Anne Stanton

Features Anne Stanton The Volvo Volcano: Couple watches their car go up in
flames, but gets no sympathy from Volvo
By Anne Stanton
On the warm fall evening of September 21, James Weston Lynne and
Jamaica Lynne Weston were driving on East Silver Lake Road to a
meeting in their 1996 850 Volvo wagon.

Features Anne Stanton WikiLeaks: ‘It’s too much power for one person,’ says retired diplomat
Last week, the Express reprinted a Michael Moore editorial on
WikiLeaks, “Leaks Don’t Kill People, Secrets Do.” Here is another
viewpoint from Jack Segal, a retired State Department diplomat.

By Anne Stanton

Most Americans who have heard reports of WikiLeaks believe the release
of thousands of secret State Department communications will do more
harm to this country than good, according to a Pew Research Center
survey released on December 10.

Features Anne Stanton CAFO farmers: ‘Our cattle are healthier’
Last week, Northern Express wrote about a confined animal feeding
operation in Mesick. Here, two owners of CAFOs in Alpena and Mount
Pleasant talk about their operations and their value to society.

Features Anne Stanton WIND TURBINES: Draft of discontent in Manistee and Benzie
By Anne Stanton
Winds of controversy are sure to arrive at Benzie Central High School on
Tuesday, December 21, when residents are invited to attend a panel
discussion on the industrial wind turbines planned in southern Benzie and
northern Manistee counties.
There are definitely two sides to the proposed construction of 112 wind
turbines by Duke Energy’s Gail Windpower Project -- and potentially other
energy companies -- seeking to erect wind turbines.

Features Anne Stanton Up in Smoke: Legal battles create ongoing drama for medical marijuana growers
By Anne Stanton
 Medical marijuana grower and patient Cecil Drost was able to drive off for
a Florida vacation last week instead of going to jail, relieved that
Charlevoix Prosecutor John Jarema decided to drop all charges against him.
But Drost anxiously wonders if he’ll be compensated for the estimated
$100,000 worth of medical marijuana plants that were seized in the raid.
Drost’s 32 plants were destroyed on September 20, after the Joint
Operational Law Enforcement (JOLT) multi-jurisdictional drug team flew
over Drost’s property in a black helicopter.

Features Anne Stanton The Stressful Saga ofArchie Kiel
By Anne Stanton
Archie Kiel of Rapid City is out of jail after serving 42 days for the
felony conviction of possessing and manufacturing less than 20 marijuana
plants. Kiel was the subject of a story on medical marijuana growers in
the Express in August, 2009 and has been in one legal battle after
another ever since.

Features Anne Stanton The Future of Farming: Small dairy farms struggle to survive as factory farms move in
By Anne Stanton
A drive down a quiet paved road outside of Mesick reveals a contrast
in the old and the new: Old McDonald’s versus Factory Farming.
At one end of West Four Road is farmer Mike Hampel’s place. About 50
cattle stand among neat rows of stumpy brown cornstalks. A few gaze
curiously as a lone car passes by. Inside a large shed are tools and
several vehicles in the midst of repair. Two white stray cats,

Features Anne Stanton The Free Range Option: Local farmers offer healthy choices
By Anne Stanton
If there can be good news in the trend toward confined animal feeding
operations (CAFOs), it’s this. A growing number of farmers are trying
a health-oriented tack. They are marketing their free-range cattle,
turkeys, chickens, eggs and cattle to local residents at premium
prices.

Features Anne Stanton Winds of Fortune: 12,000-acre wind farm planned for Manistee and Benzie counties
By Anne Stanton
Over the years, Jim and Carol March have traipsed in the hills of
their Arcadia hay fields with energy company reps who talked of
building a wind turbine on the farm’s hilly ridge. But after getting
the couple’s hopes up high, the company reps disappeared and refused
their phone calls.

Features Anne Stanton The Book Angel: Margaret Kelly created a book club for the region’s homeless
 By Anne Stanton
About a year ago, an energetic librarian bustled up to Tom Ockert, a
59-year-old homeless man, who spent most of his daytime hours in the
Traverse Area District Library -- not only because it’s a warm place
to stay, but also because he loves to read.

Features Anne Stanton High Anxiety
By Anne Stanton
With anxious thoughts jabbing their minds awake each morning, some
people don’t need alarm clocks any longer. Just ask Mary Sue Feldman,
a Traverse City woman who has hit bottom with $50 in her checking
account, no car, and no job.

Features Anne Stanton By Anne Stanton
If you want to know how tough Mary Moore is, you need to look no
further than her resolve to log in the required 15 miles each day for
her upcoming run across Ethiopia.

Features Anne Stanton Scripps vs. Franz: State Rep candidates battle for the 101st
By Anne Stanton
Still wondering who to vote for on Tuesday? If you’re talking about
the race for the 101st House seat, the two candidates offer clearly
differing views.

Features Anne Stanton Hard Time for Horses: Veterinarian Tanja Molby works to make a difference
By Anne Stanton
On the outskirts of Kingsley, there was this weird scene last Sunday
of riders and their horses sauntering down the shoulder of the road
and turning into a dirt driveway that was already lined with
four-wheel drive cars, trucks, and horse trailers.

Features Anne Stanton The Race for Judge: Mike Stepka vs. Kevin Elsenheimer for 86th District Court
By Anne Stanton
The race for 86th District Court has turned out to be a hot one if the
countless and searing letters to the editor at local newspapers are
any indication.
Soon after the two candidates emerged from the five-way race in
August, supporters of Mike Stepka, 47, began sending letters to local
newspapers bashing Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer’s court experienc, which
didn’t include his years as assistant prosecutor. And Elsenheimer, 45,
recently organized a robo call with statements that Stepka said are
blatantly false and partisan (see below).