Here is a look at the latest developments from around the state and U.S.
Dow drops more than 900 points
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 900 points Friday, extending its weekly loss to 17%.
The S&P 500 dropped 4.3% and the NASDAQ slid 3.8%.
Walmart to hire 2,000 employees in Indiana to meet growing demand
Walmart said Friday it will hire 150,000 workers nationwide—including 2,000 in Indiana—to meet increasing demand in its stores.
The new employees will work in stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers.
The announcement comes one day after Walmart said it would more more than $365 million in case bonuses to hourly workers on April 2. To be eligible, employees must have been on staff on March 1. The company said it will also acclerate a second quarter bonus, with plans to pay an additional $180 million to employees.
IU joins other colleges in canceling commencement
Indiana University on Friday announced it was calling off its spring commencement ceremonies in May because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
President Michael McRobbie said all IU graduates will be able to participate in a future IU commencement ceremony when the public health situation allows.
“Commencement is a seminal moment for our graduates and their families,” he said in a letter. “Today’s announcement is truly only a postponement of the moment that has been so richly earned.”
The change of plans does not affect the timing and awarding of IU degrees. All IU degrees will continue to be awarded when earned, IU said.
IU joins Purdue, Butler and Indiana State University in canceling spring ceremonies.
Noblesville latest city to beef up restrictions
Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen has joined mayors in Fishers and Carmel in issuing an executive order to enforce restrictions and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Jensen announced Friday that residents are being asked to avoid unnecessary travel, self-quarantine when appropriate and work from home when possible. Similar restrictions were implemented in Carmel and Fishers earlier this week.
“Issuing an executive order allows us to communicate clear parameters and enforce restrictions on door-to-door solicitations as well as close city buildings including public safety buildings, except in the case of emergencies in an effort to mitigate person-to-person contact,” Jensen said in a written statement.
Cake Bake Shop lays off 170 employees
The Cake Bake Shop, which has locations in Broad Ripple and Carmel, has laid off most of its employees, but the business itself remains open.
In Facebook posts, owner Gwendolyn Rogers said she was forced to lay off 170 of her 188 employees because of the current pandemic-related prohibition on in-house dining. The business is still operating on a carry-out and delivery basis.
“I am working with my banks, my insurance company, my accountant and the government to try and create some sort of relief support for my team,” Rogers wrote in a post Thursday. Rogers also said the restaurant’s two locations are accepting tips that will be distributed among the affected employees.
The Cake Bake Shop offers cakes, pies and other desserts as well as a menu that includes soups, salads and sandwiches. Rogers’ first shop opened in Broad Ripple in 2014. The Carmel location opened last year. The business has developed a national following, helped by major celebrity endorsements.
Number of confirmed cases in state rises to 79
The Indiana State Department of Health on Friday said the number of presumptive positive cases for COVID-19 in the state has risen to 79 after the emergence of 23 more cases.
The department now reports that 554 people have been tested, up from 380 the previous day.
The death toll in the state remained at two.
Six more cases were diagnosed in Marion County, bringing the total to 25.
Other area counties with cases are Hendricks (4), Johnson (4), Hamilton (5), Boone (2), Madison (1) and Shelby (1).
The health department is providing case updates daily at 10 a.m. based on results received through midnight.
Health officials say Indiana has far more coronavirus cases—possibly thousands more—than those indicated by the number of tests.
Cases have been confirmed in 27 Indiana counties so far.
As of Friday morning, 14,250 cases had been reported in the United States with 205 deaths, according to a running tally maintained by health researchers at Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
More than 246,400 cases have been reported globally with 10,038 deaths. More than 86,000 people have recovered.
Cambria lays off workers
Ceres Enterprises, the Ohio-based operator of Cambria hotels in Noblesville and Westfield, is laying off 65 employees in Indiana due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
The hotel management company issued a notice to the state Wednesday saying it had already started the process of laying off much of its staff at both hotels—which remain open and operating. Affected positions include sales, front desk, kitchen, maintenance and housekeeping.
The hotels are operating on a skeleton crew of about 15-20 people across both hotels.
“We anticipate to return our staff to employment as soon as possible,” Deborah Nigro, human resources manager for Ceres Enterprises, said in a written statement.
When contacted by phone, representatives from Ceres Enterprises declined to comment and would not provide the total number of staff at each hotel.
Westfield’s Cambria Hotel was built in 2017 as part of Grand Park Village, across from the city’s Grand Park sports campus. For the past two years, the Indianapolis Colts have used the 152-room hotel at 18592 Carousel Lane during training camp at Grand Park.
In Noblesville, the 130-room Cambria Suites at 13500 Tegler Drive, just Interstate 65 at Exit 210, opened in 2009.
Dow pulls itself back above 20,000, rises 1% in choppy trading
U.S. markets remain testy as the Dow Jones industrial average Thursday extended its streak of 1,000-point swings to nine sessions. The blue chips clawed into the plus column—rising nearly 1% on the day—as investors digested various government formulas aimed at limiting the economic damage from the coronavirus.
The Dow rose 188 points, or 0.95%, to close at 20,087. Other major indexes also advanced, with the S&P 500 climbing 11 points, or 0.47%, to close at 2,409, and the Nasdaq Composite jumping 160 points, or 2.3%, to close at 7,151.
