DETROIT RIVER

Federal prosecutors announced that they have busted a human smuggling operation on the Detroit River.

BAY CITY, MI — Michigan author and Great Lakes historian Ric Mixter is speaking in Bay City this month on his latest book, “Tattletale Sounds: The Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations,” which promises new information on the wreck nearly half a century later. Mixter’s new book borrows its name from Gordon Lightfoot’s famous ballad, but the author argues that many of the lyrics are incorrect. “I’ve interviewed shipyard workers, sailors and over a dozen people directly involved in the history of the Fitzgerald,” Mixter said in a statement. His “Tattletale Sounds” is an exclusive look at the Fitzgerald and the Detroit River’s role in shipbuilding that ended with two other ships after the Fitzgerald. For more information about this and other upcoming events at the Historical Museum of Bay County, visit www.bchsmuseum.org.

DETROIT – A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a dog that fell through the ice into the Detroit River over the holiday weekend, officials said. Coast GuardA dog that fell through the ice into the Detroit River near Grayhaven Island is pulled to safety by a crew with U.S. Coast Guard Station Belle Isle on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.U.S. Coast GuardA dog that fell through the ice into the Detroit River near Grayhaven Island is pulled to safety by a crew with U.S. Coast Guard Station Belle Isle on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.U.S. The dog fell through the ice near Grayhaven Island and the crew from Station Belle Isle spotted it struggling in the water.U.S. The dog fell through the ice near Grayhaven Island and the crew from Station Belle Isle spotted it struggling in the water.U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard Belle Isle station rescued a dog who had fallen through the ice on the Detroit River on Saturday.

A temporary concrete company that sits between two Detroit Riverfront parks wants to remain permanently, but some residents say the business is out of place and is polluting their community.

Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day.

Ric Mixter, who has spoken at the Monroe County Museum many times, has published a new book about the good ship in peril.

As the tallest building in Downtown Detroit, the Renaissance Center has dominated the city’s skyline for more than four decades ... but what did the city look like before the enormous building was erected?

A marine unit Downriver will soon be breaking ground on a $1.4 million project that has been in the making for over 10 years, according to officials.

Lesser-known brands like Gravity Industries, ICON Aircraft, Omni and AERWINS also have a presence at the Detroit Auto Show this year – and hope to be household names in the airborne mobility industry one day soon. RELATED: Why the 2022 Detroit Auto Show has a ‘Jetsons’ vibeHere’s the list of flying things and where to find them, including a jet suit, amphibious plane, hoverboard, drone show and more. Its Sigma-6 flying machine has a large display at the front of the showroom floor. The Detroit Auto Show is the Sigma-6′s public debut – and so far, people are big fans, Peterson said. When we explain that you’re going to be able to take this instead of a taxi cab, people just get excited.”MORE FROM THE AUTO SHOWFord unveils new-look 2024 Mustang at Detroit Auto Show – a gas guzzler in a sea of electricEnormous rubber ducky as tall as buildings turns heads at Detroit Auto ShowWhy the 2022 Detroit Auto Show has a ‘Jetsons’ vibeBiden test drives EVs, rallies UAW workers at Detroit Auto ShowFor an updated list of stories from the Detroit Auto Show, click here.

The Grosse Pointe Historical Society’s 2022-23 Dr. Frank Bicknell Lecture Series returns Wednesday, Sept. 21. Programs remain free and open to everyone. The series begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Cook Schoolhouse, 20025 Mack Plaza, Grosse Pointe Woods, with “Vanished With a Trace: What Really Happened to the Ship, Griffin.” A painting

DETROIT, MI — The new Gordie Howe International Bridge will include a pedestrian link between Michigan and Canada under terms of a new agreement. The agreement was signed in Windsor last week by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Trans Canada Trail and the Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) in Ontario. Concrete barriers will separate path users from vehicles. A diagram showing the pedestrian and bicycle path over the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The $5.7 billion international bridge is being financed by Canada and will be managed by the WDBA.

