Have fun celebrating graduation this weekend but be mindful balloons can get caught in power lines

A few months ago, I wrote a little bit about a college algebra course I was taking and asked for your prayers to complete it. Well, apparently the prayers helped.  I got through the course.  The trouble of it is, I find as I get older it is harder to remember the details for such things as vertex formulas, the rules for logarithms, or the intricacies of irrational numbers.   
 The 383 lessons took a little over a year to complete. My end goal is to learn calculus before I die.  So, I have now signed up for the pre-calculus course from the same source, Arizona State.  
 I still need your prayers. At this point, it is a race to learn calculus before my brain freezes up from old age. It may be a close race.
 On the COVID-19 front, Washington County has only had three new cases in the last two weeks. This is great. I wish that the low number of new cases was due to the high percentage of people getting vaccinated. However, information received from the district health office shows that only 35.5 percent of Washington County residents have received at least one dose.  
 The Governor’s COVID-19 restrictions still have us in Stage 3 which limits gatherings to 50 or less unless a plan is submitted to the district health office for an exception.  
 I am not privy to all of the factors the Governor takes into consideration on deciding which stage Idaho should be in for dealing with this virus.  However, if I had to guess, I would guess a big part of the Governor’s formula is taking into consideration the number of people who have taken the vaccine.   
 My guess is that the greater the number of people getting vaccinated, the sooner Idaho will move out of Stage 3 so we can have fewer restrictions on our activities.  
 The vaccines have been around long enough to show they are safe and effective. If you haven’t already, please get vaccinated, so we can get back to normal safely and comfortably.  
 In City news this week, the 9th Street project continues to progress ahead of schedule. By the end of this week, there should be a new curb along the entire west side of the street, from Pioneer to Upper Road followed, just a few days later, by sidewalk. The entire project should be completed this month.
 Ken Anderson of the Weiser Recreation Department is busy getting the swimming pool ready for the season.  A date has not yet been set for opening, but we expect to have it ready sometime around the first week of June.
 Our electrical department manager, Wayne Wallace, requests that kite flyers be aware of power lines. We had one instance of a kite getting caught in the lines this week.
 Also, for all of you celebrating graduation this week, if you have mylar balloons, please keep them tied down.  When the balloon is past its prime, please poke a hole in it to dispose of it.  When the balloons are released into the air, they can get in power lines and cause a short. That is what happened this last week when we had a power bump.
 Also, our ordinance officer, Chuck Green, would just like to remind everyone that property owners or renters are responsible for the weeds from the center line of the alley to the back property line.  
 Well, that’s it for this week. If you drive past our house and see smoke, it probably means the pre-calculus was too much and my brain is frying.