"The polar vortex came with a silver lining: Water levels are up on the Great Lakes this summer, providing welcome news to boaters, beach-goers and cottagers who have become increasingly nervous about changing shorelines."

"MONTAGUE, Mich. — For more than 30 years, the beautiful resort community along White Lake near the shore of Lake Michigan has struggled to get out from under the weight of its past. It’s a past that includes growth sparked by the arrival of the chemical industry, and the physical and psychological scars left behind."

"Levels of a now-banned toxic pollutant continue to decline in the tissue of coho and chinook salmon in Lake Michigan waters."

"Anglers in a recent fishing derby on Michigan’s Pine River got news far better than pulling in the largest fish."

"What possibly could the cities of Brookfield and Oak Creek, Alverno College, Miller Park, All Peoples Church, Lakefront Brewery, R&K Cudahy Storage and Milwaukee County Parks have in common?"

"Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Friday signed into law a contentious bill the legislature passed last month rolling back state renewable energy standards."

"Scientists for the first time in Wisconsin plan to use a bacteria to kill zebra mussels — in this instance, in a Florence County lake."

"A massive rainstorm in July 2010 turned city streets into rushing rivers and infamously created a sinkhole so big at N. Oakland and E. North avenues that it swallowed a Cadillac Escalade."

"Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Sunday banning the manufacture and sale of personal care products containing plastic microbeads."