The Top 10 Stories of 2023

From groundwater woes to the Great Michigan Fire, here’s what you read most

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Dec. 28, 2023

While we know Northern Express is primarily a print publication (how else are you going to do that crossword?!), we see many of our readers finding and sharing our stories online. We took a look at the top visited web stories of 2023, and the results ranged from guest opinions to restaurant features, human interest pieces to tales from yesteryear, and environmental pieces to cannabis chronicles.

Read on for a look at our top 10 stories of the year.

1. Michigan’s Sixth Great Lake: Groundwater Runs Beneath Our Feet but Doesn’t Get a Fraction of the Attention We Give the Great Lakes

Despite its importance, Michigan’s groundwater suffers from being out of sight, out of mind.

“We quite literally rely on groundwater to live,” says Liz Kirkwood, executive director of For Love of Water (FLOW). “But unlike Michigan’s lakes, rivers, and streams that we can see, Michiganders can’t see groundwater, so it’s often forgotten.”

When a core natural resource doesn’t receive the attention it deserves, it becomes threatened. In the case of groundwater, entire aquifers (huge underground storehouses of water) across the state have become contaminated by failing septic systems, agricultural runoff, abandoned wells, and legacy contamination from now-closed sites.

(Read on)

2. What’s the Story with Apartments? A Look at Three Multi-unit Developments Across the North

It’s no secret there’s a need for housing everywhere across northern Michigan. Areas such as Leelanau County and Boyne City are white-hot, with homes selling within days of being listed, and the rest of the region isn’t far behind.

The problem has become acute for lower- and middle-income families and workers, especially those who work in downtowns. Subsequently, many people end up living far from their work and commuting for an hour or more.

Addressing the challenge can take time, money, and will. There are some who are trying to do so with multi-unit apartment projects, focused at least in part on workforce housing. Here we look at three such projects in different parts of northern Michigan.

(Read on)

3. When Traverse City Lost Her Vibe: Guest Opinion

Today, I ask my fellow locals, have you heard what I’m picking up from the Up North Regulars? I’ve heard something different this year. Rather than, “So good to be back!”, they arrived this year and felt somewhat blindsided. “Whoa! What happened?”

Their observations: The vibe has changed. Downtown has changed. Everything is more expensive. There are so many more people than before. So many cars. Hotels cost so much more. Downtown sidewalks are beyond crowded. They are surprised to see some people experiencing homelessness each day. All the new buildings, so many new buildings! Everything is so upscale.

Everywhere you go, the lines are longer, and the service is slower. Where are you supposed to park your car? Who are all these people? Again, where do I park my car?? What happened to Traverse City?

(Read on)

4. The Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives of the North: Seven NoMi Stops Worthy of a Food Network Special

[Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives], a send-up of America’s great “greasy spoon” restaurants, has been making viewers feel extremely hungry for 17 years and over 400 episodes. In many ways, it’s helped elevate overlooked restaurants and bars to levels of esteem and popularity normally reserved for famous five-star restaurants.

For all the good work that Fieri and his team have done, though, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives has underserved the Michigan culinary scene. Since the show’s start in 2006, only 16 Michigan eateries have been featured, and none of them have been in the northern part of the state. Those numbers got us thinking: If Fieri and co. did set their compasses to our region, which spots would they visit, and which dishes would they praise?

Well, strap in and get ready for a road trip to our version of Flavortown, because Northern Express is giving seven local diners, drive-ins, and dives the love they deserve.

(Read on)

5. The Great MI Fire: The Very Same Day as the Great Chicago Fire, Another Blaze Ripped Across Northern Michigan, Destroying Nearly Two-Thirds of Manistee, Among Other Up North Towns

While the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is a well-known tale, few, it seems, are familiar with the fires that broke out almost simultaneously that same warm autumn day along Lake Michigan’s east coast and beyond. Surrounded by parched forests, Holland, Manistee, and Grayling suffered equally terrible fires with flames fanned by high winds. The fires swept across the state, all the way to Lake Huron.

Fires, in fact, raged across the Midwest that fateful October—in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. When the fires were finally extinguished, more than 1,700 people had died and millions of acres of forest land were reduced to charcoal. The exact death toll from the Michigan fires is unknown, but estimates put that number above 500 lives.

