See below for today's COVID-19 information. Please forward as widely as you would like.
I want to hear from you, contact me anytime.

This is National Nurses Week, here is a great video of nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett sharing their appreciation of our support. I am so thankful for these heroes, especially during what has been such a trying time.

It's week two of our Mukilteo Spirit Week! Today is dress-up day! Submit your formal wear photo to the competition here: https://my.360photocontest.com/MSF for a chance to win a $100 gift card and a chance to be featured on the front page of the Beacon!

Our Mukilteans of May 8, 2020 are our teachers!

I have a few stories to share about great teachers, as nominated by parents and students.

Ms You...3rd grade teacher at Columbia!!!!! Parents say she's "One of the best! We we're lucky to have her 2 years in a row when she moved up from 2nd to 3rd."

Mrs. Michelle Soelling. She has taught for many years at multiple Mukilteo Elementary Schools, and is currently at Picnic Point. She really gets to know her students and pushes them to do their best. She is now the reading resource teacher and knows how to connect each child with the importance of reading. She is the absolute best!! A 5th grader says “she was the best because she always celebrated our hard work.”

Ms. Lili Nguyen! She was a brand new teacher last year and leads the 5th grade leadership team at Picnic Point. She has a way of connecting with each student and encourages active learning from each one. She also made leaning fun! Always encourages kindness!

A special shout out to our IEP teachers and special education specialists who are helping the parents who are in these programs learn how to do their best helping kids through these difficult times for education.

Both Mr. Singh, 4th grade, and Mrs Stewart, first grade, at Mukilteo Elementary have been absolutely amazing! Parents say, "We couldn't have done this distance learning without them! They are very communicative very patient very kind and making sure the kids learn a lot as well as have fun. The zoom meetings have been very engaging and fun for the kids and they have learned so much!"

Mr. West, a Kamiak math teacher! Parent nomination said, "So amazing and my daughter never could follow math plus knows she has anxiety and depression and has reached out to her almost every day."

Kali Dunton! She is a wonderful human being and AMAZING teacher. She also works hard for her follow teachers with the MEA.

Karen Rickey and JoAnn Tallmadge at Mukilteo Elementary are amazing! They have embraced their students pre- and post-COVID crisis. Their efforts and expertise do not go unnoticed. Parents are so thankful for them and so sad the year was cut short. These teachers have been pouring so much into their kids, and embracing this new way of learning.

At Columbia Elementary, Mrs. Lauryn Cho, former kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Carlsrud, 4th grade teacher and Mrs. Dixtie Dastis, 7th grade teacher at Harbour Pointe Middle School and Mrs. Izabela Lapinski: All of these teachers have made a big impact on student's education. They have been beyond supportive and helpful.

Cory West, Georgia McClaskey, David Bishop, Crystal Stengle, Bill Stengle, Sarah Vitvitskiy, Katherine Abele, Charles Lewarne, Myola Shanholtzer, Scott McKinlay, Dan Mack, Anne Windsor, Shane Neighbors, Patricia Holt,
Diane Ham, Maureen Becker, Anita Harris, Stephen Shurtleff, Kimberly Jensen, Sean Monica, All Front and Back Office Staff and The Cafeteria Staff!! As parents shared, "They have gone above and beyond, always updating us with daily information, advocating for all students at school and outside of school. Our Teachers are some of the most unsung Hero’s we have, they have all gone above and beyond to see that each of their students are safe healthy and in the know with school work and their lives."

This is teacher appreciation week and we want to celebrate it in Mukilteo. Thank your teachers for being awesome!

Do you know someone who deserves to be the Mukiltean of the Day? Nominate them!

Mukilteo's Wizard International joined a growing number of local companies repurposing their efforts to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) production. Wizard International donated 200 face shields to Snohomish County for distribution to health care workers and first responders.

Snohomish County has been leading an effort to connect local production capacity for PPE with endusers. The sources of this production capacity range from privately-owned 3D printers and sewing machines to privately-operated businesses with equipment and personnel that could be retooled for PPE (design, 3D printers, 3D scanners, laser cutting, water jet cutting, computer numerical control (CNC), workspaces, welding, tools, etc.). One local business that has jumped at this opportunity is Wizard International. Wizard International has shifted manufacturing in Mukilteo from picture framing equipment to face shields, based on a design approved by the National Institutes of Health. They are graciously donating their first production run of 200 shields to Snohomish County through the Emergency Coordination Center.

