Detroit, MI
Edmund Fitzgerald life ring to be auctioned in Detroit this month
A life ring from the Edmund Fitzgerald, the famous Great Lakes freighter that was shipwrecked 50 years ago, will be auctioned in Detroit this month.
The orange life ring washed onto the Lake Superior shore after the Fitzgerald sank off the coast of Whitefish Bay on Nov. 10, 1975.
Larry Orr, who was 27 at the time, found it leaning against a tree alongside a plank from one of the Fitzgerald’s lifeboats, according to DuMouchelles, the auction house coordinating the sale. Both the life ring and plank likely came from one of the Fitzgerald’s lifeboats.
Orr took the ring and plank. Ten years later, he loaned them to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in the Upper Peninsula’s Chippewa County. He decided this year to sell the ring, DuMouchelles President Joe Walker said.
Walker said the life ring is unlike anything the auction house has sold before. It’s an artifact from arguably one of the most famous shipwrecks in the world and the most famous to take place on the Great Lakes. He said he hopes it is purchased by a museum.
“It’s just a piece of Great Lakes history,” he said.
The life ring has a history of its own. It was featured in a lawsuit Orr filed against the state in which he accused a state police officer of violating his rights during a sexual assault investigation, the Associated Press reported last month. The state had initially asked for the life ring as part of a settlement deal in which the state would give Orr $600,000. After the AP called MSP spokeswoman Shanon Banner, the life ring was removed from the deal.
The unusual almost-arrangement shows the resiliency of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s legacy in Michigan.
The ship was built at Great Lakes Engineering Works at a shipyard on the border of Ecorse and River Rouge. Thousands of people crowded around the dock to watch it launch into the Detroit River in 1958. At the time, it was the largest freighter on the lakes. It remained a notable ship until its famous end in Lake Superior.
Other artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald are scattered across the Great Lakes. One of the ship’s anchors, which it lost in the Detroit River before it wrecked, is outside the Detroit Historical Society’s Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Detroit’s Belle Isle park. A life raft and oars are on display at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo.
Selling an artifact from the Fitzgerald is a rare and emotional process, Walker said. DuMouchelles is on East Jefferson Avenue near Mariners Church, so Walker grew up listening to the bells toll each November to honor the 29 men who died on the Fitzgerald and the thousands of other mariners who have died on the Great Lakes.
DuMouchelle’s wouldn’t have auctioned the ring if it had been removed from the wreck site, Walker said, but the ring was legally acquired and Orr is selling out of financial necessity.
“It’s a mixed bag for us, emotionally, to be honest with you,” Walker said. “A lot of what we do is (for) people experiencing emotional, physical, economic hardship, right? And this is one of those cases.”
The life ring will be on display for public viewing at DuMouchelles on East Jefferson Avenue on Dec. 12, 13, 16 and 17. The auction is scheduled for Dec. 19. The starting bid is $11,250.
ckthompson@detroitnews.com
Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.
Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.
“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”
Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.
Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.
Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.
“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”
“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.
“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.
The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.
Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:
Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case
At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.
“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.
Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.
“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.
WXYZ
Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.
At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.
Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.
Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:
Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover
Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.
Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.
Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:
Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing
Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.
During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.
Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:
Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover
The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
A situation believed to involve a barricaded suspect in Ypsilanti has resulted in evacuations for some neighbors and shelter-in-place orders for others as authorities attempt to bring an end to the standoff.
Police were seen inside the home Monday morning, but the suspect involved has not left the building.
Neighbors told CBS Detroit the circumstances began with a wellness check around noon Sunday. Since then, multiple law enforcement vehicles, including a SWAT team, have been in the area.
The street is closed to traffic in the meantime.
CBS News Detroit has a crew on scene. Additional details will be provided on air and online when they are available.
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