Eight years after his last public stunt, American illusionist David Blaine completed yet another stunning spectacle withThe Ascension. Streamed live on YouTube, the performance saw Blaine get carried up and away by 52 helium balloons. After reaching an incredible altitude of 24,900 feet, he then parachuted back to Earth.

The moving performance was inspired both by his childhood and his nine-year-old daughter Dessa. As a young boy, Blaine remembers his mother taking him to see Albert Lamorisses film The Red Balloon, where the protagonist is carried away by a cluster of balloons. This image stuck with him, partially inspiring his love of illusion.

But his main motivation was to do something for his daughter, who was just approaching two years old when he executed his last performance,Electrified. This called for him to be continuously zapped by Tesla coils discharging over one million volts. After that stunt, he vowed to next perform something that would inspire, instead of scare, his daughter.

With the help of YouTube Originals, Blaine was able to put together a team of experts to help his balloon stunt take shape. He spent over a year training for the performance and also became a licensed pilot and licensed commercial balloon pilot in the process. In addition, he performed over 500 skydives in order to get proper certification and had to learn how to read wind patterns.

WhileThe Ascensionwas originally designed to take place in Blaine's hometown of New York City, the project was moved to Arizona after taking into consideration weather and the desire to not create crowds in the city. As the world watched via live stream, Blain strapped himself to 42 eight-foot balloons and 10 smaller balloons. By dropping weight as he went along, he was able to slowly ascend.

Blaine's team originally hoped that he'd arrived at 18,000 feetsomething they greatly surpassed. Though the illusionist's rehearsals had only seen him go a few hundred feet in the air, he had no trouble moving to high altitudes. While oxygen levels and cold temperatures were a concern, Blaine used breathing techniques to keep himself calm and get the oxygen he needed.

Via radio, Blaine was able to stay safe and communicate frequently with his daughter and team during the stunt. It's impossible not to watch the performance without feeling the wonder and joy that Blaine expresses as he glides over the Arizona desert.

About an hour after his initial ascent, Blaine dove back down to Earth, safely landing in a ravine before being helicoptered back to rejoin his team and his daughter. To say thatThe Ascension was a success is an understatement. Not only have nearly 7 million people watched the live stream in less than 24 hours, but this performance heralds a new era in Blaine's work and only has us wondering what he'll get up to next.

David Blaine: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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David Blaine Flies Up and Away with 'The Ascension' - My Modern Met

Dungeons & Dragons at the Library

Dungeons & Dragons at the Library is a monthly D&D campaign that will meet on the second and third Tuesdays of every month at the Ascension Parish Library in Galvez. Patrons who attend will be able to create their own characters and play through a custom-made book-themed adventure. All supplies necessary to the game will be provided. The next meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday for Group 1 and Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. for Group 2.

If you are interested in joining the campaign, call the Ascension Parish Library in Galvez at (225) 622-3339 to see if space is available. Registration is required to attend.

The Doctor has landed in Gonzales, right as the library has disappeared. Or was it exterminated? The library director needs to get the library back, but the TARDIS has a mind of its own. Prove that you know your history as you play the Library Extermination escape room and complete the tasks the TARDIS gives during this fun program.

Begin your quest by accessing the escape room on Beanstack at myAPL.beanstack.org, on the library's Facebook page, or by going to http://www.myAPL.org during the month of September.

The Ascension Parish Sheriffs Office has announced its participation in the Louisiana Highway Safety Commissions Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over traffic safety campaign. Additional deputies, whose primary focus will be to locate and arrest impaired drivers, will be on duty, according to a news release. During the Labor Day holiday period, there is a higher likelihood of impaired drivers on the roadway. This increases the potential for alcohol related crashes involving serious injury or death, the release said.

The additional patrols run until Sept. 7, in an effort to detect, stop and arrest alcohol-impaired drivers. Deputies will also conduct traffic enforcement activities to promote safe and attentive driving.

As part of efforts to fight litter and clean up Ascension Parish, President Clint Cointment announced that Ascension Parish is accepting white goods at the Recycling Center on Churchpoint Road.

White goods are any large machines used in routine housekeeping, such as cooking, food preservation or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. White goods include refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and water heaters.

The center also has a separate bin specifically designated for scrap metals.

The Recycling Center is at the Department of Public Works headquarters, 42077 Churchpoint Road in Gonzales. Operating hours are Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Around Ascension for Sept. 2, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

Courtesy of David Blaine Ascension (YouTube)

Illusionist, magician, and performer David Blaine, known for his mind-boggling feats,successfully accomplished another daunting stunt earlier this week. Blaine reached an altitude of about 25,000 feet by floating skyward using only heliumballoons.

The stunt, "Ascension",was likely the most dangerous and ambitious feat he has ever attempted. He partnered with YouTube Originals to live-stream the event, which he says was inspired by his daughter and his ownchildhood dream. Blaine spentmonths training prepping for the stunt; becoming an expert at skydiving and flying balloons, as well as acclimating to cooler temps found in higher air.

On Wednesday, September 2, Blaine put all those hours of training to good use when he performed the high-flying feat. After two hours of prep, he began his ascent over Page, Arizona. Gripping a bunch of about 50 large helium balloonsthese were not your birthday party variety balloons;they were much larger andoutfitted with camerasBlaine carried weights on him that he periodically dropped to increase his ascension once he lifted off.

Watch the stunt below:

The illusionist had a goal of reaching 18,000 feet, and he exceeded that by hitting a high of 24,900 feet. Once there, he let the balloons go and skydived and parachuted back to the ground where he landed safely. The stunt itself took about a half an hour, from lift-off.

An entire team of engineers, stunt experts, weather experts, and more were involved in the project.

What do you think about this high-flying stunt? Would you want to float above the earth from a bunch of balloons? What other mind-bending stunts would you want to see someone like Blane perform? Sound off on the comments.

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VIDEO: Extreme Performer David Blaine Floats High Above the Earth From a Bunch of Balloons - Our Community Now at Maryland

The Dutchtown Griffins finished the 2019 season 8-2 with a tough playoff loss to a very good Ruston team. As the Griffins prepare for the 2020 season, the unknowns are there, but the attitude of the team is excellent.

