Entries by editor

Christmas tree on Glen Lake floats again, lit for the season

The Dec. 15 windstorm that blew through Northern Michigan and left much of Leelanau County without power also capsized Frank Siepker, Jr.’s beloved floating Christmas tree on Big Glen Lake. Three days after the storm, Siepker and his wife Tracy donned their waders and wetsuits, recovered the capsized Christmas tree boat and hauled it back to shore for repairs. After welding up holes and rebuilding the Christmas tree light’s electronics, Siepker relaunched the tree by nightfall the following day.

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Glen Arbor’s foodies get The Inn and Trail Gourmet

Julie hatched the Inn and Trail idea after years of combining fly fishing and fine food. She moved to Glen Arbor in 2017 after she had owned a fly fishing shop in Ketchum, Idaho called Ketchum on the Fly. She sold gear and also made lunches. “I was named Guide of the Year mostly because people loved my lunches,” she smiles. “When one of the head guides bought the fly shop, I pivoted into a catering business called A-Z Catering with business partner Tracey Allen.” Once in Glen Arbor, Julie spent the first year “looking around.” The next year she worked in the kitchen at the Leelanau School to cook and to meet people. She settled in and got comfortable with the locals and the local food culture. 

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Health Department records five COVID deaths between Dec. 17-19, all unvaccinated people

The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department recorded five new COVID-19-associated deaths between Friday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 19. All five individuals, whose ages ranged between the 50s and 70s, were unvaccinated. Nine residents of the two counties are currently hospitalized with the Coronavirus. Their ages range from the 30s to the 70s. Seven of the nine are not fully vaccinated. The highly contagious Omicron virus has not yet been officially detected here.

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Will Sleeping Bear Dunes break another visitor record in 2021?

With December yet to be counted, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is just 10,142 guests shy of setting another annual record for visitors to our National Park.

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Maple City welcomes homes, not budget box stores

Here’s an affordable housing success story in Leelanau County. Habitat for Humanity broke ground Nov. 16 on three duplex units that, as soon as a year from now, will house six families at the Maple City Crossings development at the corner of Maple Street and Western Avenue. Kal Excavating is preparing the two-acre parcel for the project.

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Reflections from Oxford, “a sleepy American town”

There were three things I grew up knowing about my sleepy little town of Oxford, Michigan. It was home of Brace Beemer, the radio Lone Ranger. It was once the gravel pit capital of the world, and home to Sea Ray boat manufacturing. I wasn’t prepared for the emotions on Nov. 30, when a 15-year-old student opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun his parents purchased for him, killing four fellow students and injuring seven people, including a teacher.

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Wind storm closes roads, knocks out power throughout Leelanau County

Story updated throughout the day with reports from Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department, Glen Lake Fire Department, and Leelanau County Road Commission.

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Glen Arbor Players present added performance of “Enchanted April”

Due to inclement water this weekend, and strong demand, the Glen Arbor Players will stage an extra matinee performance on Sunday, December 12, at 2 p.m., of Elizabeth Von Armin’s treasured story, Enchanted April, which ran December 9-11.

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Fresh snow blankets Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, Palmer Woods; Friends to groom this week

The Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes report that we received a good snowfall yesterday providing about 6-8 inches of fresh powder over warm ground. The Friends report that they don’t yet have the tracks on the groomer, so the trails won’t be groomed until the end of this week if conditions allow. Those seeking to ski on the asphalt parts of the Heritage Trail should know that their ski poles will probably hit the asphalt and might skid.

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Unvaccinated cause strain on hospitals, health systems; unvaccinated represent 86% of COVID cases; Leelanau posts another 31 today

As Michigan continues to record high numbers of COVID-19 cases, new data from the Michigan Health & Hospital Association proves that the majority of Michigan residents severely sick with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Data from January 15-November 19 demonstrates that unvaccinated people account for 85.8% of COVID cases, 87% of hospitalizations, and 86.4% of deaths. Leelanau County registered another 31 COVID-positive cases today, following 24 on Wednesday, and 36 on Tuesday. Leelanau has topped 30 positive cases per day three times in the past 10 days.

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