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New Way to Homeschool • Family Kilimanjaro Climb • Military Academy Kids

NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • january 28 - FEBruary 03, 2019 • Vol. 29 No. 04

LOVE IS IN THE AIR! On February 14th, bring your sweetheart and treat them to love on the mountain. Enjoy a day of skiing or riding - get special two-for-one deals on lift tickets and rental equipment!

Then plan to enjoy specials at Crystal Spa. Book two 50-minute services, and receive a bottle of champagne, plus a $10 retail credit for only $179.

End your day with a special Valentine’s Day dinner at the Thistle Pub & Grille.

Make your reservations now at CrystalMountain.com/Events.

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2 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

our president is hateful, disrespectful, and juvenile at best. Tell me again how Northern Express hopes to bring cooperation and thoughtful debate on current issues? Again, shame on you.

Our simple rules: Keep your letter to 300 words or less, send no more than one per month, include your name/ address/phone number, and agree to allow us to edit. That’s it.

Email info@northernexpress.com and hit send!

Unplug and Read I had read Gov. Whitmer’s first Executive Directive on Public Health, and I was impressed. Please indulge me a couple of excerpts from it: “State Government must be open, and transparent, and accountable to Michigan residents ... Action to mitigate or prevent threats to public health, safety, and welfare always should take precedence over any ill-advised attempt to protect the reputation of a department or agency, manipulate the public perception, avoid political backlash, or engage in defensiveness, self-justification, or insular conduct.”

To that I say, thank you, Governor!

The smart meter program was never mandatory but they were forced, literally, upon people. With the proven dangers of smart meters and 5G, someone is not telling us the truth about this technology that has been proven to cause cancer!

People need to read the complete Executive Directive. It affects you, your children, your friends, and more. Please contact not just your representatives in Lansing and Washington, D.C., and locally.

Our county commissioners and city councils and township supervisors need to know the dangers here. Electricity and 5G can be done safely.

Is everyone happy with their electric bills? I hear differently on the street. No amount of good deeds recently done by Consumers Energy can undo all the bad done before that. Thousands have been affected by the smart/digital opt-out meters.

People need to complain about their electric bills. Other states have rejected smart meters because of the cost and the whispered word of health, and now even rejected 5G. Please speak up before it is too late.

We are in our 4th winter without electricity. The Civil Rights Division agreed I had been discriminated against

by Consumers Energy. They are being investigated.

Jaime and Joe Chimner, Cheboygan Shame, Shame Shame on each and every one of you at Northern Express who allowed the ridiculous and hateful Jan. 21 opinion column, “The Divine Right of Kings,” to appear in print.

Why would imagining such a preposterous event merit our time? The description of

Nancy Kortes, Ellsworth Hypocrisy and a Single News Source I wasn’t going to respond to Carol Underwood’s repeat rhetoric about smart rich people and dumb poor people in her January 21 letter to Northern Express, but what the heck.

The New York Times, Dec. 28, 2018, article entitled “The 551 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List” is daunting. It is my belief that everything Trump says of others is actually what he is.

Samples of the insults he has used: “Disgrace, disaster, liar, a total low life, incompetent, dying mediocre career, crooked, will go down as the worst in history, a clown, a dope, no honor, self serving and fake, dumb, gross mismanagement, totally out of control, the real predators, corrupt, corrupt, a criminal enterprise gone wild, false rhetoric, enemy of the people, totally dishonest ...”

The list is incredibly long. Is this Carol Underwood’s standard of intelligence? She might not accept the New York Times as a source of journalistic integrity when FOX News might be the only resource on which she relies.

Has Underwood considered that, on average, 75 percent of the Jewish-American population, many of whom have businesses, vote democrat, according to the Washington Post, March 24, 2015 article “Why Most Jewish Americans Vote for Democrats, Explained.”

What Underwood said, in part, is true.

The Democrats want expanded government programs — but to include, not exclude.

It is true the Democrats want to raise taxes, but to level the playing field on the wealthy and yes, the Democrats do go after the uneducated — to help them become educated.

Amy Kerr Hardin used intelligent resources while making clear points in her Jan. 7 opinion column. Her frustration and the frustration of millions as to why the dots don’t connect with the people who voted for and continue to support the biggest disgrace and embarrassment to the U.S.A. on the world stage, is very well founded.

Charlene Verschaeve, Cedar A Dethroning I wish to confront Isiah Smith’s intellectually corrupt [Jan. 21 opinion column], “The Divine Right of Kings.” I have carefully read Mr. Smith’s garish corruption of Article 1 Section 3 of the United States Constitution and felt it was my civic duty to expose Mr. Smith’s incredible antiTrump propaganda. The author alleges that President Trump is a Christian king exempt from divine and temporal punishment.

The foundation for Mr. Smith’s ridiculous deception is his omission of the last sentence of Section 3: “... but the Party convicted [in the United States Senate] shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment according to law.” James Iredell [during the North Carolina ratifying convention,” July 28, 1788] made it perfectly clear that “Under our Constitution ... No man has an authority

to injure another with impunity. No man is better that his fellow-citizen, nor can pretend to any superiority over the meanest man in our country. If the President does a single act, by which the people are prejudiced, he is punishable himself, and no other man to merely screen him. If he commits any misdemeanor in office, he is impeachable, removable from office, and incapacitated to hold any office of honour, trust or profit. If he commits any crime he is punishable by laws of his country, and in capital cases may be deprived of his life.” So, as you can see, there is no Divine Right of Kings Doctrine that protects this president or any future president from criminal prosecution. And to suggest otherwise is to give credence to the incoherent ramblings of a storyteller.