The coaches could not be happier with the attitude of the players during this time. They have remained focused on what they can control and on improving every day, which is all we can ask, said coach Guy Mistretta.

Mistretta enters his third season as the head coach of the Griffins, a team that is on an upward trend in class 5A. Some key players lost to graduation for the Griffins are offensive lineman Riley Lawrence, tight end Jadyn McKinney, defensive end Jyron Blakes, linebacker Johmel Jolla and cornerback Logan Scott. The offense returns some key pieces and will start with running back Dylan Sampson. The junior had an outstanding 2019 season, finishing with over 1,600 yards rushing and 20-plus touchdowns.

"Dylan is developing into not only a very good player, but also a team leader with work ethic, Mistretta said. He has offers from SEC schools in Tennessee and Arkansas as well as Southern Miss, Louisville and La Tech. More offers are sure to come for the electric back, he will have the luxury of three returning offensive lineman in center Hayden Harms, guard Matthew Gallman and tackle Reed Davis. Ty Quibodeaux and Will Delaune are the other projected starters. Gallman and Reed are expected to be leaders on the line.

We believe the true backbone of our offense is our offensive line, led by our returning starters, Mistretta said.

The wide receiver position is in good hands with 64 Derrick Youngblood. Youngblood has several college offers, and he gives the Griffins a potential star to throw to. Other projected starters are Payton Cooper, Baylor Langlois and Caleb Ickes.

A new quarterback will be chosen and both players are fully capable of running their spread offense. Junior Sean Winfield and sophomore Cooper Desroches will get an opportunity to earn the starting job this fall. The defense will base out of 4-2-5 attacking style, and they return eight starters.

The defensive line returns the entire unit with defensive ends Jared Dupar and Joseph Johnson. Tackles Damarion Davis and Ryan Hung anchor the middle of the defensive line. Brody Anderson is listed as a starter and will be a key player on defense. The linebackers are led by Chris Washington, a player with speed and strength. Other starters include Tanner Vadnais (combo linebacker and defensive back) and Chaz Foster. A strength of the team is certainly in the defensive backfield with corners Jordan Jackson and Justin Agu. Both are tall corners that can cover and have good speed. Deldrick Jones returns at free safety, and Collin Dupre is listed as the starting strong safety.

"The strength of our defense will be our secondary with returning starters Justin Agu, Jordan Jackson and Tanner Vadnais, but our unquestionable leader is linebacker Chris Washington, said Coach Mistretta.

The special teams have a weapon in Sampson. He returns kicks and punts along with Langlois. Gone is all state kicker Cohen Parent. Expected to step in the role will be Christian Donnelly, who will handle both duties.

The Griffins will play a challenging nondistrict schedule starting with week 3 after the season was pushed back. Covington, Vandebilt Catholic and Rayne will be the opponents. District 5-5A will again be one of the best in 5A with Woodlawn, McKinley, Catholic High and rivals St Amant and East Ascension.

The resiliency of this team is truly remarkable; this gives up confidence moving forward, Mistretta said.

Sounds like the Griffins are poised for another outstanding season. The attitude alone tells me that will happen.

Excerpt from:

Dutchtown Griffins bring positive attitude heading into a season with unknowns - The Advocate

David Blaine's aerial stunt may have been impressive and dramatic, but other ballooning skydivers have gone far higher.

Blaine rose into the Arizona sky today (Sept. 2) beneath a bouquet of multicolored balloons, employing the escape strategy pioneered by curmudgeon Carl Fredricksen in the 2009 Pixar film "Up." During the livestreamed event, called "Ascension," Blaine reached an altitude of nearly 25,000 feet (7,620 meters), then slipped out of his harness and fell back to Earth.

Twenty-five thousand feet is way up there, but it doesn't even sniff the balloon-skydiving record. In 2014, Google executive Alan Eustace jumped from a scientific balloon at an altitude of 135,890 feet (41,419 m). That's nearly 26 miles (42 kilometers) above Earth's surface.

Related: Real-life 'Aeronauts': the true stories of high-altitude balloonists

Eustace broke a mark set just two years earlier by Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner, who dove from his balloon at 128,000 feet (39,000 m). Baumgartner's dive smashed a record that had stood since 1959, when U.S. Air Force test pilot Joe Kittinger jumped from about 19 miles (31 km) up.

Eustace and Baumgartner both wore special pressurized suits during their landmark dives, and Baumgartner ascended inside a custom-built capsule. Blaine, by contrast, took to the skies wearing regular street clothes a black jacket, black pants and sunglasses. (Blaine did take supplemental oxygen with him, however, and began breathing the stuff once he reached about 20,000 feet, or 6,100 m.)

To be clear, Blaine did not set out to smash the altitude record with "Ascension." The project, a mixture of danger, drama and aesthetic appeal, was intended to push different buttons.

"The idea is, I want to grab a bunch of balloons and go floating all the way up into the sky until I almost disappear," the illusionist and endurance artist said in an update about the project this weekend.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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No - Space.com

David Blaine stuck the landing.

The magician floated up into the skyabovePage, Arizona, rising more than 20,000 feet with the help of a couple dozen weather balloons on Wednesday morning.

Then he released the balloons and wentcatapulting back to Earth, having put on his parachute pack on the ride up. Blaine had traveled too far off-course to make it back to the planned landing zone, but despite his apparent nerves he was able to spot a safe place to land.

Hundreds of thousands of people watched Blaine's "Ascension" stunt, which spanned about an hour, live on YouTube.

You can watch Blaine's journey here:

The helium-balloon rig, which had to be classified as an experimental aircraft by the FAA, hadan airworthiness certificate and was approvedto take flight, the FAA confirmed toThe Arizona Republic on Tuesday.

In a statement to TheRepublic on Monday, the agencysaid,"The FAA is working closely with David Blaine and his team to ensure that the proposed flight meets all regulatory requirements. ... The FAA will closely monitor the flight and will provide air traffic services as needed."

