Indiana House moves bill aimed at school board meetings
A separate proposal seeking to add political party identifications to what are now nonpartisan school board elections throughout the state was effectively abandoned.
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United States warns that chip shortage could shut down factories
U.S. companies that use semiconductors are down to less than five days of inventory—a sharp drop from 40 days in 2019. The chips used in the production of automobiles and medical devices are especially scarce.
GM to spend nearly $7B on EV, battery plants in Michigan
The state’s economic development board on Tuesday approved $824 million in incentives and assistance for Detroit-based General Motors.
Biden administration officially withdraws failed vaccination rule
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed the withdrawal Tuesday. But the agency said it still strongly encourages workers to get vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccine booster drive faltering in United States
Just 40% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the average number of booster shots dispensed per day in the U.S. has plummeted.
No more pencils: SAT going digital in shifting college admissions landscape
The Scholastic Aptitude Test will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, saying the shift will boost the SAT’s relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission.
Amid omicron and inflation, IMF cuts world growth forecasts
The International Monetary Fund slashed the growth forecast for the United States—world’s largest economy—to 4%, down from the 5.2% it predicted in October.
Pfizer begins testing omicron-matched COVID shots in adults
The new U.S. study will include up to 1,420 volunteers ages 18 to 55 to test the updated omicron-based shots for use as a booster or for primary vaccinations.
Hope seen once the omicron wave increases global immunity
One influential model projects that nearly all nations will be past the omicron wave by mid-March. Others predict a strong decline in U.S. infections by April, unless a new variant emerges that can sidestep the growing levels of immunity.
Afghan resettlement work wrapping up at Indiana Guard base
The last of the remaining 200 refugees at Camp Atterbury were expected to depart for resettlement assignments by the end of this week.
Indiana lawmakers advance bill banning transgender athletes
The bill would prohibit students who were born male but identify as female from participating in a sport or on an athletic team that is designated for women or girls.
Indiana, others sue Google, saying it invades users’ privacy
The lawsuits are the latest in a raft of legal salvos against the tech giant, whose search engine accounts for an estimated 90% of web searches worldwide.
Dow drops 1,000 points as markets extend slide in 2022
Stocks extended their three-week decline on Wall Street and put the benchmark S&P 500 on track to a so-called correction—a drop of 10% or more from its most recent high.
Fed to signal rate hike as it launches risky inflation fight
Among the central bank officials, there is broad support for a rate increase—one that would come much sooner than the officials had expected just a few months ago. But after that, their policymaking will become more complicated and could sow internal divisions.
Kohl’s confirms approach about potential acquisition
Kohl’s said Monday that its board is reviewing the offers, sending shares up more than 30% in early trading Monday.
Taxpayers face overloaded IRS as filing season opens Monday
An IRS worker shortage and an enormous workload from administering pandemic-related programs will combine to cause taxpayers pain this filing season.
Indiana to start accepting state tax returns on Monday
The Indiana Department of Revenue encourages taxpayers to use electronic filing, online payment and direct deposit to significantly improve the quality and speed of processing returns and refunds.
Indiana allowing sports wagers on 7 Winter Olympic events
The Indiana Gaming Commission said the state’s online and retail sports wagering operations could accept bets on alpine skiing, bobsled, cross-country skiing, curling, ice hockey, short-track speed skating and speed skating.
Booster shots needed against omicron, CDC studies show
The study found vaccine effectiveness was best after three doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in preventing COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care visits.
Intel chooses Ohio for $20B chip facility amid global shortage
The Intel project is the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio’s history, state officials said. The facility is expected to create 3,000 company jobs and 7,000 construction jobs, while supporting tens of thousands of additional jobs for suppliers and partners.