September 15 2020 Update

Happy Tuesday!  It is a city council day, and there are a lot of interesting issues on the agenda today.

I wanted to mention that we have been seeing a significant uptick in Covid-19 cases in Provo and Utah County.  In an article in the Deseret News yesterday, the state health department indicated that the number of new cases has a lot to do with students returning to BYU and UVU.   This wasn't unexpected and the return of students was one of the major reasons why the Municipal Council approved the recent mask ordinance.  Our office is in daily contact with the BYU administration and watching carefully what is happening with case counts,  hospitalizations, and isolation/quarantine protocols.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 6,537,627 cases with 194,092 fatalities.

Utah:  59,000 cases (up 564 from yesterday); 3,361 hospitalizations;436 deaths (no change yesterday)

Utah County:  13,528 cases (up 185 from yesterday); 540 hospitalizations; 53 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• A fire started near the University of Utah, burning near the "U" on the mountain. As of 8:30 this morning, the evacuations were lifted.
• Efforts kicked off Monday to redevelop the 700-acres of state-owned property at the Utah State Prison in Draper. In just two short years, the state prison will be vacated and the plot of land will be repurposed.  If everything goes according to plan, development at The Point and the surrounding 20,000 undeveloped acres would generate 150,000 new high-paying jobs by 2050.
• The Salt Lake Airport has finished construction and the first flights left from there at 6:30 this morning.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with her executive team
• Had a meeting with members of the City Council
• Met for the COVID-19 Economic Recovery meeting
• Participated in a virtual open house
• Had a phone call for the American Public Power Assoc. Policy Makers Council
• Participated in City Council work meeting
• Attended the City Council meeting

FUN STUFF

I like Shania Twain, but I actually like this cover of her well known hit "You're Still the One" from the Petersens even better.  The Petersens are a family that performs what I could call "soft country" in Branson and they have a pretty good following on YouTube.  I thought you might enjoy a little "easy listening" for today.

Have a great day!  It is nice to be back.  We'll chat again tomorrow.

Wayne