our lives right now, but something many of us have missed since the Stay at Home order was executed is our local library. 

Governor extends ‘Stay at Home’ order

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 10:09am

By Denise Bonsack, Publisher

On Thursday, April 30, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz extended the ‘Stay at Home’ Executive Order until May 18, 2020. The original order, issued on March 25, would have expired on April 10. On April 8, it was extended, and set to expire on May 4.

There is push to allow businesses to resume regular operations, but the extension of the order postpones at least some of those operations for two more weeks. 

Governor Walz says distance learning will continue

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 04/28/2020 - 10:00am

On Thursday, April 23, Governor Tim Walz announced that he was extending the Distance Learning order through the end of the 2019-20 school year. 

This means students and teachers will continue to use the social media, online classrooms and zoom meetings or google meets, or other online collaboration tools to interact with students. Graduation ceremonies will look very different than what we are used to, though at this point, no one knows exactly how. 

Finding ways to celebrate from a distance

Published by fxstandardnews on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 2:33pm

Colten Miller, of Gibbon, has been planning his ninth birthday party since November. Unfortunately, a global pandemic messed with his plans, so his family improvised. On Saturday, the Millers, (pictured from left) Brayden, Colten, Ava, Amanda and Russ, held an impromptu party for Colten in the middle of Gibbon’s main street, complete with signs, balloons and party hats. The Gibbon Fire Department got in the act, driving by with their lights and sirens, and afterwards, the family drove around town dropping treat bags to Colten’s friends from afar.

School Lunches to go at Cedar Mountain

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 04/21/2020 - 8:59am

The Cedar Mountain lunch team, (pictured from left) Dawn Tietz, paraprofessional, Bev Christenson, Cook and Cindy Kopischke, Head Cook, prepare lunches of taco-in-a-bag, veggies and dip, apples and milk to be distributed to students.  

GFW lunch team works to feed students during pandemic

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 04/21/2020 - 8:29am

Lunches are prepared at GFW Intermediate School by the lunch team, which includes a rotation of the cooks and paraprofessionals. The group packs 160 lunches each day and approximately 119 of those are delivered. Pictured below are bus driver Jerry Pelzen and Paraprofessional Amanda DeBoer loading the van for Monday’s deliveries.

Fairfax Fire Department helps celebrate birthdays during pandemic

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 04/21/2020 - 8:24am

Being forced to stay at home is no picnic, but it’s doubly frustrating when you’re 12 years old and it’s your birthday. But we make the best with what we have, so the Fairfax Fire Department (along with other departments in the area, and across the country) is pitching in to help make birthdays a little brighter during this crazy time with birthday parades.  On Monday evening, the department traveled through Fairfax with lights and sirens to help one young Fairfax youngster celebrate his special day.

Gibbon native heads to New York to care for COVID-19 patients

Published by fxstandardnews on Tue, 04/21/2020 - 8:22am

Gibbon native Megan Hillmann traveled to Brooklyn, New York this past week, right into the U.S. epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic, to help care for COVID-19 patients. Hillmann is a registered nurse with seven years of ICU experience. She indicated that she felt compelled to share her experience and skills wehre she is needed most. Her family, along with the Gibbon Fire Department, orchestrated a send-off for Hillmann last week at their home.

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