CONTENTS features Crime and Rescue Map......................................7

Lame Duck Fall Out...........................................10 For Love of Country........................................12 Charlevoix, Kid City.......................................14 Sauce at Incredible Mo’s..................................16 Homeschooling Northern Michigan..................18 In Lieu of Gifts............................................20

Steve Redder, Petoskey

dates................................................21-23 music Nightlife.........................................................27

2019

ST. PAT’S BREW ISSUE

MARCH 11, 2019

columns & stuff Top Ten...........................................................4

Spectator/Stephen Tuttle....................................6 Weird...............................................................9 Modern Rock/Kristi Kates................................24 Film................................................................26 Advice Goddess...........................................28 Crossword...................................................29 Freewill Astrology..........................................29 Classifieds..................................................30

Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase 129 E Front Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Executive Editor: Lynda Twardowski Wheatley Finance & Distribution Manager: Brian Crouch Sales: Kathleen Johnson, Lisa Gillespie, Kaitlyn Nance, Mike Bright, Michele Young, Randy Sills, Todd Norris For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948 Creative Director: Kyra Poehlman Distribution: Matt Ritter, Randy Sills, Kirk Hull, Kimberly Sills, Gary Twardowski, Kathy Twardowski Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold Reporter: Patrick Sullivan Contributors: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Ross Boissoneau, Janice Binkert, Anna Faller, Jennifer Hodges, Kristi Kates, Craig Manning, Michael Phillips, Steve Tuttle, Meg Weichman,

email info@northernexpress.com or call 231-947-8787

Copyright 2019, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 3

this week’s

top ten White pine stampede White Pine Stampede Race Director and Founder Jack McKaig is pictured greeting a winning racer at the finish line of the 2018 cross country ski race. Jack passed away in June 2018 and will be greatly missed at this year’s race on Sat., Feb. 2, starting at Mancelona High School. With Jack’s wife, Beth, at the helm, the event will still include a 10K fun race and 20K race, but the traditional 50K will be shortened to a 45K, due to changes in the grooming equipment provided by race co-sponsor Shanty Creek Resort. Start times: 45K: 9:30am; 20K: 10:30am; 10K: 11:30am. Info: whitepinestampede.org

4 Someone Stole The Accidentals’ Gear!

Beloved northern Michigan act The Accidentals hit a speed bump on a road trip out west – their trailer, which they use to carry tour gear, was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Arizona.

The band stopped on the way to a show in Phoenix after the oil light in their van had turned on, and a mechanic told them the vehicle needed to be repaired, according to a Jan. 22 Facebook post.

They stayed the night in a hotel, and the next morning, their trailer, which had been detached from the van and parked at the hotel, was gone. It was parked under a surveillance camera, but the camera wasn’t working.

Fortunately, they’d taken the most important gear into their rooms, so the band didn’t cancel any shows.

“We brought our guitars, violin, and cello into the hotel last night, so we are still moving forward,” they wrote in the post.

The band started a GofundMe campaign to raise $10,000 to replace the stolen equipment, and the goal was exceeded in less than 16 hours.

After that ordeal, the band headed to California to play dates in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Simi Valley. They’ll be back in Michigan in February.

2 tastemaker

Hey, watch this!

Fyre Fraud

The latest story to come out of the streaming wars pits two schadenfreude documentaries about the disastrous debacle that was 2017’s Fyre Festival against each other. For those not familiar with epic failure of Fyre, it was the apotheosis of millennial trends, a highly promoted immersive music festival that was touted as the ultimate exclusive luxury experience — the elite Coachella or Burning Man. And after people spent tens of thousands of dollars, what they actually found when they arrived at a private Bahamian island was that all the music acts had pulled out, and they — the “VIPs” — were left sunburned, dehydrated, stranded, and eating cheese sandwiches. In a surprise move, Hulu’s Fyre Fraud dropped four days ahead of Netflix’s highly publicized Fyre. Both films offer fascinating looks into the outrageous chaos as well as insightful cultural commentary on influencers and the social media machine, but what sets Fyre Fraud apart is the participation of festival founder Billy McFarland, the millennial-buzzword-spewing conman who is now serving a six year prison sentence. Streaming on Hulu and Netflix.

5

BRING THE KIDS!

WE PROMISE TO BEHAVE.

Stroopwafels

Had enough of that whole “eat healthy” resolution yet, Slim? Your timing couldn’t be better.

We just got turned on to the Netherlands’ way of doing coffee, and it has completely reframed our impression of what constitutes a breakfast of champions. All you need to go Dutch: a piping hot cup of coffee and a stroopwafle — essentially, two wafer thin, crispy-sweet waffle cookies glued together by a sticky, gooey, and utterly delicious syrup (in our case, a caramel cinnamon and bourbon-vanilla). Let the cookie sit atop your hot coffee about two minutes, until the caramel gets oooey-gooey melty and marvelous, and then eat, sip and welcome back your long-lost friend, the blood-sugar spike. If loving these is wrong, we don’t want to be right. $3.99+ for a box of eight waffles. Find Daelmans Stroopwafles at your local Tom’s Markets, Target, or www.amazon.com.

4 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

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6

Green Nominations Wanted

Know someone who’s gone out of their way to help the environment in the last year?

The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council is seeking nominations for Environmentalist of the Year in a variety of categories, including student, educator, grassroots group, journalism and communications, business, public service or public office, professional, volunteer, general, and agriculture.

This year’s event, the 31st Annual Environmentalist of the Year Awards, will be held on Friday, April 26, at the Dennos Museum and Milliken Auditorium. The guest speaker will be tribal elder and director of the Michigan Association of Tribes, Frank Ettawageshik.

Music will be provided by Brotha James & Friends.

To make nominations go to www.nmeac.org.

International Affairs Forum: Feed Your Brain

stuff we love The Resurrection of Nub’s Halfpipe New lighting, new lockers, and an early opening notwithstanding, perhaps the biggest news at Nub’s Nob this year has been the resurrection of its beloved halfpipe.

Just one of two in northern Michigan (the other is at nearby Boyne Highlands), Nub’s halfpipe used to be one of three pipes at the resort, but as time passed and slope-style snowboarding got more popular, the half vanished — but not people’s memory of it.

Over the last decade, Nub’s pipe devotees pushed, and this year, thanks to an early snowfall, lead groomer Scott “Guppy” Koontz was able to build and pack massive snow walls with a depth over 18 feet in many places. The 400-foot long halfpipe with 12-foot tall walls is garnering plaudits from skiers and riders, many of whom are traveling hours to get a chance to ride. This is one of fewer than half a dozen halfpipes in the entire Midwest.

NMC’s International Affairs Forum kicks off the second half of its schedule Feb. 7 with the sixth annual Academic WorldQuest competition at the Hagerty Center.

High school teams from across the region are tested on current international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures. The winning team represents the region at the national AWQ Competition in April. Admission is free.

