Life is Beautiful

Waiting on an organ donation isn’t.

The concern rises in Bernadette Oesterling’s voice as she talks about her husband Gene’s medical dilemma. “We’re trying to get people’s attention,” she said. “I’m searching for ... Read More >>

Kid's Extracurricular Activities

Cost v. benefits

The school year is now in high gear, and with it, an all-new season of extracurricular sports and activities is underway. Like most communities, northern Michigan has ... Read More >>

Son, Can You Play Us a Memory

78-year-old Bob James' latest album debuted No. 1 on iTunes jazz

After sales of millions of albums, after working with the cream of jazz musicians for the last 50 years in virtually every setting, after jetting around the ... Read More >>

Aaron’s Tree

A 14-year-old boy gone too soon; his tree withstanding the test of time.

There’s a particularly picturesque tree in Boyne City that, having withstood decades of harsh wind and weather, many people recognize. A recent storm, however, reminded many what ... Read More >>

Thrift-O-Rama!

The return of resale

Thrift stores, consignment boutiques, and resale shops, while always useful, seem to cycle around as far as popularity or trendiness is concerned. Generally, in tough times, they ... Read More >>

Ramsdell Ramps Up

Manistee’s once-underutilized gem to debut new music “society”

A new team effort to enhance the musical offerings at Ramsdell Theatre and at the same time make them less intimidating will kick off Oct. 12. The ... Read More >>

Get Your Boots On

There is an old adage sometimes credited to Washington Irving, other times to Mark Twain, but no one is sure: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its boot on.” This has been assumed to signify the power ... Read More >>

No Place for Women

Since 1974, Harbor Hall in Petoskey has grown from a humble residential rehab that served 10 or so struggling men to an addiction treatment center that takes up an entire city block and has turned around thousands of lives.All of that growth never caused much notice, perhaps ... Read More >>

A War in the Waters of Lake Michigan

More than a decade after the appearance of nuisance algae around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and throughout Lake Michigan — followed by mass bird die-offs that would be linked to the algae — researchers working at Good Harbor might have found a way to get rid ... Read More >>

Dark Days Done, Beulah’s Ursa Major Bistro Shines On

In the wild, a match between a big bear and a caribou would probably tend to favor the bear. And one between a large, powerful caribou and a baby would be easy to call as well. Which all leads to Beulah’s Blue Caribou Café bowing to the ... Read More >>