For veteran Windsor Star news photographer Dan Janisse, most workdays probably start off like Forrest Gump opening another box of chocolates — you never know what you’re going to get.
But whether it was chasing down police, fire or other emergency scanner calls; racing after spot news; chasing down stormy weather, runaway critters or newsmakers (both keen and reluctant) — news editors could always count on Dan capturing that perfect shot to help tell a news story. Often enough, the photo itself was the story.
Here’s a sampling of this award-winning local photographer’s best news gathering work from the past 12 months.
And keep an eye open for a separate year-end portfolio of Dan’s best news feature photography of 2024.
Windsor firefighters battle a structure fire at the corner of Wyandotte Street East and Parent Avenue on Friday, May 24, 2024. The fire destroyed a 115-year-old Windsor heritage building that was under renovation for conversion into a boutique hotel to be called The West Walkerville.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star A Windsor police officer points his gun at a man who exited a townhouse in the 1200 block of Central Avenue following a standoff at a city residence on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. A man was arrested on outstanding warrants.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star Chico Davis, 58, had been living on the streets of Windsor for over two years when this photo was taken in the downtown core on Oct. 2, 2024. He said he has tried to get housing but has not been successful. The housing and opioid crises were a big news topic in Windsor in 2024, and Dan would frequently hit the streets to put faces to the Windsor Star’s stories.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star This was the year Windsor got a new connection to Detroit — the Gordie Howe International Bridge is shown from above on May 23, 2024, a short time before construction workers installed the last connecting span over the Detroit River on the multibillion-dollar project. It’s expected to open next fall.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star Windsor Police Service officers are shown May 23, 2024, during the search for two swimmers who went missing in the waters near Sand Point Beach in east Windsor. The search would end with the recovery of the bodies of Yogesh Bajgai, 25, and Rohit Dheer, 22. There would be a number of other tragic drowning deaths in the local area in 2024. City council approved a plan to move the city’s only swim beach eastward, further away from treacherous Detroit River undertows.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star A firefighter hoses down a large pile of smouldering hay bales at a farm on the Eleventh Concession Road in Tecumseh on Aug. 28, 2024, as a dairy cow grazes nearby. The fire was so large and stubborn, Tecumseh firefighters called in mutual assistance from Windsor, LaSalle and Lakeshore.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star Good news deserves proper celebration: Nour Hachem-Fawaz, left, founder and president of the Build A Dream organization, Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk, centre, and federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Randy Boissonnault celebrate a major funding announcement in Windsor on Jan. 24, 2024. A total of $7.3 million in grants went to two local groups to increase skilled trades among underrepresented groups.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star A shaken Henryka Malek is shown in front of her Stanley Street home in Windsor on July 16, 2024. A large tree snapped in front of her house during a severe storm early that morning.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star Windsor may be in Canada’s deep south, but that doesn’t mean it gets ignored by winter. Here, bundled-up pedestrians brave the bone-chilling weather in downtown Windsor on Jan. 15, 2024.Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star
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