Todd VanSickle | Author
What Lurks Beneath Your Home
May 4, 2019
There's a potential killer in almost every home in Michigan. It’s silent, invisible, and scentless. And, although there is a way to identify it, most homeowners will not.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General’s Of…
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Don't Call it Puppy Love
April 20, 2019
A couple years ago a close friend of mine was splitting up with his wife. The situation had all the complications of a messy divorce: who gets the house, mutual friends taking sides and accusations of infidelity. Fortunately, they didn’t have kids. Or, at least, I thought they didn&rs…
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CBD Laws: Dazed and Confused
March 30, 2019
The sign outside of Family Video in Kalkaska lets drivers know the store has more than just movies.
The sign reads: “CBD PRODUCTS NOW AVAILABLE HERE! CHECK IT OUT.”
CBD is short for cannabidiol, a kind of chemical compound that occurs naturally …
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Northern Natural’s Organic Success
March 23, 2019
Travelers might expect to find a tractor sputtering along the country roads about 50 miles south of Traverse City, but they’ll also find the home of the award-winning Northern Natural Cider House & Winery, which is producing some of the state’s only organic-certified cider.<…
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Grille 44's Tater Kegs
March 16, 2019
The first item on the menu at Grille 44 is Tater Kegs. There’s no beer in this potato-packing appetizer, but its oversized tots won’t leave you wondering where the name originated from. The dish includes a half-dozen huge tater tots smothered in cheddar cheese, bacon, and fresh …
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Bee Well’s The Ghost
Feb. 23, 2019
The Ghost at Bee Well Mead & Cider in Bellaire won’t scare you, but it will leave you feeling warm — er, make that hot— and fuzzy. Just don’t let this cider’s near translucent appearance fool you. This unique drink, which is infused with a slew of hot peppe…
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Tipping Point
Feb. 23, 2019
Thanks to credit cards and in-phone apps, customers today are carrying less cash than ever, yet it seems like the instances in which they’re expected — or being asked — to tip are increasing. Northern Express dips into the proliferation of countertop tip jars and scree…
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Feb. 16, 2019 In a town chock-full of fast food restaurants, tasty tacos can be hard to find. “People think Kalkaska doesn’t have tacos,” Glenn Hunter tells Northern Express. But come Taco Tuesday, the owner of the town’s Pick Kwik convenience store proves ’em all wrong. The…
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Feb. 2, 2019 Despite larger and louder movements against guns and gun violence, gun ownership in Michigan is on the rise, and with it, lots of new ranges and gunshops. Northern Express sends an amiable (and non-gun-owning) reporter to see what all the fuss is about. Jan. 5, 2019 I have never smoked a cigarette. Dec. 15, 2018 On a cold, snowy December morning at 6 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Sabrina Jauernic puts on her coat and gloves to walk about 200 yards to a building that resembles a small observatory. It houses several hydrogen tanks that are used to fill weather balloons twice a day that…
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Kalkaska Pick-Kwik's Pulled Pork Tacos
Locked & Loaded
Th…
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The Vape Debate
Not even one puff.
I think it was the smell that turned me off. At an early age, the stench was burned into my memory.
I can’t think of one family member who didn’t smoke cigarettes.
On the weekends, I …
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This Winter: A Whiteout or a Wash?