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What you need to know Friday, Jan. 22, 2021

Here are some of the top stories around Kentuckiana.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Good morning and happy Friday, Kentuckiana!

Before you head into the weekend, here are some of your top stories.

Is a third round of stimulus checks on the way?

Before taking office, President Joe Biden announced a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan which included $1,400 stimulus checks for struggling Americans. Now that he’s been sworn in, when could we see that third stimulus check?

It likely won’t be as early as many would like.

Biden will have to introduce the legislation first and then that legislation will have to go through Congress, including a Senate with a 50-50 split between parties.

RELATED: Still checking your mail? Why you may have to wait 4 weeks for your 2nd stimulus check

Looking at previous stimulus check timelines and assuming Congress is able to pass the relief bill by mid-February or mid-March, payments aren’t coming for at least another month.

Biden said about $400 billion of his aid package would go directly to combating the pandemic, while the rest is focused on economic relief and aid to states. Click here to see where the rest of the funds will go.

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

While claims nationwide appear to be on the decline, unemployment numbers remain historically high. The burden of unemployment continues to weigh especially hard on Kentuckians as tens of thousands of people continue to wait for aid.

“I haven’t seen no letters, no contact, no checks, no anything,” said Tom Walls. As his wife battles a cancerous brain tumor, Walls says he feels like “less of a man” because he can’t support his family.

He’s tried to contact an unemployment specialist but hasn’t been able to connect with anyone yet. Gov. Andy Beshear told FOCUS that only a certain number of days are available at a time, which we now know is a rolling 18 days.

The return of indoor concerts in Louisville?

For the first time in nearly ten months, Zanzabar, a popular Louisville music venue and bar, is bringing back live concerts.

"We're testing the waters to see if we can do this safely," Zanzabar co-owner Antz Wettig said.

RELATED: LIST | What Louisville events are still happening in 2021?

In a space that usually houses close to 400 people, they sold tables instead of tickets for the concerts this weekend, so the total number of customers will be closer to 60.

On Thursday, Governor Beshear announced 3,728 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky and 58 more deaths. The total number of Kentuckians lost to the virus is now 3,301.

Credit: WHAS
Zanzabar in Louisville, Kentucky

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