Share this:
- Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Share on X (Opens in new window) X
- Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
- Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
- Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
- Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
- Print (Opens in new window) Print
- Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
Centerville Township cedes to EGLE in dispute over using sewage as farm fertilizer
Investigative ArticleLast spring, a farmer in Centerville Township started applying a kind of fertilizer to his fields: Sewage pumped from septic tanks, often called “septage.” That kicked off a local fight about whether it’s legal to apply that septage waste and sparked concerns about contaminating the land and water. Neighbors and officials concerned about the use of septage to fertilize fields pointed to the township’s zoning ordinance which requires a special permit for septage application on land. But Centerville Township attorney Chris Bzdok said at a township board meeting in mid-March that their hands are tied when it comes to stopping the use of septic tank waste on a local farm. The site falls under the purview of the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, which had granted a permit to use septage at that site. This story was originally reported by Interlochen Public Radio in mid-March.
Remembering “Water Warrior” Holly Bird
Historical Feature, Local PersonalityHolly T. Bird, a local attorney, indigenous activist, and member of the Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Education—and whose family had roots on Little Glen Lake—joined the ancestors on April 3. Bird was co-executive director of TitleTrack and advocated for everything from indigenous visibility and racial justice, to clean water and energy, to LGTBQ+ rights. A proud member of the Thunder Clan, she traced her heritage from Apache, Yaqui, and Perépucha Tribes and joined the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipe Line in North Dakota in 2016. Click here to read the poignant note Bird wrote to her friend, now State Rep. Betsy Coffia, in September 2018.
Resistance awakes as “Hands Off” rallies energize Northern Michigan against Trump
NewsAs many as 4,000 demonstrators rallied at the Traverse City Governmental Center on Saturday, April 5, as part of nationwide “Hands Off” protests to oppose the Trump administration’s aggressive policies on trade tariffs, cuts to social services, health programs and National Parks, and threats against immigrants and free speech. Hundreds more protested along state highways in towns including Benzonia and Suttons Bay. Huge crowds at the “Hands Off” rallies suggested that the resistance to Trump’s policies has awoken.
Glen Lake Library celebrates National Library Week with “Free for All” film
Upcoming EventThe Glen Lake Community Library will host a special community screening of Free for All: The Public Library on Wednesday, April 9, at 7 pm—as part of its National Library Week celebration. The film tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all. Director Dawn Logsdon travels the United States, discovering historic and modern-day figures, especially women, who contributed to the library’s integral position within democracy.
April Fools’ Day: Trump orders mass deportation of Piping Plover, calls migratory bird “un-American vermin”
NewsThe Trump regime plans to carry out a mass deportation of the Piping Plover, an endangered migratory shorebird that nests on the beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes between early April and mid August before spending the winter along the Gulf of Mexico. The Glen Arbor Sun learned the news when a reporter was inadvertently added to an unencrypted text message thread between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “I want them gone. Gone from our Beautiful Country!” wrote Trump. “Those birds are Losers. They’re un-American, they’re vermin!”
League of Women Voters forum examines accessibility in Leelanau
Upcoming EventHow can Leelanau County ensure that its places, spaces, and services are designed for people of all abilities, including those born with a disability and those facing physical challenges over time? That question will be front and center at a public forum titled “Universally Accessible Leelanau?” which the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County will hold on Wednesday, April 2, at noon at the Leelanau County Government Center on M-204 between Lake Leelanau and Suttons Bay.
Remembering longtime Glen Arbor custodian Leonard Thoreson
Local PersonalityLongtime Glen Arbor custodian Leonard Ole Thoreson, passed away on March 15 at age 98. Thoreson was born on November 28, 1926, in Port Oneida (on the Thoreson Farm). As a young boy his father worked the fields with horses until he purchased the Ford Tractor that is on the farm today. A lifelong resident of Leelanau County, Thoreson served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a dedicated member of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church.
Celebrating small towns and songs of Leelanau
Local PersonalityOur story series celebrating songs inspired by Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Dunes continues with Blake Elliott’s “Small Town,” which the singer-songwriter released in 2012 “after a really hard winter.” The song offers an homage to “how our little communities in Leelanau County show up and helped us through.” State Rep. Betsy Coffia used “Small Town” for her first official political campaign song when she ran for Grand Traverse County Commission. The Accidentals took part in the recording for the music video of “Small Town,” which was filmed and recorded at Halohorn studios in Leelanau County with Andy Van Guilder.
Piping Plover citizen volunteers sought, with Sleeping Bear Dunes employment in flux
Local Personality, NewsReady or not, here they come. The endangered, migratory Piping Plover birds will return to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in April and set up their stony nests—regardless of National Park staff cuts and federal politics. Sleeping Bear staff might not be able to hire all the seasonal employees it needs to work with the shorebirds—or those workers might not arrive on time—since the federal hiring process resumed late in the winter. In their potential absence, volunteers are stepping forward. Grawn resident Maryellen Newport is recruiting local volunteers to monitor and protect the Piping Plover from predators. Read the story for a link to sign up.
Bay Books event promotes cultural acceptance in trying times
Business Feature, Upcoming Event“The world is held together by tiny friendships.” So explains the wise grandmother character in local author Lynne Rae Perkins’ latest novel “At Home in a Faraway Place.” On March 29, Perkins will be one of two authors featured at an event at Bay Books in Suttons Bay highlighting literary selections for young readers on the opportune topics of immigration and cultural acceptance. The program will open at 10:30 a.m. with Bay Books owner Tina Greene-Bevington reading Thrity Umrigar’s children’s book, “Sugar in Milk.” Described by Running Press as “a timely and timeless picture book about immigration that demonstrates the power of diversity, acceptance and tolerance from a very gifted storyteller” Sugar in Milk made several best book lists and garnered two awards when it was published in 2020.