MORE: Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon keep people coming to Page, Arizona

"Ascension" was years in the making.Blaine'sgoal wasto reach 18,000 feet above the ground, Variety reported, and hehadto put on his parachute pack in midair.

"If there's a catastrophic balloon failure partway up, David comes crashing down to Earth," a narrator saidin a promotional YouTube video for the event.

"This groundbreaking (research and discovery) flight will be done for the first time right here in Arizona, which is the most beautiful backdrop that I've ever seen in my life," Blainesaidin an Instagram video."I want tograb a bunch of balloons and go floating all the way up into the sky until I almost disappear."

Blaine had to obtain a hot air balloon pilot certificate and a skydiving license on top of learning how to read the wind, he said in a video.

The original plan was to soar across the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York City, but due to its complexity, Blaine announced last weekend that he was moving it to Arizona.

Blaine could haveexperienced oxygen deprivation or hypoxia and hypothermia. There wasalso a chance he could have goneplummetingback to Earth if he didn'tget his parachute on in time.

There was also that potential for "catastrophic balloon failure."

Blaine is known for stunts such as "Buried Alive" in 1999, in which he was sealed in a plastic box beneath a 3-ton water tank for seven days, and "Frozen in Time" in 2000, in which he was encased in a block of ice for more than two days in Times Square.

"Ascension"washis first major live stunt since "Electrified: One Million Volts Always On" in 2012.

The helium balloon flight isn't the only reason Blaine has been in the news in recent years. In 2019, The Daily Beast,New York Times and other media published reports that the New York Police Department was investigating Blaine over two accusations of sexual assault. He denied the allegations and said he would cooperate with law enforcement.

Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com or at 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobinand Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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David Blaine's balloon flight over Page, Arizona, goes off without a hitch. Watch here - The Arizona Republic

Two people were killed in separate Ascension Parish crashes between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

A teenager died after his vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree on the side of Interstate 10, according to State Police. The driver was identified as Mason Pusey, 17, of St. Amant.

He was traveling westbound on I-10 about 11 p.m. Tuesday when the crash occurred near the La. 641 exit, State Police said. The investigation is ongoing.

Several hours later, shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, a bicyclist died after being struck by a vehicle on La. 22 near Melancon Road in Sorrento.

Jessica White Gibbs, 27, was transported to the hospital but pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office. That case also remains under investigation.

Continued here:

Bicyclist, teen driver killed in separate Ascension crashes overnight, officials say - The Advocate

An information technology division within AscensionMichigan, formerly known as St. John Providence Health System, plans to lay off 223 workers in Troy this fall and outsourcetheir jobs.

An executive with Ascension Technologiesnotified state officials this week about the layoffs, which are planned to begin Oct. 24. The affected employees work at the organization's Network Operations Center and Service Desk, which has anoffice in the North Troy Corporate Park, 800 Tower Drive.

Those who can't find different work within Ascension will get severances, the layoff notice said. Some of the affected workers also could get hired by the new vendor.

AnAscension representative on Wednesdaywouldn't provide further details about the layoffs or identify thevendor.

In a recent blog post, Ascension's Chief Information Officer Gerry Lewis said the health system will be shifting some of its IT jobs to outside vendors as part of Ascension's "digital transformation."

Ascension Michigan's hospitals include Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield.(Photo: Ascension Michigan)

"These transitions will enable us to design, deliver and innovate the best end-to-end customer and clinician experience, using best practices and industry standards, while being good stewards of our resources," Lewis wrote in the post.

More: Trinity Health Michigan lays off, furloughs another 1,000 employees

More: Michigan unemployment claims decline, but are 4 times higher than before coronavirus

Ascension Michigan is part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Ascension Health has received $815 million in grants and $1.3 billion in loans through the federal CARES Act relief package, according to the website COVID Stimulus Watch.

Contact JC Reindlat 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@jcreindl. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.

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Ascension Michigan health system to lay off and outsource 223 IT jobs in Troy - Detroit Free Press

Leaders from Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, United Surgical Partners International (USPI), and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce were among those in attendance at Thursdays 12 PM ground-breaking ceremony for the highly anticipated Ascension Saint Thomas New Salem Surgery Center.

The multi-speciality ambulatory care center is a joint-venture between Ascension Saint Thomas and United Surgical Partners International, the nations largest ambulatory services provider with over 400 facilities. USPI serves more than 3.4 million patients per year. The Ascension Saint Thomas New Salem Surgery Center will span 13,000 square feet on 3 acres at the southwest corner of New Salem Highway and St. Andrews Drive in Murfreesboro.

Opening remarks were provided by Kelli Beam, Vice President of Membership Development for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, who discussed Rutherford Countys growing healthcare needs. Gordon Ferguson, President and CEO of Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, explained how the new surgery center complements the recent hospital expansion by providing an access point for convenient care in the heart of the New Salem community. Dr. Lindsay Keith of Ascension Medical Group/Saint Thomas Medical Partners attended on behalf of the facilitys group of physician investors. The blessing of the ground was led by Tracey Biles, Vice President of Mission Integration for Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, and was followed by ceremonial shoveling of the dirt. Chris Hartshorn, Market President for United Surgical Partners International, gave closing remarks.

Project completion is expected in 2021.

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Ground-Breaking Ceremony for Ascension Saint Thomas New Salem Surgery Center - rutherfordsource.com

Ascension Seton in Kyle was ranked the #3 hospital in the Austin Metro area and the 19th in Texas on markers including patient safety and survival and nurse staffing by U.S. News and World Report in July.

By Anita Miller

KYLE North Hays County residents might not know it, but they are within minutes of a hospital intent on being one of the best in the nation.

Ascension Seton in Kyle was ranked the #3 hospital in the Austin Metro area and the 19th in Texas on markers including patient safety and survival and nurse staffing, by U.S. News and World Report in July.

The magazine also recognized Ascension Seton Hays as high performing in the areas of heart bypass surgery, congestive heart failure and COPD. In June, Newsweek magazine ranked the hospital 14th in the state and 274th nationwide. It was the only Seton facility to be ranked.