The IAF follows with lectures and discussions by leaders and experts from across the globe, addressing all manner of topics, from recycling (Feb. 21) to autonomous vehicles, space exploration, and challenges abroad. All are held at Milliken Auditorium, except the April 30 presentation on World Press Freedom Day, which is at the State Theatre. Tickets for that event are $5; all others are $15. Students and educators receive free tickets to the livestream overflow room and in Milliken as space allows. For tickets or more information, go to www.TCiaf.org.

8 WINTER SALE! ALL KIDS SKI JACKETS AND SKI PANTS

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Bottoms up Brew’s Twitchy Russian In honor of our annual Kids and Family issue, we wanted to highlight Traverse City’s Brew, a casual downtown café that ticks off all the familial needs: modestly priced breakfast and lunch fare, easy grab-and-go treats, bathrooms (with a diaper-changing table in each!), milk, juice, coffee, plenty of alcohol, and a mid-level din that swallows up high-decibel whining. But before you wheel your crew down the (double-stroller-wide!) aisle to the couch in the back, stop and order yourself a Twitchy Russian. The brainchild of Brew’s owner, Missy Kickbush, it’s the perfect parent pick-me-up — a blend of Kahlua and vodka to chill you out, espresso to perk you up, and a little chocolate to remind you that, even with a miniature czar or two running your life, these are the sweet days. $10. 108 E. Front St. (231) 946-2739, www.brewtc.com

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 5

PRAYERS, APPOINTMENTS, AND MORE TIF spectator

by Stephen Tuttle

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It was an interesting start for the new Grand Traverse County Commission. Things will certainly get even better now that they’ll begin meetings with an invocation. Some would call it a prayer.

Our Commission says, or at least the four commissioners voting in favor did, the invocation will create an atmosphere of greater solemnity and unity. Well, of course it will, you know, like it does for Congress and legislatures around the country, all solemnly working in harmony.

One new commissioner, having received negative comments about the idea, said they weren’t from his district or his party, so he was unmoved by them. See? There’s your unity right there.

Then there was the November election, and a new Commission took over. Odgers’ appointment was rescinded on the advice of counsel. Then the commissioners reappointed — that’s right, re-appointed — Susan Odgers by a 6–1 vote. Whereupon a TADL board member and an Interlochen resident immediately filed suit, claiming that

(This is the same group that said a storefront medical marijuana dispensary wasn’t in keeping with the “character” of downtown but an 80-plus-foot parking monolith looming over the street is.)

The United States Supreme Court has already ruled that such invocations meet the constitutional test as long as they are not specific to particular religions or denominations, do not involve proselytizing, and no one is forced to participate among other proscriptions.

The Commission will have to be a bit careful as there are plenty of ways to slide down this slippery slope. Who’s going to give the invocation? If it turns out to be all Christians, that can be construed as promoting a specific religious belief for which they would undoubtedly be sued.

Unless the invocation is uniquely secular, the real problem here is there are lots of religions, and each of them is entitled to a bite at the invocation apple. The Internal Revenue Service recognizes nearly 350 different belief systems and classifies them as tax-exempt religions. If the invocation was alternately delivered by a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu, it wouldn’t even scratch the surface.

The video gaming company Electronic Arts is now considered a tax-exempt religion for some transactions due, at least in part, because gamers “donate on faith” to the company. Wiccan is also recognized, as are dozens of indigenous nation’s beliefs, polytheists of all sorts, and — in a delightfully ironic decision — the IRS even classified organized atheists as a tax-exempt religion.

The County Commission might well be confronted with requests from all manner of folks, followed by protests from others. A better plan would have been for commisioners to have a private moment at home. They could have asked for brevity — and that the roads were plowed before people tried to get to their 8:00am meetings.

6 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

The previous County Commission appointed Susan Odgers by a 4–3 vote. One of those voting in the affirmative was Odgers’ husband, then-commissioner Tom Mair.

Most people believed that was a pretty obvious conflict-of-interest since his spouse was the direct beneficiary of his vote. Mair saw it otherwise, saying there was no conflict because there was no monetary benefit as a result of his vote.

Then they spent some more time on an appointment to the Traverse Area District Library Board (TADL), a position with no remuneration.

Odgers’ appointment violated an agreement regarding the geographic distribution of TADL board members.

Lost in all this is the fact that Ms. Odgers is an imminently qualified person who applied for the position in good faith. Appointed, rescinded, re-appointed, and now, an attempt to remove her again. She deserves better than to be whacked back and forth like a human ping-pong ball.

Meanwhile, over at Traverse City’s City Hall, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) would like to extend one of their tax increment financing (TIF97) districts for another 25 years.

It works like this if you’re a property owner in the TIF district: Your taxes at the time the TIF goes into effect are considered the baseline. As that tax increases over the next 25 years, any tax above the baseline is captured and used by the DDA to fund projects in that district.

And they have plenty of projects on which to spend plenty of money. There’s the eight-story parking garage on Front Street that could cost as much as $19.5 million, the multimillion-dollar farmers market extravagance, no one knows exactly how much for a civic park, heated sidewalks ... it’s a long list.

(This is the same group that said a storefront medical marijuana dispensary wasn’t in keeping with the “character” of downtown but an 80-plus-foot parking monolith looming over the street is.)

They apparently intend to spend money for a long time, too. TIF97 doesn’t even expire until 2027, so the proposed extension would last until 2052.

It’s impossible to know if some other part of the city might need that money in the next 33 years. But the DDA knows they’ll need more. They always do.

Crime & Rescue A DEADLY DAY IN MICHIGAN A 45-year-old Charlotte man died after he crashed his snowmobile on a Kalkaska County trail. He was one of five snowmobilers to die in Michigan that day.

Timothy Edward Vertrees II was leading a group of riders on Trail 76 along Devils Creek Road when he struck an icy ridge on a curve and was ejected from his 1996 Polaris Indy 500, according to sheriff’s deputies.

Vertrees was wearing a helmet, but it was thrown off as he struck two trees. Friends called 911 and started CPR, but Ventrees was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.

Deputies said speed was a factor in the crash, but alcohol was not.

The crash happened at 7:47pm Jan. 18 in Garfield Township. According to the Department of Natural Resources, nine people have died snowmobiling in Michigan so far this winter.

PRINCIPAL FACES CHARGES Kingsley’s middle school principal resigned the same day he was charged with multiple sex crimes alleging that he groped underage male students.

Karl Arthur Hartman faces two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes.

The 54-year-old also faces two misdemeanor charges of furnishing alcohol to minors.

