 COVID cases in the county stable, floodwaters will need time to recede, Mead Public Library announces reopening plan. These and other local stories are coming up on this edition of Community News Review. This is Community News Review, a service WSES-TV news content, divided by WHBL. I'm Maddie Fister, and this is Community News Review for Tuesday, May 19, 2020. County cases of COVID-19 remain stable, with a total of 71 so far confirmed. Statewide, the percentage of positive cases returns declined sharply to 2.9%, with another 144 persons confirmed as having COVID-19. While another 4,828 came up negative. Six more persons in Wisconsin died of the disease since Sunday, and state metrics established the phase of the reopening of Wisconsin are facilitating. The downward trajectory of COVID-19-like illnesses has resumed, but the drop in positive test returns was not enough to reverse the 14-day trend. Health care workers showing up with COVID-19 have now resumed an upward trend, reversing an earlier course. The Sheboygan County five cases remain active, as 63 have now recovered. 2030 have so far been tested as negative, and as Sheboygan County begins to adjust to a life with COVID-19 in the absence of a statewide mandate to restrict travel gatherings and social distancing, the Sheboygan County safe restart is being promoted to accomplish the best possible outcome for beginning to reopen for life as usual, or as close to be attained given the ongoing pandemic. The plan is comprehensive with business guidelines and recommendations, community members guidelines and recommendations, benchmark criteria, and guidance for social gatherings all incorporated into the daily update from the Sheboygan County Division of Public Health. The public is urged to review these guidelines and to follow the recommendations. The Sheboygan River peaked at just over 11 feet on Monday, falling just short of the record 12 feet, but still causing moderate flooding. The National Weather Service predicts that it will take some time until Thursday for levels to drop below 8 feet. The minimum flood stage this morning, the river was measured at just under 11 feet, and a flood warning is still in effect until Wednesday morning. Woodland Road remains closed between Rio and Willow Roads west of the airport, and a section of Alpine Road near the airport is also closed. Both River Park and Sheboygan Falls and Essling Park in Sheboygan are flooded, and the strong northeast winds that caused water to build up at the mouth of the river are no longer a concern. Good news for businesses along the Sheboygan River front that were inaudited with water on Sunday, and with only light rain predicted today, that situation should continue improving. Maintenance of bridge decks will mean ramp and lane closures on I-43 this week. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says that the interstate will have various lane closures between County Highways J and O from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. This Tuesday through Thursday ramp closures will affect some travel times and the traffic. The northbound off-ramp to Highway 42 will be closed on Tuesday, as will the on-ramp from 42 to I-43 southbound. Also the Highway 23 ramps to northbound I-43 will be closed on Thursday between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Fire broke out at an apartment building on Sheboygan's south side on Friday night. The fire department was called to this 2,600 block of Camelot Boulevard around 9.45 to find a fire on a porch that had extended into the building between the first and third floors of the four-family building. Everyone was able to get out safely and the firefighters were on the scene until shortly after midnight. The cause of the fire appears to be the careless use of smoking materials and the fire did roughly $30,000 in damage. Faculty and staff of the University of Green Bay, which includes Sheboygan among its campuses, were told yesterday that furloughs due to the coronavirus pandemic have been extended through the end of this year. The plan designed to save nearly $827,000 requires those faculty and staff to take unpaid leaves. Many were already on furlough but the June to December plan widens the scope to additional staff and includes faculty when they are back on contract in August. The newly announced plan reflects 4,645 days of furlough and impacts 697 employees on the University's four campuses. In a message to campuses, Chancellor Michael Alexander says the University leaders were deliberately slow in announcing additional furloughs in the hopes that our path through the crisis would become clearer. Fortunately, it has become apparent that we must take some preventative measures to be able to better ensure the long-term health of our institution, he said. These are painful decisions and particularly because of the immense work that everyone on this campus has done to put us on solid financial footing before COVID-19. The Sheboygan Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying a person of interest responsible for at least two business burglaries and thefts to coin-operated machines that have occurred over the past week. The suspect is possibly operating a gold or tan Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck with a blackbed liner and the suspect is described as a male possibly in his mid-thirties wearing a white flat-brimmed Milwaukee Brewer's cap, white sneakers, black hoodie and a dark jacket with Indeedus logo on the back. If you recognize this subject or have any information about this or other crimes, please contact the Sheboygan Police Department at 920-459-3333. The finally-meaned public library is preparing to reopen and begin offering limited in-person services as a week from Friday or Tuesday or today. This tentative date was announced on Monday by communication specialist Josh Litterer who said that the process will be in phases. Litterer noted that not everything is reopening at this point and it is not a return to normal. The initial focus will be providing public internet and computer access along with access to library materials either inside or the building or through the curbside pickup. The first and second floors will be open but the third floor on children's library and teen center will remain closed as will the meeting rooms, books and other materials now checked out will be due for return beginning on June 1 and will have to be returned inside the building for now since the outdoor book drops are still under construction. Those should be operating soon. Many programs will remain online only for now and those visiting the library are encouraged but not required to wear a mask and social distancing is encouraged. And that is our report for today. Join me again on Thursday for more local news and information on Community News Review.