Lake Superior

Biden’s signature advances major projects in water bill

By MICHAEL PHILLISDecember 23, 2022 GMT

President Joe Biden signed a large defense bill on Friday that includes a water bill that directs the Army Corps of Engineers on major infrastructure projects to improve navigation and protect against storms worsened by climate change.

Judge orders Enbridge, tribe to form emergency pipeline plan

November 29, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered energy company Enbridge Inc. and an American Indian tribe to come up with an emergency plan to prevent potential spills from an aging oil pipeline running across the tribe's reservation.

Detroit church to remember sailors lost on the Great Lakes

November 10, 2022 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Sailors who lost their lives in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes and Michigan waterways will be remembered at a historic church in downtown Detroit.

The annual Great Lakes Memorial service will be held at 3 p.m.

Indiana teacher with ‘kill list’ agrees to no-contact order

October 29, 2022 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — A fifth-grade teacher in northwestern Indiana charged with felony intimidation after authorities say she told a student she had a “kill list” of students and staff has agreed to stay away from the school.

Judge: Pipeline can operate on reservation amid reroute work

September 8, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge will allow an oil and gas pipeline to continue to flow on a northern Wisconsin American Indian reservation while its operators work to reroute the line around the tribal land.

Isle Royale wolf population surges after nearly dying off

By JOHN FLESHERAugust 24, 2022 GMT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Isle Royale National Park's gray wolf population has reached 28, a dramatic comeback after the species nearly disappeared from the Lake Superior island chain, researchers said Wednesday.

Feds reviewing sports wagering pact with Chippewa band, WI

August 9, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Interior is reviewing a new gaming agreement reached between the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the state of Wisconsin.

DNR investigates oil contamination in northern Wisconsin

August 5, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources is investigating contaminated soil near the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Reservation in far northern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin lawmaker in car accident that left 2 dead

July 25, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Senate Democratic Minority Leader Janet Bewley was involved in a fatal car crash Friday that left a 27-year-old mother from Pennsylvania and her 5-year-old daughter dead, police said Monday.

Gary woman admits helping hide gun used in 2 murders

April 20, 2022 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — A Gary woman has admitted helping hide a gun her boyfriend used to kill two teenagers at a Gary-area home, court records show.

Dawn Carden, 43, pleaded guilty Monday to assisting a criminal and dangerous control of a firearm in connection with the Oct.

Coast Guard cutter arrives at new home port in Minnesota

March 31, 2022 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Spar has arrived at its new home port in Minnesota after undergoing a year of maintenance.

The arrival Wednesday in Duluth comes as members of Congress are pushing for another heavy icebreaker on the Great Lakes.

DNR: More groundwater released by pipeline aquifer ruptures

March 22, 2022 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The damage to public groundwater resources in Minnesota from missteps during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline is more severe than previously known, state environmental regulators said.

DNR extends comment period on Enbridge line reroute

March 16, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The comment period on a draft analysis of the environmental impact of rerouting an oil and gas pipeline around an American Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin will run for an additional month, state regulators announced Wednesday.

Shipwreck discovered in Lake Superior, 131 years later

March 3, 2022 GMT

DEER PARK, Mich. (AP) — A ship carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in 1891 has been discovered in Lake Superior off Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Atlanta is well-preserved in the extremely cold lake, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said Thursday.

Charges filed against man accused of shooting Gary officer

February 9, 2022 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a man accused of shooting a Gary police detective with felony attempted murder and other counts.

Many speak out against proposed Enbridge pipeline reroute

February 3, 2022 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Many of nearly 300 people who attended a 10-hour-long virtual public hearing spoke out against a $450 million plan to reroute an oil and gas pipeline across northern Wisconsin.

21 charged with trafficking drugs in northern Minnesota

January 27, 2022 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Twenty-one members of a drug-trafficking organization have been charged with transporting and distributing fentanyl and heroin in northern Minnesota, according to officials.

Duluth police said that between June and December of 2021, traffickers brought large amounts of drugs from Illinois to midlevel dealers and consumers in Carlton and St.

Long-sought Great Lakes projects get funding under new law

By JOHN FLESHERJanuary 20, 2022 GMT

A project that will boost Great Lakes shipping in a crucial bottleneck and another intended to protect the lakes from invasive carp will get big funding increases under the Biden administration's infrastructure package, officials said Thursday.