A warrant for his arrest was authorized Jan. 21, and Hartman resigned from his position the same day, according to Grand Traverse County prosecutors. Police arrested Hartman the next day.

The first charge involves a male who told Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s investigators that he stayed overnight at Hartman’s house in 2009, when he was 8 or 9 years old, and that Hartman asked him to sleep in Hartman’s bed and then groped his genitals.

The second alleged victim told investigators that that same year, when he was 8 or 9, Hartman called him into his office for saying a bad word in class. He told investigators that Hartman had him sit on his lap and rubbed his bottom and stomach as he asked him to explain the inappropriate word for a body part that he had used.

The third charge stemming from 2014 involved a then-14-year-old boy who said he had come to Hartman’s home to help care for someone who was sick, and Hartman gave him and another boy alcohol; all three became intoxicated, according to the charges, and Hartman asked them to “whip out their penises,” so he could judge whose was largest, and then he said, “That’s all I needed” before he went to bed.

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact detectives at (231) 995-5002.

WITNESS REPORTS DUI A witness who was concerned about someone who appeared to drive drunk away from a gas station followed the driver and called 911.

Leelanau County Sheriff’s deputies and tribal officers arrested a 30-year-old Suttons Bay woman on felony drunk driving charges; the woman had past drunk-driving convictions in

by patrick sullivan psullivan@northernexpress.com

2006 and 2011, and her license was suspended.

Someone had spotted the woman getting into a car at the Speedway gas station in Elmwood Township and driving north on M-22 at 1:10am Jan. 23. Tribal officers stopped her vehicle near Hilltop Road in Bingham Township.

911 CALLER SUFFERS SEIZURE A 44-year-old Traverse City man who called police to complain that people were doing meth in his apartment had a seizure after officers informed him that there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Traverse City Police were called to an apartment on the 800 block of E. 8th Street at 1:54am Jan. 21. Though officers found no evidence of drug use, police said one of the house guests, a 27-year-old Grand Rapids man, was wanted on a warrant for an assault charge and taken to jail.

When officers discovered that the 911 caller also had a warrant out for his arrest (for failure to appear to a court hearing), the man was apparently surprised by the news and suffered a seizure. Officers took the man to Munson Medical Center.

TRAFFIC STOP TURNS UP METH, GUN State police seized 52 grams of meth and a stolen handgun during a traffic stop in Roscommon County.

A trooper stopped a car for a suspected registration violation at 10:10am Jan. 20 on M-55 in Roscommon Township. During the investigation, police found meth and a stolen handgun inside the car.

The driver, a 28-year-old Houghton Lake man, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen property, and use of a firearm during a felony.

MAN ARRESTED AFTER CRASH Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man for third-offence drunk driving and a slew of other charges after he crashed into a light pole.

Deputies were called to a parking lot near South Airport and Garfield roads at 2:25pm Jan. 20 where they found an injured 41-yearold Rapid City man. First responders took him to Munson Medical Center.

Meanwhile, deputies determined that the man was intoxicated, that his license had been revoked, and that he was on parole. They also found marijuana, an open alcohol bottle, and ammunition in his vehicle.

After the man was treated for his injuries, he was arrested on charges of third-offense drunk driving, driving while license suspended, possession of ammunition by a felon, and a parole violation.

GAS STATION ROBBER WANTED Traverse City Police are looking for a man who robbed a gas station attendant at knifepoint.

The gas station at 732 E. Front St. was robbed at 10:08pm on Jan. 17. The suspect put a knife to the victim’s neck and demanded cash.

He left with several hundred dollars.

The man wore dark pants and a camo jacket.

Anyone with information should contact Det. Evan Warsecke at (231) 995.5164.

HONOR MAN FACES SEX CHARGES An Honor man is accused of sexually assaulting a young coworker at a summer job in Leelanau County.

The victim’s mother made a complaint to state police in Lansing in October, and detectives in northern Michigan were asked to investigate. The suspect and alleged victim worked together at a business in Glen Arbor.

Following the investigation, Leelanau County prosecutors charged 31-year-old William Allen with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and accosting a child for immoral purposes.

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Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 7

SOCIAL MEDIA IS DUMB, BUT ONE PLATFORM DESERVES SOME LOVE opinion bY gary l. howe FOMO is not what bothers this writer about Facebook. Rather, it’s the lack of breathing room. Facebook is like inviting your friends, family, and acquaintances into your living room and then discovering that they never leave. You get notified every morning that they’re standing outside your bathroom door, saying, “Hey, whatcha doin’? Wanna see what I did in there today?”

Twitter is more like a friendly trip downtown.

Like urban walks, sometimes Twitter scrolling is an uneventful errand, and other times you find yourself in the middle of breaking news. You may even have a brief but consequential encounter with a stranger that changes your world. Once in a while, you run into someone and spend the rest of the day contemplating the cosmos over mojitos.

You can stand in the shadows and watch passersby, or you can jump on a soapbox and preach to the masses. On Twitter, you’re more in control of your journey through the digital social world.

Criticism of social media is all the rage, and, in general, it’s well deserved. But Twitter stands apart, uniquely deserving of consideration. For every bloviating head of state and pontificating filmmaker on Twitter, you’ll find thousands of witty, honest Twitizens sharing their intelligent, poignant, and suitably irreverent world-wisdom. Add the abundance of ridiculously cute animal videos, sports scores and highlights, memes so funny you spit out your coffee, plus the best of the best of Russian dash-cam footage, and it’s hard to argue that there is a better place online to watch and learn or even to be genuinely entertained.

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8 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

facebook.com/hotelindigo @hotelindigo

Twitter’s genius is its character limit, delivered at the moment, in chronological order, like a ticker tape. The design was inspired by the banter of New York cabbies. Tweets are basically little messages sent out into the universe with one rule: They must be no longer than 280 characters. This brevity is useful for readers in line at the deli who want to keep up on anything they care about – from Vladimir Putin to plate tectonics to “He Who Must Not Be Named” himself @Lord_Voldemort7. It’s easy to find a daily stream of digestible bursts about anything. And for the authors among us, the enforced brevity helps to hone punch and wit skills, and lord knows we all could use more of both.

Too many people only experience Twitter when a celebrity reveals their dark side, or when POTUS issues a less-thanstatesmanlike utterance. By following a few simple tips, a well-curated Twitter feed can enhance your life, instead of draining your will to live. (see bottom.)

