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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 22 Juni 2022

US pools close, go without lifeguards amid labor shortage

though some cities are ramp- pool. Starting pay is $15 per of the nation’s largest aquatic
ing up incentives. hour, up from $13 an hour programs — 77 public pools
earlier this year. Those who and 22 beaches that serve
Indy Parks and Recreation stay through the season will a population of nearly 2.75
has 100 lifeguards on staff receive a $100 retention bo- million — pushed opening
this year when normally it nus, Boyd said. day for pools back to July 5
would have double that, said from June 24.
Ford, who was worked for “I’ve tried to get some of
the agency for 20 years. Even my friends that want to get a “Chicago families rely on our
as lifeguards from closed summer job and want to have park programs during the
neighboring pools bulk up money in their pockets,” said summer, so we are not giving
the open facilities, pools in second-year lifeguard Don- up,” Chicago Park District
Indianapolis must still close ald Harris, 17. “They’ve just Superintendent Rosa Escare-
for an hourlong lunch and said lifeguarding isn’t for ño said in a news release.
cleaning break each day. them.”
Escareño attributed the scar-
When a local pool is not At Indiana’s state parks, life- city in part to “mass resigna-
open, young people may go guards are paid $11 an hour. tion” — referring to post-
(AP) — Manager Ashley That’s left some Americans swimming in places without All of the state’s 37 facilities pandemic labor shortages.
Ford strode the perim- with fewer or riskier options, lifeguards, Fisher said. That remain open, but some op-
eter of one of Indianapo- even as a significant part of can result in more drown- erate on limited hours, said Chicago Park District pays
lis’ five open swimming the nation endures a second ings, which disproportion- Terry Coleman, director of $15.88 hourly and is now of-
pools, monitoring kids as heat wave in as many weeks. ately affect people of color. In the Division of Indiana State fering bonuses of $600, up
they jumped off a diving Public health experts say the the U.S., Black people under Parks. Many Indiana state from $500 in May, to new
board or careened into the risk of drowning decreases 29 are 1.5 times more likely parks additionally have shal- hires who stay through the
water from a curved slide. significantly when lifeguards to drown compared with low swimming areas without summer. It also relaxed resi-
Four lifeguards, whistles are present. white Americans of the same lifeguards, Coleman said. dency requirements, mean-
at the ready, watched from age, according to the Centers ing applicants do not have to
their tall chairs stationed “That’s my biggest thing, for Disease Control and Pre- “We’re looking at potential live in the city.
around the water. is making everybody safe,” vention. incentives for maybe the
Ford said. 2023 recreation season, but One cause for applicant hesi-
With a dozen of the city’s About 330,000 people enroll nothing in stone yet,” he said. tation unrelated to the pan-
pools shuttered due to a The American Lifeguard As- the American Red Cross’ demic may be a lifeguard
lifeguard shortage, fami- sociation estimates the short- lifeguarding course annually. In Maine, several state parks sexual abuse scandal that
lies sometimes line up more age impacts one-third of U.S. That figure shrank, as many started the season without rocked Chicago Park District
than an hour before the one pools. Bernard J. Fisher II, pools shuttered due to the lifeguards, and visitors are in- last year.
at Frederick Douglass Park director of health and safety pandemic, but is now ris- formed at the park entrance
opens, Ford said. Many days, at the association, expects that ing, Jenelle Eli, senior direc- when no lifeguard is on duty, Escareño said the organiza-
it reaches capacity. to grow to half of all pools by tor of media relations for the said Jim Britt, spokesperson tion has since strengthened
August, when many teenage American Red Cross said in a for the Maine Department its accountability and report-
A national lifeguard short- lifeguards return to school. statement to The Associated of Agriculture, Conservation ing systems.
age exacerbated by the COV- Press. and Forestry. The state pays
ID-19 pandemic has prompt- Summer shortages aren’t lifeguards about $16 an hour. “I think right now, the most
ed communities such as Indi- unusual, but U.S. pools are Indy Parks requires its life- important thing is to ensure
anapolis to cut back on pools also dealing with the fallout guards to pass a course in “It’s a concern,” Britt said. that we open safely, and that
and hours. In other spots from earlier in the pandemic, which they swim 100 yards, “There’s no two ways about we place the greatest priority
around the United States, when they closed and life- tread water for a minute it. We want lifeguards to be on safety, not just the safety
swimming areas go without guard certification stopped, without using their hands there and to be on duty.” of our residents, but also the
attendants. Fisher said. Starting pay lags and retrieve a 10-pound ob- safety of our employees,” she
behind many other jobs, ject from the bottom of a Chicago, which boasts one said.

Wisconsin election investigator appeals contempt order

(AP) — The former Wis- to his appearance in court torney present. won a series of victories be- asked that the case be heard
consin Supreme Court earlier this month where he fore Remington and Dane by a three-judge panel in
justice hired by Repub- refused to answer questions His attorneys said the judge County Circuit Judge Valerie Wisconsin’s 2nd District
licans to investigate the and made sarcastic remarks mistook Gableman’s refusal Bailey-Rihn. Court of Appeals, which is
2020 election in Wisconsin about a female attorney. to testify at the June 10 hear- based in Waukesha.
has appealed a contempt ing as his invoking Fifth Gableman, in his appeal,
ruling against him related Remington also forwarded Amendment rights. Gable-
to his response to an open his contempt order to the man should not have been
records request and heat- committee that disciplines found in contempt, his attor-
ed appearance in court. attorneys for possible further neys argued.
action, including suspension
Michael Gableman last week or repeal of Gableman’s law Gableman has also been sub-
appealed the June 15 order license. poenaed by American Over-
from Dane County Circuit sight to appear at a Thurs-
Judge Frank Remington fin- In his appeal filed Friday, day court hearing in another
ing Gableman $2,000 a day Gableman argued that the open records case filed by the
until he complies with open penalties handed down were group. It has filed three open
records requests from the “grossly disproportionate to records lawsuits against Ga-
liberal government watchdog the violation.” His attorneys bleman, Republican Assem-
group American Oversight. also argued that the judge was bly Speaker Robin Vos, who
Remington, in a scathing wrong to deny Gableman’s hired Gableman, and the As-
order, also accused Gable- motion to adjourn the con- sembly.
man of unprofessional and tempt hearing and to force
misogynistic conduct related him to testify without his at- American Oversight has