As a local health officer serving six counties in northern Michigan, I see the profound impact of prevention and direct services delivered through public health professionals and innovative community partnerships on the health of people and environments. Successes of public health have contributed in a vital way to a 30-year increase in life expectancy since 1900 in the United States. Thanks to vaccinations for children and adults, there is decreased illness and mortality. However, I write this out of concern as a citizen for the future of our health and well-being.

I’m ashamed of the neglect for one of Glen Arbor’s most impressive landmarks. A historic monument to the areas pioneer past that stands in quiet solitude and stark decay. The lack of concern and care for the Glen Arbor Mill now appears to only welcome vandalism and fire, rather than an opportunity to preserve the old for the new. The Glen Arbor mill, once the heart of a community, deserves better.

The news media has suffered in recent years. Corporate consolidations have forced mass layoffs; the Internet and social media have redrawn the map; and demagogues at podiums malign us as convenient scapegoats. The latest blow to local news is the current administration’s shortsighted, illogical tariffs on newsprint from Canada.

Vote “Yes” on the Senior Millage on the Aug. 7 county wide ballot. The continuation of prevention services, as well as ongoing services are essential for an age friendly Leelanau. The last .275 millage in 2014 received overwhelming approval by the voters.

These days, the leaders of the United States talk about building a wall to keep people out. Perhaps instead of a wall, we should construct a giant mirror this Fourth of July, and take a look at ourselves, who we are, what choices we’re making, and where we are headed as a nation, as a community.

By Eliot Singer Op-ed contributor Suzanne Sorkin and I have fallen in love with the Number 11 BATA Bus. As retirees, we decided to live in our small condo at The Homestead much of the time between April and November. Like most seasonal (and year-round) residents, we hate the hassle of trying to drive anywhere […]

While our national parks are as popular as ever, many are in need of repairs. Because of aging facilities and unreliable funding, roughly $46 million worth of repairs have accumulated in our state alone. Here in Michigan, investments in our parks would support 452 jobs in planning, road building, construction and carpentry, among other positions.

The Glen Lake School Board has a tough decision to make. The current stadium grass was improperly installed 20 years ago, causing potential injuries to athletes and limiting usage due to lack of drainage. Options on the table for the June 12 meeting are essentially to properly install new grass or go with artificial turf.

The Michigan legislature is considering whether to continue, or expand, a new state pilot project that is increasing business from schools for a significant number of farms and related food companies throughout the state and in Leelanau County.

This world-changing event — a woman confidently and competently doing what many men before her have done — is a bold, radical, and revolutionary act (those are positive words in our household). It’s an act that makes some entitled men jealous and angry, because they fear they’ll lose their grip on power — the power they alone have clenched for millennia.