Good Morning! Here’s The 5 Things You Need to Know In and Around Osceola County for June 30, 2020!
- Noticing gas prices edging back up again? Demand for gas and oil is up, and so is the national and state average price for gas again.
The price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas is now $2.18 nationally, and back over $2 in Florida at $2.03.Demand for gasoline increased by 10 percent in the last week according to the Energy Information Administration. The demand is still much lower than a typical summer reading, but it’s the highest since late March when the coronavirus pandemic set in, showing continued signs that Americans are filling up more and getting about.
Some stations around the county that have been at $1.97 or $1.99 the past couple weeks jumped up to $2.09 per gallon on Monday, and on average prices will continue to increase ahead of the 4th of July weekend, although prices are still expected to be about 50 cents cheaper per gallon than this time last year, according to AAA.
The car club usually releases an Independence Day travel forecast but isn’t this year, just like Memorial Day, but did forecast that that Americans will take 683 million road trips between now and September 30. If you’re hitting the road, make sure to pack check your oil and tires and pack face masks, cleaning supplies and a thermometer.
- The number of new positive COVID-19 cases were down from the weekend highs in Monday’s report, but so were the number of test results that came back.
The percentage of tests that have returned positive has ranged between 13 and 22 percent since Thursday. The average since the start of testing in March is 7.5 percent, but it was as low at 4.6 percent in May, after starting out around 13 percent in the first weeks of testing. Despite the high number of new cases, there have been fewer than 30 fatalities statewide each of the last three days, and there hasn’t been one in Osceola County in going on a week.
There is anxiety of another wave hit of cases coming with the holiday weekend the end of this week. Cities across the state have canceled gala events with fireworks to prevent mass gatherings of potentially virus-infested people. Other measures are being put in place to manage the coronavirus; the state said Friday that bars cannot serve alcohol for on-premises consumption — forcing many of them to simply close until the order is lifted — and as a followup, officials in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have closed public beaches for the Fourth of July weekend.
This information is not provided to panic or make a point. As individuals, our course of action is simple — wear a face covering in public, stay six feet apart, wash your hands and avoid touching your face — and things should be okay, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.
3. The Snip-It Clinic is Osceola County’s low-cost spay and neuter clinic – but it needs the community’s help to control the pet population in the area.
The SNiP-It Clinic is a 501 C 3 non-profit, and community donations help it keep the price of its procedures low. It goes through many of its supplies on a daily basis, and is in need of bleach, high-efficiency laundry detergent, hydrogen peroxide and letter-size copy paper.
Did you know that you may qualify for a special limited grant for your appointment if you’ve been financially affected by COVID-19? Thanks to the Best Friends Network, there may be help for you to keep your furry friends healthy.
For information on how to help, or about the assistance grant, call the SNiP-It Clinic Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 to 5:30 at 407-476-4748 … that’s 407-4-Snip-It, or go to Lets Snip It.org. If you love cats and dogs, do it for them.
- Now it’s time to take things a little less seriously. St. Cloud’s premier comedy club will have a ribbon cutting and its first new shows this week.
Porky’s Comedy Club, located on 13th Street in the Dollar Tree shopping plaza next to Jimmy Bear’s Barbecue, will host a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, July 1 at 3:30 p.m. It’s a symbolic gesture with the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce to let people know it’s okay to laugh again! The club will have its first shows back since the coronavirus shutdown on July 3 and 4 when the club welcomes comedian William Sloan with special guest Nathan Wallace. Show time is at 8 p.m., and only 72 tickets will be sold for each show to maintain social distancing.
Get your tickets for just $16.75 each online at PorkysComedyClub.com.
- Congratulations to three Osceola County athletes who have signed scholarships to play their sports at the collegiate level.
The most unique of a recent group of signees is Harmony’s Taitiyana Taylor, who has signed a grant to attend Warner University just down the road in Lake Placid to play flag football, which is being added as a collegiate sport at the small school level.
Taylor is the first collegiate signee in flag for Harmony, which has had a legacy of great flag football players over the years. Taylor has also played basketball and ran track.
Congratulations are also in order for St. Cloud boys volleyball player Tyler Souza, who is headed to Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C.
And, Tohopekaliga High soccer player Adonis Vega, who the school said has signed a scholarship to attend college and play soccer in his native Spain. He becomes the second Tigers soccer player to move on to the college level
And now for today’s weather: Expect a carbon copy of Monday: hot and dry with only a chance of a stray shower or quick thunderstorm. The high could reach 97, with the heat index around 104 to 106. Tonight expect just some passing clouds and a low of 77. The rain chances won’t go back up until closer to the weekend.