Despite the Chicago fire’s notoriety, the deadliest blaze actually occurred in the booming lumbering town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. As Chicago’s business district burned, a firestorm raged in the northern Wisconsin woods, killing more than 1,200 people and destroying 2,400 square miles—about 1.5 million acres of woods, farms, and villages. The area that burned was roughly twice the size of Rhode Island.

(Read on)

6. Northern Express Fascinating People of 2023: 20 Cool, Creative, and Community-Changing People of northern Michigan

Activists and artists. Beekeepers and bird-watchers. Chefs and coaches. Welcome to the 10th anniversary of the Northern Express Fascinating People issue! Here, you’ll find 20 inspiring individuals whose jobs and passion projects have not only taken them all over northern Michigan, but across the world. (And, for one individual, to outer space…at least via sound waves.)

With the help of writers Ross Boissoneau, Kierstin Gunsberg, Laurel Manke, Al Parker, and Sarahbeth Ramsey, we bring you the stories of the 2023 Fascinating People.

(Read on)

7. Old Guys on Dirt Bikes (Their Words!): NoMi Riders Prove Age Is Just a Number

There are plenty of bikers in northern Michigan whose enthusiasm hasn’t been tempered by their years.

People like Bill Edmonson and Dave Geisler, who are among a group of riders who get together Wednesday nights—the Wednesday Night Nationals, or WNN—to ride various trails throughout the region and beyond. While some members are in their teens, 20s, and 30s, there are a significant number of those at the other end of the age spectrum.

“It started 20 years ago,” says Edmondson of the group, explaining how he and some guys he worked with started riding together. “At this age now—I’ll be 69 next month—it keeps you going.”

“I love the woods; I love the trails. I can go slow and enjoy it,” adds the 70-year-old Geisler.

(Read on)

8. U.P. Trolls

In July, Danish rapper-turned-artist Thomas Dambo came to Germfask, Michigan—about halfway in between St. Ignace and Marquette—to build one of his iconic recycled-material trolls at the Northland Outfitters Campground.

Michigan’s own troll, a 14-foot tall guardian who sits along the Manistique River, is named Benny the Beard Fisher and is Dambo’s 117th piece. Similar sculptures can be found all across the globe and are made from discarded wooden pallets and other upcycled materials. (The art pieces last about five to seven years in the elements.) Dambo has also had stops in New Jersey, Vermont, and soon Colorado before heading to the Pacific Northwest on his “Way of the Bird King” tour across the U.S.

(Read on)

9. What We Wish Visitors Knew about Leelanau County: Leelanau Locals Share Their Tips, Gripes, and Hopes for Summertime

Leelanau County is home to destinations like Empire, Northport, Leland, and Suttons Bay. The county is even more popular for its picturesque views, including rows of vineyards, stunning waterways, and historic storybook towns. The county’s crown jewel, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, makes Leelanau County one of the most highly visited areas in northern Michigan, especially in the summertime.

We asked a few business owners, leaders, and locals what they would like to share with you about visiting Leelanau County this summer. Here’s what they said.

(Read on)

10. Will Travel for Weed: The Growth of Cannabis Tourism

Canna tourism has taken root in states like Colorado, Oregon, and California, where bud-minded visitors can take tours, attend events, and explore offerings at different dispensaries and consumption lounges. Those states have a few years of experience on us, but according to Brian Buchanan—director of tourism strategy for Dunegrass Co., a NoMi cannabis retailer with six locations in the region—the Michigan canna tourism scene is starting to grow.

“Around 30 percent of leisure travelers base their travel plans around where they can consume recreational cannabis,” says Buchanan. “For towns in northern Michigan, that means that there are tourists that are picking their town or a town near them based on the availability of recreational marijuana.”

(Read on)

And don’t miss five popular foodie reads…

11. The Caffeine-Fueled Growth of Mundos Roasting & Co.: Four Locations, Five Years, and Thousands of Cups of Coffee 

12. Hole Mole! Loco Boys Brewing Company Brings Cali- and Mexican-Inspired Dishes to Traverse City 

13. Northern Michigan’s Most Iconic Eats, 2023 Edition: Legendary Dishes to Put on Your Must-Eat List 

14. Resolution Dining: Vegetarian Dishes and Dry January Drinks in TC 

15. Restaurant Round Table – Turning Up the Heat: Owners of Local Eateries Chime in on Staffing, Food Costs, and Tip Credit Changes