July 13th 2020 Update

I hope your weekend was great!  We spent some time watching our grandkids this weekend as their parents went to pick out two guinea pigs as pets for their family.  They had a guinea pig that died due to an infection, and this effort was designed to help ease the trauma from losing a favorite pet.  I also spent a bit of time on Saturday readjusting sprinkler patterns to try to eliminate some unusually brown areas in our yard.  It is kind of a never-ending battle trying to keep lawn and garden alive and thriving during 90 degree plus temperatures!

And we also laid sod at my son's house - also in very warm temperatures.  Hydrating helps, but sod rolls keep getting heavier and heavier - or maybe I am just getting older....

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 3,296,599 cases with 134,884 fatalities.

Utah:  30,030 cases; 1,850 hospitalizations; 216 deaths

Utah County:  5,491 cases; 272 hospitalizations; 28 deaths

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• A handful of wildlife and conservation organizations and other groups announced a partnership to increase water flow in the lower Provo River after Utah experienced its third driest spring on record.  The groups, which include the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, United States Department of Interior, Central Utah Water Conservancy District and Trout Unlimited, announced the 10-year project on June 30, which they said would improve fishing and other recreational activities.
• For those football fans, you might be sad to hear that the September 3rd BYU - Utah game has been cancelled since the Pac-12 will play a conference only schedule. That schedule will be announced no later than July 31st. 
• Infectious disease experts at Intermountain Healthcare posted an article on common mask-wearing myths and what medical experts and research shows about them.  I shared this with many of my family members over the weekend.  
• The Utah Department of Transportation advises there will be parking restrictions in American Fork Canyon and traffic restrictions at the mouth of Provo Canyon. “U.S. 189, from the junction with 800 North in Orem to Mount Timpanogos Park, is scheduled to be reduced to one lane in alternating directions beginning the night of July 12 through early August,” according to Dupaix. “Crews will resurface a two-mile section of pavement to extend the life of the roadway by placing a more-durable pavement over the existing pavement.” To read about the American Fork work, click here.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Had a well deserved and highly encouraged day off (though she still did some work because her work never stops).

FUN STUFF

So, continuing the Hamilton theme (I promise this will be the last Hamilton- related "fun stuff item"), my son in Chicago sent me this little video about the mask issues that seem to be plaguing relationships in many families and neighborhoods, and certainly on social media. 

Thanks for all you do, and for taking appropriate precautions to protect yourself and others!

Wayne