Craig Manning | Author
Home Sweet Homestay
May 5, 2018
On an average night, 2 million people around the world are sleeping at Airbnb rental properties. Since Airbnb’s 2009 inception, the online short-term rental marketplace has grown exponentially. Yet, despite the global embrace of platforms like Airbnb, or the slightly less popular VR...
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Spring Re-Awakening
May 5, 2018
Ever since she got her start at a Borders open mic night in 2002, local singer-songwriter Angela Josephine has been a notable fixture in the northern Michigan folk music scene. She’s flitted in and out of the Contemporary Christian Music world, earned comparisons to the likes of Amy...
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Five Albums Every Northerner Should Own
April 21, 2018
Northern Michigan might not rival Nashville or Austin as a hub of live music or a destination for artists hoping to hit it big. Still, there is a lot of talent up here, from the music rooms of local high schools to the stages of area bars and wineries. Consider this five-album collection ...
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Bike Trail Updates
April 7, 2018
Planning a spring or summer bike trip in northern Michigan? If so, staying aware of the latest trail closures, construction plans, and other developments is always a good idea. Not only will knowing about recent updates help you plot your route, but it will also give you something to look...
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Safe Zone Legislation Pedaling Forward
April 7, 2018
On July 7, 2016, a man driving a pickup truck plowed into a group of bicyclists in Kalamazoo. The crash killed five cyclists and injured four others. It also became a lightning rod of controversy and activism for Michigan’s bike community, which has long criticized the state and its...
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Biker Girls
April 7, 2018
Norte is fighting to get more girls involved in cycling.
For the past four years, the Traverse City-based organization has pushed to get more local youths on bikes. For the most part, the mission has been successful. Norte has hundreds of kids involved in its various programs, inc...
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Security for the Sanctity of Life
March 31, 2018
“I’m always armed. Sometimes I carry a weapon.”
That saying has become something of a motto for Colby Taylor, a local Krav Maga black belt and founder of Covenant Defense, a faith-based security organization in Traverse City. The company — which offers cons...
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Staycation Time!
March 17, 2018
A lot of local families are counting down the days until they can jet off to somewhere warm. Not one of ’em? We feel your pain.
If you’re sticking around for spring break, there’s a good chance you’ll be stuck with gray skies and cold temps, but there&rsquo...
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Right Brain Brewery: Underdog on Top
March 10, 2018
A decade ago, amid the bleakest economy in nearly a century, a hairstylist/real estate appraiser with minimal beer-making experience opened an eclectic little brewery on a ragged alley outside of Traverse City’s downtown. Against all odds, Russell Springsteen’s Right Brain...
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Feb. 24, 2018 Vinyl records are back. You might be surprised to read those words if you’re old enough to have ditched your record collection when CDs came along, or young enough that you’ve never dropped a needle on a record before. The vinyl resurgence is real, though. In 2017, vin...
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Feb. 17, 2018 What are the most iconic and legendary dishes in northern Michigan? You know the type: the dishes that locals make all their out-of-town friends or relatives try when they visit, or the ones that restaurants tout as “world-famous” on their menus. Fr...
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Feb. 3, 2018 Canada’s favorite Celtic super duo — and love story — are returning to Traverse City this month. The Northern Express grills MacMaster about their musical life, what it’s like being married to your work, and touring the country with their (nearly) seven kids in...
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Dec. 16, 2017 If you walk all the way to the end of the TART Trail, near West End Beach, you’ll see a few things. You’ll see Grand Traverse Bay, of course, and a nice view of Leelanau Peninsula. You’ll also see a white stone marker, painted with the number 33 and marked with a plaque ...
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Nov. 11, 2017 Earlier this year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced plans to make 7,140 bear hunting licenses available across the state. That number marked a 244-license increase from 2016. The jump overall wasn’t huge, but it was significant compared to minor fluctuations in...
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Oct. 14, 2017 When Chase Hunt’s family relocated to Traverse City 20 years ago, he was struck by one thing: the lack of art along the streets of the downtown area. Just 12 years old at the time and a transplant from California, Hunt could hardly believe the contrast between his old home and his n...
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Sept. 16, 2017 When September comes to northern Michigan, it never comes alone. Along with its bushels of apples, peaches, and tomatoes, September never fails to bring a bounty of altogether different kind of fruit: the infuriating fruit fly … and, generally, 6,000 or so of its cousins. If you ha...
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Vintage Vinyl: A local couple’s curated look back
Northern Michigan’s Legendary Dishes
MacMaster and Leahy on Love
Uncovering an Old Indian Trail
Bear Down
Portrait of the Graffiti Artist as a Young Man
Fruit Flies