Good evening. This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, January 21st, 2021.

Later in the program, we have an excerpt from the latest edition of Bring It On. Hosts Clarence Boone and Liz Mitchell speak with Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, who was the MLK Day keynote speaker for the City of Bloomington. He is the founder and curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum, a collection of over 7,000 original artifacts of Black memorabilia dating from the trans-Atlantic slave trade era to hip-hop culture.

Also coming up, we have Better Beware - your weekly consumer-watchdog segment hosted and produced by Richard Fish.

But first, your local news brief:

3,733 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Wednesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. There were 64 newly reported deaths.

Locally, Monroe County saw 78 new confirmed cases yesterday as well as one confirmed COVID-19 death. Lawrence County reported 19 new cases and one confirmed death. Brown County reported three new cases.

The age requirement to sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccination from the Indiana Department of Health is currently 70 years of age and older. If you qualify, you can sign up by visiting ourshot.in.gov, or by calling 211 for assistance.

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This morning, the Indiana Democratic party joined Indiana Republicans in calling on Governor Eric Holcomb to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers.

In a press release, Indiana Democrats cited President Joe Biden’s recommendation that vaccinations be immediately available for essential workers, which includes teachers, and Americans 65 and older.

John Zody, Indiana Democratic Party chairman, believes this is a necessary step to getting back to normal.

“Indiana’s teachers are essential workers, and the faster they receive a vaccine, the quicker we can return to some sense of normalcy in our public schools," said Zody. "This idea is not only backed by both Republicans and Democrats, but it’s common sense.”

Governor Holcomb’s 2021 State of the State Address

 Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb touted the state’s “recovery” from the Covid-19 pandemic in his state of the state address on Tuesday - despite over 600,000 total positive cases and over 9,000 total deaths from the virus.

The governor’s state of the state address was in many ways defined by coronavirus. The speech was pre-recorded in a studio. Despite a year dominated by the pandemic, Governor Holcomb said 2021 should be about moving forward.

"This has been a year unlike any other," said Holcomb. "For Indiana, the future is now."

One of the key elements of the governor’s speech included the coronavirus vaccine, now available to seniors, 70 years-old and older. However, the demand for a vaccine outweighs the state’s capacity to administer them, as seniors have reported long wait times to make an appointment and many received error messages on the state’s website.

During his speech, the governor laid out his 2021 agenda, which included teacher pay, Covid-19 relief and police reform.

The governor also touched on the I-69 construction project, the importance of rural broadband internet connectivity, infant mortality and the state’s economy.

Monroe County Commissioners

Beacon Inc. Executive Director Forrest Gilmore requested continued support of weekend services from the Monroe County Commissioners. Gilmore spoke of the request during their January 20th meeting.

Gilmore mentioned over 21 thousand meals new were served in 2020 on weekend services.