DETROIT – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people after a boat caught fire on the Detroit River near Belle Isle over the weekend, authorities said. When the 20-foot boat caught fire, people on two jet skis tried to rescue the boaters but one of the personal watercrafts capsized, FOX 2 Detroit reports. Three people ended up in the river in need of rescue. The U.S. Coast Guard arrived on scene and deployed a rescue swimmer who took one person to a Good Samaritan’s boat and the other two to a Coast Guard boat, the report said. The damaged boat was towed after the fire was extinguished, the report said.

The U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes division sent an MH-65 helicopter to rescue three people from the Detroit River on Friday night.

Officials still have not identified a woman found dead in the Detroit River 11 years ago.

The event is part of InsideOut’s Poetry for the People program

Crews are working to help clean up a leak that occurred Downriver.

On Wednesday, federal and local officials are monitoring the release of diesel into the water Downriver.

General Motors will reinstate quarterly dividend payments that were suspended during the pandemic that shut down its factories.

Police still have not identified the body of a boy between the ages of 16 - 25 who was found floating in the Detroit River 15 years ago.

Pregnancy Aid of Detroit is hosting its annual Cruise for Life on the Detroit River Friday, Aug. 26, on the Diamond Jack. The cruise take place from 7 to 10 p.m. and includes dinner, dessert and soft drinks. There is a cash bar for beer and wine, and raffles include wonderful prizes. Boarding begins at

General Motors will keep its headquarters in its seven-building office tower complex in downtown Detroit, its CEO says.

General Motors will keep its headquarters in its seven-building office tower complex in downtown Detroit, its CEO says. Mary Barra, in an interview with The Associated Press, said the automaker's main office will remain in the Renaissance Center, the centerpiece of the city's skyline just across the Detroit River from Canada. “Our headquarters will always be in Detroit, in the RenCen,” she said, using the name given to the complex by locals.

General Motors will keep its headquarters in its seven-building office tower complex in downtown Detroit, its CEO says.

The body of a man pulled from the Detroit River 48 years ago and still hasn’t been identified.

The identity of a boy found dead in the Detroit River 11 years ago is still unknown.

Detroit Promise celebrates its scholarship recipients during its summer celebration at Monroe Street Midway.

The Ford Fireworks returned to its longtime spot on the Detroit riverfront this year after a two-year hiatus.

The Ford Fireworks return to its longtime spot on the Detroit riverfront this year after a two-year hiatus.

The Ford Fireworks return to its longtime spot on the Detroit riverfront this year after a two-year hiatus.

The Ford Fireworks return to its longtime spot on the Detroit riverfront this year after a two-year hiatus.

The barge carrying the Ford Fireworks is being prepared to head to the spot where they’ll be set off on Monday night.

The 2022 Ford Fireworks are scheduled for June 27 this year. To ensure residents are safe while enjoying the event, the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan will be enforcing access restrictions to Belle Isle, Hart Plaza, and other...

After a tumultuous few years due to the pandemic, Downtown Detroit’s best firework show is back to light the skies before the Fourth of July.

The 2022 Ford Fireworks are scheduled for June 27 this year. To ensure residents are safe while enjoying the event, the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan will be enforcing access restrictions to Belle Isle, Hart Plaza, and other...

After a whole year of online school, my roommate and I attempted to escape the confinement of our home last May by exploring one of the lesser-known spots on Belle Isle, Hipster Beach.

On this day, nearly 160 years ago, a circus hippopotamus escaped his cage and jumped into the Detroit River.

The Detroit Riverfront has been voted the most beautiful river walk for two years in a row by USA Today -- and soon, it will be even grander!

We’re taking a look at unidentified people recovered from the Detroit River in the month of June.

Another shooting this week at Renaissance Estates of Ecorse, this time leaving a 27-year-old dead.

The Detroit Boat Club was established in 1839 and is the oldest boat club in America. Right now, high schoolers are making waves on the national and international levels.

The new and improved riverfront of Downtown Detroit’s recent increase in patronage has benefited the community in more ways than one. Socially and economically, the Riverwalk proves to be really beneficial to the city.

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, which is 22 acres, will be transformed into an attractive public space with reconstruction that will work towards the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s goal of revitalizing the riverfront.

The Great Lakes are the world’s largest collective bodies of fresh water, and feature many picturesque nature spots, so it always has seemed like a natural area for cruise ships to venture.

River otters have made a return to the Detroit River after becoming locally extinct in the Detroit River since the early 1900s.

