Art Bukowski | Author
Meet the Karens
July 5, 2025
Every so often, Northern Express includes stories suggested by readers. This is one such story, and it came from Ada Takacs. In her words:
“I have been hearing folks refer to ‘Karen’ in a derogatory sense for a few years, with many online comments referrin…
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Cherries Are Who We Are: The State of the Cherry Farming Industry
June 28, 2025
It’s easy to get caught up in the National Cherry Festival’s fireworks, carnival rides, corn dogs, air shows, and much more. Northern Michigan’s signature event draws countless thousands to Traverse City in part because it offers a broad array of attractions for the whole …
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Cherry Festival by the Numbers
June 28, 2025
Traverse City’s signature festival is here at last, and there’s a lot that goes into this annual celebration before, during and after the big week itself. Northern Express checked in with the folks at the National Cherry Festival to provide a glimpse at the festival by …
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When It Comes to Immigration, “People Are Terrified”
May 31, 2025
The Trump Administration has been clear on one topic since Jan. 20: Immigrants are in the crosshairs.
Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has placed a priority on cracking down on illegal immigration. The problem is that the administration’s zeal for tacklin…
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Meeting in the Middle
May 3, 2025
Could have been better. Could have been worse.
Broadly speaking, that’s the consensus among folks on both sides of the fight for higher minimum wage, more sick time, and a phase-out of the tipped worker pay credit a few months after new legislation was adopted.
As pred…
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A Hand Up in Housing with Habitat
April 26, 2025
Local Habitat for Humanity offices are in the business of making dreams come true, working one family at a time to battle housing insecurity in our region. While Habitat is perhaps best known for building homes, the organization serves residents in many other ways.
Norther…
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April 12, 2025 They call it “California sober.” Generally speaking, this term applies to folks who use marijuana but abstain from alcohol and other drugs, particularly narcotics or other highly addictive substances. People choose this lifestyle for a variety of reasons, though it&rsquo…
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March 22, 2025 It’s been just over five years since the world was turned upside down by the full onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, which by March of 2020 had led to widespread and major restrictions on work, socialization, and much more. While this may feel like a distant memory for some, the …
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March 8, 2025 It was February of 2023 when the doors opened at Kingsley’s newest watering hole, giving locals a fresh space to relax, unwind, and enjoy a frosty pint. Now two years later, Kingsley Local Brewing has settled into a nice little groove. Located right in the heart of the village…
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Feb. 15, 2025 Assembling historical exhibits often involves piecing together items from the distant past. A few grainy photographs, perhaps. Records gathered from old, dusty cabinets or dresser drawers. Artifacts that seem too fragile to touch. The lens through which history is viewed seems to get more f…
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Dec. 21, 2024 Regardless of your profession, there’s something special and refreshing about the promise of a new year. Northern Express asked local civic leaders within our 13-county coverage area about their resolutions for the coming year. Dec. 14, 2024 It’s been a big year for Traverse City’s homegrown startup incubator and coworking space, and 2025 promises even more action as key staff and new initiatives are in place. 20Fathoms (named for the 120 feet that Grand Traverse Bay is clear to a depth of) has been helping …
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Nov. 30, 2024 For a variety of health, financial, and personal reasons, many people reach for non-alcoholic (NA) drinks these days. And while a few companies have popped up in northern Michigan to offer these options exclusively, even outfits that have built their business and reputation around alcohol a…
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Nov. 23, 2024 There are a lot of feelings to feel when you sit down to make lines that will (probably) stay on a person’s body until they die. Even veteran tattoo artists have a bit of nerves as the needle goes in, they say, as that ink is pretty unforgiving. And there’s a colossal se…
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Nov. 2, 2024 There’s almost too much for gunsmith Delbert “Del” Whitman to love as he settles into another job in his rural workshop near Lake Ann. Even a short time spent with Whitman reveals a man with a Zen-like connection to every aspect of this craft, from its history (he …
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Oct. 19, 2024 Another election, another challenger for U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman. Will this one garner the votes to pull off an upset? Bergman is seeking his fifth term representing Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the entire Upper Peninsula and 20 counties in the northern…
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Oct. 5, 2024 The old folks' home isn’t what it used to be. That’s the loud-and-clear message from leaders at local senior living facilities, where the clientele is skewing younger and the activities are more robust and engaging. What most people imagine when they think of sen…
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Sept. 21, 2024 For a community to be vibrant and active in all four seasons, people need housing that’s available year-round. If employers hope to attract and retain workers, those workers need places to live. If small businesses want to blunt the effects of seasonality, full-time residents will hel…
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Sept. 14, 2024 Northern Michigan’s music scene was dealt a considerable blow in 2024 when organizers of two popular and long-running music festivals decided to call it quits. Hoxeyville Music Festival in Wexford County and Earthwork Harvest Gathering in Missaukee County will both come to a c…
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Aug. 31, 2024 A bombshell Michigan Supreme Court ruling stands to change compensation for Michigan workers, including an elimination of the "tip credit" that allows restaurants to pay tipped workers a very low hourly rate.
California Sober: Why People Are Switching from Alcohol to Weed
Looking Back at March 2020
Passing the Brewery Baton at The Workshop Brewing Company
(Mostly) Sweet Memories
Community Resolutions
Amy Shamroe, Mayor of Traverse CityRead More >>
20Fathoms Dives Deeper
No Alcohol, No Problem
Working in Permanent Ink
On Target with Del Whitman
Barr Versus Bergman
70 Is the New 90 for Senior Living
Two Housing Solutions, Little Funding
Farewell to Hoxeyville and Earthwork Harvest Gathering
Striking the Wage Balance
The Supreme Court in late July issued a ruling that will raise the min…
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