Some positive news that Indiana residents use of masks may be working… On Sunday the Indiana State Department of Health said that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Indiana DROPPED from 3,872 cases to 1,844 cases.
CVS Health began administering COVID-19 vaccines at 1000 long-term facilities in Indiana yesterday. The vaccine is expected to be given to 140,000 Hoosier patients.
In a Facebook announcement on Christmas eve, popular downtown eatery Vera Mae’s Bistro said they would be closing the restaurant from January 1 to February 8th 2021. Citing the need for the entire community to work together to reduce the numbers of the Corona virus, the announcement went on to say the closing will be the first for the restaurant in 21 years.
Have you checked your internet bill lately? You might have seen a line on it for “equipment charges” related to a modem or wireless router. It’s now illegal for broadband and TV providers to charge fees for equipment customers own themselves, The fees are outlawed under a bill called the Television Viewer Protection Act that Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed in 2019.
The City of Fishers is offering $100,000 dollars worth of gift cards as part of a new city campaign. Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness launched the “2,000 Acts of Kindness” campaign over the weekend, which aims to encourage residents to eat at local restaurants and be kind to others. If you commit an act of kindness, you can describe what you did in a post on the Fishers city web site, or you can choose to nominate someone else to win a gift card. Mayor Fadness hopes to reach 2,000 acts of kindness by January 18.
TSA says it screened 1,128,773 people the day after Christmas, which was close to a pandemic record set on December 23rd. Still… that’s about ½ the number of travelers TSA screened in 2019.
Turkey Run State Park will offer guided ice hikes on Saturdays in January and February. All ice hikes require advance registration. Boot spikes, which allow for safer hiking on ice and snow than boots alone, will be provided for participants. For more information visit https://www.in.gov/dnr for more details.
Warner Brothers sent a shockwave through the movie industry recently when they announced all of their 2021 movies would be released in theaters AND on the streaming service HBO Max at the SAME time. The move gives audiences the option of staying home and watching a newly released movie on their sofa or going to the theater. The pandemic has forced the movie industry to retool their operations. Even now, some first run movies can be rented on services like VUDU the moment they are released with a substantially increased rental fee.
Open Door Health Services understands there is a fair amount of confusion surrounding the COVID vaccine. In order to help answer your questions, Open door has created a special email address for you to send your questions. Open door will than collect the questions and answer them through a FAQ posted to their website and social media. Email your vaccine questions to this address: covidvaccinationquestions@opendoorhs.org.
The Herald Bulletin reports The Madison County Community Foundation has pledged $100,000 to help local food pantries across the county. Second Harvest Food Bank’s website lists 14 food pantries located within Madison County. In addition, Indiana Trust Wealth Management announced it will donate $25,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana.
United Way of Madison County is accepting applications for COVID Rapid Response (CRR) funding. According to the Times Post, since May, United Way of Madison County has provided more than $393,000 in COVID-19 relief. In the current round, the agency will prioritize requests from organizations that “address the highest areas of unmet needs — shelter, food, transportation, childcare and energy assistance — that benefit people with low incomes, communities of color, and historically and/or systematically marginalized people in Madison County and/or Middletown. Visit unitedwaymadisonco.org for the application.
Returning Christmas presents is just another part of the holiday tradition. Superstores in Indiana are ready for the inevitable gift returns that happen each year. The National Retail Federation says more than 1 in 10 gifts will make their way back to store shelves. But this year, there are options for Hoosiers who want to avoid going to the stores. Target says customers can return gifts through UPS or FedEx, while Walmart says customers can use the new Carrier Pickup by FedEx service.
Viewing local Christmas lights was a popular activity around Muncie the last few weeks. Sara Crigger of the inaugural Muncie Holiday Drive-by Facebook page says she had 2,918 members in a month join her page to check out local Christmas lights. Meridian Health Services “Holiday’s at Gresham” light show had a 37% percent increase over last year.
Bald eagles are making a comeback in Indiana. Over the last few years, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has kept a close eye on the return of the bald eagle to Indiana and has now decided to take the bird off the state’s list of animal species of concern. The bald eagle was taken off the state’s endangered list a couple of years ago. Experts say there are now some 390 eagle’s nests throughout the state.
