July 29th 2020 Update

I had a fun chat early this morning at the Provo Bakery (don't ask me about my high carb breakfast while running late for work) with one of our awesome public works employees (who was getting a delicious looking fresh fritter).  It is always fun to run into our employees around town and we talked about this blog, about the dangers of dealing with the general public during a pandemic, and how he felt about working for the City.  Thanks for visiting with me any time I happen to run into you.  It is one of the best parts of my job.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 4,339,997 cases with 148,866 fatalities.

Utah:  39,194 cases (up 339 from yesterday); 2,324 hospitalizations; 292 deaths (up 6 from yesterday)

Utah County:  7,483 cases (up 61 from yesterday); 353 hospitalizations; 32 deaths (up 1 from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• KSL posted an article online about how other countries have handled the Coronavirus pandemic and what the United States could learn from them.  
• The State of Utah is holding a statewide Job Fair tomorrow.  Not that we want any of our employees to attend, but it might be something to share with your family and friends.  :)
• Did you receive one of the famous Chinese seed packets in the mail?  This story by Fox13 talks about the advice from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food about what to do with those seeds.  

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with BYU Administration on various topics
• Met with Utah state legislators
• Visited the South Franklin Community Center to look at child education programs
• Met with a candidate for county commission
• Met with a resident of the Wasatch Neighborhood

FUN STUFF

I had a discussion this afternoon with our friend Bill Hulterstrom at United Way and remembered that he is the world's biggest Disney fan.  He has spent more time at Disney theme parks during 2019 than anyone else I know.  This little sketch from the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Bell illustrates the history of Disney sing-along songs.  If you are a Disney movie fan, you might really enjoy this little walk through Disney history.

I will be out of the office tomorrow attending my nephew's wedding, so there won't be a blog post tomorrow.  I know how much you will miss it...(or not).  But I will be looking forward to writing the next one on Monday!

Wayne

July 28th 2020 Update

Well, it has been another busy day.  Not so much in meetings for me, although I have had a few, but in trying to get key projects moved forward.  There just never seems to be enough time.

And for those who might have been wondering, our dog Molly had some blood work done after her bout with onions last week and checked out fine.  No long term damage, and just need to keep her hydrating.  Big sigh of relief at the Parker's home last evening after getting back from the vet.  

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 4,280,135 cases with 147,672 fatalities.

Utah:  38,855 cases (up 446 from yesterday); 2,295 hospitalizations; 286 deaths (up 5 from yesterday)

Utah County:  7,422 cases (up 126 from yesterday); 348 hospitalizations; 31 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Utah has experienced some significant economic impact from the pandemic in the tourism industry.  Find out how bad it has been and what the state is planning to do because of it.  
• Many of us are anxious for spectator sports to get started again, and the Utah High School Activities Association is trying to figure it all out.  Learn how high schools are preparing for fall sports.  
• My good friend Wilf Sommerkorn, a longtime city planner in Utah, shared some insights into how housing affordability is impacted by the pandemic and the challenges local governments will face in the coming legislative session.  

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with Karen Larsen and Travis Ball to evaluate the status of the Customer Information System go-live and related challenges
• Met with the Utah County Covid-19 Economic Recovery Committee
• Participated in a meeting on the status of the funding and design for the new Airport passenger terminal project
• Met with Public Works staff on an irrigation issue in northeast Provo

FUN STUFF

We haven't done a jazz/funk moment for a while.  Julie and I love to attend Jazz concerts at BYU, and Synthesis is one of the best offerings in the BYU Music School (in my humble opinion).  We attended a concert a little over a year ago at BYU where Derek Brown was a guest artist.  Derek is a "beat-boxer sax player" and his performance that evening was incredible.  This little video from that evening concert is worth the seven minute listen.  Great music and an absolutely unbelievable display of talent as Derek beat-boxed with his saxophone.  

Have a great evening, everyone.  And thanks for being the best at what you do!

Wayne

July 27, 2020 Update

Happy Monday, everyone.  It was great for many of us to have a long weekend; it was pretty quiet at the Parker's home, other than a bit of a health scare with our goldendoodle, which we believe has turned out OK.  She sneaked into the kitchen Thursday afternoon and ate about 1/3 cup of chopped onions off the counter, which as you may know is pretty toxic for dogs.  So we induced vomiting with a little hydrogen peroxide mixed with some chicken broth and then spent the weekend trying to get her rehydrated.  All in all, not what we planned for Pioneer Day pandemic-style.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 4,225,687 cases with 146,546 fatalities.

