About 20% of all the data centers in the U.S. are located in eight states around the Great Lakes. Ohio is slated to get another 77 by 2030, which will propel Columbus to become the second-largest data center hub in the region, after Chicago. Read the full story by WOSU – Columbus, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-ohio-data-centers
By way of a promise made by companies across the Great Lakes region, the practice of dumping commercial fish waste into landfills has effectively been ended, according to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-fish-waste
The Atlantic Huron, an iron lady of the St. Lawrence Seaway and a familiar site along the waterway, has completed her final voyage to close out more than 40 years of service. The ship now rests at Sheet Harbor, Nova Scotia, where work has commenced to dismantle and recycle the bulk carrier. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-atlantic-huron
Although most lakes across lake trout range freeze early and reliably each winter, not so for Lake Superior. For those who brave Lake Superior’s ice-capped waters, the awards are amazing. Read the full story by Sports Illustrated.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-superior-fishing
Among the nine parks highlighted by National Geographic is the sprawling Muskegon State Park on the eastern edge of Lake Michigan in Michigan. The park is known for its snow-covered dunes and forested trails, which offer cross-country skiing and fat-tire biking. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-park-rankings
Lexington State Harbor on Lake Huron in Lexington, Michigan, is undergoing major improvements in hopes of attracting even more boaters and visitors. The improvements will focus on the marina, slips, fuel dock, pump-out station and boating access site. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260119-marina-improvements
Michigan’s latest State of the Great Lakes report highlights significant progress in cleanup and conservation, stressing the importance of treating groundwater as part of the lakes’ ecosystem while supporting the region’s “blue economy.” Read the full story by The Sun Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-michigan-latest-report-health-greatlakes
A new study shows that PFAS levels in Great Lakes fish such as lake trout and walleye have significantly declined since peaking in the late 2000s, likely because manufacturers phased out some harmful compounds. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-pfas-levels-declining-greatlakes-fish
Two British TikTokers are captivating their two million followers with videos from Michigan’s Great Lakes winter, expressing awe at huge lake swells, brutal cold, giant potholes and quirky local experiences while exploring beach towns and regional culture. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-british-tiktokers-greatlakes-swells
A multi-year report on data centers in the Great Lakes region outlines the economic and energy impacts of data centers, which support purposes such as cloud-based computing and artificial intelligence. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-report-data-centers-greatlakes
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will host its free fishing this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, allowing anglers to fish without needing a license. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-wisconsin-dnr-winter-fishing
In Minnesota, Duluth’s Twin Ports are facing economic challenges after a tough shipping season marked by sharply lower iron ore shipments and the announced closures of major grain and coal terminals, putting pressure on the region’s trade-dependent economy. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-tough-shipping-season-duluth-twin-ports
The Donny S tugboat has been stuck floating in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, for nearly five years. Local residents are now pushing for a study to see if it’s contaminating the water while officials debate next steps and jurisdiction. Read the full story by WGBA-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-neighbors-renew-efforts-tugboat-contaminated-water
The American Spirit, a 1,004-foot ship that has been a Great Lakes workhorse for nearly a half a century, was the last freighter to make it through the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, before the huge system closed Thursday night for its annual winter maintenance. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-thousand-foot-freighter-soo-locks
American Cruise Lines announced a nine-day Great Lakes and Thousand Islands cruise starting at $8,675 per person, traveling from Syracuse to Buffalo, New York. Read the full story by WRGZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260116-greatlakes-cruise
A bipartisan group of U.S Senators from the Great Lakes states sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging his administration to establish Maritime Prosperity Zones in the Great Lakes and to support the creation of a Great Lakes Shipbuilding Consortium. Read the full story by WLPR – Lowell, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-shipbuilding-letter
The Soo Locks will close to all marine traffic beginning 11:59 p.m. January 15 and reopen March 25. During the closure, seasonal critical maintenance will be performed. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-locks-closing
Ohio Sea Grant has released the 2025 research findings update for the statewide Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (HABRI). Created in the aftermath of the 2014 Toledo water crisis, HABRI is a statewide research program that provides near-term solutions for the full suite of issues surrounding harmful algal blooms. Read the full story by Outdoor News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-algal-research
The U.S. National Ice Center begins tracking and forecasting ice coverage across the Great Lakes, usually in mid-November. The Center provides that information to the coast guards to inform their ice breaking plan to facilitate the flow of commerce across the lakes and to ensure safety. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-ice-forecasts
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Sea Grant announced $200,000 in funding to support work that follows New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda, with a focus on ecosystem-based solutions to local challenges. Read the full story by FingerLakes1.com, Inc.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-ecosystem-grants
A new study documents a fivefold increase in shoreline armoring along Lake Michigan’s eastern coast from 2014 to 2021. Rising water levels and increased wave activity prompted many coastal communities to install seawalls, rock revetments and other protective structures, the study said. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-shoreline-armoring
Western New York’s tourism industry is set to receive a significant boost as American Cruise Lines announced a new 14-day cruise route from Buffalo, New York, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, launching this May. The cruise will travel through the Great Lakes with stops in several cities and remote islands along the Canadian border. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-buffalo-cruise
According to officials with the Lake Carriers Association, the year-end total for the iron ore trade decreased by 12.8 percent to 43.4 million tons. Read the full story by KQDS-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-iron-ore
The St. Lawrence Seaway has closed for the season at the latest date in its history since opening in 1959. The seaway is set to reopen around March 22. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-seaway-closing