Back in 2016, Ascension Seton Hays Chief Medical Officer Fausto Meza told the Hays Free Press that he gathered physicians and nurses and asked them what they wanted the future to be.

They told us they thought we were a good community hospital, he said. But they told us they wanted to be in the top 10% of hospitals in the country and to grow from a community hospital to a regional hospital.

At that time their journey to greatness began. What youre seeing now, he said, is the result of four and a half years of dedicated work you are just starting to see the fruits of our labor.

Other accolades have also started to pour in. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which assigns a letter grade to hospital performance, has given Ascension Seton Hays four out of a possible five stars, and the Leapfrog Group, which ranks hospitals, has Ascension Seton highly ranked.

Nurses are really the tip of the spear, Meza said, noting that Nicky Rivers, who has since left Seton, was instrumental as far back as that first meeting in 2016. Its been purposeful, he said. It might look to others like it happened overnight, but it was purposeful.

He said the journey is continuing for the facility to get a five-star rating from CMS, with the goal to achieve that by years end.

His hope is that more and more Hays County residents will come to a realization that, Wow. I may not need to go to Austin or San Antonio or Houston.

Ascension Seton Hays is fast becoming a well-used trauma center as well, Meza said. Though officially ranked as a Level 3 Trauma Facility it has been functioning at the higher Level 2. Meza said that designation might have been officially upped this year but was delayed because of COVID-19.

We have saved peoples lives that youve probably read about in the news from motor vehicle accidents to gunshot wounds and stabbings. People in our community have lived because we have developed and been serving as a Trauma Level 2.

Meza said more physicians and other staff members have been recruited to help the hospital grow as the community grows. We are becoming that regional medical center, he said. We are one of the top hospitals in the state, and we are just getting started. Nurses, physicians and other people want to come work at one of the top hospitals in the state you will see us break into the top 10% within a few years.

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Ascension Seton Hospital ranked 14th best in Texas - Hays Free Press

GONZALES With a successful bond election behind them, Ascension Parish public school officials are taking the next steps to build a new high school at Prairieville.

Seventy-one percent of voters who turned out for the Aug. 15 election approved extending an existing property tax for 20 years to fund $140 million in bonds to build the high school and complete 13 other construction and improvement projects.

Originally slated to go before voters in May, an Ascension Parish school district proposal for building a new high school in Prairieville and

"We're thankful to be in a community that partners with us to provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students; we're fired up," Superintendent David Alexander said after a meeting of a board committee that approved a timeline for completing the $79.5 million high school in time for the start of school in 2023.

At its next meeting, set for Tuesday, the board is expected to hire the two Baton Rouge architect firms RHH Architects and Domain Architecture, which bid as a joint venture on the high school project.

A committee of school district personnel is recommending the joint-venture bid over five others to design the 280,000-square-foot school that will go up on Parker Road, next to Prairieville Primary.

The timeline of important milestones approved in committee last week for the project includes:

"It will be an aggressive schedule and we'll do our best," Jeff Parent, the district's supervisor of planning and construction, told board members.

The new high school will be the fourth on the east bank of the parish and is designed to relieve overcrowding at the others Dutchtown, East Ascension and St. Amant where student enrollment at each is nearing or past 2,000.

Other projects that will now be going forward after the recent bond election are:

Read more:

Ascension school district hits ground running in plans for new high school construction - The Advocate

The 2020 Tech Ascension Awards have named the PerimeterX Platform winner of Best Application Security Solution. This recognition comes a mere two months after the formal launch of the consolidated Platform, validating its status as the premier suite of solutions for bot mitigation and client-side protection that preserve a users web app experience.

Digital business and security leaders recognize that innovating at a rapid pace and adopting new application technologies is required to stay competitive, to grow revenue and to increase brand awareness. However, many organizations compromise their digital transformation work by using multiple point solutions to manage the constantly growing number of application security threats that range from classic code vulnerabilities to business logic threats. To truly secure todays digital businesses, a platform approach is essential. Using a single cloud-native platform can simplify and future-proof application security and help businesses bring new applications to market faster and more efficiently. A platform that provides unified visibility into web analytics and enriches data with threat analysis truly empowers businesses to make accurate decisions quickly.

Comprised of PerimeterX Bot Defender, PerimeterX Code Defender and PerimeterX Page Defender, the Platform provides essential features for digital businesses, including:

The cloud-native Platform seamlessly integrates into an enterprises existing infrastructure and automatically scales to meet demandno changes or (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from PerimeterX Blog authored by PerimeterX Blog. Read the original post at: https://www.perimeterx.com/resources/blog/2020/perimeterx-platform-named-best-application-security-solution-by-the-2020-tech-ascension-awards/

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PerimeterX Platform Named Best Application Security Solution by the 2020 Tech Ascension Awards - Security Boulevard

The UAB Health System/Ascension St. Vincents Alliance has seen both organizations named to the third-annual NRC Health Top 100 Consumer Loyalty list, the first and only loyalty-based hospital rankings that recognize the top U.S. health care organizations for earning exceptional loyalty ratings from their patient populations.

The UAB Health System/Ascension St. Vincents Alliance has seen both organizations named to the third-annual NRC Health Top 100 Consumer Loyalty list, the first and only loyalty-based hospital rankings that recognize the top U.S. health care organizations for earning exceptional loyalty ratings from their patient populations.

Both St. Vincents Birmingham and UAB Hospital were named Best in Class, and designated as two of the top 10 hospitals in the country on the Consumer Loyalty list, based on results from NRC Healths Market Insights survey, the largest database of health care consumer responses in the country. From April 2019 to March 2020, NRC Health surveyed more than 310,000 households in the contiguous United States to measure consumer engagement with community health care brands. The winning organizations on the 2020 Consumer Loyalty list achieved remarkably high scores on NRC Healths Loyalty Index, a composite of seven different critical aspects of consumer loyalty, including access, engagement, experience and net promoter score.

