Opinion
Plant Native!
Guest Opinion
By Karen Mulvahill | May 28, 2022
When I was a girl, I spent hours prying dandelions from our front yard. Our “grass” was actually a collection of various shades of green weeds. But when the bright yellow dandelions reared their perky heads, the green disappeared under their sunny umbrellas. My parents worked, supporting three kids, a mortgage and a car payment, and didn’t care about our lawn quality. But our neighbor, Mr. Melton, had the greenest, plushest lawn ... Read More >>
A Conspiracy of Ignorance
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | May 28, 2022
Some people, especially politicians, search and search until they find, or create, a conspiracy on which to blame their woes. If they’re lucky, it might even generate contributions and votes without the need for any kind of actual policy. Which brings us to something called the Great Replacement Theory, the latest in a string of imaginary conspiracies. This one has the added stench of being both racist and xenophobic. The theory—and it ... Read More >>
Would We Be Doing Any Better?
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | May 21, 2022
The question occurs as we watch Russia’s top-heavy, untested, and bloated military slog to a near standstill in their ill-conceived incursion into Ukraine. What Vladimir Putin no doubt believed would be a quick and decisive victory, bringing Ukraine back into the arms of Mother Russia, has turned into something altogether different—an ugly war of attrition. At the same time, it’s hard to describe it as a victory for Ukraine. Their determination and ... Read More >>
Hope Springs
Guest Opinion
By Cathye Williams | May 14, 2022
After weeks of wet, gray, and chilly “pseudo-spring,” we are finally starting to see the real thing. May sunlight, warm breezes, and greenness spreading through the woods are reminders that nature has not given up on us. Birds have returned to join the overwintering creature crowd and feed on things that crawl, bud, and push themselves out of dark places—acre upon acre, year after year. Surrounded by this wonder, it’s hard not ... Read More >>
Should Have Seen It Coming
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | May 14, 2022
Pro-choice advocates should have seen it coming; Roe v. Wade has been a goner since Donald Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices. Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, was predicated on the notion that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution offers a right to privacy. The dots have never been that easy to connect, but a majority of the court decided the amendment’s section that specifies there can be no loss of ... Read More >>
Reading as a Subversive Act
Guest Opinion
By Isiah Smith, Jr. | May 7, 2022
In Reading Dangerously, Azar Nafisi writes that books “represent the unruly world, filled with contradictions and complications, a world that threatens the totalitarian mindset by being beyond its control.” Perhaps that is why numerous governors and school boards in America are trying to ban books they deem objectionable. The Supreme Court has faced this issue before. Forty years ago, the Court held that local school boards may not remove books from school ... Read More >>
Roads and a River
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | May 7, 2022
Traverse City is in the middle of significant bridge and road rebuilding. Though a trifle inconvenient for those trying to negotiate their way around the bridge work, the projects have gone more smoothly than most assumed when they were announced. Things have become a bit more complicated with the reconstruction of US-31 including the Grandview Parkway and Front Street to Garfield. It’s an overdue redo made more complex by a debate of ... Read More >>
Too Much Fire, Not Enough Rain
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | April 30, 2022
We recently celebrated another Earth Day with various festivities around the country complete with bloviating politicians making promises they either won’t or can’t keep. Meanwhile, wildfires, drought, and water shortages are the norm out west. Wildfires are a normal part of many of our ecosystems. Several species of pine, eucalyptus, and even cypress trees need fires to reproduce as their seeds only open with the heat of a wildfire. But even those ... Read More >>
We Should Be Concerned for Our Officials
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | April 23, 2022
These are not the best of times for those overseeing our elections or our schools. There are more than 3,000 counties, parishes, boroughs, census areas, and independent cities in the United States. (Michigan has 83 counties.) In most states, the ultimate responsibility for running elections falls on officials in those counties. Yes, in 24 states, the elected Secretary of State has the statutory election authority. In other states, that job is either ... Read More >>
Michigan Now Has a High-Speed Internet Office
Opinion
By Jennie Hoffman | April 23, 2022
A strong, reliable internet connection is a necessity of modern life. From connecting with friends and family to paying bills or taking online classes, the internet has become a basic utility. For many communities across Michigan, internet access is still unattainable. This soon can change. Thanks to the efforts of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office will become operational at last. Back in the summer of ... Read More >>
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