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has released the 2026 sturgeon spearing regulations, outlining season dates, harvest caps, and licensing requirements. The sturgeon spearing season will open February 14 and run for up to 16 days, or until any harvest cap is met. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-sturgeon-regulations
Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) bipartisan bill to restore funding to the USGS Great Lakes Science Center and support the facility for another five years has been signed into law. Read the full story by the Keweenaw Report.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260114-fisheries-legislation
The seasonal decline in the Great Lakes’ water levels is in full force. Here’s how your favorite Great Lake is reacting to the colder, less moisture time of year. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-water-level-declines
Maintenance season for Niagara’s canal bridges will soon be upon us as the Welland Canal closes to ship traffic as of midnight on January 10. Read the full story by Niagara on the Lake.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-welland-canal-closed
A tinned fish business launched in 2024 in Michigan has expanded to over 150 stores in its first year and sources exclusively from the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Grand Rapids Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-tinned-fish-business
Reports have surfaced in recent months of a not-so-jolly buccaneer working Lake Michigan’s Caribbean-clear waters just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is after the sole right to use the Lake Michigan beach behind his home and yard. Read the full story by the Wausau Pilot & Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-shoreline-access
Seaway teams are diligently working with system partners to manage challenging ice conditions and safely process the remaining ships focusing on navigating the Montreal-Lake Ontario corridor, which has been severely affected by ice. Read the full story by WTEM – Elmira, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-ice-clearing
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Captain Rhianna Macon, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, about what inspired her to join the Coast Guard, what her job entails, how she thinks Hawaii and the Great Lakes are similar. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-new-commander
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes surged because treatments were limited. Since then, regular treatment efforts have resumed and the number of invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes has gone down. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-lamprey-decline
Lake Erie’s Mouse Island once belonged to President Rutherford B. Hayes. Following several decades of private ownership, it’s in search of a new owner. Read the full story by WTOL – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260112-erie-island
Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Jon Husted to enhance Great Lakes fishery research and management efforts has been signed into law. The act reauthorizes funding for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center for another five years. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-fisheries-law-signed
There are massive ships stuck in the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ice is building up around the locks between Lake Ontario and Montreal, making it difficult to impossible for ships to get through. The severe winter weather has indefinitely delayed the end of the Seaway’s navigation season, originally set to close on January 5th. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-stlawrence-ships-stuck
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is appealing a federal court decision in a lawsuit over the pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-line5-appeal
Warmer winters are reshaping Wisconsin’s ice season, impacting fish populations in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-fish-changes
Ontario has approved a plan to expand Toronto’s electricity transmission line with an estimated $1.5-billion project to build a new underwater transmission line to deliver energy from the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station to Toronto. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-ontario-transmission
This past fall, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources stocked more than 600,000 fish across Michigan while wrapping up 2025 operations that put more than 19 million fingerlings in state waters. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-mi-fish-stocking
A proposed Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit would allow data centers to release wastewater into Ohio’s lakes and streams. If approved, a five-year permit would allow certain data centers to release water used to cool down their technology and water from air compressor condensation and boiler blowdowns back into the state’s freshwater resources with some limitations. Read the full story by 614 Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-ohio-datacenters-wastewater
Like frozen lily pads, Michigan’s Great Lakes and inland water bodies, can form what’s known as “pancake ice” under the right frosty conditions. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-pancake-ice
Large sheets and chunks of ice moved down the Niagara River along Fort Erie’s waterfront this week after work on the Lake Erie-Niagara River ice boom was delayed by severe weather in late December. Read the full story by Fort Erie Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-ice-boom
In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a street experienced a strange phenomenon when a mysterious foamy substance was spilling out of a storm sewer, which the city revealed is caused by the seed pods of the local honey locust trees. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260109-mystery-foam
Findings from a long-running project have already shown high levels of PFAS in nestling bald eagles across Wisconsin. Now researchers have found a decline in antibody levels among eaglets with high PFAS levels. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-high-pfas-wisconsin-eaglets
New research and state analysis are reframing Michigan’s groundwater as one interconnected system, large enough to rival a Great Lake. Read the full story by The Sun Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-michigan-scientists-sixth-great-lake
The Ohio EPA is considering a new statewide permit that would let data centers discharge certain wastewater into Ohio waterways. The new permit would create a one-stop statewide approval process for data centers that discharge wastewater. Read the full story by WFMJ-TV – Youngstown, Ohio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-advocates-voice-concerns-wastewater-plans-datacenters
A new documentary highlights collaborative efforts to restore lake sturgeon in the Saginaw Bay watershed, where the species has been reduced to less than 1 % of its historic numbers. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-sturgeon-comeback-saginawbay
A 22-foot vessel built in Manitowaning, Ontario, has been utilizing cutting-edge civilian underwater drones to discover secrets hidden in the depths of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-manitoulin-built-vessel-explores-great-lakes-depths
While ice is starting to close in on the Great Lakes, the Soo Locks will remain open until January 15, or until commercial traffic comes to an end. Read the full story by Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250107-ice-starts-great-lakes-soo-locks-closing-soon