“We are proud, as a local manufacturer, to support our first responders by donating this delivery of Face Shields and grateful to Snohomish County for the opportunity to be part of resolving our nations PPE scarcity,” said Cyril Faulkner, Chief Financial Officer of Wizard International.

For access to photos of Wizard’s production of PPE, please visit here.

Find out more about these locally made products at www.wizardppe.com.

A state-wide initiative have opened up over 140 WiFi hotspots state-wide, in addition to 301 existing Washington State Library hotspots identified across the state. All told, some 600 public hotspots will soon be available to keep Washington communities connected.
Check out the map here!

In response to the public’s hesitation about traveling this summer and beyond – concerns over safety and contracting the virus – the American Hotel & Lodging Association today unveiled its new SafeStay program and guidelines. SafeStay is AHLA’s initiative focused on enhanced hotel cleaning practices, social interactions, and workplace protocols to meet the new health and safety challenges and expectations presented by COVID-19, and is aimed at creating an industry standard that can be adopted by all lodging properties regardless of size, affiliation, or location.

SafeStay includes a series of best practices for the industry, including:
• Enhanced cleaning standards throughout the hotel, including guest rooms, meeting spaces, common areas, and back-of-house spaces.
• Superior cleaning products with a greater concentration of bacteria-killing ingredients, in accordance with CDC guidelines
• Social distancing practices and reducing person-to-person contact
• Increased transparency throughout the guest journey

The complete SafeStay Enhanced Industry-Wide Hotel Cleaning Standards can be viewed and downloaded here.

IRS Reminds Employers That There are Three New Credits Available to Many Businesses Hit by COVID-19

Employee Retention Credit
The employee retention credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19.
The credit is available to all employers regardless of size, including tax-exempt organizations. There are only two exceptions: State and local governments and their instrumentalities and small businesses who take small business loans.

Paid Sick Leave Credit
The paid sick leave credit is designed to allow business to get a credit for an employee who is unable to work (including telework) because of Coronavirus quarantine or self-quarantine or has Coronavirus symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis.

Paid Family Leave Credit
The employer can also receive the credit for employees who are unable to work due to caring for someone with Coronavirus or caring for a child because the child's school or place of care is closed, or the paid childcare provider is unavailable due to the Coronavirus.

More details here.

Mother's Day is this Sunday! Take time to call, facetime, zoom or gotomeeting your Mom, or other mothers, to say hello.

I'll be calling my mom, Jill Gregerson, to remind her how amazing she is. She's giving, sacrificing, funny, fierce, and a great Pokemon Go player.

If you're planning to go fishing this weekend (like we are!), here are some tips to stay safe:

Snohomish County's COVID hub is available here. I've shared the site before, but it's a good reminder that it's there, and continually updated!

Nextdoor, the social networking app designed around local communities, has launched a new interactive map. Nextdoor’s Help Map lets neighbors offer help to one another during COVID-19. Here is a link to the neighborhood Help Map.

On Facebook, Community Help, a place for people to request or offer help to neighbors, such as volunteering to deliver groceries or donating to a local food pantry or fundraiser. You can access Community Help in the COVID-19 Information Center on Facebook or by visiting this link.

Check out these young Mukilteo Mavericks baseball players conduct a virtual practice!

Listen to Daniel Radcliffe and his Harry Potter co-stars take turns reading chapters of the books!

Lighthouse Park, Edgewater Beach and 92nd Street Park will reopened on May 5. Bathrooms are open only at Lighthouse Park 7am-7pm. Playgrounds remain closed.

Trails and sidewalks continue to be open for your physical activity! Please respect physical distance of six feet.

All City Facilities closure: City operations will continue via primarily phone, email and online. The public is encouraged to call (425) 263-8000 for assistance with City services or visit our website at www.mukilteowa.gov. Government services are not slated to reopen until Phase 3 of the new reopening plan, which is mid-June at the earliest.

Remember the non-emergency number at (425) 407-3999 or email cv19violations@mukilteowa.gov. If you have an emergency, call 911. (But don't call with questions about the Governor's order and what's open or not). You can also report violations or questions about violations to the State via this link.

For more information on city facilities, see this link.

Current case count is 52 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases identified in Mukilteo, with no deaths amongst those cases, and 43 individuals who are recovered.
County case counts are available at this link, updated each weekday at 2pm.