Ascension St. Vincents and UAB, along with the other hospitals recognized in this years Consumer Loyalty Awards, are at the forefront of delivering patient-centric care, which is more important than ever in this new normal in health care, said Helen Hrdy, chief growth officer at NRC Health. We are proud to recognize these industry-leading organizations and the commitments they hold to their patients and improving the complete care journey now and moving forward.

For nearly four decades, NRC Health has helped health care organizations illuminate and improve the moments that matter most to patients, residents, physicians, nurses and staff.

What an honor it is to receivesuch high recognition from the patients we serve, said Jason Alexander, CEO of Ascension St. Vincents and senior vice president of Ascension. Every day, it is our promise and desire to deliver compassionate and personalized care to all who come through ourdoors. Knowing that our patients recognize our efforts demonstrates that we are delivering on that promise,and we could not be more pleased.

It comes as no surprise that Ascension St. Vincents and UAB should be among the top 10 hospitals honored on this list, said Will Ferniany, Ph.D., CEO of the UABHS/St. Vincents Alliance. Both organizations are committed to providing outstanding medical care. It is this approach, ingrained within the cultures of both health systems, that inspires patient loyalty. We are honored with this recognition.

Winning organizations were publicly announced Monday, Aug. 24, during the virtual 26th Annual NRC Health Symposium. A complete list of winners can be found at undefined.

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UAB and Ascension St. Vincent's hospitals named to third-annual hospital rankings for exceptional consumer loyalty - UAB News

SORRENTO With cars, trucks and 18-wheelers passing behind them, state and local officials on Monday marked the completion of a $5.6 million highway roundabout at a busy intersection in Ascension Parish that is a major route to the growing industrial corridor along the Mississippi River.

Already open for several weeks, the roundabout at La. 22 and La. 70 in Sorrento is one of several of the continuous flow, circular intersections planned in Ascension over the next several years and aimed at improving safety and breaking traffic bottlenecks.

Other state roundabouts are planned at the La. 30/Interstate 10 interchange and on La. 44 near Burnside, while parish government officials have a series of roundabouts planned on parish roads as part of the $70 million Move Ascension program.

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Early last month, a home builder completed another $2.6 million roundabout on La. 44 just south of Gonzales as part of a joint city, parish and developer-financed project that also included new lanes on La. 44. The roundabout and lanes were connected to new home construction in the Conway and Oak Lake developments along La. 44.

The state's newly finished Sorrento roundabout is just south of the I-10 interchange. State highway officials say the new intersection, which is circular and allows continuous movement without dangerous left turns, will improve safety by ending backups on La. 70 and I-10 that occurred when workers were headed to plants in the morning and leaving them in the afternoon.

GONZALES With new I-10 interchanges, wider state highways and commuter bus and park-and-ride options, Ascension Parish's new transportation

The new $9.4 billion Formosa Plastics chemical complex proposed in nearby northern St. James Parish and other industrial expansions in the area are expected to draw more traffic to the area.

During a news conference at the parish tourism office next to the new roundabout Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said that when top executives talk to him about locating new facilities along the river corridor, one of their biggest concerns is "connectivity to the interstate" for workers and delivery trucks.

"Because there's no better place than that river, but they need to be able to get their workers in and out and their goods and products in and out," he said.

Edwards also emphasized that work on the roundabout, like other state projects, had continued through the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the state and is part of $154 million in state road spending in Ascension Parish during his administration. That work includes the widening of La. 42 in Prairieville, which is expected to be finished at the end of 2020.

BURNSIDE Brett Blanchard was making his case againsta planned roundabout in Ascension Parish to a state highway employee at a recent public

The state improvements in Sorrento also included sidewalks, new lanes along La. 22 between I-10 and La. 70, and a series of J-turns along La. 22 on either side of I-10, state officials said.

The J-turns, which promoted some concern from gas station owners along La. 22, are designed to improve flow through the entire area by limiting where drivers can make left turns that cross and interrupt traffic flow on La. 22.

Before the roundabout, the junction of the two two-lane highways had been controlled by stop signs and a blinking red light. The corridor,where more than 22,000 vehicles pass each day, was notorious for extended and unsafe backups, in particular, on I-10 eastbound in the early morning hours before sunrise.

Sen. Eddie Lambert, R-Prairieville, said he sat in those backups on I-10 and on La. 70, worrying about being rear-ended.

Saying "a lot of people had a lot of doubts" about how well the roundabout and other improvements would work, Lambert called the project a "home run" for DOTD.

"I know this thing is the best thing I've ever seen," Lambert said.

GONZALES State highway officials plan to bring a roundabout proposed along La. 44 in a growing area of Ascension Parish back up for public r

Shawn Wilson, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, said the state has two other roundabout projects planned and fully funded in Ascension: three roundabouts and other corridor improvements at the I-10/La. 30 interchange in Gonzales and a roundabout along La. 44 just south of the Conway roundabout near Gonzales.

The La. 30 roundabouts would help ease traffic in another busy corridor important to plant traffic farther down that highway but that also is a commercial hub for Gonzales, including the Tanger Outlets mall, Cabela's and The Home Depot near the I-10 interchange.

Wilson said state officials are working on resolving a "tremendous amount of utility conflicts" with the future interchange on La. 44 at Loosemore Road.

He said the La. 30 roundabouts are little more complicated because of I-10 and because of the volume and different mix of traffic in the area.

He said the state is also trying not to disrupt retail commerce when work would begin, but, at the same time, install the kind of corridor-length improvements that have been applied to the newly finished Sorrento project.

"You've got way more traffic on (La.) 30 than you do here, but this is an example of how the implementation would work," Wilson said.

GONZALES A state highway contractor has finished a $1.9 million project to add a continuous right turn lane to La. 30 through the congested

More than a decade ago, DOTD built Ascension Parish's first roundabout at La. 42 and La. 431 near Port Vincent, but, since around that same time, successive parish government administrations have also eyed roundabouts on parish roads in Ascension and haven't built one.

For years, engineers and consultants have told parish officials that eastern Ascension's grid-like road pattern lent itself well to roundabouts, but a lack of funding and a number of complications with acquiring land for the wide intersections and avoiding the industrial pipelines that crisscross the parish have for years kept those proposals off the drawing board.

