| March 25, 2021 
 Michigan is below the national average in nursing-home deaths from COVID-19. It’s below the national average in coronavirus death rate among elderly people regardless of whether they lived in a nursing home. While the COVID pandemic has been horrific for nursing-home residents across the country, there’s no evidence that Michigan has been hiding data or is an outlier in its handling of the situation. Despite that, Michigan Republicans are calling for everything from an attorney general investigation to potential criminal charges around the nursing home policy put forth by the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer administration. But even those calling for the investigation will pretty freely admit they don't have probable cause. Here's what the data says: READ MORE ►Michigan sees 'alarming increase' in COVID-19 hospitalizations among unvaccinated adults  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel told a congressional panel that states need more funding to hire prosecutors and investigators dealing with a surge in violent extremist cases. “We need help; we need finances,” Nessel said. “For us to be able to do our job, we just need more in the way of funding because the problem is greater than ever and it’s involved more resources than ever.” Nessel’s office charged eight extremists allegedly plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last fall. Charges have been issued in five other cases involving threats against public officials during the last six months. MORE  Michigan school districts are getting $3.3 billion in funding from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan recovery package, approved earlier this month. That’s more money than the first two packages gave to Michigan schools combined. “It’s providing a level of funding that schools haven’t gotten in a generation,” said Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan. “It is ultimately going to give every single school the opportunity to give students some of these recovery tools that we know are necessary.” You can see exactly how much your school district is receiving here: MORE
 Any questions about whether Juwan Howard could sustain the momentum his predecessor had built were answered well before the final buzzer sounded on Michigan’s game against LSU on Monday. The Michigan men’s basketball program, in Howard’s second season as head coach, had won the Big Ten and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Beating LSU, though, provided a simple reminder that Michigan’s recent success is continuing: The Wolverines are in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight time. Gonzaga is the only other program that has pulled that off. ►Big Ten changes attendance policy, clears path for fans at spring football games  Like many kids, the pandemic left 7-year-old Mackenzie Smith missing school and her friends. “It was really heartbreaking for me because I didn’t get to see my friends,” Mackenzie said. “I didn’t get to see my teacher. I didn’t get to see anybody.” Mackenzie, who lives in Lansing, decided to write a book about her pandemic experience, titled ‘My New Normal,’ in which she focuses on following safety rules. Mackenzie mentions social distancing, washing hands and wearing a mask. We chatted with Mackenzie about her book and life during the pandemic. WATCH HERE Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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