Soo Locks to close to marine traffic for winter maintenance

January 14, 2022 GMT

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are shutting down to marine traffic to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform critical maintenance.

Lake County halts jury trials through Jan. 31 over COVID-19

January 12, 2022 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Jury trials have been halted through Jan. 31 in Indiana’s second most populous county because of rising local infection rates and hospitalizations from COVID-19, a judge said Wednesday.

Fire destroys 2 historic waterfront buildings in Superior

January 6, 2022 GMT

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — Fire destroyed a pair of waterfront buildings in Superior on Thursday, with smoke from the morning blaze briefly requiring the closure of a major bridge connecting the city with Duluth, Minnesota.

Snow continues to pound western Michigan, Upper Peninsula

January 6, 2022 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Snow fueled by the Great Lakes fell for a second consecutive day Thursday in western Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, with some communities reporting remarkable amounts and bracing for even more by Friday.

Marquette awarded $1.6 million grant for port improvements

December 29, 2021 GMT

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Some port facilities in Marquette are in line for upgrades with a $1.6 million U.S. Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Program grant.

Minnesota regulators reaffirm air permit for proposed mine

December 21, 2021 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — State regulators who three years ago issued an air quality permit for a proposed copper-nickel mine in northwestern Minnesota stood by their decision in a report released Monday that said the mine did not provide misleading information on its plans.

Intertribal agency faults Wisconsin review of Line 5 reroute

December 20, 2021 GMT

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — An intertribal agency says Wisconsin's draft environmental review for a planned reroute of an oil and gas pipeline across northern Wisconsin is incomplete and flawed.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released its draft environmental impact statement on Thursday for a roughly 40-mile (64-kilometer) reroute of Enbridge's Line 5 in Ashland and Iron counties.

Highway reopened day after deadly crash, train derailment

December 16, 2021 GMT

POUND, Wis. (AP) — A highway in northeastern Wisconsin has reopened, a day after a chain reaction crash in foggy weather killed one driver and caused some train cars to derail.

Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve said Highway 141 was cleared and open at 12:15 p.m.

Pictured Rocks to begin charging 1st entrance fee in March

December 14, 2021 GMT

MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will soon begin charging visitors entrance fees for the first time in the 55-year history of the tourist destination in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Tribal liaison dives into Minnesota ski area expansion talks

November 28, 2021 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — The Superior National Forest's first full-time tribal liaison says he wants to work with the federal government on proposed expansion of the Lutsen Mountains Ski Area.

Juan Martinez started his new role in January, but he didn’t move to Minnesota until July.

Indiana opens doors to cameras in 5 courtrooms

November 15, 2021 GMT

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Judges in five Indiana courtrooms will allow news media to use cameras under a pilot project announced Monday by the state Supreme Court.

Minnesota highway signs mark boundaries of 1854 treaty

November 8, 2021 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Transportation crews are installing 12 highway signs in northeastern Minnesota that have significant, historic meaning.

The signs, more than a decade in the making, mark the boundaries of a treaty signed in 1854 by the federal government and three Ojibwe tribes — the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Center in UP to look at impact of oil spills in freshwater

October 23, 2021 GMT

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula has been selected as a hub for a center that will look at the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments.

Lighthouse to allow visitors again for Fitzgerald memorial

October 11, 2021 GMT

BEAVER BAY, Minn. (AP) — A Lake Superior lighthouse plans to welcome visitors back for an annual memorial honoring the sailors who died when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.

Every Nov. 10, the day the ship sank in a gale in 1975, the Split Rock Lighthouse just south of Beaver Bay holds a beacon lighting.

Body of 2nd missing kayaker found off Pictured Rocks in UP

September 18, 2021 GMT

MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — Searchers have recovered a second body after two kayakers went missing in Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

The kayakers were reported missing Thursday night in the Upper Peninsula.

Kayaker dies, another missing off Pictured Rocks in UP

September 17, 2021 GMT

MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — A kayaker died and another paddler was missing Friday in Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, authorities said.

The kayakers were reported missing Thursday night in the Upper Peninsula.

