September 28, 2020 Update

Greetings, everyone.  It is nice to be back in the office today.  I had a great virtual conference at the end of last week.  It is always good to do a little "saw sharpening."  And once the conference was over, I got back in the saddle with my kitchen refreshing project and made some good progress.  

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 7,095,422 cases with 204,328 fatalities.

Utah:  71,442 cases; 3,757 hospitalizations; 453 deaths

Utah County:  18,792 cases; 639 hospitalizations; 57 deaths

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• A team of six BYU students have successfully made glasses to help autistic kids’ eye contact. They consist of two LCD screens, two sheets of teleprompter glass and a speaker. The glasses are connected to a control box that allows the user to control the opacity. In theory, the glasses would allow a therapist to stream an animation in order to catch the child’s attention, at which point they could lower the opacity, helping the child establish eye contact.
• An organization calling itself Utahns for Medical Freedom has filed a referendum to repeal a citywide mandate in Provo that would require people to wear facial coverings indoors and outdoors in public areas and at large gatherings during the pandemic. If they can collect 3.200 signatures, it will appear on the November 2021 ballot.
• A Daily Herald article came out about the ICMA Career in Excellence Award. From the Mayor's office: In case you don't know about this award, it's a big deal!! It means we have the best city manager in the world, and he has an award to prove it!!  (Editorial comment -  thanks Amber for suggesting this, but I really know that it is not me, but the whole team that gets recognized in this way.  Thanks, Team Provo, for making me look so good.)

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with the Police Chief
• Held a meeting with the Fire Chief
• Participated in a Covid-19 Coordinating call with Utah County
• Met with the Customer Service director
• Held a meeting with the Public Works director
• Met with the Energy director
• Held a meeting on communications
• Met with Mayor's office staff
• Participated in a meeting with her executive team
• Attended a Utah County Board of Health meeting
• Met with the Deputy Mayor

PERSONAL STUFF

On a personal note, we talked with my Coast Guard son this weekend.  His cutter was about halfway between Hawaii and Japan when fire broke out on board.  Fortunately, the crew of 150 Coast Guard members (we call them Coasties) responded as they have been trained to do and put out the fire, with only a few minor injuries.  We are super grateful that they did well and are safe.  So, they limped into a naval base in Yokosuka, Japan where they are having the fire investigated and will find out what will happen next.  Some of the photos in this article were pretty alarming to the parents of this young man, as well as other parents of the Coasties assigned there.  Glad we have these brave young men and women who protect our borders, intercept drugs and human traffickers on the seas, and protect marine wildlife.  

FUN STUFF

Speaking of all things nautical, here is a really weird experience as an otter tries to escape an orca who is looking for lunch.

Have a great evening, and we'll be back tomorrow.