August 13 2020 Update

Happy Thursday!  It has been a week for sure.  But we are doing a lot of good things together.  Thanks for your hard work this week!

We are seeing a few encouraging signs about the spread of the Coronavirus.  We are clearly not out of the woods, and we will probably see a spike in Utah and nationally as children are going back to school - even if it is only 2 days a week.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 5,176,018 cases with 165,148 fatalities.

Utah:  45,424 cases (up 334 from yesterday); 2,721 hospitalizations; 353 deaths (up 2 from yesterday)

Utah County:  9,062 cases (up 79 from yesterday); 428 hospitalizations; 37 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• For those of us who spend a lot of time looking at screens for work, WebMD has an article on how to avid eyestrain, including the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
• The Big 12 Conference is moving ahead with its football season, with teams following safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Provo City School District Board of Education voted Tuesday to increase the property tax rate from 0.001548 to 0.001997 to increase salaries for teachers in an effort to prevent educators from leaving the district.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Toured the new Fire Station on N. Canyon Road
• Met with representatives from Provo Towne Center Mall
• Attended a meeting for the United Way
• Participated in a Provo School District meeting
• Met about CARES Act Funding
• Held a meeting on disability access for the city

FUN STUFF

My niece's children have been involved in the Rexburg Children's Choir before - unfortunately they are moving away from Rexburg, so I likely won't have another opportunity to see them in person.  When I saw this video with David Archuleta, I was reminded of going to a concert or two with them over the years.  This is just a moment of inspiration if you need one - a cover of Bette Midler's From a Distance.

Now that we all have a had a moment of feeling a bit more hopeful about our circumstances, I hope you have a great weekend!

Wayne