Opinion
Opportunities in Manufactured and Modular Housing
Guest Opinion
By Yarrow Brown | Nov. 23, 2024
A home is a home—no matter its shape, size, or how it was built. And we need a lot of homes for both seasonal and year-round people in northern Michigan. We have a 0.7% vacancy rate in our region, which means there is very little housing stock available for those who live and work here. We have a huge need for housing that is affordable and a huge opportunity to solve this … Read More >>
Election Redux
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 16, 2024
The post mortem—and for Democrats that always involves finger pointing and blame—started as the votes were still being counted. This year they were way better at finding reasons they lost than they were at finding ways to win. Senator Bernie Sanders, who seems to get crankier by the day, says Democrats lost because they abandoned working men and women and replaced them with show business elites. Seems a bit of a stretch; … Read More >>
Making Michigan Safer and More Just with "Second Look"
Guest Opinion
By Scott Tompkins | Nov. 16, 2024
Michigan’s prison system is in crisis. Our state’s prisons are overcrowded, largely with elderly, sick, frail folks. People who have worked hard to change their lives. People who could be released to their families. As someone who has done time in prison, I can tell you that for staff and those incarcerated, things are hard enough even when there is no overcrowding crisis. Today, I live in Grand Traverse County, working for … Read More >>
Helping Families in Need: A Year-Round Commitment
Guest Opinion
By Emma Smith | Nov. 9, 2024
Every holiday season, our community comes together with a beautiful display of generosity. From toy drives to meal donations, people step up to make the season brighter for those in need. And while these contributions are crucial, families need our support long after the decorations come down. Struggles like hunger, financial hardship, and mental health crises don’t magically disappear in January. For families facing these issues, support must be consistent and lasting. … Read More >>
Spending Is Never Reduced
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 9, 2024
It’s finally over. This is being written late Tuesday (election) night, so the complaining and accusations have just begun. At the very least, we should now be relieved of the low-quality, high-volume barrage of electronic commercials and mailers. There was some amusement, much of it provided by a seemingly unhinged Elon Musk, who said plenty that was bizarre but nothing quite as comical as his claim about cutting the federal budget by … Read More >>
We Will Survive
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 2, 2024
Some of you will be reading this before Tuesday’s election and some after. You might still be hopeful or now joyful or despondent. So whether you believe the world will be, or has been, saved from the forces of evil or is likely to be controlled by those forces, take a very deep breath. It is not likely the republic will now crumble; we’ve been through much before and survived quite nicely. … Read More >>
The Immigrant Backbone of America
Guest Opinion
By Loida Tapia | Nov. 2, 2024
Democracy and the American Dream are at a critical juncture this year. From continued attacks on voting systems, hateful rhetoric directed toward immigrant communities, and policy proposals that seek to limit our personal freedoms, all of us have a responsibility to stand up for what is right and take action. In response, the Civic Empowerment Coalition (CEC) is actively mobilizing to register, educate, and engage Latino, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color … Read More >>
Immigration, Inflation, and Abortion
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | Oct. 26, 2024
Thankfully, it’s almost over—the absolute blizzard of misinformation, disinformation, and blatant lies. Let’s see if we can sort through some of it. National Republicans have made immigration a top-of-the-line issue, and legitimately so. No president has had an effective immigration policy in decades, and Joe Biden has been no exception. Donald Trump says he will “deport millions” if elected, but he wasn’t that tough on illegal immigrants while he was president. Barack … Read More >>
If Not Now, When?
Guest Opinion
By Karen Mulvahill | Oct. 26, 2024
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked their entire lives for women’s suffrage. In 1920, 144 years after the founding of our nation, the government finally acknowledged a woman’s right to vote. Stanton had been dead for 18 years; Anthony, 14. I, too, may be ash and bone if it takes much longer before a dream of mine is realized—that the United States elects a woman president. In 2024, 248 years … Read More >>
Segment 9: Finding Another Way
Guest Opinion
By Barbara Stamiris | Oct. 26, 2024
As a daily biker, TART Trails enrich my life, as they do for many. A year ago, I could not have imagined opposing the extension of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I love TART Trails, but when I learned that thousands of trees had to be cut for 4 more miles of biking, I realized that I love trees more. The need to cut thousands of … Read More >>
Loading More Stories...