President Obama has approved a disaster declaration for 16 Michigan counties hard hit by Spring floods.   

Heavy rains in April and May inundated communities across the state. 

The president’s disaster declaration will help communities repair and rebuild roads, bridges and other public infrastructure damaged in the flooding.   The disaster declaration does not include assistance for individuals or businesses.

The Detroit Zoo and the Detroit Institute of Arts will now get millions of dollars in tax revenues as promised from the metro region.

Several metro cities were skimming some of the revenue generated by multi-county millages voters approved to support the zoo and the museum.

The cities claimed they were allowed to by state law.

Annmarie Erickson is the Chief Operating Officer of the art museum. She credits the public’s outcry for the new legislation signed into law today. 

Helping blind children and adults connect with nature: that's Donna Posont’s mission.

She's the director of a group called Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind and one of their projects is called Michigan Birdbrains. The project involves teaching blind individuals how to identify birdcalls, and then taking them out on nature walks to find the birds. Not only does this help participants gain confidence, but it also promotes environmental consciousness. 

Donna Posont joined us today to discuss the project further.

Listen to the full interview above.

In 2013, if you want to let the world know you're someplace having a good time, you might whip out your smartphone and tweet it or post a check-in or status update on Facebook.

97 years ago, you might write a message, roll it up, tuck it in a bottle and toss it into the St Clair River.

That's what a couple of young Detroiters did when they were having fun one summer's day at Tashmoo. That was a very popular amusement part on Harsen's Island on the northern end of Lake St Clair.

And why do we know about this message in a bottle? Because Dave Leander found the bottle as he was diving in the St Clair River.

Wildlife managers could have a harder time controlling spawning Asian carp, if they escape into the Lake Michigan from Chicago-area shipping canals. That's according to a report released by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Elizabeth Murphy is a hydrologist with the USGS. She co-authored the study.

Murphy says new data shows fertilized Asian carp eggs can incubate in waterways that are only 16 miles long. That’s a lot less than the 62 miles scientists thought the drifting eggs needed.

Detroit's Emergency Manager, Kevyn Orr, has laid out his plan to restructure Detroit's finances, and he has spread the pain around.

He ended payment on unsecured debt, he is negotiating with creditors to take significantly less than the money they're owed, and he's looking to city employees and retirees to sacrifice financially as well.

Update 4:25 p.m.:

Detroit News reporter Tony Briscoe is tweeting live from the dig.

Live tweeting from the dig site for #jimmyhoffa. A bulldozer just arrived on scene. pic.twitter.com/ThxICWlUwV

— Tony Briscoe (@TonyBriscoe_DN) June 18, 2013

A split decision from the state Court of Appeals will keep Detroit mayoral candidate Mike Duggan off the ballot.

More from the Detroit News:

The three-member panel upheld an earlier decision last week that removed Duggan from the Aug. 6 ballot. The ruling said Duggan violated the City Charter’s residency requirements when he filed his paperwork for the post. The panel affirmed Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Lita M. Popke’s earlier decision.

Duggan was certified last month to run for mayor by the Detroit Election Commission, despite questions about whether he moved to Detroit from Livonia in time to meet residency requirements. Accountant and mayoral candidate Tom Barrow first raised the complaint.

Duggan and his team are working on their next move. This e-mail went out to reporters this afternoon:

After receiving word that the Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed Judge Popke's ruling that he is ineligible to appear on the August 6th ballot for Mayor, Mike Duggan will take the rest of today to consider his options and address the media at 10:00 AM Wednesday, June 19, 2012 at his campaign headquarters at 2751 E. Jefferson Ave.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway said today the trial of Detroit Police officer Joseph Weekley ended with a hung jury.

Weekly was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of seven year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in 2010.

According to Elisha Anderson of the Detroit Free Press, the jurors sent a note to Hathaway earlier today as they deliberated, saying there was no "significant movement." The jury was "stuck."

Ford Motor Company recently started testing its cars with the help of robots.

The company does robotic testing on vehicles for durability at the Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo, according to a recent story from MLive.

Michael Wayland reported that Ford has used robots to test drive eight of its vehicles, including several truck models as well as the Fiesta.

It was called a "rare and risky" move to refuse a recall after the government requested it, but it seemed Chrysler was poised to do just that today.

Now, the automaker says executives have "resolved their differences" with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and will voluntarily recall the vehicles in question.

Environmental groups say climate change is the biggest threat in the 21st century to migratory birds in the Great Lakes.

Every year, hundreds of migratory bird species pass through the Great Lakes region.

But a new National Wildlife Federation report says climate change is reducing the range that these birds need to survive the journey.

The report says climate change is affecting where migratory birds can feed and raise their young.

Tea Party activists are threatening to put up primary challengers against Republican lawmakers who vote to expand Medicaid in Michigan.

The bill would add hundreds of thousands of Michiganders to the Medicaid rolls under the federal healthcare law.

The legislation cleared the state House last week. The state Senate is likely to take up the legislation this week.

Tea Party groups claim it would be the biggest expansion of state government in more than four decades.  They say Republican votes in favor of the bill warrant a primary challenge next year.