Houston's next dedicated bus lane that would cut through the city recently received a major boost in federal funding.

Driving the news: The White House on Friday confirmed a $150 million grant for the Metropolitan Transit Authority's METRORapid University Corridor Project, a $1.6 billion line that will run from the southwest side to northeast of downtown.

Why it matters: The 25-mile corridor, when completed by 2028, will be one of the longest bus rapid transit lines in the country.

• Dedicated bus lanes, like Metro's five-mile Silver Line through Uptown, give buses special right-of-way on city streets, allowing for faster rides and more predictable schedules.
• When finished, the University Line and Silver Line will intersect at the Westpark Transit Center. The University Line will also connect with the red, purple and green light rail lines.

Flashback: The project was approved by voters in 2019 as part of the METRONext Moving Forward Plan, a $3.5 billion bond to enhance the overall system with upgraded stops, new and improved transit centers, and new routes.

Details: The Federal Transit Administration has pledged to pay for 60% of the cost through grants, according to Houston Public Media.

• The other 40% will come through local bond funding already approved by voters.

The route will run from the Westchase Transit Center east through Gulfton, Westpark and Montrose, before turning north in Third Ward along Lockwood Drive to the Tidwell Transit Center.

• The bus lane will connect the University of St. Thomas, Houston Community College, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University.

Meanwhile, the Metro board last month delayed a vote approving part of the design of the project after residents in the East End complained about an overpass that would divide their neighborhood.

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UConn and San Diego State will play in the NCAA men's basketball championship game tonight at NRG Stadium.

Catch up quick: No. 4 seed UConn cruised over No. 5 Miami with a 72-59 win on Saturday night, and No. 5 San Diego State beat No. 9 Florida Atlantic at the last second to win 72-71 earlier in the evening.

Context: This Final Four saw the most newcomers since 1970, with three first-time participants (FAU, San Diego State, Miami).

• Meanwhile, UConn won four championship games in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014.

Between the lines: Tickets for the games on the resale market were pretty affordable, per KHOU.

• The cheapest tickets in 2022 went for $368, but this year's games were available for as low as $40, according to TickPick.com.
• Houstonians apparently took advantage of the opportunity and led to a sellout crowd of 73,860 at NRG Stadium Saturday night.
• Lowest-priced tickets for tonight's game start at $61 on Stubhub.

The big picture: The championship game comes after a weekend full of Final Four and other sports festivities.

• Downtown was packed with people going to the March Madness concert or donning Astros jerseys for opening weekend.
• Inside the George R. Brown Convention Center, fans played basketball games and took photos next to the NCAA championship trophy.

✉️ The senior staff for Houston Democratic state Rep. Jolanda Jones abruptly resigned, citing toxic workplace and ethics concerns. (Houston Public Media)

🎭 Two Houston theater companies have canceled their productions. Catastrophic Theatre shut down its staging of "Cleansed," which was scheduled to open on March 31, due to the sudden death of the show's 23-year-old lead actor, Zachariah Mustafa. (Chron)

• The Alley Theatre scrapped the rest of its run of "Odyssey," saying the scope of the production was ultimately too much to take on.

💸 The city has launched a new $17.8 million effort called One Clean Houston, which will work to fight illegal dumping over the next two years. (Houston Business Journal)

🚒 The Texas Supreme Court on Friday struck down Proposition B, killing the voter-approved measure that would have given Houston firefighters pay parity with police. (Houston Chronicle)

📱 Mingle with people in the fintech industry at the Ion Monday.

• The free event is from 6-7pm.

🍕 Eat lunch while learning about how to become a culinary entrepreneur. Experts in the Houston food industry will share how they launched their businesses.

• 11:30am-1pm Tuesday at Houston This Is It Soul Food.

🎥 Watch a free movie at Social Beer Garden in Midtown on Wednesday. This month's theme is "stoner movies."

• The screening begins at 8pm on the 20-foot outdoor LED TV.

🎷 Visit the newly renovated Eldorado Ballroom. Project Row Houses is hosting a community open house on Thursday 12-6pm.

• There will be art and entertainment from local artists.

Three more things to do...

💼 Check out who's hiring around the city.

1. Project Manager, Major Projects at Aggreko.
2. Project Manager at Houston Zoo.
3. Digital Communications and Marketing Specialist at Rice University.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

March Madness Music Festival brought several big names to Houston this weekend — including local rapper Megan Thee Stallion along with Lil Nas X, Tim McGraw, Omar Apollo and Maggie Rogers.

Between the lines: Megan Thee Stallion's headlining slot Friday night was a homecoming concert, plus her first show since Tory Lanez was convicted of three counts related to shooting her in the foot.

What they're saying: "I'm so mother f--king happy to be home," Megan said.

• "I would not be the mother f--king hot girl coach, the mother f--king H-town hottie, without the Houston hotties," the "Hot Girl Summer" artist said, per the Houston Chronicle.

Go deeper: See Megan's AT&T Block Party show here.

👋 Shafaq here! I went to the concerts on Saturday to see Maggie Rogers and Lil Nas X (again).

• Discovery Green was packed but did not feel chaotic.
• Rogers' vocals shined while Lil Nas X again proved his place in the entertainment industry — through his full-blown concert production with large snake and horse props, and his goofy and heartwarming messages to the crowd.