 Sheboygan Mayor tests positive for COVID-19. Representative Borbogel elected Assembly Majority Caucus Chair. High School Winter Sports in Sheboygan ago. These are some of the headlines for Thursday, November 12th, 2020. These stories and more are just ahead on Community News Review. This is Community News Review. Service WSDS-TV News Contact provided by WHBL. I'm Scott Maliff, and we begin with news out of City Hall. Sheboygan Mayor Mike Banderstein tests positive for the coronavirus. The mayor sent an email to the media Wednesday afternoon saying he was, he had gotten the positive test result on Tuesday. The mayor said he was last in City Hall on Monday, November 2nd. City Hall has a policy that all staff wear masks while working, except while at their desks. The mayor says he had been following that policy and has contacted people he's been in contact with and asked them to also be tested. The largest single day total to date 286 positive test returns were logged in Wednesday's daily update from the Sheboygan County Division of Public Health. Raising to over 6,600 the number of persons experiencing COVID-19 so far in Sheboygan County. With 446 test results received in all, the positive rate Wednesday was an unprecedented 64% in Sheboygan County. 122 persons recovered from COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, enabling the active case count to rise 165 to 2,243. After a review of records, the county DPH has determined that one of the previously identified deaths actually resided in another jurisdiction. So the total was revised to 241, with no additional deaths recorded between Tuesday and Wednesday. 10 had initially been added on Tuesday. COVID-19 patients now occupy 35 beds in Sheboygan County hospitals, down one from Tuesday. Wisconsin logged its third day of 7,000 plus positive test returns on Wednesday. That total is now 285,891, with 17,472 test returns in all. The statewide positive rate is now 40%. 62 more persons have died since Tuesday, putting the state's death toll at 2,457. Another 277 persons were hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 symptoms, raising the state COVID patient population to 2,102. 441 of those are in the ICU. The Wisconsin DHS reports that 215 patients were hospitalized while awaiting test results, and 606 were on ventilators. Governor Evers, Executive Order Number 94, which was issued on Tuesday, was recognized by county DPH as being in alignment with existing recommendations issued locally. Sheboygan County is currently experiencing very high levels of COVID-19 and significant spread in our community. It was noted that in the last few weeks, we are regularly seeing between 100 to 200 cases per day. The recommendations issued by the county DPH and Wisconsin DHS in order to address such spikes in activity, both recommend staying at home whenever possible, physically distancing at least six feet from others, wearing face coverings unless not advised due to medical reasons, and avoiding gatherings. Retail, hospitality, restaurants, and bars are encouraged to limit capacity to 25% to offer curbside pickup and delivery options, and businesses should encourage remote work options whenever possible. Due to concerns over the struggling coronavirus pandemic in the Sheboygan area, the Department of Public Works is temporarily closing its business offices. The announcement made on Tuesday cited concerns for the current and long-term health of the workers in making that decision. The DPW will continue to focus on essential services in each division and regular services such as garbage collection will continue as normal. Meanwhile, with an ongoing reduction in field staff, response times will likely be longer than usual, and patients is requested of the public when working with the department. Citing coronavirus metrics that far exceed numbers needed for a return to in-person classes, the Sheboygan area school district has announced that classes will remain virtual at least through the Thanksgiving break, and there's a high probability that it could be sometime later in December before classrooms are again occupied. At Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Education, a review of numbers revealed some high hurdles that must be cleared. For example, a current coronavirus case rate of 1,471 versus a goal of 350 per 100,000 persons, and a current burden rate of 147.1 per 10,000 people versus a goal of less than 50, and a community new case rate that is four times higher than acceptable. Parents and students were told in a letter from Superintendent Seth Harvettine on Tuesday that the district is extending free grab-and-go meals for the time being, and that high school families will receive a winter co-curricular update in an email Wednesday. Those with questions should contact their school office. Republican State Representative Tyler Vorpogel of Plymouth has been elected by his Assembly Republican colleagues to serve as the Assembly Majority Caucus Chair for the upcoming legislative session of the Wisconsin State Assembly. In accepting the role, the 27th District Representative thanked his colleagues for putting their trust in him and said he's looking forward to leading his caucus to many successes. Vorpogel represents a district that includes Keele, Cleveland, Elkhart Lake, Howard's Grove, Plymouth, Kohler, and Sheboygan. Classrooms may be all virtual for the time being in the Sheboygan Area School District, but COVID-19 isn't going to disrupt in-person sports. At least that's the plan from Dan Snangle and Chris Hine, the North and South High School Activities Directors. As winter in-person sports activities are expected,