SOME TIPS: Go beyond your friends. Whatever your field of interest may be, you will find experts and authors out there tweeting about it. Engage with them. You’ll be surprised by how many people reply, even those who are well known.

The Twitter universe is egalitarian enough that an insightful, well-thought-out Tweet will directly reach @Lin_Manuel, @Kasparov63,

@laurenduca, and even their Holinesses @ Pontifex and @DalaiLama.

Get on the ground. “If journalism is the first draft of history, Twitter is the first draft of journalism,” offered @nytopinion in 2016.

Twitter’s running timeline and trending algorithm help bring attention to events before the news media has been dispatched.

These tweets are the first glimpse of history.

If the world ends, it will be announced on Twitter first. Consider Sohaib Athar, @ ReallyVirtual, who on the night of May 2, 2011, tweeted, “Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1 AM (is a rare event).” A day later he summed it up with the following, “Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.”

Give and receive help. Increasingly, businesses are using Twitter for customer service. Many a PR nightmare has been averted by a brand monitor following mentions on the company’s feed, who responds to a pointed complaint with a quick, “How can I help?” Help goes the other way, too — @cookbook provides full recipes in 280 characters or less!

Stop killing your plants. New services sprout up all the time. For example, the company @ botanicalls can create a Twitter account for your sensor-enhanced plant, so that it can tweet at you when you forget to water it.

With a little digging, you can go far beyond doomsday and horticultural tweets into a universe that’s as strange and expansive as the wide, wide world. You may also discover meaningful ways to engage and make sense of the robust digital interconnection that is the foundation of the 21st century. As @ davidduchovny might tweet, “The truth is out there.”

Gary L. Howe is a photographer and writer in Traverse City. He chimes in and reposts articles of interest @GLHJR (likes and retweets are not endorsements). He’s also on Facebook, but never mind that.

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Recurring Themes -- The first clue for police that Craig Wistar, 51, of Warren, Ohio, shouldn’t have been driving was that he was behind the wheel of a car facing east in a westbound lane around 2 a.m. on Dec. 4. The second was the woman in the back seat, who mouthed “Help me” to officers as they questioned Wistar, who had a bottle of vodka at his feet. When asked what he was doing, Wistar replied, “I’m Ubering,” reported WFMJ-TV. Officers moved the passenger to their patrol car and administered a field sobriety test, during which Wistar admitted, “I’m plastered. I’m talking hammered. I confess I’m drunk.” Wistar’s Uber passenger got a ride home from police, and he pleaded guilty on Jan. 14 to driving under the influence. Most important, he will no longer be able to drive for ride-sharing apps.

-- Sunita Jairam, 48, of Lexington, Kentucky, was arrested for driving under the influence at about 1 a.m. on Jan. 13, which she explained to police by saying she did it for her son. According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Jairam told police she had been drinking all day and “drank a bunch of beer and got in her car to drive to teach her son a lesson.” Her son, whose age was not reported, told police he had tried several times to get out of the BMW X1 “due to his mother’s driving,” but the doors were locked.

Jairam was also charged with endangering the welfare of a minor.

-- In the category of Straining Logic, Jana Moschgat’s defense attorney suggested at her drunk-driving hearing on Jan. 8 in Berwick, Pennsylvania, that the results of her breath test might have been compromised by the fact that, according to the arresting officer, she was nibbling on her coat before the test was administered. Moschgat, 47, smelled of alcohol, the officer testified, and failed a field sobriety test; her blood alcohol level was tested at 0.151 percent, almost twice the legal limit. Attorney Travis Petty questioned the officer about his knowledge of the fabric content of her coat, reported The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise, saying certain materials can alter the results of breath tests. The judge wasn’t buying the argument and sent the case to trial.

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Great Art! Namibian artist Max Siedentopf, 27, has placed an installation in the ancient Namib Desert, consisting of six speakers attached to an MP3 player projecting the song “Africa” by Toto -- over and over and over, for all eternity.

The song, released in 1982, has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity, and was one of Spotify’s “Top Throwback Songs” in 2018.

Siedentopf told the BBC that solar batteries will keep the song playing forever: “I wanted to pay the song the ultimate homage and physically exhibit ‘Africa’ in Africa ... but I’m sure the harsh environment of the desert will devour the installation eventually.”

Inexplicable Mmmm, breakfast! Around 7 a.m. on Jan. 6, at a McDonald’s in San Francisco, a man carried a dead raccoon into the restaurant and lay it on a table, then sat down with it. Restaurant patron Chris Brooks captured the spectacle on Facebook Live, recording as the man stood from his seat and walked around the restaurant, talking with people. Another man, wearing gloves, then picked the raccoon up by its tail and took it outside to a garbage can, trailing blood on the floor. Fox News reported San Francisco police responded to the restaurant and released the unidentified raccoon owner after speaking with him. McDonald’s closed the store immediately and reopened two hours later after sanitizing the dining room. One patron wrote on Twitter: “I’ve seen worse than a dead raccoon at that same McDonald’s.”

Love Gone Wrong It was love at first ... arrest, for 27-year-old Ashley Keister of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, when she was apprehended by a West Wyoming, Pennsylvania, police officer last year. Ever since, Police Chief Curtis Nocera told the Associated Press, Keister had been harassing the officer with sexual messages on social media and would call 911 just to talk with him. On Jan. 7, police said, Keister took her infatuation a step further, using a large cigarette butt receptacle to break through the door of the West Wyoming police station around 1 a.m., where she rummaged through filing cabinets. Keister was caught on surveillance video and was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, burglary and vandalism.

Crime Report Isaias Garcia, 30, of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty in a Bridgeport, Connecticut, courtroom on Jan. 10 to reduced charges stemming from a bizarre kidnapping scheme last April. Garcia had abducted a 21-year-old Fairfield man and was demanding $800 in ransom, the man’s aunt and father reported to police on April 6. Police told the aunt to request a photo to guarantee the young man was still alive, and when the photo arrived by text, ctpost.com reported, it showed the victim lying facedown in a bathtub with a 3-foot-long alligator on top of him, mouth open. In a subsequent phone call, the victim told his aunt: “Titi, man they got this alligator on me and they saying that if no money is given they are gonna have him chewing on me.” Police and the FBI were able to trace the phone calls to a hotel room, where Garcia was apprehended. He faces a year in prison.

