Where has all the water gone?

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When the US Army Corps of Engineers measured Lake Michigan and Lake Huron water levels at the end of December, they discovered that the depth had receded to 576.15 feet above sea level — breaking the record for the previous all-time-low of 576.2 feet set in 1964. That’s not a record to celebrate. Numbers are complex and difficult to comprehend. But beaches along Sleeping Bear Bay offered more clarity, and sobering clarity at that. The shoreline has receded substantially from previous years, leaving behind a hard, rocky surface in places, and prompting widespread alarm.

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Sleeping Bear Dunes record-breaking visitor tally up 13.6 percent in 2012

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The numbers have been counted, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore reports that the pristine National Park in northwest-lower Michigan attracted 1,531,560 visitors in 2012 — a record-breaking tally by a wide margin. On the strength of the “Good Morning America” television show’s “Most Beautiful Place in America” honor in August 2011, and the added attention it cast on Glen Arbor and the surrounding region, 13.59 percent more tourists ran up our dunes, hiked our trails and frequented our restaurants and galleries last year compared with 2011.

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Michigan’s great legislative overreach?

Michigan Senate Bill 59 may go down as the most ill-timed pieces of legislation to come out of Lansing in decades. On Thursday, Dec. 13, the state’s Republican-dominated Senate and House passed a bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in schools —regardless of a school’s prerogative.

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Steamer New York shipwreck found in Lake Huron

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The wreck of the 283-foot Steamer New York, built in 1879, has been discovered in Lake Huron. David Trotter and the Undersea Research Associates (URA) team made the discovery after an extensive search effort that spanned several years.

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Rescue found, but reasons for sinking remain a mystery

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Local diver, filmmaker and author Ross Richardson has solved one local mystery — the location of the steamship Rescue, which owner Ralph Dorsey intentionally sank in Big Glen Lake 98 years ago. But the reason why Dorsey destroyed his boat is known only by the lake, and Dorsey’s ghost, leaving folklore to play a guessing game.

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Michigan’s renewable energy mandate “most important clean-energy vote this year”

Proposal 3, Michigan’s Renewable Energy Mandate, in particular, would require that 25 percent of the state’s electricity come from renewable resources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydropower by 2025. The effort has been called “the most important clean-energy vote this year” (nationwide) by Grist magazine’s environmental luminary David Roberts.

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Peachy Rentenbach vs. Bob Hawley for Leelanau County Commission

Democrat Carolyn “Peachy” Rentenbach and Republican Robert Hawley are vying for a seat on the Leelanau County Commission for District 6. The Glen Arbor Sun submitted these eight questions to both Rentenbach and Hawley. Rentenbach responded. You can read her responses here:

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Republican Pete Hoekstra challenges Democrat Debbie Stabenow for U.S. Senate

Senator Debbie Stabenow appears to have a big lead over her opponent, Republican challenger Pete Hoekstra. Stabenow is seeking her third term in Washington. The Glen Arbor Sun submitted these eight questions to both Stabenow’s and Hoekstra’s campaigns. See their responses below.

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Congressman Dan Benishek holds rematch with Democratic challenger Gary McDowell

The Glen Arbor Sun submitted these eight questions to both Congressman Dan Benishek’s and challenger Gary McDowell’s campaigns. See their responses below:

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Q&A with Franz opponent for Michigan 101st, Allen O’Shea

Manistee businessman, Democrat Allen O’Shea is challenging Republican incumbent Ray Franz to represent Michigan’s 101st District in Lansing. Franz unseated Democrat Dan Scripps two years ago in a GOP and Tea Party tidal wave election.

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