Monroe County has officially extended the countywide mask mandate for another month.
Jim Inman Photo: Canva.com
On Wednesday the Monroe County Commissioners met and heard from Penny Caudill, county health administrator. Based on the number of local cases and COVID-related deaths, the commissioners voted that the mask mandate be extended through October 31.
The new order states that “No other regulations, other than a requirement to wear facial coverings in indoor public places, will be put in effect at this time.”
The target number health officials would like to see is a positivity rate of less than 50 cases per 100,000 people. Caudill stated the health department hopes that level is reached around October 20, based on current trends.
Caudill reported during the commissioners meeting that the county positivity rate had dropped below five percent, and the county is still at 59 percent fully vaccinated.
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Looking to expand your education? Indiana University Bloomington and Ivy Tech Community College have expanded their programs to create five new methods of admissions.
The agreement between the schools allows Ivy Tech students who have earned specific associate degrees to transfer to IU beginning in the junior year. There are nine programs at IU – four in psychology, two in biology and one each in elementary education, informatics and criminal justice, according to IU’s website.
Students who enrolled at Ivy Tech starting June 1 are eligible for the program.
There are requirements for the students to complete to be part of the program. If the students meet the requirements of the agreements, admitted students will be awarded at least 60 credit hours toward their bachelor degree.
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Today is National Chewing Gum Day.
According to history.com, chewing gum dates back more than 9,000 years. Northern Europeans were found to have chewed birch bark tar for enjoyment and potentially for medicinal purposes.
In the late 1840s, John Curtis developed the first commercial gum, made from boiling resin from a spruce tree and cutting it into strips. The pieces of gum were coated in cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together. Within ten years Curtis had created the world’s first chewing gum factory in Maine.
Studies show that chewing gum can help improve memory, reduce stress and increase alertness.
And according to statista.com, the top three chewing gum brands in the US are…
Third is Dentyne Ice… second is Wrigley’s Spearmint… and number one is Ice Breakers Ice Cubes.
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