Intensive Care Units in Utah are already at the threshold for capacity. And with the Thanksgiving holiday, healthcare providers are preparing for another surge in cases.

Eddie Stenehjem is an infectious disease expert at Intermountain Healthcare. During a press conference he said Thanksgiving could be a possible super spreader holiday.

“We absolutely worry that Thanksgiving will lead to increase community transmission, which will further our hospitalizations and that increased community transmission will continue through the Christmas holiday,” Stenehjem said.

Several local organizations secured contracts through Rocky Mountain Power to deliver renewable energy from a new solar project here in Utah.

The 80-megawatt Elektron Solar project in Tooele County is slated to be online by 2023 and provide renewable energy to six customers in Utah, including four right here in the Wasatch Back.

Summit County, Park City Municipal, Park City Mountain Resort, and Deer Valley Resort all secured contracts through Rocky Mountain Power, along with Salt Lake City and Utah Valley University. 

Utah Department of Health reported 1,781 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The 7-day rolling average of new cases in the state is now 3,113 per day.

UDOH reported 26 new deaths — there have been 834 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. One of the deaths was a Summit County woman between the ages of 65-84 years old. She was a resident at a long-term care facility. 

Since the start of the pandemic, Summit County has seen five COVID-19 related deaths and Wasatch County has reported 13.

The Salt Lake City Olympic committee was formed earlier this year – and had met once in February just before the pandemic started. The team is back to business.

At last week’s Historic Park City Alliance business community meeting, several topics were discussed -- including changes to winter parking, the status of 2021 events, and an update to the city’s winter sales tax outlook.

Paid parking in Old Town Park City is set to resume on December 18th. 

Paid parking has been suspended since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is scheduled to change in the coming weeks with several areas, including the China Bridge parking garage, to begin charging for parking this winter.

In late September, a number of trees on the Swaner Preserve were cut down. These trees are part of the ongoing restoration at the preserve and serve as habitat for nesting birds, forage for elk and deer and also dampen sound and light pollution away from the Preserve.

The Swaner EcoCenter and Preserve have put the word out on their social media channels asking whoever might be responsible for the damage to step forward. Executive Director Nell Larsen says whoever cut the trees had to jump over a fence with the equipment to do so.

Pete Stoughton and Lynn Ware Peek have a special Thanksgiving edition of The Mountain Life. It’s time to talk Thanksgiving food and wine with local experts. Brook Kirchheimer of Hearth and Hill Restaurant will talk about new twists on old classics, his beloved traditions and how his restaurant helps feed a community in celebration of this annual feast. 

In this Thanksgiving episode of The Mountain Life, Kirsten Fox, executive sommelier at the Fox School of Wine joins the show to let us in on some great pairings for our favorite dishes. Will it be red? White? Bubbly? Big and bold or light and fruity?

"Uncle Frank" premiered at Sundance 2020. This top notch cast tells a unique and emotional story you won't want to miss. Here's Barb Bretz with your Holiday Film Review.

Alan Ball, writer/director of "Uncle Frank," has received well-deserved acclaim for the Academy award winning American Beauty screenplay and TV series Six Feet Under and True Blood. Sundance audiences received this newest project with laughter, tears and standing ovation applause.

On today's Local News Hour:

( 00:31) Salt Lake City Olympic Committee Chair Cindy Crane talks about ramping up the planning for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympics in Utah.

( 19:07) Summit Council Member Kim Carson has a re-cap for this week's meeting.

( 35:26) Park City Historic Alliance Executive Director Alison Kuhlow with an update from last week's board meeting.