Tag: wisconsin

Employees need masks even for at-home Zoom calls, Wisconsin agency says. Here’s why

In an email to employees sent out on July 31, the head of Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources not only reminded employees of Gov. Tony Evers’ mask order going into effect on Aug. 1, he also said that every DNR employee must wear a mask … even while on a teleconference.

“Also, wear your mask, even if you are home, to participate in a virtual meeting that involves being seen — such as on Zoom or another video-conferencing platform — by non-DNR staff,” Preston Cole said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Set the safety example which shows you as a DNR public service employee care about the safety and health of others.”

Evers’ executive order said that face coverings are required to be worn whenever a person is in an enclosed space — other than a private residence.

DNR spokeswoman Megan Sheridan spoke with McClatchy News and said that employees wearing masks while video conferencing with external partners sets a good example during the pandemic.

“By wearing a mask while video conferencing with the general public, we visually remind folks that masking is an important part of navigating the business of natural resources during this tumultuous time,” Sheridan said.

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Two women charged with beating Wisconsin lawmaker during protest

Two women accused of assaulting a Wisconsin state senator as he took photos of a crowd that toppled two statues during a protest last month have been arrested, police said.

State Sen. Tim Carpenter, a Democrat from Milwaukee, was attacked in Madison on June 24 as he pointed his phone at a group of protesters who tore down two statues on Capitol grounds. He was repeatedly punched and kicked in the head and later required surgery for his wounds, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

“I don’t know what happened … all I did was stop and take a picture … and the next thing I’m getting five, six punches, getting kicked in the head,” Carpenter told the newspaper last month.

Two people within the “angry mob” that allegedly attacked Carpenter, identified by police as Samantha Hamer, 26, and Kerida O’Reilly, 33, both of Madison, surrendered to cops Monday. Both are now facing charges of substantial battery as a party to a crime and robbery with use of force as a party to a crime, police said Monday.

“Thanks to help from the community, the case detective was able to identify the two persons of interest,” police said in a statement. “Both turned themselves in today.”

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