Crunch time for COVID-19 relief as bipartisan bills unveiled
The dozen or so lawmakers sealed agreement on their COVID relief plan over the weekend and decided to offer two pandemic relief packages with varying price tags.
Associated Press
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NCAA to play women’s basketball tournament at one site
The women’s Final Four in 2021 was already set for San Antonio, and the NCAA has begun preliminary talks with the Texas city to hold the entire 64-team tournament in the area.
‘Relieved’: U.S. health workers start getting COVID-19 vaccine
The biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history kicked off Monday as health workers rolled up their sleeves for shots to protect them from COVID-19 and start beating back the pandemic.
Gmail, YouTube go down briefly as Google suffers short, massive outage
The problem affected users across the world, but appeared especially widespread in the northeastern United States, Britain and other parts of Europe.
Report: Cleveland Indians to change name after 105 years
For years, Native American groups and others have protested against Cleveland’s use of Indians as its name as well as other imagery used by the American League charter franchise since 1915.
Indiana plant ramps up work on coolers for COVID-19 vaccines
Arizona-based Foam Fabricators has increased staffing by 20% at its New Albany plant to keep up with demand for the coolers that will be used for the vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
Christmas trees go fast as families head out to farms to cut their own
Christmas tree growers say business is booming, as families seek out safe ways to celebrate the holiday, get out of the house and add some joy to what has been a bummer of a year.
COVID-19 concerns prompt Indianapolis library restrictions
Starting on Dec. 21, the Indianapolis Public Library’s branches will restrict in-person services to curbside pickup and limited computer use. Browsing for books won’t be permitted.
States will start getting COVID-19 vaccine Monday
The state of Indiana is set to receive more than 55,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers next week, with the initial doses going to five pilot hospitals. By the end of next week, additional doses are expected at a total of 50 hospitals throughout the state.
FDA authorizes first COVID-19 vaccine in bid to end surging pandemic
The U.S. gave the final go-ahead Friday to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, marking what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.
White House threatens FDA chief’s job over vaccine approval
Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn signaled that he would tell regulators to allow the vaccine to be issued on an emergency basis, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said.
Study: Drug combo with Lilly medication boosts COVID recovery time
Doctors are reporting that a two-drug treatment involving a medication from Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. is especially helpful for COVID-19 patients who need extra oxygen.
Congress averts shutdown, buys time for more COVID-19 talks
COVID-19 relief talks remain stalled but there is universal agreement that Congress won’t adjourn for the year without passing a long-delayed round of pandemic relief.
In Wall Street years, 2020 felt like a decade for markets
The stock market tumbled through years’ worth of losses in just over a month this spring, only to turn around and pack an entire bull market’s worth of gains into less than nine months.
Retailers urge shoppers to buy early amid shipping crunch
The earlier-than-usual deadlines come as more people turn to online shopping during the pandemic, creating a logjam for shipping companies as well as delivery delays. The U.S. Post Office admits that processing plants are “overwhelmed.”
Pollstar: Live events industry lost $30B due to pandemic
Pollstar on Friday said the live events industry should have hit a record-setting $12.2 billion this year, but instead it incurred $9.7 billion in losses.
Congress stuck as McConnell resists state aid in COVID-19 deal
An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal.
U.S. panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine; FDA expected to act quickly
The advisory group, in 17-4 vote with one abstention, concluded that the shot appears safe and effective against the coronavirus in people 16 and older.
Hogsett calls Congressional gridlock on second stimulus package ‘unconscionable’
He said he wanted to “add his voice to a chorus of fellow mayors” from across the state and country calling for Congress to take action.
U.S. budget deficit up 25.1% in first 2 months of budget year
The deficit—the shortfall between what the government collects in taxes and what it spends—reflected an 8.9% jump in outlays, to $886.6 billion, and a 2.9% decline in tax revenues, to $457.3 billion.