Gov. Eric Holcomb will soon give his fifth State of the State address, starting in a few minutes.

FAIR WARNING: I'll be live-tweeting it, so feel free to mute me for a while if you don't feel like seeing that.

You can watch the speech here: https://vimeo.com/event/356296/videos/500189422/

This year's speech is unlike any that have come before it: due to security concerns across the country tied to the presidential inauguration (and with ongoing COVID-19 precautions), Holcomb's address is pre-taped, away from the Statehouse.

Holcomb begins with a somber tone, reflecting on the last year.

He says he's not at the Statehouse because "we are living in a time when practicing 'safety first' has never been more important."

Holcomb references the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol: "how we process our sense that our country itself is not immune from the type of turmoil that afflicts so many other national capitols."

The governor also takes a moment of silence: "It’s impossible to calculate the far reaching ripple effect of the personal and community loss of lives and livelihoods."

Holcomb praises health care workers, law enforcement, faith leaders and Hoosiers generally: "Ladies and gentlemen, because of you, the state of our state is resilient and growing."

Getting into the meat of the speech now, Holcomb is laying out the agenda and budget proposals he's unveiled over the last several weeks.

You can read about those here: https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/holcombs-2021-agenda-focus-on-advancing-existing-initiatives-increase-education-budgets

And here: https://www.wboi.org/post/holcombs-proposed-budget-spends-one-time-money-pay-down-debt-not-direct-relief#stream/0

Holcomb, convinced 2021 "can be the best ever" tells people to "go-go-go."

He's also touting the state's COVID-19 vaccination plan.

If you're 70 or older, you can schedule an appointment at http://OurShot.in.gov  or by calling 2-1-1

Still on the topic of older Hoosiers, Holcomb promises to put in place a managed care system that will allow more Hoosiers over 50 to remain in their homes as they age, via Medicaid.

Holcomb is touting improvements in the state's infant mortality rate.

It is substantially better than it's been in recorded history (over 100 years)...but still ranks poor compared to other states, evidence of how far Indiana has to come on that measurement.

Holcomb on Dept. of Child Services improvements since 2017:
--cases decreased by >30%
--rate of children entering care decreased by ~34%
--turnover among DCS employees decreased by 30%

Holcomb, on expanding school choice: "Those options shouldn’t come at the expense of the public school system, which educates 90% of Hoosier children."

House GOP has proposed expanding the state's broad school voucher program this year.

Holcomb, always thinking about the future, is apparently preparing for life after being governor: he says, just this morning, he checked out http://IndianaCareerConnect.com , which tells you where all 111,000 unfilled jobs in Indiana can be found.

Holcomb, touting two job training grant programs, notes that more than 66,000 Hoosiers have taken advantage of the two programs since 2017, leading to average wage gains of $6,800 and $6,000, respectively.

If you haven't already heard, Indiana will finish I-69 in the next three years and construct a new I-69 bridge over the Ohio River.

Holcomb is crediting last year's hands-free driving law with a 12% reduction in collisions in 2020, compared to 2019.

Also...a lot fewer people were on the roadway last year. You know, pandemic and all.

Something folks on both sides of the aisle are happy about: Holcomb talks about the recent re-launch of the state's $90 grant program for trail projects across the state.

Holcomb is talking about a new database the state will create to show real-time info about Indiana's housing and its market.

Announced last month, I remain shocked that's information home builders and developers didn't already have.

In a need boosted by the pandemic, Holcomb will continue to pursue a new $100 million for broadband expansion. That's part of his budget proposal, submitted to the General Assembly last week.

Holcomb loves sports references, but I didn't predict a Wayne Gretzky reference.

Quoting the Great One, Holcomb says "a champion needs to 'skate to where the puck is going to be – not where it has been,' and that’s what we’re doing to build Indiana for today and tomorrow."

Here's the lone new announcement in this year's State of the State: the Next Level Regional Recovering program.

It sounds an awful lot like the old Regional Cities program, created under then-Gov. Mike Pence.

Holcomb: "IEDC will work with regions that collaborate to develop strategies designed to improve quality of place, advance industry sector development & grow workforce development initiatives among regions, educators, employers & our state’s workforce." https://twitter.com/brandonjsmith5/status/1351687182860382209?s=20

Holcomb is again pushing the legislature to create workplace accommodations for pregnant workers.

That bill failed last year, unable to clear the Indiana Senate.