State lawmakers approved $150 million for the Student Learning Recovery Grant Program earlier this year, with the goal to fund out-of-school programs helping students make up for lost learning time during the pandemic – the 2021-22 school year is the third one disrupted by COVID-19.

It is unclear as to how the lions caught the virus. The zoo said all staff are vaccinated and no staff working in proximity to the cats were sick or showed signs of the virus.

Last winter saw a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Health experts say there is reason to be hopeful this second pandemic winter will be different.

The COVID-19 pandemic along with the expiration of the eviction moratorium is expected to fuel a rise in bankruptcy filings at the beginning of 2022, according to an Indianapolis-based lawyer.

Indiana recently recorded its first flu death of the season. And the state has offered the flu vaccine at some of its COVID-19 vaccination sites, since the two can be taken together.

Student COVID-19 cases are dropping, in line with statewide declines. At the same time, businesses and workers have questions about how Indiana's government will respond to the new Biden administration vaccine rule. And experts say it's too soon to call COVID-19 "endemic."

When the pandemic struck the U.S. around spring break of 2020, it set off an exodus in college towns as classrooms went virtual almost overnight. The sudden departure of tens of thousands of students made it difficult to count them in the census, which began at almost the same time.

Marion County Public Health Department Director Dr. Virginia Caine said the goal is to reduce the spread of COVID.

The Indiana Health Department added booster shots given to its daily tracking of vaccine distribution.

Thirteen independent music venues across Marion County each received an average of nearly $19,000 through the program created to support recovery from the pandemic.