Nearly 10 years ago, in August 2005, this community newspaper published a celebratory feature story titled “Old Cowboy, New Tricks”, about the late Bill Bricker. In 2011, online commenters using anonymous email addresses suddenly began to allege that Bricker had sexually molested them and other underage boys. The accusations of pedophilia became more and more serious, and seemed to coincide with the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.
The most popular Glen Arbor Sun story of 2014 was an investigative article in February that featured a proposed canopy air walk in Kasson Township, near Burdickville, that never materialized. Local opposition to Mark Evan’s “air walk” was nearly unanimous, and passionate. Our story attracted thousands of views, and 55 comments.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is requesting public comment as the Park considers an increase to entrance and camping fees beginning in January 2016. The current entrance fees and first come-first served camping fees have been in place since 2004 with only a slight increase in fees for reservable campsites which occurred in 2006. The National Lakeshore is one of only 131 of the 401 National Park Service (NPS) sites that charge entrance fees and were recently authorized by NPS Director Jon Jarvis to consider fee increases based upon a new fee structure.
On her way to work one morning this past summer, Kama Ross noticed some sick-looking oak trees near a recently cleared right-of-way in Bingham County. Luckily, Ross knew what she was looking at: the first confirmed case of oak wilt disease in Leelanau County.
A “Bay to Bay” hiking, paddling and camping trail proposed for the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has generated excitement among local business owners and recreation enthusiasts but also attracted significant opposition from private property landowners who live near the trail’s potential route. Staff at the National Lakeshore have subsequently slowed planning for the Bay to Bay Trail initiative. They extended the public comment period by an extra month this fall, and have drawn out the project’s scoping phase until next summer.
Last week the Leelanau County Register of Deeds office received documents from a title company in Troy to record the deed transfer for Sugar Loaf resort. But Register of Deeds Dorothy Miller reportedly found errors in the paperwork, including discrepancies between Kate Wickstrom’s signatures in the documentation from March 2013 and now. The signatures may have been forged. Miller confirmed that, as of today, the deed to Sugar Loaf has not been transferred.
With important races looming for United States Congress, the Michigan House of Representatives and the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (all politics is local!) the Glen Arbor Sun reached out to candidates on both sides of the political aisle and asked questions about important local issues, prior to the November 4 election.
The following are interviews conducted via email with Leelanau County Commission challengers Dave Barrons (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Debra Rushton), Patricia Soutas-Little (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Karen Zemaitis) and Ty Wessell (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Tom Van Pelt). Rushton, Zemaitis and Van Pelt all opted not to answer questions emailed to them.
Following is the Glen Arbor Sun‘s interview (vie email) with Democrat Tom Stobie, a former teacher and football coach at Frankfort High School, who is running against incumbent Ray Franz to represent Michigan’s 101st district (Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties) in Lansing. Franz has held the seat for two terms, since riding the Tea Party wave in 2010. Franz’s campaign chose not to answer our questions.
The following are interviews conducted via email with Leelanau County Commission incumbent Melinda Lautner (Republican) and her challenger John O’Neill (Democrat). Lautner represents Solon and Kasson Townships, in the middle of the County. She stands by her vote to disband Leelanau’s Economic Development Corporation, which garnered headlines statewide.