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Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 9

LAME DUCK FALL OUT Environmentalists are worried what a group of new laws mean for the state — concerns the laws’ supporters argue are overblown

By Patrick Sullivan Four bills passed during the lame duck session of the state legislature have transformed the Michigan’s environmental policy.

One sweeping new law prevents the state from enacting environmental standards that are stricter than federal standards, except in certain cases. Another rolled back wetlands regulations. A third made it harder for state regulators to react to scientific developments when measuring hazardous contamination.

A fourth bill enabled the construction of a tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline at the Straits of Mackinac, a move decried by opponents who have fought to have the 65-year-old pipeline removed.

“WRITTEN BY SPECIAL INTERESTS” For environmentalists in northern Michigan, the passage of the laws marks a particularly dark time for the state.

Christopher Grobbel, a former DEQ staffer and owner of Grobbel Environmental & Planning Associates, an environmental and land use planning firm in Lake Leelanau, says he was appalled that the legislature would vote to reshape the state’s environmental policy and undo, during a lame-duck session “at the 12th hour, literally, on the way out of the door,” decades of laws that were often crafted through bipartisan compromise and consensus.

Michigan has a history of strong environmental regulation, Grobbel says.

“This is really a major step backward.”

Dave Dempsey, who served as an environmental advisor to former Gov. Jim Blanchard and is a senior advisor at Traverse City-based FLOW, a Great Lakes advocacy

group, says the laws mark “the biggest steps back in environmental politics in Michigan in decades.”

Environmental protection has historically been important to Michigan citizens, Dempsey says. There was a long track record of conservation and environmental stewardship that crossed party lines and led to pioneering measures to protect the state’s natural resources.

That started to change in the 1990s, Dempsey says, as politics became more

Nonetheless, he said it is an exaggeration to say that the laws constitute a reversal of course for environmental regulation in Michigan.

“I think that Michigan continues to have strong considerations for the environment and conservation,” Schmidt says.

He says the new laws serve as a check on regulators who, in some cases, have gone too far in enforcing environmental laws.

Jason Hayes, director of environmental policy at Midland-based Mackinac Center

“The big message out of this is they try to put a spike into the whole notion of regulating isolated wetlands,” Grobbel says.

“We’re going to have a number of areas that are going to lose protection that are wetlands. Small, isolated wetlands, but ecologically and hydrologically important wetlands.” polarized, and the conservative movement shifted away from support of environmental policies. The 2018 laws mark the consequences of that shift that began in the 1990s.

“The way it happened was undemocratic and sneaky,” Dempsey says. “It was an exercise in placating special interests; the bills were written by special interests, and they were products of right wing-think tanks and lobbyist.”

A CHECK ON REGULATORS Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) voted for three of the laws; he didn’t vote for the “no stricter than federal” bill, he says, because he believes that one went too far.

10 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, strongly disagrees that the laws meant Michigan was abandoning environmental regulation. He believes the laws are good for property rights and business while still enabling the state to regulate the environment.

“They enforce transparency on the government, which is always a good thing, and they respect private property rights, and they allow businesses to do what they need to do, which is good for the economy,” Hayes says.

In addition, he says, the laws still enable Michigan to enforce environmental rules; they just make it harder for regulators to overreach.

“All three of those provide safety valves for the government,” he says.

A BIG THREAT TO WATER From Dempsey’s perspective, the worst of the four laws passed during the lame-duck session was HB 4205, the bill that mandates Michigan environmental standards can be no stricter than federal standards.

Michigan has historically been a leader in taking action on toxic chemicals, Dempsey says, and HB 4205 repudiates that tradition.

“Michigan was the first state to cancel most uses of DDT, which put us ahead of the rest of the country,” he says. “We are, in essence, throwing away that legacy with this law. “… We cannot know what the next toxic emergency is going to be, but when it comes, it’s going to be very difficult for Michigan to take appropriate action.”

Liz Kirkwood, executive director of FLOW, says the “no stricter than federal” law is especially hard to stomach now, as the state faces threats from PFAs, a diverse group of contaminants that don’t degrade and can therefore migrate and pose a threat to drinking water over years or decades.

The new laws, along with SB 1244, which will make it harder for regulators to enact stricter standards for contamination based on peer-reviewed science, are going to pose a challenge to regulators trying to keep drinking water safe from PFAs, said TJ Andrews, legal counsel at Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. Andrews says the “no stricter than federal” law is particularly alarming in light of what’s happening at the EPA under the Trump Administration, which has expressed contempt for environmental regulations.

“It seems like it’s part of a broader conspiracy, right?” Andrews says. “Let’s slash it at the federal level, and then make sure the states can’t do any better.”

Grobbel says he fears that, by barring Michigan from having any higher-thanfederal environmental standards, the law could throw a significant portion of the state’s environmental regulation into limbo.

In many instances, the DEQ has been allowed to enforce federal law because the state’s standards are stricter under a standard called “primacy,” Grobbel said. On wetlands, for example, the federal government has historically acknowledged the state’s higher standards by handing over enforcement of federal law to state officials.

Now that Michigan no longer has “primacy” to take control over federal environmental standards, Grobbel says he doesn’t know who will be responsible for environmental regulation going forward.

“It’s always been the case in Michigan, even under Republican governors, that we wanted to keep that closer to home rather than rely on the Chicago EPA,” says Grobbel.

“Now, instead of relying on our criteria, we’re going to default to the federal criteria to determine which wetlands are regulated.”

CONCERNS “A LITTLE OVER THE TOP” Hayes says those fears over the “no stricter than federal” bill are overblown.

Gov. Snyder vetoed an earlier version of the bill several years ago; this time he signed it.

Hayes says that’s because Snyder required that the law contain a less strict threshold for state regulators to prove a need for stronger standards. That means that in the event of an emergency, state regulators will be able to step in.

“Initially when it was written, they had to provide a clear and convincing case for a more strict regulations,” he says. In the version that passed, they have to show a need through a preponderance of evidence.

In the case of something like PFAs, Hayes says that, since those are not regulated by the federal government, the state standards would remain intact.

He says he isn’t concerned that Michigan is aligning with federal standards, even as the EPA is reinventing itself in the age of Trump.

“The notion that the state of Michigan is just chucking environmental regulations out the door and the baby’s going out with the bathwater, I think, is a little over the top,” Hayes says.

He says he believes the EPA became too aggressive under Obama administration control, and the Trump administration is correcting that.

