Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani makes quick visit to Metro Detroit
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News@noon: Spring things and Sweet 16

The Detroit News

Today is Monday, March 20, 2017, and it's the first day of spring (even though it doesn't feel like it outside). This means two things: Spring cleaning and baseball!

A smiley face is seen on a sunflower in a sunflower field in Lawrence, Kan. Over the past decade as income in the U.S. has gone up, self-reported happiness levels have fallen fast, some of the biggest slides in the world.

Here are some tips to follow for clearing that clutter out of your life.

And here's the latest out of Lakeland, where the Tigers are getting near the end of spring training. Did you know that sometimes Avila and Ausmus don't see eye to eye?

Here's what else we're following up on today in the news:

Michigan on a roll

Spartans stalled

  • Of course, things didn't go as well for MSU. They made a game of it for a long time Sunday, just as the Spartans had done all season, extending themselves while extending this program’s 20-year NCAA Tournament streak. But when it was over, it was time to acknowledge once more there were limitations this team simply couldn’t run past, any more than it could get by this explosive Kansas squad that improved to 30-4 on the season with Sunday’s 90-70 victory at BOK Center.
  •  And there's no reason to feel shame. Particularly for Miles Bridges. If he played his final game at Michigan State on Sunday, he went out the only way he knows how — fighting until the final minute.

President Donald Trump

'Not my president'

  • Donald Trump is undeniably the nation’s 45th president, but that doesn’t sit easily with young Americans, according to a new poll. A majority of young adults — 57 percent — see Trump’s presidency as illegitimate, including about three-quarters of blacks and large majorities of Latinos and Asians, the GenForward poll found. 

'White Boy Rick' on screen

  • It’s a case that has gripped Metro Detroiters for decades. The story of a baby-faced white kid who authorities say was a major drug kingpin during Detroit’s destructive crack epidemic in the late 1980s has become legend among local residents. Now, the life story of Richard Wershe Jr., better known as “White Boy Rick,” is being retold in a motion picture.

Two shootings

Pay up

  • What happens when you can't pay your taxes? Finding the cash to pay a larger-than-expected tax bill can be tricky, but tax pros say there are ways to deal with the surprise without having to pawn the family heirloom. 

Brexit going forward

Don't worry, be happy

  •  If you want to go to your happy place, you need more than cash. A winter coat helps — and a sense of community. A new report shows Norway is the happiest country on Earth, Americans are getting sadder, and it takes more than just money to be happy.

A new friend on Sesame Street

This image released by Sesame Workshop shows Julia, a new autistic muppet character debuting on the 47th Season of "Sesame Street," on April 10, 2017, on both PBS and HBO.

  •  Folks on Sesame Street have a way of making everyone feel accepted. That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes — and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is one of the gang.

Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the most talked-about stories on detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on TwitterInstagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.