The Move Ascension program may finally break that history, with nine roundabouts proposed in the current list of 35 projects.

The first two roundabouts, at La. 930 and Henry Road and at Parish Road 929 and La. 930, both in Prairieville, were heading early last month toward the construction phase, beginning with advertisement for bids from road builders, parish consultants have said.

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New $5.6M roundabout opens in Sorrento; here's why Ascension Parish is investing in several - The Advocate

CASS COUNTY, MI Two people were transported by ambulance and air to a Kalamazoo hospital after a Saturday night crash in Cass County.

Olivia Hines, 25, of Dowagiac, and Jordan Hawkins, 28, of Marcellus Township, were riding a motorcycle westbound on Marcellus Highway, near Finch Road, when a pickup truck pulled out of a driveway into their path, a news release from the Cass County Sheriffs Office states.

Hines and Hawkins, neither of whom were wearing a helmet, were thrown from the back of the motorcycle as a result of the collision, according to the the sheriffs office.

Deputies respond to the crash at about 9:13 p.m. Aug. 8, where they learned the motorcycle ridden by Hawkins and Hines had collided with a pickup driven by a 21-year-old Three Rivers man.

The Three Rivers man was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, deputies said.

Both Hines and Hawkins were transported to Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo.

The case remains under investigation at this time.

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Motorcyclist, passenger airlifted to Kalamazoo hospital after being thrown from bike in crash - mlive.com

Mother Goose: Money Matters

Join the Ascension Parish Library in Galvez at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, for Mother Goose: Money Matters. Give your little one a head start in financial literacy and pre-math skills with stories and activities designed to help them understand the value of money.

Children will learn to sort and identify coins, shop at the library's store and make banks to take home.

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The program is designed for ages four through seven, with an accompanying adult. For more information or to register, call Ascension Parish Library in Galvez at (225) 622-3339. Space is limited, so call to reserve your spot today.

Calling all tweens to join the Anything Goes Paint Party at Ascension Parish Library. Light up a canvas using vivid acrylic paints. Creativity is a form of self-expression. Come be creative at this fun event. Bring your friends to the library in Donaldsonville at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14; in Gonzales at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15; in Dutchtown at 4 p.m.Tuesday, Aug. 18; or in Galvez at 6 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 20.

Cant make it to the library on these days? Just stop by and pick up a craft packet at any location then check out the library's YouTube video at youtube.myAPL.org. Packet pickups are available while supplies last. Call the library in Donaldsonville at (225) 473-8052, the library in Gonzales at (225) 647-3955, in Dutchtown at (225) 673-8699, or in Galvez at (225) 622-3339 for the details. Registration is required.

As part of efforts to fight litter and clean up Ascension Parish, President Clint Cointment announced that Ascension Parish is accepting white goods at the Recycling Center on Churchpoint Road.

White goods are any large machines used in routine housekeeping, such as cooking, food preservation or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. White goods include refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and water heaters.

Cointment said the parish has been accepting scrap metal and has a separate bin specifically designated for metals.

The Recycling Center is at the Department of Public Works headquarters, 42077 Churchpoint Road in Gonzales. Operating hours are Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Around Ascension for Aug. 5, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

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Members of the Wisconsin National Guard process a test sample at Waukesha County's drive-thru COVID-19 testing site in the Expo Center parking lot on Saturday. Drive-thru tests will be conducted Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 who live or work in the state of Wisconsin can phone (262) 548-7626 to set an appointment to be tested.(Photo: Scott Ash/Now News Group)

Advocate Aurora Health will stop testing some patients for COVID-19 before surgery and will close all but one of its community testing sites in Wisconsin.

The changes are temporary and due to a shortage of tests, according to the hospital system. It is experiencing a "delay in anticipated shipments" of supplies, according to a news release.

Advocate Aurora will suspend testing before gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, interventional radiology and selective cardiology procedures. They will provide "enhanced" personal protective equipment to medical staff instead.

Testing will also stop for outpatient or clinic-based aerosol-generating procedures,which are procedures that generally produce more infectious respiratory droplets than when a patient coughs or sneezes.

With any aerosol-generating procedure that takes place, staff must wearfitted N95 masks and must have enough time to clean the room, otherwise the procedure must be postponed.

According to an email to employees obtained by the Journal Sentinel,Advocate Aurora Health has not received its lasttwo shipments of 17,000 tests. The system uses about 13,000 tests a week, according to the email, and hada supply of two to three days on hand as of Tuesday. It was working to finalize deals with other test providers in the coming two weeks.

On Thursday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he had spoken with leaders at Advocate Aurora, who told him the testing stoppage was a temporary pause caused by a shortage of a certain reactive agent used in the tests. Barrett said local health officials would monitor the situation closely.

Advocate Aurora has been running drive-up testing at several of its hospitals across the state but will centralize testing at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee starting Thursday.

Temporarily closed are testing sites at Aurora Health Care Midtown in Milwaukee as well as the Aurora hospitals in: Oconomowoc, Kenosha, Oshkosh, Two Rivers and Burlington. All previously scheduled appointments at those locations will continue as planned, though.

In Illinois, all Advocate community testing sites and mobile sites will be closed.

Ascension Wisconsin also experienced a "supply disruption in recent weeks" buthasconnected withnew vendors and does not have a shortage of tests,Dr. Greg Brusko, chief clinical officer, said in a statement.

Ascensioncontinues to require every patient scheduled for an elective or non-emergency surgery to take a coronavirus test and it has not closed any testing sites. Its testing capacity remains unchanged.

And a spokeswoman for Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin said that they have a sufficient supply of tests. Froedtert is continuing to test patients before surgery and new patients admitted to the hospital regardless of symptoms.

Those who think they may have COVID-19 can use the Advocate Aurora online symptom checker or call the 24-hour hotline: (866) 4432584.

For a list of local testing sites that remain open, click here.

Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow heron Twitter at @SCarson_News.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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Advocate Aurora is short on COVID-19 supplies and will close most testing sites, stop testing some patients before surgery - Milwaukee Journal...

