Victor Skinner | Author

What’s the Winter Forecast?

Dec. 14, 2024

We very nearly had a no-snow November in northern Michigan, with Thanksgiving-week storms arriving in the region.

But until that point, things were…not so chill. The National Weather Service in Gaylord charts historical average first accumulating snow dates—Oct. 26 for … Read More >>

The lead up to the 2024 Michigan firearm deer season featured one of the biggest deer disease die-offs in recent years, regulation changes to address population imbalances in both peninsulas, and continued concerns about the future of wildlife funding amid declining hunter numbers.

$4 Million Still Needed to Secure the Elberta Waterfront Community Conservation Project

Sept. 21, 2024

When widespread opposition from residents in Elberta effectively shelved plans for a waterfront development along Lake Michigan in 2022, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) was ready and waiting.

“Any land protection project is often the result of years of wor… Read More >>

No End in Sight for Line 5 Conflict

July 13, 2024

In mid-June, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s efforts to shut down Enbridge’s crude oil and natural gas pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac secured a big win from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

A three-judge appeals court panel on June 17 remanded the ca… Read More >>

Let's See How Far We've Come: The Grandview Parkway Reconstruction

June 8, 2024

With reconstruction of Traverse City’s Grandview Parkway progressing slightly ahead of schedule, Team Elmers is now well into phase two of the first segment that’s on track to wrap ahead of the National Cherry Festival.

Team Elmers, the prime contractor for the $24.7 mil… Read More >>

A Tale of Two Lofts

April 27, 2024

Two northern Michigan projects aimed at addressing a dearth of middle income housing are inching forward after years of delays in Grayling and Boyne City.

Sawmill Lofts – Grayling

On April 8, the Grayling City Council approved a Brownfield tax increment financing pla… Read More >>

Are Craft Breweries Seeing a Decline?

March 9, 2024

In 2022, Americans spent more on spirits than on beer for the first time.

Then beer consumption hit the lowest level in decades in 2023, dipping below 200 million barrels for the first time since 1999.

It’s a trend that’s fueled by a wide variety of factors, incl… Read More >>

Connecting the Arts and Culture Dots

Dec. 23, 2023

After spending nearly three years preparing to launch a new arts connection hub in northern Michigan, Mary Gillett had a plan—and a lot of interest and momentum—going into 2020.

“A month later we were in the throes of COVID, so that blew up our strategic plan,&rdqu… Read More >>

Where the Teacher Shortage and the Housing Crisis Meet

Aug. 26, 2023

At Traverse City Area Public Schools, one new teacher spent a year renting while looking for a home to buy, but “they just couldn’t find anything they could afford for their family,” superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner says.

“The last couple of years, that&rsq… Read More >>

Blazing the Trail(s)

June 3, 2023

In the last quarter century, the Traverse City area trail system has come full circle, both literally and figuratively.

Traverse Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trails celebrates 25 years as a nonprofit this year, and in that time their portfolio has expanded to include ro… Read More >>

X Marks the Spot for Michigan Wines

May 6, 2023

There’s something special about the wine from northern Michigan, and the nation (and the world) is starting to take notice.

“I think we’re in the early stages of a blossoming stage,” says Lee Lutes, head winemaker at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. “I … Read More >>

State of the Libraries

Feb. 18, 2023

Northern Michigan libraries are bouncing back from the pandemic in a big way, fueled in part by new offerings and unique programs that are transforming how they do business.

Libraries across the region were booming before COVID-19 closures shut down many services three years ago, bu… Read More >>

’Tis the Season for Snowmobiling...If There’s Snow

Dec. 17, 2022

The calls started rolling in at the Chateau at Black Mountain lodge near Cheboygan as three feet of snowfall blanketed the region over as many days in November.

“The more snow the better,” owner Warren Chamberland says.

Cheboygan

After two years with mi… Read More >>

The Missing Link in the Food Chain

Sept. 17, 2022

A confluence of factors are contributing to growing food insecurity in many areas of northwest Michigan, from inflation and child care costs squeezing working families to food shortages impacting prices and availability.

And while the situation has spawned more creative and healthy … Read More >>

The Latest on Line 5

Aug. 27, 2022

To Enbridge or not to Enbridge—it’s a question that has been brewing all summer (and long before) as those for and against the Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline take steps forward toward conflicting goals.

On one side, developments in the battle over the pipeline throu… Read More >>

Where Is GOREC Going?

July 16, 2022

A proposal to restore and improve former Boy Scout facilities at Camp Greilick southeast of Traverse City is dividing area residents, with some excited about plans to enhance outdoor education programs and others concerned about the scope and potential negative impacts on the quality of lif… Read More >>

Net Worth

May 28, 2022

Pat O’Neill and Kris Snyder are cruising the Lake Michigan shoreline, stopping overnight at a half-dozen popular fishing ports along the way.

They started out in St. Joseph but are surely to Arcadia by now, more than halfway to their final stop in Charlevoix. From April throug… Read More >>

Making Green: The economic impact of recreational marijuana Up North

April 16, 2022

Communities across northwest Lower Michigan are witnessing the obvious economic benefits of recreational marijuana this spring as the state doles out nearly $2 million in excise taxes to local municipalities and counties in the region.

The money is a welcomed new income at a time wh… Read More >>

Homelessness Up North

Jan. 22, 2022

Across the northwest Lower Peninsula, hundreds of Michiganders are struggling to find shelter this winter.

It’s not a new situation, but the problem is steadily getting worse for a variety of reasons, from the global health pandemic sapping already limited resources to unprece… Read More >>

Vital Fish & Game Tracking -- or Senseless Red Tape?

Nov. 13, 2021

Michigan lawmakers are taking another crack at legislation to register and regulate commercial hunting and fishing guides on public lands after several failed attempts in recent legislative sessions.

The House Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee held a hearing on the … Read More >>