DETROIT – The first recorded sighting of a river otter in the Detroit River in more than 100 years is an indicator that the watershed environment is improving, officials said. The North American river otter was common in southeast Michigan until the arrival of European fur traders. The species was extirpated from the Detroit River in the early 1900s, Gearld P. Wykes, a historian from the Monroe County Museum System, told Great Lakes Now. This file photo shows a North American river otter at Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A river otter was recently spotted in the Detroit River for the first time in more than 100 years, indicating that the river's environment is improving.U.S.

Nature is healing

Detroit Bulk Storage is packing up and moving out of its site along the Detroit River after two dock collapses and more than 300 violation tickets.

In a story published April 4, 2022, about cities and counties challenging their 2020 census numbers, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of the U.S. Census Bureau program for making challenges.

Police say that a woman died early Friday morning while rescuing another woman who fell into the Detroit River.

DETROIT – A woman is dead, and two other people are in stable condition after being pulled from the Detroit River early Friday, March 18, WXYZ Detroit reports. Around 3:45 a.m., first responders were called to the scene near Alfred Brush Ford Park in Jefferson-Chalmers Business District, the report said. Information identifying the victims has not been released. The Detroit Police Department, Detroit Fire Department, and the Department of Medical Services responded to the incident, the report said. READ MORE:Member of Greta Van Fleet taken to hospital: ‘Last 24 hours have been arduous’Here’s where your budget will feel the Fed’s interest rate hikesMarch Madness: Watch cheerleader reach stuck ball atop backboard after players fail

Here are this morning's top stories.

A 30-year-old man is expected to recover after he through the ice in a Groveland Township pond and was rescued by police.

A Michigan man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot by state troopers in a gunfight Thursday, police said.

Police say one woman is dead and two others are hospitalized after being pulled from the Detroit River Friday morning.

Authorities reportedly pulled three women from the Detroit River early Friday morning.

It was really a wonderful day in Detroit as the last of the ice broke away in the Detroit River with the sunshine and a gentle breeze with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s; people are ready for spring.

Wind gusts of up to 60 mph could sweep through the central and southern Lower Peninsula Sunday morning, March 6. The worst of it is expected between 1 a.m. and 11 a.m. with peak hours of 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Gusts of 45 mph are expected, but could be as much as 60 mph. The wind is expected to bring down tree limbs, which is likely to cause scattered power outages. This gusty period could also include a passing rain shower or thunderstorm – but some areas will experience the wind without rain or storm. Wind gusts are expected to diminish to less than 30 mph around sunset on Sunday.

WYANDOTTE, MI – Police officers and firefighters teamed up for a “pretty sweet” rescue when a labradoodle jumped into the Detroit River on Monday, Feb. 28. A labradoodle had gotten away from its owner while out for a walk and jumped into the partially frozen Detroit River. The freezing dog managed to climb onto an ice chunk that was drifting downriver. First responders were able to navigate the ice chunk close to the riverbank. A firefighter then stood on a slippery, partially submerged ladder while his colleagues held onto him with a safety rope.

Police and firefighters in Wyandotte rescued a dog found stranded in the Detroit River.

The mission marks the Jefferson’s first visit to the Great Lakes, and the first visit from a NOAA survey ship since Lake Huron was mapped off Alpena in the early 1990s. The 2022 mission is part of a stepped-up effort to map the Great Lakes in recent years and will also involve surveying parts of the Detroit River and Lake Michigan off Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, the ship will survey around Presque Isle State Park, a sandy spit peninsula that juts into the lake and creates Presque Isle Bay in Erie. The ship will remain in Lake Erie; although parts of this year’s mission involve mapping Lake Michigan off the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast, a 962-sqaure mile area that was designated as NOAA’s newest National Marine Sanctuary in 2021. “We’re getting back into surveying up in the Great Lakes,” said Thomas Loeper, Great Lakes navigation manager for NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey.

A new sculpture is greeting visitors to the Belle Isle Park in Detroit this year.

