Al Parker | Author
Wonder Woman
Feb. 29, 2020
Without much fanfare or fuss, one of America's outstanding young athletes works out every day in a small no-frills fitness center in East Jordan.
Seventeen-year-old Lillii Armstrong is a weightlifter. But not any ol’ teenage weightlifter. The soft-spoken high school senior h...
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Tater Time: Inside Kitchen Farms
Feb. 15, 2020
Just north of Alba and south of Elmira, a foot-thick blanket of crisp snow covers the dormant fields of Kitchen Farms, a 5,000-acre potato-growing operation that straddles both sides of US -131.
The fields are quiet and will remain so until spring when planting begins.
...
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Alpine Chocolats
Feb. 8, 2020
Here's your chance to score some sinfully delectable treats for your Valentine from the number-one chocolate shop in the state, Gaylord's Alpine Chocolat Haus. The chocolatier was given that high ranking late last year by mentalfloss.com. Manager Heather McKinnon says that chocolate-...
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Nearly 70 Years MIA, A Patriot Returns
Jan. 25, 2020
Nearly 70 years ago, a young soldier from Glen Lake went missing in action in the Korean War. In July 2018, 65 years after the fighting stopped, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un allowed the first release of American remains held since. Army Sergeant Walter “Babe” Tobin was ...
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Dec. 21, 2019 Every year a dedicated cadre of Kris Kringles man the front lines of the Christmas season. From Thanksgiving to nearly Christmas Eve, these are the Santas that you see in stores, parades, parties and anywhere else a dab of holiday jolliness is required. Dec. 14, 2019 One of Kaleva's newest residents is making a 30-foot creative gift to honor her adopted Manistee County home. Dec. 7, 2019 Noted journalist, college professor, inventor and Charlevoix County cherry farmer Charles Eisendrath didn't set out to write a book. Nov. 9, 2019 Carrie Hessler-Radelet came across her life's passion more than 35 years ago during a stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in the island nation of Western Samoa, now known as Samoa. Oct. 26, 2019 Camille Frede (pictured above, center) was only 4 years old when her parents, Nancy and Eric Frede, received the devastating news that their daughter would be lucky to live to age 9. Diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH), young Camille constantly struggled with health problem...
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Oct. 12, 2019 Traverse City's coming display of public art, a colorful mural in the Clinch Park tunnel, will be full of eye-catching images with several splashes of “glyphitti.” Sept. 28, 2019 The sun is barely peeking over the eastern horizon when Jared Pontius awakes, slips out of bed, and begins his day at the Korner Kottage, the bed and breakfast that he and his wife, Jillian, own and operate. Sept. 21, 2019 A dedicated team of professional archaeologists and volunteers are in the midst of restoring a unique 150-year-old home in Middle Village, a Native American community near Good Hart. Sept. 21, 2019 Charlevoix County and Networks Northwest have entered into a partnership to buy the historic Beaver Island Lighthouse School property. Sept. 21, 2019 New businesses are sprouting up in Cheboygan like morels after a warm spring rain. Aug. 31, 2019 It might seem out of place, and it certainly lives under the radar of tourists and locals alike, but Grayling's W.J. Beal Tree Plantation might be the oldest documented experimental tree plantation in North America. Aug. 31, 2019 “Christmas came twice that week.” July 13, 2019 She's danced all over the world and now, at the age of 18, has become owner of her own business, the Beautiful Feet Dance Studio of Harbor Springs. Amanda Humphrey, who has been teaching at the studio for the past two years, took over as owner this month and will teach classes, of...
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June 29, 2019 How does a Kalkaska County lawman end up spending up to a year in Eastern Europe, including some time in Dracula's old stomping grounds in Romania? June 29, 2019 As thousands of fudge-toting, cherry-loving tourists and locals crane their necks skyward to watch the National Cherry Festival Air Show, few are likely aware of a tragedy and mystery linked to the event 21 years ago. June 8, 2019 Lovers of classic cars will have plenty of chances to get their fill of tailfins and chrome this summer as northern Michigan hosts shows on an almost-weekly basis. Here’s a listing of some of the most interesting gatherings around the North.
Repping the Man — and Woman — in Red
It would be easy ...
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Kaleva's Christmas Gift
Mosaic artist Patricia Boucha is donating a large six panel glass display that will illustrate Kaleva's Finnish legacy....
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East Jordan's Charles Eisendrath
“I'd been writing these essays and putting them away in a box,” he...
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Can One Volunteer Change the World?
“I was living with a host family, and the wife was a 32-year-old woman with eight childr...
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Miracle on Wheels
Meet the Artist: Colorado’s Bobby MaGee
“Glyphitti is a form of writing that combines e...
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A Day in the Life of a B&B Owner
A l...
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Uncovering — and Restoring — Middle Village History
“This is...
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New Future for Third Oldest Lighthouse on the Great Lakes
“This is something that's been in the works for about two years,” explained Charle...
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Cheboygan’s Big Boom
“For the past three years, we've had one new business open each month — some are downtown, and some in other parts of the city,”...
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The Man Who Saved Our Woods
Situat...
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Traverse City’s T.J. Phillips Witnessed the Lions’ Last NFL Championship Win
That's how Traverse City resident Thomas “T.J.” Phillips recalls the last time the Detroit Lions won the National Football League Championship, almost 62 years ago.
<...
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Harbor Springs teen graduates in June, owns dance studio by July
Service Salute: Sgt. Scott Clark
Sgt. Scott Clark is one of 17 Army National Guard firefighters from Michigan depl...
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21 years ago, a jet preparing for the Cherry Fest Air Show disappeared.
...
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Motorheads, Converge!
June 8 &am...
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