Isabella Volmert, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - The Fitzgerald in a 1959 file photo, with a crew of 28 to 30 men, was carrying a load of 26,216 tons of taconite pellets. (AP Photo, file)

Retired AP reporter helped cement the legend of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

November 8, 2025

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, former reporter Harry Atkins recounts his experience covering the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the most infamous in all Great Lakes history, as family members and maritime history followers honor the 50th anniversary of the disaster. Atkins’ initial news story on the shipwreck, the last major shipwreck on the Great Lakes, is credited with helping to inspire Gordan Lightfoot’s famous song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The large 730-foot long freighter sank on Nov. 10, 1975, in the midst of a major storm on Lake Superior. While the exact cause of the wreck remains a mystery, the story lives on in popular memory thanks to Lightfoot’s ballad.

FBI agents gather outside a home in a Dearborn, Mich., neighborhood on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

FBI names third man accused of planning Halloween terror attack in Michigan

November 5, 2025

The FBI has announced Wednesday a third man has been arrested and accused of planning a Halloween terror attack in Michigan. 19-year-old Ayob Nasser was arrested Wednesday. He and his brother Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud are facing charges of providing material support and resources to a designated terrorist organization, and receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism, according to court documents. Ali and Mahmoud were arrested Friday. Investigators say the men were inspired by the Islamic State and had scouted LGBTQ+ bars and an amusement park as possible locations of an attack. According to court documents, the men used the word “pumpkin” to reference a possible Halloween attack.

A woman wearing an American Red Cross shirt is seen during a service for the Sunday morning shooting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Fundraiser for family of Michigan church gunman raises more than $275,000

October 2, 2025

A fundraiser for the family members of the man who opened fire in a Michigan church and set it ablaze has raised over $275,000. The organizer says it’s an outpouring of forgiveness and love. Thomas “Jake” Sanford drove his pickup truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township on Sunday, shot into the congregation and set the building on fire. The attack killed four people and police fatally shot Sanford. Dave Butler, a Utah resident and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says he wanted to do something for Sanford’s family.

FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gives a policy speech at an event, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer casts doubt on a 2028 presidential bid

October 1, 2025

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has hinted that she may not be interested in running for president in 2028. Whitmer was asked during a moderated discussion Wednesday if she is thinking about the Democratic nomination for president in 2028. While she sees herself helping, “I don’t know if I’m going to be the person,” she said. Whitmer is in her final two years as governor and cannot run again because of term limits. She has long been seen as a potential presidential candidate. Whitmer has several challenges in front of her. Michigan lawmakers just passed a one-week continuing budget to keep the state government operational after months of bitter disagreement. Additionally, U.S. tariffs on Canada are hurting auto manufacturing.

Construction workers gather at Michigan's statehouse in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, to call for a long-term road funding solution as a state government budget deadline approaches. (AP Photo/Isabella Volmert)

Gov. Whitmer to address Michigan’s economy as possible state and federal shutdowns loom

September 15, 2025

As Congress nears sending the U.S. into a government shutdown, Michigan faces its own. Partisan politics in Michigan’s split Legislature has resulted in a monthslong legislative stalemate. The state’s Oct. 1 fiscal year deadline is approaching. Whitmer is expected to call on state lawmakers to break the deadlock in a speech Tuesday focused on Michigan’s economy. The standoff has high stakes for Whitmer herself and for the state. Michigan is particularly influenced by broader economic trends in the U.S. The standoff is also a glimpse at partisan politics reaching far beyond Washington that are grinding a battleground state’s Capitol to a halt.

Independent candidate for Michigan governor is betting on partisan fatigue in the midterms

August 7, 2025

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has been a career Democrat in the battleground state of Michigan but is now planning to run for governor as an independent. Duggan recently told The Associated Press that he’s tired of all the partisan fighting. He says he’s committed to working with anyone reasonable in the Legislature, regardless of party affiliation. He’s also vowed to stay out of national political talking points. Duggan’s decision has infuriated some in Michigan’s Democratic Party who feel his independent run could split the vote and potentially help the Republican candidate. Current Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and cannot run again.

Trump’s travel ban fuels despair and disgust with politics among Arab Americans in Michigan

June 11, 2025

Eight years after President Donald Trump’s first travel ban largely targeted majority-Muslim countries, many Arab Americans say his new ban is motivated by bias. They call it the latest act of abandonment by both major political parties in the U.S. over many years. The new travel ban, which took effect Monday, largely targets African and Middle Eastern countries and jolted many of the thousands of residents in the metro Detroit area from Yemen, one of the countries included in the ban. In a state that’s home to one of the country’s largest Arab American populations, the latest development feels to some as a betrayal by Trump, who won over some Arab American voters in winning the battleground state in 2024.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says willingness to take a ‘few punches’ makes an effective leader

May 29, 2025

Democrat Gretchen Whitmer touted her accomplishments as Michigan’s governor as she passes the midpoint of her second term and is continuously floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Whitmer has been criticized by some Democrats for taking a friendlier tone with President Donald Trump than in his last term and applauded by others for working across the aisle. In a speech Thursday, she suggested her willingness to work with others to get things done has made her an effective leader for the battleground state, which Trump won last fall and in 2016.

Isabella Volmert.