Bridge Michigan Dear reader, The prospect of criminalized abortion in Michigan has reshaped politics overnight, following a leaked draft indicating the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. Within 36 hours, a group seeking to enshrine reproductive rights in Michigan's constitution received 12,000 requests to volunteer, reports Yue Stella Yu and Kelly House. Business groups have mostly been silent, reports Paula Gardner, weighing whether wading into the polarized issue is worth it. In other news: A long-awaited investigation into the 2020 Midland dam failure spread plenty of blame but declined to point the finger at a single scapegoat. COVID-19 cases are up again, but hospitalizations are increasing more slowly. Republican Robert Regan was upset by a Democrat in conservative west Michigan for a partial House term. Republicans distanced themselves from him because of his history of making rape jokes and sharing conspiracy theories about Jews. Michigan is coming to grips how best to handle the cost of fixing water systems in cities like Detroit and Flint that have lost populations. Detroit is deciding who should benefit from prime real estate when Interstate 375 is converted into a street-level boulevard. We had a ton of abortion news and analysis this week, including Q&A on what you need to know, a primer on the legal road ahead in Michigan and a look at who gets abortions. Thanks for reading. If you value Bridge, we'd be honored by a donation to our nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. — Joel Kurth See other newsletter options Abortion-rights petition drive sees surge in volunteers after leaked Roe draft 12,000 new volunteers in just over a day for Reproductive Freedom for All, a petition drive seeking to write abortion rights into the Michigan Constitutiony Anti-abortion groups said their support has increased steadily. Your donation is matched! You read our newsletters because we deliver stories that matter to you and to our state. Will you help us keep delivering for Michigan in this important election year? Donations to our spring campaign are matched by the Herrick Foundation! Donate here Business leaders silent so far on the fate of abortion access in Michigan Business officials said companies are reluctant to weigh in on every social issue, whether they support it or not. In polarizing times, they say, they can’t win either way, but staying silent can present its own problems. Who’s at fault for Midland dam failures? Pretty much everyone, report says That’s what an independent panel found in its final report chronicling the physical and human causes of the May 2020 dam failures that flooded out mid-Michigan, forcing thousands to evacuate and leaving widespread damage. Coronavirus Tracker | Weekly cases jump 32 percent to 16,084; deaths decline Robert Regan, tagged ‘perhaps worst candidate ever,’ loses House bid to Dem Democrat Carol Glanville defeated Republican Robert “RJ” Regan in a special election for a West Michigan House seat considered safely conservative. Comments on rape, QAnon and conspiratories about Jews turned off his own party. Michigan's 20th Century water systems too big for its shrinking city populations Cities around the Great Lakes region struggle with the cost of water maintenance and operation as their populations decline.