Opinion
Building a Sustainable Model for Trails
Guest Opinion
By Brian Beauchamp | Sept. 12, 2026
The Grand Traverse region is a place most clearly defined by water and the natural features of our sugar sand beaches, cold water streams, inland lakes, and wooded hillsides. Another feature that has come to define our region is the access provided to these spaces through sustainable trails that immerse us in the landscape and bring our senses alive. A hiking trail through one of our area’s many nature preserves offers a … Read More >>
Buses and a Flood
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Sept. 12, 2026
There were many things uniquely American our foreign guests noticed when they visited during the World Cup this summer. Free refills, food portion sizes, air conditioning everywhere, and the kindness and friendliness of Americans all impressed. But they were absolutely obsessed with yellow school buses. They thought they were just movie props. They should be here now. With schools back in session, visitors would discover those buses have gone from being an … Read More >>
Already Finding a Solution
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Sept. 5, 2026
President Donald Trump’s economy of petulance rolls on unabated by Congress or court decisions, as he simply ignores both. His latest target is Canada, which had the temerity to refuse to allow America to have a say-so in how they run their own economy. There was a trade deal with Canada already supposedly in effect and a new deal on the table. But when the U.S. decided to add some last minute … Read More >>
The Silent Season of a Hero
Guest Opinion
By Isiah Smith, Jr. | Sept. 5, 2026
“No man has the right to be an amateur in physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength his body is capable of.” Socrates offered this famous advice to a young disciple named Epigenes, who was in noticeably poor physical condition. When Epigenes excused himself by saying he was “not an athlete,” Socrates reminded him that everyone is engaged in a lifelong … Read More >>
Most Boastful, Least Accomplished
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Aug. 29, 2026
We accept, perhaps to our own detriment, that politicians have a fairly distant relationship with the truth. Especially during campaign season, we know candidates are going to exaggerate any successes and minimize or completely ignore their weaknesses and failures. There has always been a bipartisan tradition of truth avoidance. There is, however, one politician who has made this into a near art form. In his book, The Art of the Deal, Donald … Read More >>
The End, and the Beginning
Guest Opinion
By Greg Holmes | Aug. 29, 2026
Friends, the end is near! By the time you read this column, the summer season will be coming to a close, on its way to making its glorious transition into fall. If you are attached to summer and the opportunities it affords, now is the time to enjoy the last bits of it before the autumnal equinox issues the official end of summer on Sept. 22. Many people in northern Michigan love … Read More >>
A New Plan for Money Out of Politics in Michigan
Guest Opinion
By Justin Mendoza | Aug. 22, 2026
Regardless of how you define yourself politically, almost everyone has a visceral negative reaction when they hear the c-word: corruption. However, it’s important to figure out exactly what we mean by “corruption.” Many of us define it as using public office for personal—often financial—gain. But there are also other types of corruption that are abundant in Michigan. One of the most insidious types of corruption is the way that corporations and their … Read More >>
Don’t Create the Source of Disaster
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Aug. 22, 2026
Enbridge’s Line 5 was first built in 1953, running across the Upper Peninsula, under the Straits of Mackinac, and down the spine of the Lower Peninsula until it ends in Sarnia, Ontario. Most of us paid little attention to it—shame on us—until there was an anchor strike on that underwater pipeline that made us realize there was the possibility of something very, very bad happening. So, Enbridge, way back in 2018, proposed … Read More >>
Just Another Deflection
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Aug. 15, 2026
We have now decided who or what was to blame for the COVID-19 pandemic. No, it wasn’t the wet market in Wuhan, China, where it was transferred from an animal to humans. It wasn’t the Chinese lab in Wuhan that accidentally or intentionally released the virus on an unprepared public. It wasn’t some weaponized version of the virus the Chinese military concocted. No, it was none of that. The cause, you might … Read More >>
Enemies Within
Guest Opinion
By Walt Wood | Aug. 15, 2026
Since our nation’s birth, Americans have cast one another as worthy winners and hapless losers. Embracing these roles leaves millions pursuing an American Dream they will never realize. Countless automatons worship a false prophet who preaches money lust above all. How else can losers become winners in the American econosphere? Attaining financial independence is the ultimate goal, after all—any true American’s highest calling. It started at our founding with slaves, the original … Read More >>
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