| March 18, 2022 
 The mass COVID-19 shutdowns seem now in the distant past. So much has happened since. Vaccines, fierce debates on school mask mandates, the highly transmissible delta variant, the even more transmissible omicron strain. For two years, COVID-19 kept people from work or school, upended social calendars and emptied multi-floor office buildings. It filled intensive care units in overwhelming swells, necessitated ventilators and put names on obituary pages. March 11, marked two years since the World Health Organization named COVID-19 a global pandemic. What did the state and country do right? In what ways could public health and health care leaders have done better? READ MORE  Jalen Rose moved from his front-row seat to the corner of the baseline near where Michigan was warming up in the final minutes of halftime. “Big second half!” he shouted, repeatedly. “Big second half!” The Wolverines delivered. Michigan overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to beat Colorado State 75-63 in the first game of the NCAA Tournament’s first round. It was an upset, at least by seed. Michigan is an 11 seed, the Rams a 6. Michigan has now alternated between a win and a loss for 11 straight games. Will the streak end on Saturday and get Michigan to its fifth straight Sweet 16? READ MORE ►With season teetering, Michigan basketball responds, advances in NCAA Tournament  With the Michigan filing deadline for the 2022 election looming, women are being called on to run for elected office after years of underrepresentation. The Michigan Women’s Commission said in a press release it encourages women from all political parties to consider running for office, along with supporting data showcasing gender disparities in county commission seats, the state legislature and elected municipal offices. A study found that women hold only 27% of county commission seats in Michigan’s 83 counties. The study also found that roughly 1 in 6 of Michigan’s county commissions had no women members in 2021. READ MORE ►Black women are historically underrepresented in public office. A new program aims to change that.  Car accident survivors and the companies that provide their care have been clamoring for changes to how much health care providers are reimbursed when treating auto-related injuries since that piece of Michigan’s new no-fault insurance policy went into effect. The implementation of a fee schedule cut reimbursement from insurance companies for health care services provided to auto accident survivors not covered under Medicare by 45%. Many care providers say the change could put them out of business, and their patients say they’re losing access to high-quality care. READ MORE ►Whitmer approves funding for car crash care providers, but some say it's a 'mirage of a solution'  Remember that beautiful weather yesterday? Well, unfortunately, we won't be repeating that for the weekend. But you will be able to get some time outdoors on one day this weekend, according to MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa: "A two-day weather maker will take over one of our weekend days. We are now in the direct line of a storm frequency that brings widespread precipitation to Michigan every four days. This puts the next storm system here Friday into Saturday." GET THE FORECAST ►Gardening talk: Perfect time to prune unruly shrubs MLive All Digital Access
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