(IL) Chicago Tribune – Asian carp may indeed be poised to destroy commercial fishing as we know it in the Great Lakes, but Reggie McLeod likes his smoked or pickled.

(MI) Muskegon Chronicle – Muskegon County commissioners have given the green light for conservation groups to pursue up to $2 million in federal stimulus funds for a shoreline restoration project for White Lake.

Jan. 9, 2010
Here are the five most clicked-on-by-unique-readers stories reported by Echo journalists in 2009:
5. Study projects steep Great Lakes water level drop if greenhouse gases go unchecked
4.  Alewives: The trouble they cause and the salmon that love them
3. Great Lakes bats threatened by mysterious disease
2. Alewives: Should Great Lakes managers kill ‘em or keep ‘em?
1. Michigan, Illinois, New York consider alternative energy incentives

(MI) The Alpena News - By the end of this year, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary staff hope to have a completed document that will provide a snapshot of the state of the sanctuary’s resources.

(MI) Detroit Free Press – A reward is being offered for information about a bald eagle poaching case in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Jan. 8, 2010
Who knows what accounts for a story’s popularity? Here at Echo we like to think that it has something to do with aggressive reporting and fine writing. But any number of factors contribute to whether one story rockets across the Internet more than another. You can go pretty nuts trying to predict which will go viral. Just ask us.
Here are five of the 10 most clicked-on-by-unique-readers stories reported by Echo journalists in 2009:
10. EPA plans to cap cement plant mercury emissions; Industry says limit will push production, pollution …

(WI) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee economic development officials would use discounted water rates to help recruit companies from Atlanta and other cities with water supply problems, under a plan endorsed Wednesday.

(IL) Journal of Commerce - The escalating fight to prevent Asian carp from getting out of a Chicago barge and ship canal into the Great Lakes now has the Coast Guard ordering a year-long regulated zone while the Army Corps of Engineers heats up an electrical barrier.

(MI) Up North Live - The community will have new opportunities to learn about the importance of the Great Lakes with the help of a grant.

Jan. 7, 2010
Story: Mining limits proposed, opposed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Comment: “Did he really just compare current mining practices to “Rome 2000 years ago”
Story: Researchers study environmental impact of free-range pig production.
Comment: “…While the benefits to the land from having swine aerate the soil are real (and the damage to the surrounding environment from CAFOs is a serious concern), flash grazing also makes sense in terms of animal welfare. As I tell people, these pigs are smarter than many of my relatives, so I want them to have as good …