Visitor at UP park falls from cliff, dies on holiday

September 7, 2021 GMT

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — A visitor fell from a cliff and died at a park in the Upper Peninsula, police said.

The death occurred Monday at Presque Isle Park in Marquette.

“The investigation is ongoing at this time, but preliminary information suggests that the victim fell while descending the cliff to take photographs,” Marquette police said.

Fight over well water near Lake Superior could land in court

September 2, 2021 GMT

SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) — A grassroots citizen group is pushing back against a Duluth company's proposal to bottle and sell water from a well near Lake Superior.

Opponents say allowing Kristle KLR to go forward would exploit a loophole in a landmark agreement barring water diversions from the Great Lakes and it could threaten water resources in the region.

Lake Superior: Michigan beats Ohio for Little League title

By ANDREW DESTINAugust 30, 2021 GMT

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Twice, Jackson Surma walked to the plate with runners in scoring position in the biggest game of his young life. Both times he delivered.

Surma drove in four runs and Ethan Van Belle struck out eight as Michigan beat Ohio 5-2 on Sunday in the championship game of the Little League World Series.

Fire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale 15 percent contained

August 25, 2021 GMT

ISLE ROYAL, Mich. (AP) — A wildfire on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale has been about 15% percent contained and crews have saved some historic cabins from encroaching flames, an official said Wednesday.

Trails, camps closed on Isle Royale after wildfire expands

August 23, 2021 GMT

ISLE ROYAL, Mich. (AP) — A wildfire that's burned about 200 acres on Michigan's remote Isle Royale has prompted the National Park Service to close some trails and campground areas on the wilderness island.

Census: Big population drops in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

By COREY WILLIAMSAugust 12, 2021 GMT

Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed some of Michigan’s largest percentage population losses were in the state’s Upper Peninsula, while three of the state's four most populous counties gained people.

2nd person charged in connection with Lake Superior body

August 12, 2021 GMT

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a second person in connection with the death of a St. Paul man whose dismembered remains were found in Lake Superior.

Detroit-area man dies in fall at Pictured Rocks park

July 26, 2021 GMT

MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — A 21-year-old man from the Detroit area lost his footing and fell to his death at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula, authorities said.

The man was identified as Dominic Rotondi of Lincoln Park.

Complaint: Victim found along lake was shot, dismembered

July 20, 2021 GMT

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) — A criminal complaint filed in Cook County provides more details about what investigators say happened when the remains of a missing St. Paul were found off the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Portage last week.

Body of man found on Lake Superior shores labeled a homicide

July 19, 2021 GMT

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the killing of a man whose remains were found on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Portage.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office says 34-year-old Richard Anthony Balsimo died of homicidal violence.

Scientists: Pup births hopeful sign for Isle Royale wolves

By JOHN FLESHERJuly 12, 2021 GMT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Wolf pups have been spotted again on Isle Royale, a hopeful sign in the effort to rebuild the predator species' population at the U.S. national park, scientists said Monday.

Boaters watch cliff collapse along Lake Superior in Michigan

June 29, 2021 GMT

MUNISING, Mich. (AP) — A cliff wall broke away at a national park along Lake Superior in northern Michigan, stunning some boaters who captured it on video.

Sandstone and dirt crashed into the lake Saturday at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Nearly 50% of spring hearing respondents oppose new Line 5

By TODD RICHMONDApril 26, 2021 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Almost half of the respondents to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress’ spring hearings questionnaire say they would support the organization if it opposes reconstructing Enbridge Inc...

Surfer rescues man and dog from choppy Lake Superior

March 25, 2021 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A Minneapolis man who was surfing the choppy waters of Lake Superior helped save a man who was struggling in the water while trying to rescue a dog...

26 rescued from ice floe in Lake Superior off Minnesota

February 10, 2021 GMT

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Twenty-six people fishing on Lake Superior were rescued when an ice floe broke away from the Minnesota shoreline, stranding them in frigid weather.

The Duluth Fire Department got a call Tuesday morning from a resident who saw ice shanties floating away.

Former Michigan base picked for would-be space center

The Associated PressJanuary 31, 2021 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The former home of an Air Force base in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been picked for the location of a command and control center as part of an ambitious plan to make the state a major player in the aerospace economy.