🌱 Wage Increase + Children COVID-19 Hospitalizations Surge

Good day, people of Mentor! You've made it to Wednesday. Let's see what's happening around Mentor.

First, today's weather:

Low clouds. High: 42 Low: 39.

Here are the top stories in Mentor today:

1. COVID Hospitalizations Among Children Up In OH As Omicron Spreads: Pediatric hospitalizations for COVID-19 are increasing nationwide, including a 5.2 percent increase in Ohio. (Patch.com)

2. Minimum Wage To Increase In Ohio In New Year: Ohio's minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $9.30 on Jan. 1, a slight bump from $8.80 in 2021. (Patch.com)

3. Benefit Concert For OH Singer To Feature Cold Play's Chris Martin: More than 25 musicians will take part in a benefit concert Jan. 7 for an Ohio musician battling a debilitating illness. (Patch.com)

From my notebook:

• Mentor Marsh: "Woohoo! What a day of birding we had on Sunday! Have you birded before? Group birding has several advantages-more eyes see and hear different birds, we learn from each other AND there’s a camaraderie of like minded folks sharing and learning along the way. You should join us sometime! We bird around the Marsh year-round. Our next one is Blackbrook Audubon’s IBA (Important Bird Area) walk that we lead the 4th Sunday of every month, 1/23/22..." (Facebook)
• Mentor Public Library: "Recently we have been receiving many questions about COVID-19 test availability. Here are some answers to the frequently asked questions.
  1. How can I find out if/when you have tests? The best way to find out if we have tests available is call 440-255-8811 ext. 8 for a real-time status of test availability. 2. When will you get more tests in? Unfortunately, we don’t know when the next shipment will arrive and usually find out when the delivery truck arrives. We distribute tests almost as soon as they arrive and update our message at 440-255-8811 ext. 8 as soon as we have availability. In general, the Ohio Department of Health is having trouble keeping up with the demand for tests right now. 3. Will you post to Facebook/Instagram/Twitter when you have more tests..." (Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— Nikki Gaskins