Great Lakes

Each year, volunteers fan out in northern Michigan — and around the country — to try and take a data snapshot: How many people are living without shelter? The point-in-time, or PIT, count provides data that informs federal funding. But where the government sends that money might soon change.

Michigan researchers have gone back in time to get a picture of ice cover on the Great Lakes since the late 19th century.

Researchers want help from ice fishers and others who go onto frozen lakes to collect crucial data, which could improve ice forecasting on the Great Lakes.

When U.P. snowboarder Nick Baumgartner lost in a qualifying round at the 2022 Olympics, he broke down on national TV. It was his fourth Olympics, he’d never medaled, and he was 40 years old. He might not get another shot at a medal. But then he got some news.

A new study offers hope for PFAS-tainted Great Lakes fish: Contamination levels are declining. The trend stems from manufacturers phasing out some PFAS compounds.

Edmonia Lewis, the first globally-recognized sculptor of African American and Native American descent, achieved critical acclaim for her masterpiece, “The Death of Cleopatra.” But over a hundred years ago, it disappeared.

For almost seven years, Bugsy Sailor has been on a mission to watch every sunrise. But now, he wonders if the inspiration that started this project will also be the thing that ends it.

November 10, 1975: The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in a massive storm on Lake Superior. But just miles away, a few fishermen are struggling in the same storm — fighting for survival.

In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago for 21 hours. Chicago’s mayor presented the prince with a diplomatic gift: 18 bluegill. What happened next would change the underwater world of Japan forever.

On a remote island in Lake Michigan, some old apple trees could have very rare, never-before-discovered genes. And if they do, they could join the U.S. stockpile of apples poised to fight off future threats.