INDIANAPOLIS — Monday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamilton County Parks suspends major events through end of the year
Hamilton County Parks and Recreation announced Monday they have suspended all major community events through the end of 2020 due to COVID-19.
The events include concerts and the Potter's Bridge Fall Festival, along with the "Little Haunt on the Prairie at Ghoul Creek Park." The department plans on bringing the events back for 2021.
Smaller programs are continuing, but have limited capacity and require reservations. Click here for more information.
Hoosiers to receive additional $300 in unemployment aid
While the $600 unemployment benefit from the CARES Act has expired, FEMA approved Indiana to eligible Hoosiers an additional $300 each week through the federal Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program.
According to the Department of Workforce Development website, the agency plans to disburse the money to eligible Hoosiers in the next three to four weeks. Hoosiers qualify for the additional funds if their weekly unemployment benefit from the state is at least $100. That goes for those are on traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and other eligible federal UI programs.
Eligible Hoosiers must continue to file weekly vouchers to get the additional money. The payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1, 2020, and will expire when the first of three situations arises:
- LWA funds are depleted
- Lawmakers pass legislation providing unemployment benefits
- Dec. 27, 2020
ISDH updated coronavirus numbers
The Indiana State Department of Health reported there are 688 new cases of COVID-19 in the state. That brings the total number of cases to more than 87,000.
Five more people have died from the virus between Aug. 22 and Aug. 23 with a total of 3,008 deaths in the state since the start of the pandemic.
Within the past week, the positivity rate of all tests in Indiana is about 5.6 percent. More than 1 million Hoosiers have been tested for the virus.
Articles of impeachment filed against Ohio Gov. DeWine over coronavirus response
State Representative John Becker, a Republican of Clermont County, Ohio, announced Monday that he has drafted 10 articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine over his response to the coronavirus.
An article on the Ohio House of Representatives website claims Gov. DeWine has violated the Ohio and United States Constitutions, as well as multiple sections of the Ohio Revised Code.
DeWine is accused of meddling in the conduct of a presidential primary election and arbitrarily closing certain business while allowing others to remain open.
Becker said many Ohioans find the mask mandate offensive, degrading, humiliating and insulting, while there is also evidence that masks can be hazardous to one's health.
He also says Gov. DeWine doubled down when he expanded the mask mandate to school-age children, who are less susceptible to COVID-19.
Butler begins fall semester Monday with 2 weeks of remote instruction
Butler University will go to remote instruction for undergraduate students for the first two weeks of the fall semester, which starts Monday, Aug. 24.
In a statement Sunday morning, the school said it made decision based on data collection and analysis. "In particular, in the past 48-72 hours, we have observed lack of compliance with health and safety guidelines among a relatively small proportion of our students," the school shared, "resultant increases in the number of students testing positive or displaying symptoms of COVID-19, and projections regarding future cases as a result of contact tracing."
Graduate instruction, including students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program, will continue in-person during the two weeks of undergraduate virtual learning.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been 5.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. as of 1:30 a.m. ET Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 176,000 deaths and 1.99 million people recovered.
Worldwide, there have been 23.42 million confirmed cases with more than 808,000 deaths and 15.13 million recoveries.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Center Grove High School, middle schools begin e-learning Monday
Students at Center Grove High School and both middle schools will move to virtual learning beginning Monday, Aug. 24.
A school representative confirmed there have been five positive cases a the high school and one positive case at Center Grove Middle School North as of Thursday, Aug. 20.
Middle and high school students will move to e-learning for one week and will operate on a hybrid schedule the following two weeks.
IPS opening supervised e-learning sites
Indianapolis Public Schools is opening a safe and structured place for students to attend when families need a supervised environment for their children during remote learning.
The Student Support Network sites will be open to no more than 90 students and will offer access to remote learning assistance and training, small group classroom supervision and meals provided by the IPS Food Service Team.
The John Boner Neighborhood Center at Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, 2302 E. Michigan St., opens Monday, Aug. 24.
The following Student Support Network sites open Monday, Aug. 31:
- John Boner Neighborhood Center at Brookside School 54, 3150 E. 10th St.
- YMCA at Carl Wilde School 79, 5002 W. 34th St.
- At Your School at Robert Lee Frost School 106, 5301 Roxbury Road
- At Your School at Broad Ripple High School, 1405 Broad Ripple Ave.
Click here for more information and to register.
YMCA of Greater Indianapolis opening e-learning labs
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis is opening e-learning labs beginning Monday, Aug. 24 to help students who may not have a reliable internet connection.
The labs will be open to students in sixth through 12th grades Mondays through Thursdays from noon until 6 p.m. through Dec. 17.
The labs will be located inside Avondale Meadows YMCA, Baxter YMCA and OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA.
Students can reserve up to two hours of time in the labs online. There will be a 15-minute break between time blocks to allow for cleaning the area for the next student.