More rain is coming tonight, and Midwest dads are right — your lawn really needs it.

Why it matters: Last year's drought, the worst Ohio has experienced since 1988, left yards across the state looking rough.

• Spring begins tomorrow and the recent warm weather is waking them up, meaning now is the perfect time to enter recovery mode.

Driving the news: We asked Matthew Koch, director of biotechnology and genetics at ScottsMiracle-Gro in Marysville, what you should be doing to get your lawn back on track.

His tips:

😬 Check for signs of life.

• If grass is brown on top, but green near the soil surface, you're in luck — it's still alive.

🍴 Feed it.

• "They've been hibernating. They're like bears. And when they wake up, they're really hungry," Koch says. "Fertilizers are your friend," and will help lawns self-repair.

🌱 Seed it.

• It's best to start now, before summer heat strikes. Remove dead patches to ensure seeds reach the soil and keep the top layer moist.

🚫 Weed it.

• A pre-emergent weed controller curbs problems like crabgrass before they start.
• Yes, but: New grass seeds won't grow either unless you make sure it's seed-safe. Ultimately, the best defense is a thick, healthy lawn.

✂️ Don't cut it close.

• Mowing too short causes shallow root systems. Raise your mower height a bit.

The other side: Landscaping plants and trees likely won't have as difficult a time recovering from the drought if they're healthy and established, senior Scotts horticulturist Amy Enfield tells Axios.

• Now is a good time for prep work like pruning and removing debris.
• Planting is recommended around Mother's Day, when there's less risk of damaging frost.

What's next: The Climate Prediction Center's latest seasonal outlooks forecast above-normal precipitation for most of Ohio through May and around-normal temperatures.

What we're watching: So far in 2025, Columbus' total precipitation is just an inch or so below normal, National Weather Service data shows.

• Some areas of Ohio are "abnormally dry," but the U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows no risk here.

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In another welcome sign of spring, our daylight hours are getting a little bit longer every day.

Zoom in: Between now and the June 20 summer solstice, the "longest day" of the year, Columbus will gain nearly three hours of daylight, per NOAA's solar calculator.

😃 Go deeper: This table of sunrise and sunset times for the year is an instant boost of motivation.

Our Franklin County Historical Marker tour heads to the Discovery District for a church befitting the week of St. Patrick's Day.

The marker: St. Patrick Church/St. Patrick College and Aquinas College High School at 280 N. Grant Ave.

Flashback: Dating back to 1852, it's the second-oldest Catholic church in Columbus (the oldest is Holy Cross Church on South 5th Street).

• It was established as an English speaking parish, becoming a "vital place" for Irish immigrants to assimilate into American society, the marker reads.

The intrigue: Decades later, it was briefly the site of a prep school that eventually moved a bit east and became known as Aquinas College High School.

• That school closed in 1965 and its building is now Columbus State Community College's Aquinas Hall.

🔥 The church suffered a huge fire in 1935, though its main altar and stained glass windows survived.

• After 170 years of history, St. Patrick Church remains active and features pews with artistic shamrocks.

5️⃣6️⃣ down, 75 to go.

📈 Vice President JD Vance is already being positioned for a 2028 presidential run. (Axios)

⛺️ Columbus shut down a hotel on the Far East Side that was sheltering 30 people displaced when the city tore down homeless encampments in December. (WOSU)

✏️ Nearly 90% of Ohio K-12 voucher recipients are not low-income qualified, which appears at odds with the program's initial purpose. (WCMH-TV)

☕️ Easton's Crimson Coffee (a Crimson Cup spinoff) won the top prize in an international coffee competition. (614 Magazine)

🍗 Hot Chicken Takeover has closed its Easton location, the brand's second closure this year. (Columbus Business First 🔒)

• We are not entirely shocked.

🦫 Ohio's first Buc-ee's, near Dayton, won't be opening until 2026. (WCMH-TV)

Basketball looked a lot different when the Buckeyes reached the first national championship game in 1939.

State of play: Only eight teams appeared in the inaugural March Madness tourney 86 years ago.

• Filling out 68-team brackets is much harder these days.

🧠 Yes, but: We've got you covered with these 3-minute cheat sheets.

Don't forget: Sign up for our newsletter's free men's and women's bracket challenges — by tomorrow and Friday, respectively — for a chance to win Axios swag.

• If it asks, use "Axios" for a password.