The former UFC Welterweight Champion, Robbie Lawler, is set to replace Geoff Neal on the main card against Neil Magny. The event slated for August 29th at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas underwent a sudden change as reported by MMA DNA.

Moreover, the card has already suffered a major setback as the headliner between Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov failed to materialize.

ESPNs Brett Okamoto took to Twitter and confirmed the same. Furthermore, he confirmed reports that Robbie Lawler was indeed in search of a fight, prior to Neal pulling out.

Chiefly, Geoff Neal withdrew from his scheduled bout after the news broke that he was hospitalized in the ICU. Intricate details of the maladies ailing Neal remain unknown, however, he released a statement through an Instagram post via MMA Junkie.

The comments made by Neal paint a gruesome picture of a potentially fatal ordeal.

The 170-pounder shared his harrowing experience in brief that possibly eluded weight-related issues. Moreover, he explained how the use of dialysis coupled with a short timeline of occurrence led to a near-death experience.

These past few weeks have been crazy, and thats putting it lightly. Its really hard to try to find an eloquent way to say, I almost died.

So screw it I almost died. This really put a lot of things into perspective for me. Never did I ever think I would be hooked up to a dialysis machine before my 30s.

Given the circumstances, it is easy to see why the perennially tough welterweight will not compete on August 29th. Chiefly, MMA fans were excited to see his ascension up the ranks in the division, given his current momentum and trajectory.

Everything was going well for me. Was training every day, making money at work, just signed a contract for a huge fight, then BOOM, life hit me with a check hook. Im just glad to be home after having to spend 1 week in the ICU.

Stay healthy out there yall and listen to your body at all times.

Neil Magny will have a tall order in his replacement bout against Ruthless Robbie Lawler who is always game. He goes into his fight against the former UFC Champion on a two-fight win streak and will look to build on his momentum.

The 170-pound division is as talent stacked as ever with a dominant champion at the top.

READ MORE-THROWBACK: When Rory Macdonald and Robbie Lawler Put Up One of the Bloodiest UFC Fights

SOURCE-Brett Okamoto- Twitter, MMA Junkie

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BREAKING: Former UFC Champion Robbie Lawler Steps in to Face Neil Magny on August 29th - EssentiallySports

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) A Wichita hospital is in need of donations that could help patients battling COVID-19. Ascension Via Christi said demand for convalescent plasma is outpacing supply, and the needed plasma isnt available.

Angie Mooneyham has been in ICU at Via Christi since Monday.

Its been a very unique battle, said Mooneyham.

Her battle started out as pneumonia two weeks ago that landed her in the ER and thats when she tested positive for coronavirus.

It got to where it was so hard to breathe and a lot of body aches, said Mooneyham.

The virus has halted her health and her life. This mother of four is now having to miss sending her daughter off to college this week and unable to celebrate her sons birthday who turned 22 on Wednesday.

Thats the hard part about this disease because you cant get a day pass or have them come visit you. Youre stuck here and youre isolated. So you get to miss out on key events that wont come again, said Mooneyham.

But the promising convalescent plasma treatment is giving her hope. Its plasma from patients who have fully recovered used to help those currently battling the virus. But a supply shortage has added to her worries.

That means my stay here will be longer and life is on hold and my improvement of health and getting back to life is on hold too, said Mooneyham.

Shes one of six patients on the waiting list to receive it at Via Christi. The hospital said the plasma is part of a trial and doctors have used it in the treatment of 81 patients who are severely ill with COVID-19.

We have seen the majority of the patients get better and go home, said Janie Krull, director of research for Ascension Via Christi.

As cases continue to spike across the country, the demand for plasma has outpaced supply.The hospital and Mooneyham are asking those who have the antibodies to donate to help her and others beat COVID-19 too.

And Im hoping that I hurry up and heal, and I create these antibodies, and Im going to come in and do it so I can assist others, said Mooneyham.

If you have fully recovered from a verified COVID-19 diagnosis, you can sign up to give convalescent plasma and see if you qualify at RedCrossBlood.org/Plasma4COVID.

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Wichita hospital in need of plasma donations from recovered COVID-19 patients - KSN-TV

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A man is tested for COVID-19 by a National Guard member, who uses a swab to gather material from inside both of the man's nostrils in the parking lot of Burlington High School, 400 McCanna Parkway,in May during the first session of community testing in Racine County.

RACINE COUNTY Wisconsin health systems and the states lower public health organizations are starting to get fewer COVID-19 testing supplies. Its not because of any fault within the state, but because the federal government is intentionally shifting the supply chain.

As a result, Wisconsinites access to testing has fallen over the past week. Some fear the lack of access could continue for weeks to come, reducing local health officials ability to track the current status of the pandemic in their areas.

The shifts have already made a negative impact on testing on both ends of Racine County.

This week, Advocate Aurora Health sent a letter to community leaders in southeastern Wisconsin including in Burlington and in Racine informing them that the federal government has redirected supplies to national COVID-19 hot spots ... with high volumes of cases.

While some states, particularly in the northeast, have seen per-capita positive test rates drop or plateau in recent weeks, new highs have been reached in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho and Tennessee in the past two weeks.

The activity level of the coronavirus is considered to be high in 66 out of Wisconsins 72 counties over the past two weeks. Zero have a low activity level, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Testing remains key to boxing in this disease and reducing transmission, so community partners are continuing to work together to develop a long-term testing strategy."

Mark Schaaf, Racine Countys communications director

More reagent needed

The primary resource Wisconsin has been missing out on has been the chemical reagent necessary to execute tests.

A number of our labs are having challenges with getting adequate reagent, DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk confirmed Friday.

The drop has somewhat perplexed state leaders. Willems Van Dijk said that it appears deliveries of reagents that were previously coming to Wisconsin are now being diverted to other places in the nation.

No supplies already in the state are being ordered to be sent elsewhere. Theres just less supply coming in from manufacturers.

Part of the reason Wisconsin is losing out in this scenario is because Wisconsinites have done a better job of avoiding mass outbreaks compared to other states, according to state leaders.

