Good morningreader, In communities in more than half of Michigan’s 83 counties, elections officials are hiring part-time workers and recounting ballots for two ballot proposals that are mathematically impossible to overturn. Even some supporters of a well-funded conservative effort to recount Proposals 2 and 3 —which passed by wide margins in November —admit that doesn’t make much sense, reports Oralandar Brand-Wiliams. “This is just a folly and the Legislature needs to step up quickly to address these kinds of abuses of the election code,” says one longtime elections attorney. Here is what else is happening in Michigan: A judge has dropped misdemeanor charges against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in the Flint water scandal, the latest of eight dismissals in the bungled court case. The hospital merger wars are intensifying, as the University of Michigan’s Michigan Medicine announced it will acquire Lansing-based Sparrow Health System. Here’s what you need to know. The Michigan Supreme Court has likely put an end to a two-year court saga over vote fraud claims in Antrim County, prompting relief from local officials who have been hounded by conspiracy theorists since the 2020 election. A study is recommending new ways to fund school busing in Michigan, where rural districts’ budgets are struggling to pay for transportation. The bad news: It would cost $402 million per year. Don’t miss our examinations at how Democrats may change gun regulations in Michigan, including what studies say about red-flag, safe storage and universal background check laws. That’s a lot for a Monday! We hope you have a terrific week. Thanks for being part of our community. We can’t do this without you. If you’d care to donate to our nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, we’d be delighted. — Joel Kurth