Posts

Leelanau Conservancy: preserving more than land

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As farmers, the Leelanau Conservancy is a pretty important organization in our lives. Our family raises alpaca and antique apples on the Leelanau Conservancy-owned DeYoung Farm at the base of the peninsula. It was during the the process of applying for land-use and working on this historic property, we discovered the many facets of an organization we’ve come to love and appreciate, not just for its land preservation efforts, but also for the resulting, positive influence the Conservancy’s efforts have on all aspects of life on the Leelanau.

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Ty Wessel’s push for affordable housing in Leelanau

From staff reports The Leelanau County Commission — reshaped by a watershed 2014 election that saw Democrats on the board nearly pull even with Republicans — is stepping up to solve the county’s affordable housing crunch. The board voted 4-2, in mid-June, to form a volunteer task force that will study the issue of affordable […]

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Coldwater kayaking not a hot idea

Thinking of taking your kayak or canoe from Sleeping Bear Point to South Manitou Island? Think again. The air temperature may reach a balmy 80 degrees, and the surface water temperature near the beach is slowly approaching swimmable levels. But the open water temperature out in the Manitou Passage never reaches the 60s. That’s frigid. And it can kill you.

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League of Women Voters examines Michigan road tax ballot proposal

The League of Women Voters Leelanau County will host “Understanding the May 5 State Ballot Proposal, What Is It? What Would It Do?” on Wednesday, April 1, at noon in the lower level public meeting room of the Leelanau County Government Center.

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Liko Smith: Sugar Loaf no longer on “front of my to-do list”

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“Sugar Loaf is like a beautiful girl who wants to get married. But she keeps getting left by guys at the alter, so she keeps coming back to me.” — Liko Smith … But Sugar Loaf, the long-shuttered ski resort in the heart of Leelanau County, is no longer on the front of Liko Smith’s to-do list.

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League of Women Voters Leelanau County celebrate Women’s History Month

The League of Women Voters Leelanau County will celebrate Women’s History Month with a potluck lunch and presentation at noon on Wednesday, March 4, at the Leelanau County Government Center. Bring a dish to pass and a festive place setting. Drinks will be provided. During lunch there will be an informal discussion of women who have impacted our lives and an entertaining quiz on women in history.

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League of Women Voters Leelanau County examines income inequality

The League of Women Voters Leelanau County Big Picture Society will be held at the Old Art Building at 111 Main Street in Leland on Monday, March 9, at 4 p.m. The Big Picture Society features films of public interest on current political/environmental and/or social justice topics on the second Monday of the month from October through June.

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League of Women Voters examines childcare

On Monday, Feb. 23, the League of Women Voters Leelanau County, along with Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan, Samaritans’ Closet, Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission, NW Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health and the Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council will show a second episode in The Raising of America documentary series: “Once Upon a Time: When Childcare for All Wasn’t Just a Fairytale.”

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Sugar Loaf: a tale of various narratives

Who’s to blame for the 20-month delay in transferring the title of Sugar Loaf resort from former owner Kate Wickstrom back to “new” owner Remo Polselli? Wickstrom received a contract back in March 2013 to transfer the deed.

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Forest change underway in Leelanau County

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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.

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