| March 9, 2022 
 Michigan’s COVID picture has drastically improved from how it looked at the start of the calendar year. Cases and hospitalizations have declined substantially, with reported case rates dropping more than 82% since the levels seen in mid-January. Health officials have begun easing their messaging around things like public indoor masking for those who are fully vaccinated. So, is COVID still a threat in Michigan? The answer is yes, said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s acting chief medical executive, during a live interview with MLive Monday. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to take a breath. SEE MORE ►COVID infection linked to tissue damage in brain, mental decline  Marijuana, despite being legal, remains categorized a schedule 1 drug in Michigan alongside certain opiates, ecstasy, LSD and heroin. New proposed legislation, named after longtime Ann Arbor marijuana legalization activist and poet John Sinclair, aims to change that. “Cannabis is still a schedule 1 substance. Schedule 1 is the highest, most criminalized on the list of drugs,” said state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, who sponsored the legislation. “Why? It’s legal, we’re using it medically, there’s adult use in the state that’s been approved by voters and yet we’re still listing it as a schedule 1 substance.” READ MORE ►Ann Arbor prepping for 50th anniversary of Hash Bash marijuana festival  The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is forming a task force within the department to support LGBTQ+ families who want to foster or adopt children. The MiFamily Advancement and Leadership for LGBTQ+ Youth and Families task force will assess how the child welfare system supports LGBTQ+ families, engage the LGBTQ+ community and learn from their perspectives, and make recommendations for how the department can best serve these families. READ MORE ►LGBTQ+ couples can be denied adoptions by religious agencies under latest MDHSS settlement  It's March! That means we have our eyes on the tourney. Ryan, Andrew and Aaron discuss men's hoops ahead of the true madness. But they aren't the only Michigan team looking for a tournament run. The guys also discuss women's basketball and hockey. Check it out: LISTEN HERE ►Bracketology: A Michigan fan's guide to the NCAA Tournament bubble  From MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa: "The ice cover on the Great Lakes has reached its peak coverage for the winter. You might be a little surprised at how much ice we had on the Great Lakes. All of the Great Lakes spent some time with more ice than the long-term average for individual dates. The ice is now melting on the Great Lakes. In my checklist of having an “early spring”, early declining ice cover puts a check on the early spring side. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly this late season bitter cold coming could let up." READ MORE ►This coming week brings the strongest warming rate of the year, history shows MLive All Digital Access
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