In the age of 24 hour news and hyped headlines, local journalism tackles stories that directly impact our day-to-day lives. Join Leelanau Indivisible and the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. for a virtual conversation via Zoom to learn how local media is relevant now more than ever.
Since most Leelanau County businesses remain closed to diners, shoppers and pedestrians, we at the Glen Arbor Sun are forced to rethink how, where, and perhaps when, to publish and distribute our print editions once the season begins in mid-May. We invite our readers to offer their feedback and answer the following questions.
Here are the most-read and most popular stories from 2018 on GlenArbor.com, the homepage of the Glen Arbor Sun.
For 20 years, Michael Buhler was co-editor of the Sun. He designed these pages, adeptly arranged advertisements like Tetris blocks, and placed the stories and photos before you. Mike helped turn this rag into an attractive, full-color newsprint magazine with ads and images that pop, and stories that educate—a true asset of our vibrant community. But no longer. Mike died suddenly on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 16. He leaves a void in our hearts the size of the Manitou Passage.
The Glen Arbor community, family and friends, and the braintrust of the Glen Arbor Sun newspaper are devastated by the sudden passing, Aug. 16, of H. Michael Buhler, who died of a heart attack. He was 57 years young.
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.
This year the Glen Arbor Sun will launch a special 4-page “Get to Know Leelanau” guide, which we’ll include in each of our 12 printed editions between mid-May and Christmas.
It’s no surprise to us that 3 of the top 10 most-read stories on the Glen Arbor Sun‘s website in 2017 were about Sugar Loaf — the long shuttered ski resort in the heart of Leelanau County. Stories about Sugar Loaf usually attract the most readers.
2015 was the year of the storm. The “wind shear” on Sunday, August 2, packed 100-mile-per-hour gusts, toppled thousands of trees in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and around the Glen Lakes, rendered Glen Arbor impassible for days, caused millions of dollars in damages and cast a national spotlight on our rural town.
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.