June 16, 2021 Update

We are enjoying having our McWhinney Development team from Denver in town for one of their planning sessions on the redevelopment of our city center block.  They have had a slate of meetings today, and they are asking some pretty searching questions.  It is always interesting to see Provo through the eyes of people not familiar with some of the unique aspects of our culture!  (Sometime I will have to share some stories).

We also had the opportunity this morning to meet with the Union Pacific railroad on a variety of issues.  Over my career, I have seen how hard it can be to work with railroads, but it has been nice to see the UP putting some emphasis on local partnerships.

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 33,315,272 cases with 597,965 fatalities.

Utah:  410,377 cases (up 413 from yesterday); 17,169 hospitalizations; 2,324 deaths (up 1 from yesterday)

Utah County:  97,772 cases (up 79 from yesterday); 2,744 hospitalizations; 400 deaths (no change from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• We are 5 days away from the official start to summer and hitting record highs! SLC Airport hit 107° yesterday, tying the hottest it's ever been there. Intermountain is reminding everyone about the dangers of hot cars - stay cool out there!
• Lumber prices are falling fast, but with the demand on the housing market, there is speculation on how far they will drop and if they will return to normal soon.
• Juneteenth is on its way to officially become a public holiday, as the Senate unanimously votes in favor. It is expected to be approved by the House as well.

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with the City Ombudsman
• Held a meeting with the City Recorder
• Met with a visiting developer
• Held a meeting on the railroad
• Participated in a meeting for EDCUtah
• Met on conservation in Provo
• Held a meeting with the Development Services director
• Met with office staff
• Participated in a meeting on parking in Provo
• Met with the Parks and Rec director
• Participated in an event at Sundance

FUN STUFF

It has been a while since we did a Tonight Show video.  This is from a couple of months ago where Jimmy Fallon and Michelle Obama crash some [not so] random Zoom meetings.  The reactions are kind of priceless!

I hope you have a great rest of your day, and that you find ways to stay safe, hydrated and cool during a record-setting heatwave!

Wayne