Mayor cancels Uncle Sam Jam, announces recovery task force

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said Wednesday that the annual Uncle Sam Jam event held on July 3 has been canceled.

"With the virus presence in our community, we've determined that sponsoring an event, even a scaled-back one, would've encouraged large gatherings of people... so we've decided to error on the side of caution," Baird said.

On Thursday, Baird also announced the creation of the Lincoln Economic Recovery Task Force on Wednesday, which is aimed at helping the community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baird explained that Lincoln has been hit hard by the pandemic, with a jump in unemployment from 2.5 percent to 9 percent, and many businesses struggling to get by.

The task force will aim to support local business and local workforce development, Baird said, and present options and solutions to Lincoln’s economic recovery.

The task force will be co-chaired by Angie Muhleisen, CEO of Union Bank and Trust, and Ava Thomas, President and CEO of the Lincoln Journal Star.

In addition, Pat Lopez from the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department gave an update on cases in Lancaster County.

23 new COVID-19 cases were announced on Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,120 confirmed cases in Lancaster County.

The total number of recoveries rose to 158 to 134.