A Marathon County eNewsletter
With such monumental changes happening in our society right now, libraries are an important resource to provide historical context to recent events to help you process what’s taking place in the news. MCPL Library Specialist Chad Dally highlights resources and reading lists for adults and children regarding the topics of race and inequality in our history and society and informs you of the library’s latest reopening plans. (Click the title for details…)
Retired Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger and Campus Executive Ann Herda-Rapp discuss why the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Wausau campus makes sense as a college choice this fall for students in Marathon County.
Annual tuition of only $5,196 and the ability to now get a 4-year degree in Business Administration, Nursing, or Social Work are just a few great reasons to attend UWSP at Wausau. What’s more, during these tough economic times, application fees are being waived from June 5 to 15, 2020. (Click the title to read the full story…)
All 9 Marathon County Public Library locations will remain closed through at least June 15, 2020, as staff members work to prepare a plan to re-open in the safest way possible for communities and staff.
The libraries continue to offer revamped services (such as curbside pickup, virtual storytimes on Facebook, craft projects on MCPL’s YouTube channel, and other great online programming) to assist patrons during these uncertain times. See videos of these new services — and learn about other new offerings MCPL will have after they re-open — in the full article. (Click the title for details…)
Trauma Informed Care practices acknowledge the effects of trauma, strive to prevent traumatizing (or re-traumatizing) people, and promote healing within a safe environment. Nine Marathon County departments that tend to work with people impacted by trauma the most (or have staff who are regularly impacted by trauma) were assessed to determine the extent that Trauma Informed Care practices were being implemented by the people, physical spaces, and policies and procedures of Marathon County Government. (Click the title for details…)
The Marathon County Conservation, Planning, and Zoning (CPZ) Department has started the process of adding nearly 7,000 Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (commonly called “POWTS” or “septic systems”) to its Maintenance Program. State regulations now require counties to include all septic systems and holding tanks — regardless of age — in the POWTS Maintenance Program. (Click the title to read the full story…)
There are a variety of ways to get involved in foster care that fit your interests, skills, and availability. For example, with 3 children of their own, Teal and Jenny Fyksen generously opened up their hearts and their home to provide 10 hours per week of respite care to 3- and 4-year-old siblings in an attempt to help a family avoid foster care placement for their children. Read their story as part of a dedicated team working together to help a family in need, and what happened when the aftereffects of coronavirus struck.
You can also donate supplies that will get matched to foster families or volunteer at several area churches who provide foster parents with meals, transportation to appointments, child care, or mentoring. Read on for heart-warming local stories and for various ways you can assist with foster care in Marathon County. (Click the title for details…)
See the latest updates on the renovations and future of health care in Central Wisconsin. NCHC is making great progress on its Warm Water Therapeutic Pool, Youth Psychiatric Hospital, Community-Based Residential Facility, and Skilled Nursing Tower. (Click the title for details . . .)
With trips to the grocery store being limited these days, we’re all trying to make our food supplies last as long as possible.
Meleesa Johnson, Director of the Marathon County Solid Waste Department, offers some helpful tips for understanding food-product dating phrases like Best by, Use by, Sell by, and more.
And with Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, what better time to practice the first of the 3 R’s in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by reducing our food waste? (Click the title for details . . .)
With 42% of Marathon County high school students reporting significant problems with anxiety in a 2019 survey — and considering the additional stressors that the current COVID-19 crisis is placing on our adolescents — the time to address the mental health and well-being of our youth has never been more critical.
Thanks to the Marathon County School-Based Counseling Consortium, students throughout 57 schools in the County now have access to a school counselor or school psychologist during their school day to support them with school-related or personal challenges, regardless of their age or disability status. With students at home now, such services have been extended in many schools to include TeleHealth sessions via Zoom to help students with anxiety brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, as well as other mental health needs. (Click the title for details…)
While 9 area libraries’ doors are closed to the public through May 26, 2020, staff continue to provide relevant programs and services to library patrons. Learn how to use Wisconsin’s Digital Library — a statewide catalog of FREE e-books, audiobooks, and videos. Or visit MCPL’s Facebook page for daily virtual story times. The MCPL blog features recipes to help you with your extra meal-prep demands under the Safer at Home order, and points you to hundreds of FREE online educational classes and resources such as Gale Courses.
Library staff are also making plans to offer curbside pickup and to continue providing programming in alternative ways, such as virtual book club discussions and craft kits that the public can pick up and take home — both options to avoid having large groups gather in one place. (Click the title for details…)
