IU Researcher Arrested, Hospitals Limit Visitors Due To Flu Season, SNAP Ban On Sugary Drinks, AI Toys, Mendoza Racehorse, Holiday Travel

December 23, 2025

An IU researcher from China is in jail after being charged last week with two counts of smuggling and one count of making false statements to law enforcement. Flu cases are up around the country … and in Indiana, and Marion County hospitals say they must now limit visitors. Starting January first, more than half a million low-income Hoosiers won’t be able to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits on sugary drinks or candy. Artificial intelligence-powered toys, such as teddy bears and robots that talk to children, are arriving on store shelves. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is breaking more new ground for IU football, this time it’s inspiring the name of a thoroughbred racehorse. AAA projects over 122 million people, 2.9 million of them Hoosiers, will be traveling for the holidays this year.

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