| April 16, 2021 
 Local governments across Michigan are set to receive their share of $4.4 billion in federal funding from the recent American Rescue Plan. While exact dollar amounts and rules for how the money can be spent are still being worked out, the organization that represents Michigan’s municipalities says community engagement efforts are central to how cities, counties, townships and villages will decide to spend the infusion of cash. Many local government leaders MLive interviewed said it’s too early in the process to commit to additional engagement, or know what that would look like outside the normal budget process and regular public meetings. Others said the first priority is filling budget holes caused by the pandemic, before moving on to consider community priorities. READ MORE ►Will your city get $100 of stimulus per person or $1,000? It depends where you live  A circuitous legal attempt to block a Republican-supported ballot initiative aimed at repealing the governor’s emergency powers has resulted in a Court of Claims lawsuit being filed against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. While focused on negating ballot petition signatures collected by Unlock Michigan, opposition group Keep Michigan Safe claims Benson has failed to properly establish “uniform standards for the verification of ballot question petition signatures” as required by a Michigan election law that took effect in 2000. MORE  A large part of the western half of the U.S. is in some level of drought. Now most of Michigan is in drought conditions or very close. If the dry soils in a drought stick around into summer, it could have an impact on temperatures. Michigan could be looking at a HOT summer if we are dealing with drought. The dry soil heats up more quickly than wet soil. The dry soil, as it heats up, will create dry air in the lower part of the atmosphere. As a storm system moves toward this dry air, the storm system will dry up some and the area of rain will shrink. It's like a never-ending dryness cycle. MORE
 It is not the news Wolverines fans were hoping for: Michigan’s Isaiah Livers will not be returning for a fifth season in Ann Arbor. A program spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Livers is consulting with an NBA agent about turning professional and that he will not take advantage of the free year of eligibility the NCAA granted to all winter athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier Thursday, Livers posted a tweet indicative of his decision. “Thank you Michigan,” he wrote, including a maize and blue heart at the end. MORE ►Michigan QBs coach on Cade McNamara: 'He's our starter  It's almost Mackinac Island season! If you take a trip to the island (and the nearby mainland), you should spend some time checking out the Mackinac State Historic Parks and all the new offerings they'll have this season. Mackinac State Historic Parks oversees several living history museums and nature parks located in Mackinaw City and on Mackinac Island, including historic Fort Mackinac and Colonial Michilimackinac. Even if you have visited the parks in the past, there will be plenty of fresh adventures. See what they have planned:MORE Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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