Here's what's coming up on Local 4 News at 5.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) is taking public comment on the bridge authority’s permit application until March 14 and has scheduled a virtual public hearing on the application for March 1 at 6 p.m. According to the application, natural gas and diesel generators would be installed at the U.S. Five natural gas boilers and one natural gas backup furnace would provide building heat. Other smaller emission sources would include natural gas emergency generators, boilers, radiant heaters, hot water heaters; and one diesel emergency fire pump engine. A map in the Bridging North America emissions permit application with Michigan EGLE shows the location of the bridge path and U.S.

Lanes on northbound and southbound I-75 will be closed this weekend due to Gordie Howe International Bridge construction.

DETROIT – A man died after crashing a vehicle into a statue on Belle Isle. WDIV-TV in Detroit reports that DNR conservation officers saw the man driving without headlights at a high rate of speed on the 982-acre island in the Detroit River

City officials are calling for Detroit to permanently ban Detroit Bulk Storage Inc. from operating anywhere along the Detroit River.

Landowners are under fire once again after part of a seawall collapsed along the Detroit River last month, spilling contaminated soil into the water exactly two years after a nearly-identical incident occurred at the same site.

Michigan environmental officials have the results from water testing done after the northern wall of a boat slip belonging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collapsed on Nov. 26.

Measuring Great Lakes flows helps forecast water levels

Michigan environmental officials responded to the boat slip belonging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after its northern wall collapsed on Friday.

CMU researchers have discovered unexpected populations of native mussels in the Detroit River, an area that hasn’t been searched for the mollusks since 1998.

The Detroit City Council granted its approval for the Detroit Grand Prix to move from Belle Isle to the Detroit River waterfront, a move proposed by Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation, in September. The race will return to Belle Isle June 3-5, 2022, before moving to downtown Detroit in 2023. “We are so excited to begin a new era of the Grand Prix beginning in 2023,” a statement reads. “Ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience the energy of our street festival in downtown Detroit. In the coming weeks we look forward to sharing our vision for the future of the Grand Prix in the Motor City.”

The Detroit City Council approved a contract to return the Detroit Grand Prix downtown from its current home on an island in the middle of the Detroit River.

The Detroit Harvest Fest will transform the Dequindre Cut over the weekend. In addition to the food trucks, 60 different artists will be performing over two days.

Conversely, marijuana seizures at the southern border, marijuana’s traditional route into the U.S., has experienced a steep decline. In Detroit, the size of the marijuana shipments are growing, while the frequency of seizures are on the decline. “She was basically using her position as a nurse and telling everyone, ‘Oh, I’m on my way to work,’ when she was actually smuggling marijuana,” Stentz said. “When marijuana became legal in Canada ... it took about 18 months before we started seeing large commercial loads come through the border,” Stentz said. “What’s interesting: 15 to 20 years ago, a large marijuana load from the border would have been 45 to 50 keys (kilograms).

The Detroit City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new rules on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Castañeda-López called the new Detroit River Protection Ordinance vote a “step forward in rectifying Detroit’s environmental justice inequities” in a statement. The Detroit River Protection ordinance will ensure that generations to come have the same rights,” she said. Property owners must submit a seawall report every five years, as well as a geotechnical report for some heavier industrial uses and developments. “This is a pretty widespread problem along the Detroit River.”Related stories:Muskegon owner fined $66k for Detroit River dock collapse240-lb sturgeon caught in Detroit River likely a century oldTeen drowns while swimming in Detroit River canalAnn Arbor eyes connection to Detroit waterCoast Guard rescues 3 from Detroit River, Lake ErieMan adopts dog he rescued from icy Detroit RiverToxic waste plant eyed as source of Detroit odorsDetroit air pollution levels drop amid COVID shutdownDetroit toxic ‘ooze’ site cleanup costs mount

Detroit City Council unanimously approved a new ordinance aimed at protecting the Detroit River from polluters. The Detroit River Protection Ordinance was created after a...

Applications are being accepted for the latest round in a program that awards competitive grants and other resources to entrepreneurs in Detroit.

It’s the last official weekend of summer, and Detroit is kissing the season goodbye with a block party.

The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms was the backdrop for a ceremony that honored those with ties to Michigan.

In August 2020, Detroit Fire Sgt. Sivad Johnson rushed into the Detroit River to rescue three children struggling to stay afloat.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy recently announced the return of signature events and community celebrations to the Detroit Riverfront this September.

