SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Department of Transportation advises motorists of the following road restrictions:

1. Nov. 5: Northbound Interstate 215 (west) will be restricted to one lane intermittently at each of the bridges within the project area (4700 South, 5400 South, and Redwood Road) between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. for seal coat work.
2. Nov. 5-8: The 4700 South on-ramp to southbound I-215 (west) will be closed from Friday at 10 p.m. through Monday at 6 a.m. The I-215 northbound off-ramp at 4700 South, the I-215 northbound on-ramp from eastbound 4700 South, and both westbound on-ramps at Redwood Road are scheduled to re-open Monday morning, weather permitting.
3. Nov. 6: Southbound I-215 (west) from 4700 South to Redwood Road will be restricted to one lane during daylight hours for overhead sign installation work.
4. Nov. 6-7: Northbound I-215 (west) from Redwood Road to 4700 South will be restricted to one lane during daylight hours for seal coating and striping.
5. Nov. 6-7: Northbound Interstate 15 at the Spaghetti Bowl will close from Saturday at midnight to 3 p.m. Sunday. Traffic will be routed to the collector ramp, where motorists can re-enter I-15 at 1300 South.
6. Nov. 6-7: One lane of westbound Interstate 80 will be closed at the I-15 merge from Saturday at midnight to 3 p.m. Sunday

Winter-related closures:

1. S.R. 224 from Deer Valley Day Lodge to Guardsman Pass is closed until Spring.
2. Guardsman Pass is closed from Brighton to Park City.
3. Mirror Lake Highway (state Route 150) is closed until Spring.

Motorists are advised to visit www.commuterlink.utah.gov and to call 511, Utah’s free Travel Information Line, to find the latest construction and road condition updates. UDOT urges motorists to reduce speeds and use caution when driving through work zones. Work schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather, equipment problems or emergency situations.

5:41:57 PM    

Six Utah public libraries are welcoming members of their Spanish-speaking neighborhood to visit and check out items for free from a new collection of materials in Spanish. The Utah State Library Division has identified these libraries as having the largest and fastest growing populations of Spanish-speaking residents with a need for information and materials to live, learn, recreate and work successfully in the community. The designated libraries are Fillmore City Library, Summit County Library, Ephraim City Library, Cedar City Library, Hyrum Library and Washington County Library.

Thanks to a grant from the Federal Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA), the libraries are able to purchase nearly $8,000 in books, videos, DVD’s, books-on-tape, magazines, and newspapers in Spanish for children and adults. This information covers many important topics of interests from parenting, pre-natal and infant care, baby name books, diet & weight loss, nutrition, cooking, home remodeling, decorating & repair, learning English as a second language, understanding personal finance, computer software applications, emigration and immigration and obtaining U.S. citizenship to bi-lingual children’s books, popular Hispanic short stories and novels, fotonovelas and biographies of Latino performing artists.

Library staff members are also attending several special customer service and cultural awareness training workshops to understand the information needs of their Spanish-speaking neighbors.

The Utah project a Celebración la Familia en su Bibliotecca, kicks off during the first week of November in honor of the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos, (Day of the Dead). This event welcomes our Spanish-speaking residents and their families, helps them obtain a library card, check out the new Spanish-speaking resources and learn what materials they would like us to add to the collection.

5:38:35 PM    

(Salt Lake City, UT) - Utah's limited flu vaccine supply is getting to those who need it most, but the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) says more high-risk individuals still need to get their flu shot, so officials will continue to ask healthy people to wait for now.

The UDOH has been tracking the limited flu vaccine supplies throughout the state over the last month and appreciates the cooperation of providers, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and others in getting the vaccine to those at greatest risk. "The response from the general public and health care providers has been very positive," says Linda Abel, Immunization Program Manager, UDOH. "This has alleviated the need for Utah to assess fines or develop regulations to control supplies like in other states."

"The response has been a little too good in that even some high-risk people have chosen to wait so others at higher risk could get their shot first," said Abel. Abel says that some, such as people with asthma or diabetes, are harder to convince that they need the vaccine because they feel healthy and may even feel guilty by getting the shot. The UDOH encourages all high-risk individuals to get vaccinated now, even if they feel healthy.

The UDOH has updated the priority groups to include anyone who provides care for someone with chronic or long-lasting illnesses. The priority groups are now as follows:

• caregivers of those with chronic illnesses, such as cancer or severely weakened immune systems (new)
• children 6 months to 23 months of age
• adults 65 years of age and older
• persons 2 years to 64 years with chronic medical conditions
• all women who will be pregnant during influenza season
• residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities
• children 6 months to 18 years of age on long-term aspirin therapy
• health care workers providing direct patient care
• out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children less than 6 months of age

The UDOH recommends other vaccine options for individuals not in the priority groups. Healthy individuals ages 5-49 years (who are not pregnant) can get the nasal spray vaccine known as FluMist. This includes health care workers and those who are regularly around infants younger than 6 months. FluMist should not be used for those who care for severely immunocompromised patients. FluMist will be available at the following health departments: Bear River, Davis, Salt Lake Valley, Southeast, Summit, Tooele, Tri-County and Utah.

UDOH continues to stress ways to reduce the risk of getting sick, such as:

• Covering your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze and throwing the tissue away
• Washing your hands
• Staying away from other people when you are sick

If you think you have influenza, you may want to see your doctor within 24 hours. Symptoms usually begin within one to two days after being exposed, and may include a sudden onset of fever, muscle aches and pains, cough and or sore throat. Prescription antiviral medications can reduce the duration of flu if taken within two days after symptoms begin. If you get the flu, rest, drink plenty of liquids, avoid using alcohol and tobacco, and take medication to relieve the symptoms of flu.

UDOH also recommends that individuals 65 years of age and older or those who have long-lasting medical problems receive the pneumonia vaccine. Pneumonia is a life-threatening complication resulting from influenza. Pneumonia vaccine, which is readily available, can be given year round and is usually given just once in a lifetime.

For more information about influenza and pneumonia vaccinations, contact your health care provider, local health department, or the UDOH Immunization Hotline at 1-800-275-0659. Physicians and nursing homes wanting additional information on vaccine resources may contact the Utah Immunization Program at 801-538-9450. For influenza case updates and other information, go to: www.health.utah.gov/epi

5:28:48 PM