Utah:  38,409 cases (up 436 from yesterday); 2,252 hospitalizations; 281 deaths (up 7 from yesterday)

Utah County:  7,296 cases; 337 hospitalizations; 31 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• KSL offers some helpful hints to protect your cybersecurity while you might be working from home.  
• The Associated Press took a look at how parents are deciding how to educate their children as school districts around the country plan on how to restart school in some fashion in the next few weeks.  
• Columnists Frank Pignanelli and Lavar Webb shared their ideas about what Pioneer Day might have looked like in the 1800's if Twitter and Zoom were available back then.  

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with Chief Ferguson
• Participated in a conference call with other county mayors and the Utah County Health Department
• Held weekly staff meeting and social media planning meeting
• Met with the city executive team
• Participated in a meeting discussing the current status of several difficult neighborhood and zoning enforcement issues
• Met with the deputy mayor

FUN STUFF

It seems to be wedding season again, even with the pandemic.  We had a niece get married over the weekend and we have a nephew getting married later this week, but weddings in the Coronavirus era are quite a bit different.  No big receptions; no dancing.  So this little video of a father-daughter dance on steroids brings back some fun memories of how weddings and receptions used to be.  (BTW, the dancing wasn't nearly this good at my wedding reception 41 years ago!)

Again, I hope you had a great weekend.  We'll do another update tomorrow!

Wayne

July 22nd 2020 Update

Today has been a bit less intensive day than the last few days - at least so far.  I have been working on the CARES Act funding applications, getting caught up on some emails and work, and reviewing 8 proposals for the redevelopment of the existing city center block once the new building is completed.  We also had a large Zoom meeting with many of the parties to the Provo River Delta Restoration project and made some good progress on addressing our serious concerns about conflicts with the Provo Airport.    

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 3,882,167 cases with 141,677 fatalities.

Utah:  35,578 cases (up 566 from yesterday); 2,135 hospitalizations;260 deaths (up 10  from yesterday)

Utah County:  6,659 cases (up 116 from yesterday); 314 hospitalizations; 31 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• The Salt Lake Tribune has created a series of quizzes entitled "Think you know Utah? Take our news quiz and find out." The quizzes are designed to test you knowledge of current events in Utah.
• The Alpine School District said they are hundreds of substitute teachers short for this next school year, with the first day of class just a few weeks away
• During the intense heat this summer, you might have a phone that overheats in the sun. A few tips to help prevent this are to turn off any battery-consuming features (like Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi) if you don’t need them, and shut down apps that you aren’t using while outside for better battery performance, and to not leave your phone in direct sunlight if you need it while outside. Something as simple as leaving it in the shade will help prevent overheating. If it’s especially hot outside, you may also want to avoid keeping your phone in your pocket.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with representatives from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum
• Met on water treatment
• Met about scooters
• Met with the director of Parks and Recreation

FUN STUFF

The Greatest Showman was a huge hit a few years ago, and several in my family know all the lyrics and love the music.  This little cover of This is Me done by the group the Welsh of the West End (via Zoom) is not only fun, but demonstrates the musicianship of these incredible artists.  If you loved The Greatest Showman, you will really enjoy this 4 minute musical treat.

Hope everyone has a great holiday Friday.  We will connect again next week.

Wayne

July 21st, 2020 Update

It is a Council day, and we are having a comparatively light agenda.  There have been a good number of issues, primarily around the pandemic and appropriate strategies for dealing with the continued growth in positive test results.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 3,819,139 cases with 140,630 fatalities.

Utah: 35,012 cases (up 486 from yesterday); 2,109 hospitalizations; 251 deaths (up 4 from yesterday)

Utah County:  6,516 cases (up 116 from yesterday); 313 hospitalizations; 31 deaths (up 1 from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Target and CVS both are mandating masks, Target's new policy will beginning August 1, and CVS implemented theirs yesterday on July 20. 
• Four researchers with varying backgrounds at BYU pored through 130 scientific papers about the costs, benefits and disadvantages of mask-wearing in response to the global pandemic. They were quoted saying "We’re able to now say with a high level of confidence: masks protect people from COVID-19."
• Today is National Junk Food Day, so if you've had a craving, today might be the justification you need to indulge.
• If you want to stay on top of the fires, check out this article. The video is pretty crazy.
• Our very own Parks and Recreation Center has earned the best of state and is featured prominently in community rec magazine. You can read one of the glowing articles here.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Sat as vice-chair on the Covid-19 Economic Recovery Committee
• Attended Council Work meeting
• Participated in the City Council meeting

FUN STUFF

Baseball is back.  However, it is a bit weird to watch with and empty stadium.  This little clip from the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game shows Cody Bellinger's Grand Slam with a bit of fake crowd noise in the background.  But a bit of major league baseball is certainly better than no baseball at all.




That's it for today.  Thanks for all you are doing and how we are keeping our city quality of life high.  And congrats to Scott Henderson, Bryce Merrill and the entire Parks and Recreation team for their being highlighted in their professional publication! 

Wayne