| April 9, 2021 
 As small businesses and restaurants continued to weather the blows of COVID-19, many expected a demise of downtowns to follow, but creative solutions buoyed Michigan’s Main Streets. They were revived with social drinking districts, expanded outdoor dining and socially distanced events — some of these creative solutions are here to stay. As city governments became consumed with changing health orders, downtown associations stepped up to be resources for federal funding, proper signage and keeping businesses afloat, Michigan Downtown Association Director Dana Walker said. “Downtown is so important because it’s that gathering space, but also it’s really the hub for all these small businesses that are so key to our Michigan economy,” she said. READ MORE ►Meijer details how COVID-19 has shaped shopping trends  Fewer Michiganders are getting tested for coronavirus in recent weeks than during the fall surge, despite case rates, hospitalizations and positive tests trending toward or surpassing those from fall 2020. Vaccinations likely have played a role in the reduced testing -- Michigan’s nearly 2 million fully vaccinated residents don’t need to get tested most of the time unless they develop COVID-19 symptoms. State officials note their strategies have evolved to focus more on who they’re testing than meeting a set daily goal, but it’s still important that residents get tested and the latest positive test rates indicate that’s not happening as much as it should.MORE  On Aug. 5, 2020, Dan Gilbert was worth an estimated $7.5 billion. On Aug. 20, he was worth $45 billion. Forbes released its annual World Billionaires List this week, noting 86% of the world’s wealthiest people are richer than they were a year ago. The world now has 2,755 billionaires, 660 more than last year. 2020 was a good year to be a billionaire – and Michigan’s richest were no exception. Gilbert, co-founder of Quicken Loans/Rocket Companies and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was the biggest winner. But he wasn't the only one. MORE
 The 2021 season began on a blustery day, with temperatures barely above freezing and heavy snow flurries providing a scenic background for the first inning. Six days later, the Detroit Tigers’ first homestand ended on a gorgeous afternoon with high temperatures cracking 80 degrees. It’s a bit of a stretch to say that summer is here -- we’ve lived through too many late April cold snaps to predict that -- but with fans in the stands and a couple of fun, competitive games played under sunny skies, it sure felt a bit more normal than it’s felt in a long time. We break down the first week of the season here: MORE ►New Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter back after COVID absence  Billions of Brood X cicadas living underground for the past 17 years are about to emerge, and Ann Arbor is taking some precautions as it prepares for massive swarms of the red-eyed bugs. Large parts of the Midwest and eastern United States are expected to experience the 17-year cicada emergence over several weeks in May and June, and Ann Arbor’s forestry department is expecting the insects to put on quite a show as they take to the trees in Tree Town. “We could see several hundred thousand to a million insects per acre," said Tiffany Giacobazzi, the city’s urban forestry and natural resources planner. MORE Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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