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WCMU's most read stories of 2024

From the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, absentee ballot rules, investigations and changes to policies in the Department of Natural Resources, the WCMU newsroom covered a variety of stories in 2024. Below is a list of the stories our readers clicked on the most this year.
Adam Miedema
/
WCMU
A sunset on the Great Lakes.

From the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, to rules surrounding mail-in ballots, to a mysterious bird sighting in northern Michigan, these were the most read stories from the WCMU newsroom in 2024.

This Sunday marks the 49th anniversary of one of the most infamous shipwrecks in Great Lakes maritime history. There have been many theories about what sank the Edmund Fitzgerald sink in 1975. But through diving, interviews and new research, author and shipwreck enthusiast Ric Mixter says he's been able to gain a better idea of how the ship may have gone down.
A comment by an Oscoda Township board member stating FEMA would use Oscoda-Wurtsmith airport as an emergency response hub sparked rumors online.
As the 2024 general elections inches closer, voters have been receiving 2024 Michigan absentee voter ballot applications from groups unaffiliated with the state or local clerks.
The investigation centers on a former University of Michigan football staffer allegedly sneaking onto the Chippewas sidelines during a game against Michigan State in 2023.
New deer hunting regulations might come out to control the deer population on July 11. Local farmers say deer are damaging their crops.
The yellow perch has been declining for decades in Saginaw Bay as a result of a rapid growth of walleyes. Local commerical fisheries say that has caused struggles for their business.
Effected property owners in Gladwin and Midland county residents banded together to create the Heron Cove Association to fight against dam repair special assessments that were passed earlier this month.
A lost, tropical bird made a home for itself in northern Michigan more than a year ago. Now, the unusual visitor is the first confirmed record of the species in North America.
The City of Mackinac Island cobbled together a plan Aug. 14 on how to move forward with only one of the island's two passenger ferry services in operation.
The sun is at a peak in an 11-year cycle of solar activity — making it possible to see these shimmering green, pink and white light beams.
Students majoring in social work will be eligible for $5,000 per semester due to a new program funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Rick Brewer has been news director at WCMU since February 2024.