Positive COVID-19 tests derail Kansas, Virginia conference tourney runs
The cancellations create uncertainty about the programs’ ability to participate in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Indiana, which begins March 18.
Associated Press
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Spiking energy leads wholesale prices up 0.5% in February
Over the past year, wholesale prices are up 2.8%, the largest 12-month gain at the wholesale level in more than two years.
Biden aims for quicker shots, ‘independence from this virus’
President Joe Biden pledged in his first prime-time address Thursday night to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and raised the possibility of beginning to “mark our independence from this virus” by the Fourth of July.
Pace of spending for pandemic aid? Try $43,000 every second
The president signed the aid package into law Thursday without a comprehensive plan in place to distribute all of the funds, which will be a core focus of the administration in coming weeks.
More records for stock indexes as stimulus bill becomes law
The S&P 500, the Dow Jones industrial average and the Russell 2000 measure of small-company stocks all closed at record levels on Thursday.
States drawing up big wish lists for the COVID relief money
Since most state budgets are not in the tailspins that many feared last spring, states can use their share of the money to go way beyond balancing the books and dealing with the direct costs of the coronavirus pandemic.
Duke pulls out of ACC tournament, ending NCAA tourney streak
The Blue Devils abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end their season due to a positive COVID-19 test, ending their streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.
Shirts or skins? Teams need only five to be eligible for NCAA tourney
In explaining a number of contingencies that could come into play if teams are exposed to COVID-19, NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt said that as long as a team has five healthy players, it’s good to go.
Biden signs $1.9T pandemic relief bill before speech to nation
President Biden’s challenge Thursday night will be to honor the sacrifices made by Americans over the last year while encouraging them to remain vigilant despite “virus fatigue” and growing impatience to resume normal activities.
Indiana attorney general continues business advisory roles
Attorney General Todd Rokita is being paid by private businesses for consulting work, including $25,000 a year for advising a Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company, according to a newspaper report.
U.S. jobless claims fall to 712,000 as pace of layoffs eases
Counting supplemental federal unemployment programs that were established to soften the economic damage from the virus, an estimated 20.1 million people are collecting some form of jobless aid.
Nursing home residents can get hugs again, feds say
The government guidance comes as coronavirus cases and deaths among nursing home residents have plummeted in recent weeks at the same time that vaccination accelerated.
Restaurants are big beneficiaries of COVID-19 relief package
The pandemic relief package approved by Congress on Wednesday calls for grants equal to the amount of restaurants’ revenue losses, up to a maximum of $10 million per company and $5 million per location.
U.S. budget deficit hits record $1.05 trillion after 5 months
The Treasury Department reported Wednesday that the October through February deficit was 68% larger than the $624.5 billion deficit recorded during the same period last year.
Congress OKs $1.9T pandemic relief bill along party lines
Most noticeable to many Americans are provisions providing up to $1,400 direct payments this year to most adults and extending $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits into early September. But the legislation goes far beyond that.
School boards push back against Indiana voucher expansions
At least 65 public school boards have passed formal resolutions against the proposed legislation through a campaign organized by the Indiana School Boards Association.
Consumer prices increase 0.4%, but core prices moderate
Consumer prices are up 1.7% over the past year, a still moderate performance for inflation, which is running below the Federal Reserve’s 2% target for price increases.
A homebound year has meant rethinking our houses, belongings
Architects and interior designers say that after 12 months of varying degrees of lockdown, people are discovering what does and doesn’t work in their homes, and becoming more confident about acting on it.
U.S. House approves pro-union bill despite dim Senate odds
The measure, which union leaders and labor allies have presented as a cure for decades of working-class wage stagnation, was approved on a mostly party-line 225-206 vote.
As spring nears, houseplants feel it too and can get unruly
Even houseplants indoors feel the changing season.