“The EPA is focusing where they’re supposed to be,” he says.

Along with Schmidt, Rep. Larry Inman (R-Traverse City) also voted against the “no stricter” bill.

“We are surrounded by the Great Lakes, and we have a lot of inland lakes and inland rivers, so we’re kind of in a special state where we’re surrounded by fresh water,” he says. “There could be instances where we need stricter than federal regulations.”

Inman said though he is a Republican, he weighs environmental bills carefully and is willing to listen to environmental groups.

“They are not shy about calling the office,” Inman says. “I would say that they are really a great resource. In the era of term limits, they have a sense of history a lot of times.”

Inman voted for the wetlands bill, which, although it is also decried by environmental groups, was drastically altered between when it was introduced and when it passed, making it much less severe.

“Every bill that comes before us, when it first comes out, a lot of times it comes with a lot of controversy, so we get a lot of phone calls in

our office from constituents,” Inman says. “The legislative process softens up the bill.”

QUESTIONS OVER WETLANDS Andrews agrees that the final version of the wetlands bill, SB 1211, isn’t nearly as bad as an earlier version of the bill, which would have reclassified the minimum size for “regulated” wetlands from five acres to 10 acres, a move that might have put as many as a half million acres of wetlands out of regulation in the state.

Heather Smith, the Watershed Center’s baykeeper, says the law will make it harder to investigate violations because of new burdens the law foists upon already stretched-out DEQ staff. For example, the law requires that if the DEQ wants to investigate an alleged wetland violation on private property, they have to get a search warrant.

“It makes it harder to investigate violations,” she says.

Grobbel says another significant change in the new law is that now, only wetlands contiguous with bodies of water are regulated; it used to be that wetlands within 1,000 feet of the Great Lakes or 500 feet of an inland lake or waterway were regulated.

Up North, that’s going to affect a lot of property, and it’s going to make a lot of wetlands unregulated.

“The big message out of this is they try to put a spike into the whole notion of regulating isolated wetlands,” Grobbel says.

“We’re going to have a number of areas that are going to lose protection that are wetlands.

Small, isolated wetlands, but ecologically and hydrologically important wetlands.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of land that couldn’t be developed will suddenly be developable, however, Grobbel says. Even under the old laws, an application to fill wetlands was virtually never denied.

Rather, DEQ regulators would work with the landowner or developer to determine how a project could move forward with the least harm done to the wetlands, and then issue the permit.

What the new law means, Grobbel says, is that in a lot of cases, that kind of harm mitigation will no longer have to take place, and those wetlands will just get filled — ultimately at the expense of the region’s water quality.

“If you’re a banker or a developer, you probably love it,” Grobbel says.

COMPLAINTS OVER DEQ ENFORCEMENT Inman says he liked the final version of the wetlands bill: “I thought it was a fair balance.” He says DEQ staff can sometimes be overzealous.

Schmidt also supported the wetlands bill, even in its earlier, more severe form.

“I was thankful they scaled it back, even though I voted for the first, much more drastic version,” he says.

Schmidt says he heard complaints about the way the DEQ enforced environmental regulations, and he thinks this law will make it clearer what is and what is not allowed.

“There seems to be or has been inconsistencies within the department,” Schmidt says. “We tried to get it so people know exactly what the rules are.”

Hayes agreed that wetlands enforcement at the DEQ could be overzealous, and he said this law was needed.

“There’s examples where we have helped defend property owners who have been unreasonably regulated in terms of wetlands use,” Hayes says.

Hayes cited one example of a Grand Rapids business owner whom the DEQ refused permission to construct an employee parking lot because of a wetland that Hayes contends was, in fact, wet ground due to snow melt. He said that led to a legal case

that went on for years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Hayes said the bill by no means will mean the wholesale destruction of wetlands.

“We’re maintaining standards, we’re still maintaining wetlands, but at the same time, we’re protecting landowners,” he says.

Kirkwood hopes the bill doesn’t result in too much wetlands destruction. The value of wetlands to society is not always evident or obvious, but they serve many crucial functions.

“We know that wetlands have incredible economic and ecological benefits for us,” Kirkwood says.

Wetlands mitigate flooding during severe weather, they serve as wildlife incubators, and they abate pollution and protect water resources.

“They can’t be perceived as swamp any more — they serve a vital role in urban and suburban and rural communities,” she says.

Area environmentalists are also alarmed over SB 1197, which enables the construction of a tunnel for Line 5 at the Straits of Mackinac and created the Mackinac Straits Tunnel Authority.

The promise of a tunnel doesn’t quell fears over the danger posed by the aging pipeline; it might be a decade before the tunnel is completed, and in the meantime, the oil line will remain in operation.

“I think it would be difficult to say that a modern, well-built tunnel presents the same water quality threat as a 60-year-old pipeline,” Andrews says. “But I would say, from a water quality perspective, it’s the length of time leaving the pipeline there that’s the bigger threat.”

Traverse City’s Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is also opposed to the tunnel plan.

In a statement opposing the tunnel, Jim Lively, Groundwork’s policy director, argues that letting the pipeline run for 10 more years as-is poses too big a threat; that Michigan doesn’t need the oil transported in the pipeline; and, in fact, most of it returns to Canada through Sarnia. He called the “process for crafting and passing the tunnel deal … rushed, secretive, and likely unconstitutional.”

Gov. Whitmer asked Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office to research questions about the tunnel deal; Kirkwood said FLOW is assisting in that research.

“We do not litigate. However, the attorney general has asked for legal advice and analysis,” she says. “Enbridge (the Canadian company that owns the pipeline) continues to be an unworthy and distrusted tenant, and so the state of Michigan has legal authority and a duty to ensure that it upholds its fiduciary public trustee duties to the citizens of Michigan.”

Hayes says he believes pipelines are safer alternatives to other means of transporting oil and that Line 5 delivers fuel that’s needed in Michigan. Although Line 5 opponents argue that much of Line 5’s load passes through Michigan and goes back into Canada through Sarnia, Hayes says that a lot of that oil is refined there and then returns to Michigan as gasoline.

Hayes says he shares the concern over the age of the pipeline and also worries that something could happen in the 10 years before a tunnel is completed.

“What you do is, you do your darndest to make sure it doesn’t happen,” he says.

Schmidt voted in favor of the tunnel.

Inman voted against it, but he said only because of how long it’s going to take to build.

