Notre Dame

A spokesman for the University of Notre Dame issued a statement regarding a plan to limit student gatherings in response to increasing cases of coronavirus. 

UPDATE (Oct. 12):

Notre Dame has announced that the university's president is now out of isolation and quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. 

88.1 WVPE is pleased to be hosting an intern in our newsroom this semester, Notre Dame Senior Claire King. She is lending her voice to our Fall Membership Campaign to encourage you to make a contribution at 888 889 9269 or at wvpe.org. Claire feels that "everyone deserves to have a voice." That is part of why she is passionate about public radio.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court hopeful Amy Coney Barrett graduated with honors in 1994 from a small liberal arts school — Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. But more than 1,500 alumni are not proud of their school's ties to the conservative lawyer and judge. They have posted a letter on social media expressing their opposition to Barrett's nomination to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court after Ginsburg's death last month.

Notre Dame has announced that perhaps one of the more recognizable buildings in South Bend will be torn down next week. The brightly painted original site of the Robinson Community Learning Center on Eddy Street is set for demolition Oct. 6. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. The move on Saturday caps a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation. He also hopes it will provide boost his reelection effort as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden. Republican senators are lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett before the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power.

Today Notre Dame announced that it won't begin in-person classes for the spring semester until Feb. 3. 

CHICAGO (AP) — A front-runner to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a federal appellate judge who lives in South Bend who has established herself as a reliable conservative on hot-button legal issues from abortion to gun control. Amy Coney Barrett is hailed by religious conservatives and others on the right as an ideological heir to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. She is a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School and taught there before being appointed as a judge to the 7th Circuit.

Notre Dame has announced its campus police force arrested a man on a number of charges, including alleged criminal confinement involving a first year ND student.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The Associated Press and other news organizations and publishers have no digital images from Saturday’s Notre Dame home game against Duke because of the school’s COVID-19 restrictions. Notre Dame did not allow independent photojournalists on the field or in the stands to photograph its opening game. The school used three photographers it employs to shoot images that will be uploaded to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s website.

Notre Dame used the occasion of the first home game of the 2020 season to announce a contract extension for head football coach Brian Kelly. The contract is extended through 2024. ND's Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, said in a statement that the announcement had been planned for the Blue-Gold Game in April, but when the game was canceled the announcement was delayed until this weekend. The terms of the contract extension were actually negotiated in late 2019. 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Bar and restaurant owners in South Bend are exploring ways to attract more customers after the University of Notre Dame limited attendance at Irish football games to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. The school’s decision to limit attendance to 20% of stadium capacity and ban campus tailgating sent bars, restaurants and venues scrambling to come up with ways to make up some of the potential revenue shortfall.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he intends to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to longtime football coach Lou Holtz. Trump made the announcement Friday at the White House as Holtz looked on. The president did not announce a date for the ceremony but said it would be soon. Holtz spent 34 years coaching both college and professional football teams, including at Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina. He was among the speakers at last week's Republican National Convention. 

Notre Dame has posted online what the university's policies will be as it relates to attendance at home football games this season during the pandemic. 

The president of Notre Dame announced that based on improving conditions with COVID-19, the university will return in stages to in-person classes and levels of activity that were in place before the "pause." 

Fr. John Jenkins spoke to the university community in a live broadcast via YouTube Friday morning to announce the plans. He cited an improving positivity rate in testing and said that the gradual resumption of in-person class will start on Wed., Sept. 2. There will also be a gradual reopening of common spaces on campus, as well. 

Last night at the GOP National Convention, former Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz spoke in support of President Trump. Today, the President of Notre Dame has issued a statement on what Holtz had to say.

Here is a portion of Rev. John Jenkins comments:

“While Coach Lou Holtz is a former coach at Notre Dame, his use of the University’s name at the Republican National Convention must not be taken to imply that the University endorses his views, any candidate or any political party."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — The University of Notre Dame has added security personnel at its COVID-19 quarantine and isolation sites after students were observed leaving the off-campus apartments and hotels in violation of safety protocols. University spokesman Dennis Brown says students under quarantine agreed to a code of conduct requiring them to remain in their designated rooms. Brown says the university has contracted for eight security people to monitor the quarantine sites around the clock.

On August 24th, St. Joseph County recorded 154 new COVID-19 cases. This is the second highest daily case count for the county, surpassed only by Aug. 20th when 177 new cases were recorded. This spike in numbers is a result of the testing at Notre Dame now being reflected in the state data. The spike to some extent syncs up with the timing of when ND moved to online instruction due to the coronavirus outbreaks within the university community. 

NEW (Posted Aug. 23): 

Today, Notre Dame posted its latest COVID-19 statistics on its online dashboard. The figures from Aug. 22nd show that 19 new cases were reported. That brings the university's total number of cases to 408. 

NEW: 

During a livestreamed address to the university, today Notre Dame's President, Father John Jenkins, announced that for the next two weeks the university will move undergraduate classes to remote instruction and close public spaces on campus. Residence halls will be restricted to those who live there only.

Monday, Aug. 10th was the first day of class for Notre Dame students. The university released data about the testing procedures the students on campus went through prior to coming to campus.

Joe Kernan's former Chief of Staff has confirmed that Indiana's 48th Governor was laid to rest Aug. 4, 2020, at the cemetery at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season as part of a plan to play 10 league games and start the week of Sept. 7, alterations brought on by the pandemic. The ACC's university presidents approved the plan for an 11-game schedule, including on nonconference game, and for pushing back the league championship game from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19. Notre Dame will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the program if the season is played.