November delivers another hit to sinking consumer confidence
Even before the omicron variant appeared, consumer optimism was being tested by price spikes across the board, particularly for gasoline and food.
Associated Press
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New info shows omicron spread wider earlier than thought
New findings about the coronavirus’s omicron variant made it clear Tuesday that the emerging threat slipped into countries before their defenses were up.
FDA panel set to review Merck’s COVID-19 pill
If authorized, Merck’s pill would be the first that U.S. patients could take at home to ease symptoms and speed recovery, but new information released last week paints a less compelling picture of the drug than when the Merck first publicized its early results in October.
Powell says COVID variant clouds inflation, economic outlook
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says that the appearance of a new COVID-19 variant could slow the economy and hiring.
Cyber Monday caps robust holiday shopping weekend
Americans are spending freely and going back to store shopping, knocking out some of the momentum in online sales from last year when Americans were making many of their purchases exclusively via the internet.
Biden vaccine mandate for health workers blocked in 10 states
A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.
LSU hires football coach Kelly away from Notre Dame
Brian Kelly became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history earlier this season, surpassing Knute Rockne. No previous head football coach has ever left the Irish to take a job at another school.
Indianapolis Public Schools latest district to join vaping suit
The 2018 Indiana Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than one-third of Indiana high school students had used a Juul product.
Wall Street steadies following last week’s omicron-related slide
The most powerful lift for stocks came from those that have been able to grow strongly almost regardless of the economy’s strength or pandemic’s pall.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey steps down as CEO
Dorsey has faced several distractions as CEO, starting with the fact that he’s also founder and CEO of the payments company Square. Some big investors have openly questioned whether he could effectively lead both companies.
Sports conferences ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 launch mental health initiative
Teammates for Mental Health will be unveiled this week during basketball games involving the three conferences, including the ACC/Big Ten women’s and men’s challenges.
Shippers prepare for another pandemic crush of holiday gifts
Nearly 3.4 billion parcels are expected to crisscross the country this holiday season, representing an estimated increase of about 400 million compared with last year.
More omicron variant cases pop up as world rushes to learn more
The COVID-19 variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more able to evade the protection of vaccines.
Don Shondell, longtime BSU men’s volleyball coach, dies at 92
Shondell, who coached the Ball State University men’s volleyball team to 13 NCAA tournament appearances, was frequently referred to as the father of Indiana volleyball. He coached the Ball State team for 34 years and saw dozens of his players go into the coaching ranks.
New omicron variant stokes world fears, triggers travel bans
A World Health Organization panel suggested omicron could pose greater risks than delta, which is the world’s most prevalent variant and has fueled relentless waves of infection on every continent.
Consumer spending rebounds despite rising October inflation
U.S. consumer spending rebounded in October, rising by a a solid 1.3% despite rising inflation that over the past year has reached the fastest pace in more than three decades.
Seasonal adjustments send U.S. jobless claims to 52-year low
Since topping 900,000 in early January, the applications have fallen steadily toward and now fallen below their prepandemic level of around 220,000 a week.
U.S. GDP slowed sharply in Q3, but big rebound expected in Q4
The expectation is that the economy in the current October-December quarter could grow at the strongest pace this year, with some economists forecast GDP could surge to an 8% rate in the fourth quarter.
On the road again: Travelers emerge in time for Thanksgiving
The number of air travelers this week is expected to approach or even exceed pre-pandemic levels, and auto club AAA predicts that 48.3 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period, an increase of nearly 4 million over last year.
Timeline extended for resettling thousands of Afghan refugees in Indiana
The new goal is for all remaining refugees to receive resettlement assignments by the end of the year, although the holiday season and winter weather events could delay the time to early 2022.