Daniel Wanschura

The Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City is a lot noisier than normal. That's because it's now home to 10 blow-up sculptures, each inflated by air pumps.

Warmer winter temperatures are causing snow totals in many areas around the Great Lakes to drop dramatically. Scientists say a warmer climate means less lake effect snow. That leaves snow enthusiasts and businesses that depend on snow scrambling to try to adapt. 

Warmer winter temperatures are causing snow totals in many areas around the Great Lakes to drop dramatically. Scientists say a warmer climate means cold and snowy winters will likely become more and more unreliable.

That leaves snow enthusiasts and businesses that depend on the snow, scrambling to try to adapt.

Three relatives have been arrested in connection with poaching three elk in the Pigeon River State Forest over a year ago. 

All five of the Great Lakes closed out 2020 at lower levels than they were a year ago. But according to new projections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the upper lakes are still expected to remain high in 2021.

The 45th annual North American Vasa Festival of Races has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. After exploring other options, the Vasa board unanimously voted on Tuesday night to call off the event.

UPDATE - 12/11/2020: 
The pilot of the F-16 fighter jet that crashed in the Upper Peninsula Tuesday night has been found dead. According to the 115th Fighter Wing, the pilot's identity hasn't been released yet.

Local, state, and military crews searched in dense woods for almost two days before finding the pilot on Thursday.

Fifty-seven people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year, making it the deadliest on record.

For most people, November isn’t a great time for a day at the beach. But Ludington photographers Todd and Brad Reed aren’t most people. They dream of capturing Lake Michigan at its gnarliest.

In October, a black bear was spotted roaming the Meijer parking lot in Traverse City. That bear, now dubbed the "TC Bear" by the Michigan Department of Natrual Resources, is still on the loose.

Now, the DNR is trying to lure the bear into various traps in Traverse City with things like syrup and bacon, but so far ― it isn't taking the bait. 

The number of black bear sightings in northern Michigan is on the rise, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 

There’s been a surge in the number of deer hunting licenses sold in 2020, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. It likely coincides with an overall increase in outdoor recreation during the pandemic.

With regular firearm season starting November 15th, the DNR reports a 17% increase in the number of deer hunting licenses sold so far this year.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is hitting the road. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the national lakeshore is rolling out a 'mobile visitor center.' The idea is to bring a little bit of northern Michigan to those who haven’t had a chance to experience it.

Michigan could see a lot of snow this winter according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which came out with its 2020 U.S. Winter Outlook on Thursday.

This week, hear how high water in the Great Lakes is unearthing Native American burial sites. In some places along Lake Michigan, human remains have been discovered at the beach.

Also, more water isn’t the only reason the lakes are higher, a higher elevation that is. The Great Lakes are still rebounding from the last ice age.

And what’s in those holes in your garden?

The pandemic, high water levels, and warm temperatures could mean more drownings on the Great Lakes. 

There have been 58 reported drownings so far this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. 32 of those have occurred in Lake Michigan.

Water levels on the Great Lakes might finally start going down.

With the exception of Lake Superior, each of the Great Lakes have likely reached their peak water levels for the year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

When the late William Grawn Milliken first told his mother about his aspirations to serve in government, she told him to be a “statesman, not a politician.” He went on to be Michigan’s longest-serving governor, make the state a national leader in environmental policy and leave a legacy of civility and bipartisan public service.

Watch a recording of the memorial event on Facebook. 

A trio of Traverse City artists are out with a new album called "Live at St. Andrews." It features David Chown, Miriam Picó and Laurie Sears during a 2018 show at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Beulah.

After crossing the Mackinac Bridge and heading west on US Highway 2 in St. Ignace, I’m looking for something I was told would be just outside of town.

Believe it or not, I’ve come to this part of Michigan to look at a billboard.

In the mid-19th century, a persuasive Mormon leader named James Jesse Strang led hundreds of followers to Beaver Island in the middle of Lake Michigan. Then he declared himself the King of Earth and Heaven.

That’s the story author Miles Harvey tells in his new book, The King of Confidence - A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch.

After starting last week, the Traverse City Pit Spitters season has been put on hold. The same goes for the newly created Great Lakes Resorters and Northern Michigan Dune Bears.

Several players recently tested positive for COVID-19 which prompted the pause.

Water levels in the Great Lakes continue to remain high. 

Every month this year, Lakes Michigan and Huron have surpassed record-high water levels set in the 1980’s. In June, those lakes were nearly three feet above average.