Features

Features Kristi Kates Green Roofs Take Root
By Kristi Kates
Installed on top of homes, businesses, and factories, among other
buildings, green roofs - also called eco-roofs or living roofs - are
perhaps one of the more unusual ‘green’ movements going on today.
The benefits of green roofs are many. They include conserving energy,
lowering roof temperatures, cleaning the air, reducing noise inside the
building, creating mini-habitats for wildlife, and extending the life of
the roof itself.

Features Rick Coates The Greening of Business: Michigan Green Consortium blossoms with new ideas
By Rick Coates
“Going Green” may seem trendy or the hip thing to do right now, but soon
businesses may not have an option, it may be law.
While many businesses are incorporating self-imposed green initiatives,
laws are popping up all over the country mandating everything from reduced
energy use to required recycling laws, to the elimination of plastic
shopping bags.

Features Kristy Kurjan Jeans Gone Green:Eco-Friendly Footwear
By: Kristy Kurjan
“Good for the earth- Good for your sole,” is Jeans Gone Green’s motto.
Keeping denim out of landfills through stylish sandals is the idea behind
the local sandal company. Founded April 2009 by Jen Lett, Adam Lett and
Mike Kittendorf, Jeans Gone Green provides eco-friendly footwear. The
hand-crafted sandals are known for their comfort as well as their
innovative way of turning rescued denim into fashionable flip-flops and
shoe bags.

Features Rick Coates The Serious Side of Drew Hastings
By Rick Coates
Comedian Drew Hastings loves performing in the Midwest, especially in small towns, where he feels his humor connects. He hopes to prove that theory this week when he returns to the Traverse City Opera House for an encore performance Friday, April 22.
Born in Morocco, Hastings grew up in the Dayton, Ohio area. After high school he pursued odd jobs until the age of 31 when he decided to give acting and stand up comedy a try. He moved to Los Angeles and found himself in some development deals and television show pilots that didn’t go anywhere. But what did take off for him was stand up comedy.
Hastings quickly found himself being booked on several network talk shows including receiving

Features Kristy Kurjan The M-22 Look: The Myers brothers capture the mood of Northern Michigan
By: Kristy Kurjan
Fresh water, beaches, bonfires, and comfortable clothing. That is exactly what kiteboarding co-founders Matt and Keegan Myers had in mind for their M-22 clothing company based out of Traverse City. For the brothers, M-22 is a way to express appreciation for the region through comfortable fashion.
M-22 is not just a road; it is a way of life. The Myers brother’s line of cotton apparel is a reflection of the simplicity and natural beauty that Northern Michigan gives its visitors.
“Loving the beaches and Northern Michigan summers, that is the feeling our clothing represents,” says Keegan. “It is easy for people to relate to the road because of its cool location and most people already have an attachment to it- M-22 is a special place for people, good memories.”
The company has a diverse customer base consisting of locals as well as out-of-towners. The brand also appeals to a wide age spectrum from 10-year-old boys to 80-year-old grandmas. And, with over 5,000 fans on facebook.com, the brand is growing in both size and popularity.

Features Kristy Kurjan Spring Fashion: Time To Smile
By Kristy Kurjan
This spring is all about wearing clothes that make you feel good. It’s
bold colors, fun accessories and the simple joy of less coverage. When the
tulips start to bloom, it is time to put away those winter coats and fur
boots. Then break out the short skirts and flip-flops. Smile, knowing you
made it through another winter and that spring has arrived! Here is a
roundup of the best fashion pick-me-ups this season:

Features Rick Coates Get Your ’80s on at the 2nd Chance Prom
By Rick Coates
It’s prom season and high school students all over Northern Michigan are
scrambling to find prom dresses and tuxedos while ordering corsages and
boutonnieres.  Some will do a double take and a ‘say what?’ when they find
out that their parents are going to prom as well. Of course, there will be
a deep sigh of relief when they find out their parents have their own prom
to attend.

