Opinion
The Magic in the Pause
Guest Opinion
By Kate Lewis | July 5, 2025
There’s something about July that makes you feel like you’re supposed to be doing more. The weather is perfect, the water’s warm, and the region’s buzzing with energy—must-see this, can’t-miss that. And with that comes the pressure. There is this unspoken expectation that we should be out there squeezing summer to the very last drop. Like summer is some kind of competition, and we’re all racing to see who can enjoy it … Read More >>
Billionaire Benefit Bill
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 5, 2025
The United States Senate has passed the so-called Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) and sent it back to the House as this is being written. Some version of this travesty may already be law by the time you read this, but it is crystal clear it isn’t going to help most of us. The bill, at a minimum, makes corporate tax breaks the last Trump Administration passed permanent and increases them, along with … Read More >>
Legal Protection Would Be Better
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | June 28, 2025
As Pride Month fades for another year, it might be wise for us to take a look at what’s happening with the LGBTQ+ community. It has not been an especially good year for their members. According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), discrimination against this community is not abating but actually worsening. (Assume any reference to the “community” refers to LGBTQ+ individuals unless otherwise noted.) A circumstance already fraught for too … Read More >>
A Requiem for the Kennedy Center
Guest Opinion
By Isiah Smith, Jr. | June 28, 2025
We lived in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area (DMV) for 30 years, a time that was one of the most stimulating of our lives, partly because of our proximity to America’s arts and culture hub, the Kennedy Center. Years passed, and “Pure Michigan” beckoned; we responded to the call. We frequently returned to immerse ourselves in the DMV’s cultural events, particularly those regularly held at the Center, such as the NSO’s performance … Read More >>
A Wildfire Summer
Guest Opinion
By Lauren Teichner | June 21, 2025
I’m a mom, a camping enthusiast, and an environmental attorney, and in the past few years, these roles have intersected in painful ways. Like so many Michiganders, my family treasures summer camping. Blue skies, leafy green forests, s’mores, and sleeping under the stars. To us, camping is not just recreation; it’s how we restore, connect, and teach our kids what it means to belong to a natural place. But now, each trip … Read More >>
A Tradition of Violence
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | June 21, 2025
There was a certain inevitability to it given the increasingly violent rhetoric spewed by our president, elected members of both political parties, and way, way too much of the general public. Now an elected political leader in Minnesota, and her husband, lie dead for no rational reason. We have an unfortunate history of political violence, sometimes perpetrated by members of the public and sometimes politician vs. politician. We should be shocked this … Read More >>
Old-fashioned Term Limits
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | June 14, 2025
According to Pew Research, Ballotpedia, and pretty much all other public opinion research companies, the approval rating for Congress hovers right around 30 percent. So seven out of 10 adult Americans think Congress is doing a crummy job of which they disapprove. One suspects if more people were paying closer attention, the approval ratings would plummet even further. The public would be right; Congress has become a dysfunctional body of warring incompetents … Read More >>
A Flexible Regional Housing Fund Is Essential for Northern Michigan
Guest Opinion
By Yarrow Brown | June 14, 2025
Northwest Lower Michigan is a place of incredible natural beauty, vibrant communities, and economic opportunity. Yet, for many who live and work here—or hope to—the region’s lack of attainable housing seems like an insurmountable barrier. Addressing this crisis requires innovative solutions, and a flexible access to capital for housing development is precisely the kind of tool the region can use for decades to make meaningful progress. In 2023, Housing North commissioned a … Read More >>
Protecting Wild Horses
Guest Opinion
By Patricia Thomas | June 7, 2025
You and your family are walking downtown Traverse City on a beautiful summer day. As you are walking toward an ice cream shop, you look behind you because there is a helicopter coming very close. This helicopter is hardly flying above the car tops; you can feel the whirling of the blades. You have no time to think—everyone grabs their families and starts running as fast they can. The helicopter steers everyone … Read More >>
Me, My, Mine
Guest Opinion
By Greg Holmes | June 7, 2025
When I was at a traffic signal the other day, I waited for the inevitable to happen. I was certain that someone would run the red light. Running through a red light has become such a common occurrence that for safety’s sake, it simply must be anticipated. Sure enough, a red truck fulfilled my prophecy as it barreled through the red light and the intersection. There are two reasons for the increase … Read More >>
Loading More Stories...