STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Consider May 21 the day the music died.
The Sun Valley Museum of Art has scratched this summer’s outdoor concert series featuring Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Steve Miller Band and Gregory Alan Isakov due to the uncertainty about COVID-19.
“For the first time in over 40 years, Sun Valley Museum of Art will not be gathering our community for outdoor live concerts,” said Kristin Poole, the museum’s artistic director. “While we’re devastated over the whole situation, we’re strategizing how we can continue connecting you to live performances.”
Ben Harper was scheduled to perform on June 27; the Steve Miller Band, on July 15, and Gregory Alan Isakov on Aug. 13.
NEEDED: 1,500 MASKS:
MasquerAID has now made about 2,000 masks for community members, distributed through The Hunger Coalition, Crisis Hotline, The Cove of Cascadia, Blaine County Recreation District and The Advocates.
Beyond Wood has offered its laser cutter to cut mask materials and ties and Flourish Foundation has served as the central headquarters for logistics, material cutting and kit preparation.
“All masks are donated and we have no end of mask making in sight!” said Winslow Brokaw.
Currently, the organization has requests for 1,500-plus additional masks for use in children’s camps, restaurants, Mountain Rides, the Senior Connection, the Advocates and the Hunger Coalition.
For more information, or to help visit www.flourishfoundation.org/masqueraid or contact Brokaw at winslow@flourishfoundation.org or 207-266-8625.
THE BUMP TO TWIN:
Paving is expected to begin on Tuesday, May 26, on a short section of US 93 just north of the Flying J. The project is expected to last eight days if the weather cooperates. Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction. Motorists should anticipate minor delays and reduced speeds.
A QUICK BOISE RECOVERY?
Of the 100 largest metro areas in the United States, Boise is among the top 10 in the best position to recover from the corona-cession, according to a story published by Forbes.
Others in the top 10 include Denver, Colo.; Durham, N.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Madison, Wis.; Provo, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Jose, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz, and Washington, D.C.
Worst positioned to recover: New York City, Los Angeles, Detroit, Honolulu; McAllen, Texas; Miami, New Haven, Conn. Philadelphia, Stockton, Calif., and Tampa, Fla.
The predictions are based on a report by Moody’s Analytics.
WHO NEEDS A SWAB TO TEST FOR COVID?
Boise is now following in the footsteps of Salt Lake City and other towns that are testing their sewage for COVID-19 data.
The city hopes to flush out information that could indicate how much virus is in the population and alert authorities to outbreaks. The city plans to work with Biobot to collect samples at least through August.
THE NUMBERS:
Idaho gained 28 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday for a total of 2,534. Blaine County gained one new case for a total of 510.
PASS THE MIC:
Celebrities like Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rita Wilson and Hugh Jackman are handing over their social media accounts to COVID-19 experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci for a day so their fans can hear facts about how to end the pandemic from “people who actually know what they’re talking about.”
The #Pass the Mic campaign will run for three weeks.
GOOD NEWS ABOUT IMMUNITY?
T cells found in COVID-19 patients bode well for long-term immunity, according to an article published in “Science.”
The immune warriors target the virus and may help infected people recover. And some people never infected with COVID-19 appear to have these immune warriors, probably because they were infected with other coronaviruses, such as one of the four human coronaviruses that cause colds.
The study doesn’t clarify whether people who clear an infection can ward off the virus in the future. But it bodes well for long-term protective immunity, according to virologist Angela Rasmussen of Columbia University.
At any rate, T cells could be used to help create better vaccines. The 100-plus COVID-19 vaccines currently in development mainly focus on the immune response of antibodies. They latch onto SARS-CoV-2 preventing it from entering cells.
T cells, in contrast, spur B cells and other immune warriors into action while killer T cells target and destroyed infected cells, mitigating the severity of disease.