Citing White House data, Willems Van Dijk said We are doing better than the nation as a whole. We are doing better than other states in our Midwest region, while noting that local labs and manufacturers have helped keep Wisconsin above water by producing testing supplies on their own.

Still, Willems Van Dijk said We are hoping the testing supply chain will open up soon.

Local impact of lost resources

This redirection of supplies has made it so that Aurora has had to drastically reduce its community testing capability. Rather than having testing sites across the state, Aurora said it is only able to perform community testing at one site: Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee.

Like many providers nationally, we have been forced to adjust our COVID-19 testing approach as testing supplies continue to be constrained and we experience a delay in anticipated shipments. This situation remains fluid across the country and at Advocate Aurora Health, and we continue our relentless efforts to secure more testing supplies, Advocate Aurora Health said in a statement.

In the City of Racine, community testing has already been rolled back because of the federal redirections of supplies. The National Guard was supposed to perform 1,500 tests on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week at Festival Hall in Downtown Racine. But the lack of supply availability forced Thursdays testing to be canceled since a maximum of only 1,000 tests could have been completed.

The Guard is supposed to be back at Festival Hall from Aug. 18-20 to perform free-to-the-public community testing, but theres a chance that could be shortened (again) or outright canceled if supplies keep dropping, City Spokesman Shannon Powell confirmed to The Journal Times.

Community testing, of people who are both symptomatic and asymptomatic for the coronavirus, is considered essential to combatting the virus since widespread testing is the only real way to know how present the novel coronavirus is (or isnt) in a given community.

Testing remains key to boxing in this disease and reducing transmission, so community partners are continuing to work together to develop a long-term testing strategy, Mark Schaaf, Racine Countys communications director, said in an email.

Although there has been discernible improvement since March and April when it was nearly impossible for members of the public to get tested even if they were experiencing COVID symptoms, this negative turnaround highlights how precarious the U.S. still appears to be in its COVID-related supplies.

Changes for surgery patients

Aurora has also said it will not be testing everyone who is getting a surgery as it has been previously, leading to concerns that not enough precautions are being taken to keep the public, patients and medical professionals safe from the virus that has killed 157,600 Americans and 990 people in Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DHS.

Ascension Health which operates Racine Countys largest hospital, Ascension All Saints, 3801 Spring St. is still able to test all of its patients going into surgery. In a statement, Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Greg Brusko said that Ascension Wisconsin is not experiencing a shortage of COVID-19 testing supplies but still said that there has been supply disruption in recent weeks.

As of Thursday, Ascension has not had to close any of its 20 mobile testing sites across Wisconsin despite the supply chain turbulence.

Ascension, which is based in St. Louis, and Advocate Aurora, based in Milwaukee, are the two biggest medical systems in Wisconsin. According to the American Hospital Directory, Ascension operates 13 hospitals/medical centers in Wisconsin; Advocate Aurora operates 15.

Lab capacity still in good shape

While this goes on, the states ability to actually perform tests i.e. taking samples into the lab to see if they come back positive for coronavirus has consistently been rising. As of Friday, 83 labs across Wisconsin were able to test up to 24,156 samples per day. However, the state has only completed 15,000 tests in a day a couple times so far this year, showing that laboratories could handle greater numbers of test samples.

However, Stephanie Smiley, the interim administrator for DHSs Division of Public Health, noted that sometimes Wisconsinites tests are sent to laboratories out of state, meaning that the number of tests that can actually be performed can be greater that Wisconsins own capabilities.

Our growth in lab capacity is very good, Willems Van Dijk said, but that testing capacity is also matched by the growth in actual tests administered and thats why its so important that we continue to grow that lab capacity, so that we can meet the growing demand for tests in our state.

A Wisconsin National Guard member tests a person on Monday morning, May 18, 2020, at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine. The testing site was created in partnership with Racine County, the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing will at the site will continue through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., the testing is free and available to anyone in the community.

A Wisconsin National Guard collects information as people wait to be tested at a drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine on May 18.

People wait in their cars to be tested as members of the Wisconsin National Guard collect information during a foggy Monday morning, May 18, 2020, at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine. The testing site was created in partnership with Racine County, the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing will at the site will continue through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m the testing is free and available to anyone in the community.

Wisconsin National Guard members lead people who walked to Festival Hall rather than drive Monday morning at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine.

Wisconsin National Guard prepare to start testing people Monday morning at a drive-thru and walk-up COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine. The testing site was created in partnership with Racine County, the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing will at the site will continue through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., the testing is free and available to anyone in the community.

A National Guardsman kneels while talking to a driver waiting in line before receiving a coronavirus test Monday at Festival Hall.

Hundreds were able to get tested for coronavirus in the parking lot of Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St., on Monday when Racine County's second free community testing site, staffed by the Wisconsin National Guard, opened. Those who wanted to be tested could drive up or walk up to the site.

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard, donned in personal protective equipment, talk to people queuing in vehicles before they could get tested Monday at Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St.

Curtis Walls, a Chicago native and Racine resident, receives a nasal test from a Wisconsin National Guard member in the parking lot of Festival Hall on Monday.

Julio Negron of Racine undergoes a nasal swab test for coronavirus in the parking lot of Festival Hall on Monday. The test involves a tester collecting samples from deep inside both of the subject's nostrils.

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard collect information as people wait in their cars to be tested Monday morning at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine.

Brian Paulhus, who lives Downtown, receives a coronavirus test.

A Wisconsin National Guard member tests a person on Monday morning, May 18, 2020, at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site in the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine. The testing site was created in partnership with Racine County, the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing will at the site will continue through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., the testing is free and available to anyone in the community.

People enter and leave the parking lot of Festival Hall in Downtown Racine on Monday morning at a drive-thru COVID-19 community testing site. The testing site was created in partnership with Racine County, the State of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin National Guard. Testing will at the site will continue through Friday, May 22, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., the testing is free and available to anyone in the community.

Mason

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Wisconsin's COVID-19 testing ability dropping because supplies are being redirected to other states - Journal Times