Covid-19 Delta Variant concept with graphics
GOVERNOR ADDRESSES DELTA VARIANT
Governor Andy Beshear is issuing new mask recommendations to fight the increasing spread of the COVID-19 delta variant. The governor recommended yesterday that unvaccinated Kentuckians and those with pre-existing conditions should wear masks indoors when not at home. The governor also recommended that those in jobs with “significant public exposure” consider wearing masks at work. Beshear says any Kentuckian who is eligible to receive the vaccine should be vaccinated immediately. Only 51% of Kentuckians aged 40 to 49 have been vaccinated, as well as 46% of Kentuckians aged 30-39, and 36% of Kentuckians aged 18 to 29. The state positivity rate stands at 4.49% which is higher than the Calloway County rate of 3.66%. Statewide, 337 are hospitalized which is 104 more than last Monday, including 104 in ICU, which is 34 more than a week ago.
PAVING PROJECT BEGINS WEDNESDAY IN CALLOWAY COUNTY
Milling and Paving will begin Wednesday in Calloway County along Sections of KY 783, KY 1346, KY 1497, and KY 1828. Motorists who regularly travel these sections of highway should be alert for one-lane traffic with alternating flow controlled by flaggers. Some delays are possible during the movement and placement of equipment to facilitate the work. Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers, and paving personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow. Weather permitting, the target completion date for this group paving project is August 6.
MCKEEL HONORED BY KAPE
Josh McKeel has been awarded the 2021 Excellence in Leadership Award by the Kentucky Association of Public Educators. McKeel serves as the Deputy Superintendent and Director of Pupil Personnel at Calloway County Schools. He was nominated for the award by KAPE board member Brian Collier and numerous teachers in Calloway County. The award is given to the school administrator who displays virtue, inspiration, vision, decision-making, instructional leadership, empowerment, innovation, and positivity.
GAS PRICES LOWER THIS WEEK
Gas prices in West Central Kentucky are one cent lower this week at $2.87 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Since Memorial Day weekend, the national gas price average has increased 13 cents to $3.17 per gallon. That is 98 cents more than a year ago, but 41 cents cheaper than this time in July 2014, when the national average was last above $3 a gallon. One of the primary reasons for more expensive gas prices this summer is high crude oil prices. AAA expects higher pump prices to be the norm throughout the summer.
JOBLESS RATE DOWN SLIGHTLY
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted preliminary June unemployment rate was 4.4%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics which was down 0.1 percentage points from 4.5% rate in May and down 1.3 percentage points from the 5.7% recorded for the state one year ago when restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 limited certain business operations. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate for June was 5.9%, up from the 5.8% reported in, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
PVA EXAM TO BE GIVEN ANNUALLY
An exam required in order to run for State Property Valuation Administrator or PVA is only going to be given once this year statewide. The PVA exam is scheduled for November 17th at 10 a.m. eastern time at the Triple Crown Pavilion on Plantside Drive in Jeffersontown. The test is over three hours long and all materials, including calculators, are supplied.
IN AND AROUND KENTUCKY
SOMERSET—A new nationwide study by the University of Washington shows that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is strong in parts of Kentucky. The vaccine behavior study indicates areas of Eastern and Southern Kentucky, such as Lewis and Bell counties, show a strong resistance to getting the vaccine. Much of the Lake Cumberland region is also experiencing strong vaccine hesitancy, including Pulaski and Russell counties. Health leaders nationwide are concerned that hesitancy will lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the fall and winter.
LOUISVILLE—Stargazers in the Commonwealth are enjoying an annual meteor shower. The Earth passes by debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle each year creating the Perseid meteor shower. Experts say it’s one of the best meteor showers of the year. For folks in Kentucky, it’s expected to peak around August 11th through the 13th.
AKRON OHIO—The nation’s best gravity racers are in Akron, Ohio for the 83rd All-American Soap Box Derby Race Week. Race week starts today and runs through Saturday. Local champions Kierra Johnson, Andrew Meyer, and Braden Locher are among the ten Owensboro-area racers competing at the event.
TENNESSEE—The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is releasing its annual Crime in Tennessee report for last year. The TBI says the sharp decline in crime in 2020 was “undeniably impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The report released yesterday shows a five-percent decrease from the previous year in group-A offenses like rapes and murders. It also showed a seven-percent decrease in the number of DUIs from 2019.
TENNESSEE—There are about 500 new coronavirus cases in Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reported the new cases yesterday, bringing the total since the outbreak began to nearly 875-thousand-630. An additional three COVID-19-related deaths were also reported, with the total number of coronavirus-attributed deaths standing at nearly 12-thousand-640. There are over 400 people with COVID-19 hospitalized in Tennessee.
TENNESSEE—The state’s largest hospital says it’s dealing with an increase of COVID-19 patients in its intensive care unit. Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials say nearly all of the COVID patients admitted to the hospital are unvaccinated. About 42 percent of Tennesseans have received at least one dose of the vaccine. About 38 percent are fully vaccinated.