Features Erin Crowell Worry, Check, Repeat: Kevin Putman hopes Petoskey ping-pong tourney will shed light on OCD
By Erin Crowell
Kevin Putman is walking to work when he steps over a stone, no larger than
a golf ball. Briefly, he considers picking it up and tossing it into the
grass so no one trips over it. He decides to keep walking.

Features Kristi Kates Earth Week Plus! Expo celebrates environment in Cheboygan
By Kristi Kates
 Running March 31 through May 1 in Cheboygan, Petoskey and the Straits
area, Earth Week Plus takes Earth Day (Friday, April 22) to the maximum
for the Northern Michigan area.

Features Rick Coates Mitch Albom: Weighing in on newspapers, Detroit and Michigan sports
By Rick Coates
When the National Writers Series announced the first half of their season
in January, co-founder Doug Stanton said there would be some additional
surprise guests added along the way. One of those “additional” guests is
bestselling author Mitch Albom, who will take the City Opera House stage
this Wednesday April 6 at 7:30 pm. 

Features Anne Stanton Road to Nowhere:Leelanau taxpayers will pay for a road that no one seems to want
By Anne Stanton
 A legal settlement that has been reached over a controversial, unimproved
road past the Wings of Wonder bird rehabilitation center in Leelanau
County will likely cost county taxpayers something.

Features Rick Coates Ridin’ High with the Very Big Bike
By Rick Coates
Joseph VanLoozen of Levering has always been fascinated with bicycles.
While growing up in Redford Township outside of Detroit he was always
riding and fiddling around mechanically with bikes. While in high school
shop class in 1978, he began experimenting and developed what would become
the prototype for the Very Big Bike. 

Features Mike Terrell Pedal & Paddle: The Boardman River offers the best of both
By Mike Terrell
 It seemed like a long winter this year, and I’m looking forward to some
warm weather outdoor activity.  Paddling Northern Michigan rivers and
cycling -- especially mountain biking -- are a couple of my favorite
springtime activities. 

Features Robert Downes The Car-Free Life: Bill Palladino is on a roll year-round
By Robert Downes
“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.”
-- H.G. Wells
At a time when most of us are just starting to think about getting our bicycles out of storage, Bill Palladino is looking back on another year of riding all winter long.
Two years ago, Palladino, 52, gave up his vehicle in favor of commuting by bicycle, which has been his preferred way of getting around since his teen years.
“I had a Saturn SUV, but the car sat in the parking lot most of the time. I only used it occasionally,” he recalls. “Then my nephew called and said he needed a car. I thought about it for a bit and then flew him up from Florida and gave him the keys -- the decision was made that fast for me.
“I’m part of the pedestrian and cycling advocacy community,” he adds. “And it seemed

Features Erin Crowell The Rough Riders of 2 Wheel Technique Are you ready to take on the ‘Pipe of Death’?
By Erin Crowell
“Like riding a bicycle.”
It’s a comparative statement we use when describing life – the revisiting
of something we thought once forgotten, but relearned as if second
nature…easy peasy, you could say.
Think about it. How many 30-year-olds do you see swapping spots with their
child after teaching them how to ride? Little Tommy cautiously holding the
back of the bike seat as giggling Dad rides nervously down the driveway?
Hopefully zero; because riding a bike is something you only have to learn
once, right?
Jonathan Pool believes there’s more to riding a bike than just pedaling
forward, and many of us could use a refresher.

STAIR-CLIBING ENVY
2 Wheel Technique is a Traverse City-based group dedicated to the art of
balance… on two wheels. Pool, an avid cyclist, started the group after
moving to the area in 2003 from southeastern Michigan.
“When I moved here, I was the only one in the area with trials
experience,” said Pool about the biking discipline where mountain bikers
attempt to cross terrain, using any obstacle such as boulders or logs,
without putting a foot on the ground.
Observed trials are also known as technical mountain biking.
“I started mountain biking seriously in the early ’90s,” he said. “I had a
friend who could ride over anything. He could even ride up stairs without
putting a foot down. I was so envious.”
The group meets every Tuesday during the summer and rides at local spots,
as well as across the state (Marquette) and out-of-state (Ray’s Mountain