The White House and Canada issued a joint statement of support for a commuter bridge that when completed will span the Detroit River, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The massive flooding of basements in the Grosse Pointes and Detroit by the Detroit Water and Sewer Department and the Great Lakes Water Authority could have

From the Big Kahuna Tiki Boat to inflatable water parks to swanky yacht cruises, here are 10 water related activities to do in and around Detroit. The Big KahunaThe Big Kahuna Tiki Boat by the Detroit Cycle Boat. These Tiki Boat tours are available in Detroit, St. Clair Shores and Wyandotte through Aloha Tiki Tours. Detroit Sails offers two hour sailing trips for up to four people on the Detroit River and Lake St Clair. Detroit River Sports Detroit River KayakingYou can enjoy the Detroit River via a kayak or stand up paddle board through Detroit River Sports tours.

DETROIT – The restoration of a unique-but-damaged ecosystem on Belle Isle is underway. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is working to bring back 200 acres of globally rare, forested wetland at the 2.5-mile-long island park in the Detroit River. Wet-mesic flatwoods – or forested wetlands – once were prominent along the Detroit River. The project, outlined in detail below, is the last of six Belle Isle projects that help alleviate impairments associated with the Detroit River Area of Concern . The construction timeline was carefully crafted to help protect the bald eagle nest on the island, according to the DNR.

David Howell, chair of the board of the Friends of the Detroit River, says it was rare to see kayakers on the Detroit River when...

Many people think it should be a Great Lake, but Lake St. Clair is not. It is, however, the top pick for Michigan’s Best Inland Lake in the Detroit region, and has fans from all across the state. “It’s not a Great Lake, it’s a fabulous lake,” John Burback said. “It’s know as “The Heart” of the Great Lakes. Follow our Michigan’s Best adventures on social media:@mlivemibest on Twitter@mlivemibest on InstagramFacebook at MLiveMIBest.

Detroit residents and environmental activists are urging City Council to adopt a new ordinance aimed at protecting the Detroit River from industrial polluters. The council’s...

Officials said boater, with two others, tried to climb fence at BASF Corp. plant

The three-week educational series focuses on Detroit's history, the river's ecology, the civil rights movement and more.

A photo of a monster-sized prehistoric fish laid out on a boat deck next to a much smaller person is evidence of one of the largest lake sturgeon ever recorded in the United States. The fish was caught last week by the Detroit River native species crew of the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, according to a news release via Facebook. She was quickly processed and returned to the river - but not before snapping the eye-catching photo. The conservation office describes the sturgeon as a “real-life river monster” and a “once in a lifetime catch.”Officials believe the fish has been roaming the Detroit River and surrounding waters for more than 100 years, hatching in the Detroit River around 1920. READ MORE:Guards needed to protect lake sturgeon traveling upstream in Michigan’s Black RiverSturgeon season on this Michigan lake lasted 2 hours, went over limit with 7 fish

The scientists estimate that the fish hatched in the Detroit River sometime in the 1920s, when Detroit was the fourth largest city in America.

The ancient "river monster," as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service referred to it, was processed and released back into its home waters, the Detroit River.

Officials called it a “river monster.”

Officials called it a “river monster.”

Inland trout and salmon, and Lower Peninsula inland walleye and northern pike fishing seasons open on Saturday, April 24 – they’re the first to open for the 2021 season. The northern pike and walleye season will open Saturday on Lower Peninsula inland waters. The two species can be fished year-round on Lower Peninsula Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair and Detroit rivers. The walleye daily possession limit will remain at six fish through April 30, 2022, on Lake Erie, Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. Michigan’s muskellunge possession season opens Saturday, June 5, on all Great Lakes, inland waters, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair, St. Marys and Detroit rivers.

GILBRALTAR, MI – Two fishermen saved a deer that was struggling in the Detroit River with no way to escape the water on Saturday, WDIV Detroit reports. The men who were fishing the river near Gilbraltar initially thought the doe was a log. The fishermen were able to bring the deer alongside their boat and guide it to land, a video shows. At first, the deer laid motionless with just its head on land. Two more men helped bring the deer onto shore where they laid her on grass and covered her with a coat.