The GOP-led Senate approved nearly $2 billion in supplemental spending Thursday, but withheld another $3 billion in federal COVID funds, and sought to ban using race and income as factors in vaccine distribution, despite the heavy toll the virus has taken on African Americans.

In a report detailing 86 recommendations designed to improve dam safety in Michigan, members of a state task force focused on changes to state law and policy, along with funding fixes to prevent future dam failures like the Edenville break in May.

One day after Michigan released data showing white residents are far more likely to receive the vaccine, a Senate committee voted to dump a distribution formula that gave more doses to minority and impoverished communities.

A growing percentage of Michigan students have the option of learning in classrooms at least part of the week, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline and vaccinations rise.

Masks, plexiglass and canceled vacations during the pandemic all likely contributed to a dramatic drop in influenza cases in Michigan. The safety measures may also explain drops in other respiratory ailments.

The pandemic has exacerbated Michigan’s digital divide, as some students complete homework in parking lots and schools hand-deliver assignments. It’s an issue with educational, equity and economic implications as 1.2 million households lack broadband access.

Republicans hope to find common ground with Democrats on a suite of bills to lower costs by restricting some laws around pharmacies, expanding telehealth options and more reporting on price increases.

Michigan’s electricity sector is more prepared for extreme cold and is connected to a regional grid that increases its resilience. But experts say it remains vulnerable to extreme weather events that will become more common as the climate changes.

After weeks of pressure, Michigan releases racial data that confirms worst fears about equity: 8 percent of white residents are vaccinated, compared to 4 percent for Black residents.

The U.S. is requiring standardized tests this year amid COVID. Ordinarily, that would mean the statewide M-STEP, but state Superintendent Michael Rice wants districts to choose among assessments, leaving the issue in limbo.

Michigan’s decision to inoculate seniors first appears to have worked. That provides optimism that wider access to the vaccine could get the pandemic under control.

Executives from three pharmaceutical companies told Congress on Tuesday that they are boosting production and could double distribution of vaccines in the next five weeks.