Gov. Eric Holcomb said he still strongly encourages people to get the vaccine. Indiana ranks 36th in the country for the percentage of its population fully vaccinated.

Applications for Keep Indy Creating grants are open through Aug. 22. Among the opportunities are Artist Restart Grants intended to help artists restart their careers, and grants to address mental health and wellness.

To date nearly 20,000 households impacted financially by COVID-19 have had their rent paid by the city.

Indianapolis Public Schools is asking for input on how it will spend some of its more than $200 million in federal funding to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in schools.

In an example of how states are casting for ways to spend the federal influx, Indiana's budget negotiators wrote in $75 million for the Career Accelerator Program -- nearly triple the $27 million going to a 2 percent increase for the state's higher education system.

The Indiana Department of Health reported 57 additional confirmed deaths over the last week. That brings the state's total to 13,324 confirmed deaths.

Indiana is closing its OptumServe COVID-19 testing sites at the end of June. The sites, set up early in the pandemic, have provided more than 541,000 free tests since May of last year.

Public health experts say it is unlikely Indiana will reach a 70 percent vaccination rate by July 4 with just weeks until the deadline.

The recent increase in travel is welcome news for the industry, but many worry whether business travel will return when vacations wind down after Labor Day.

Community organizations addressing COVID-19 response and recovery in Indianapolis will receive grants from a program investing $1 million to address health disparities.