“I can live with a tunnel. I can live with some advancement of utilities going through that tunnel,” he says. “The biggest concern that I had was the seven to 10 years” delay.

A Bright Side for Environmentalists — One That Didn’t Pass.

One bill that failed was one Traverse City environmentalists followed closely — it would have prevented localities from writing ordinances to protect trees, and was proposed just as Traverse City was debating whether to establish such an ordinance.

The bill was supported by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, and Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) was a sponsor of an amendment to the would-be law.

“We were disappointed that the chamber was involved, and that Wayne Schmidt was the sponsor of one of the tagalong [bills],” says TJ Andrews, legal counsel for Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. The tree ordinance discussion arose following the massive treecutting at the Moorings development, on the west end of the city.

“The planning commission was specifically inquiring of staff, saying, ‘Where’s our tree protection?’”

Andrews says. “And staff were saying, ‘We just don’t have any,” and the planning commission said, ‘Well, we need one. Let’s make it a priority.’”

As the Watershed Center worked to help Traverse City draft an ordinance, the law was proposed in the state legislature, which Andrews found underhanded.

“There was a lot of discussion when the tree ordinance was first presented to the planning commission, and there was some argument that this was not the result of a public process, and you had too few stakeholders sitting at the table,” she says. “So, we sat down with the chamber. Their position was that more public input was needed to get a better ordinance.”

But ultimately the chamber and Schmidt supported a state law that would have put an end to the discussion.

Schmidt says he supported the law because he heard from constituents who were worried about how much the tree ordinance would cost.

Schmidt says the law wasn’t introduced in reaction to Traverse City’s tree ordinance proposal; he says there were a couple downstate communities also debating tree ordinances. He says some of the tree ordinances under consideration were too severe and “were going to be extremely punitive, especially in an urban area where you want to concentrate development.”

Nonetheless, Schmidt does not expect the bill to be re-introduced this session. Andrews hopes Traverse City can pass something now that the bill failed.

What she and the Watershed helped create was a framework for a tree policy that could be made as strict or as loose as city commissioners want, she says.

Essentially, an ordinance would say that if you cut down a big old tree, something has to be replanted.

“It should be done, and someone is going to have to brave and say that this is an issue that this community is going to address,” she says.

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 11

Camille Madion is in her second year at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.

For Love of Country

Meet some northern Michigan kids who opted to test their post-high school limits at a military academy, rather than college.

By Al Parker

For juniors in high school, applying to college is often a nerve-wracking process. They all wait nervously to get word that they’ve been accepted by their favorite university.

But a select few await word that they’ve been chosen to not only continue their academic studies but also to serve and sacrifice for their nation.

They are an elite group, who choose to attend a military academy. Their longawaited acceptance letters are postmarked from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, or the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs.

“I’ve always been interested in the military,” says Camille Madion, now in her second year at the Naval Academy. “The Navy offers a variety of career options. It’s been on my mind since my freshman year [at Traverse City St. Francis.]”

Were Tim and Charity Madion at all concerned about their daughter’s choice?

“I was very positive about it,” says Tim. “Her mom was a little nervous and skeptical.

But that changed when she went out to pick Camille up from her Summer Seminar [the weeklong camp she attended between junior and senior year of high school]. Once Charity learned what the Academy was about firsthand, she became very excited. In fact, if she could, she’d love to join Camille and become a midshipman herself.”

Madion is studying cyber operations

but would eventually like to become a pilot, either with the Navy or Marine Corps. “I’ve always been a fan of air shows,” she say.

Other Traverse City residents at the Naval Academy include Kelly Klettner, Niki Roxbury, and Erin McDonnell.

Teddy Prichard, another TCSF grad, visited both the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy before settling on West Point, where he is a first year student, a plebe.

Rep. Jack Bergman, a former Marine Corps general, gave Prichard his Congressional nomination, key to getting into any of the military academies.

“Getting accepted was such a long process,” says Prichard, who is interested in becoming a pilot. “But when I got the final word, it was great that all of it paid off. It was awesome.”

Prichard says academy classes are challenging, but he’s keeping up in all of them, while serving as manager of the Army basketball team. (Prichard played both basketball and football at St. Francis.) He credits the support system at West Point.

“The best thing is how great the people are,” he says. “They are all hard workers, really good people. Everyone wants you to succeed. They are willing to help each other, work for each other.

Traverse City West graduate Grace Martin is also a first-year plebe at West Point. Harbor Springs siblings Zachary and Madison Hunt are cadets at the Air Force Academy. Another TCSF grad, Christian

12 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

Stellin, considered the Naval Academy, but chose to go to the Air Force Academy after visiting the Colorado campus. “It just felt right,” he says. “I applied late, just a month before the deadline.”

Now in his second year at the Academy, Stellin is majoring in aeronautical engineering and German. He’s also interested in becoming a pilot. The Academy academics, especially math classes like differential equations, are tough, he admits, but his high school classes prepared him well.

With just over 4,000 students on campus and some 1,100 in his graduating class, the Air Force Academy offers a chance for cadets to get personal instruction from instructors.

“My biggest class is only 27,” Stellin says.

Each of the military academies has just over 4,000 students on campus. By comparison, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan each have about 10 times that number of students. Both Stellin and Madion estimate that about 70 percent of their classmates are males and 30 percent females.

Candidates for all the academies must meet certain requirements that are generally consistent no matter what academy they choose. They are evaluated in academic performance, leadership potential and physical abilities. They must be at least 17 years old, but not yet 23 on July 1 of the year of their admission. They must not be married, pregnant, or have a legal obligation to support a child.

To qualify academically, a student’s

transcript will be evaluated, along with ACT and SAT scores. To prepare for the academy curriculum, students are urged to have a strong background in composition, grammar, literature, and speech, along with four years of college-prep math, two years of a foreign language, two years of a lab science (such as chemistry and physics), and at least a year of history, geography, government and economics.

In addition to all these requirements, applicants are required to be nominated by a Member of Congress. They need to write to their representative, requesting a nomination. Members of Congress have a limited number of nominations to give, and have their own application deadlines, so students need to be aware of that process. No academy candidate can be offered admission without the Congressional nomination.

Madion sought nominations from Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, along with Congressman Dan Dr. Benishek.

“Over the past five or six years, we’ve had about two students a year go on to one of the academies,” says Beth Maday, a counselor at TCSF. “For some students, college has become so expensive, this is a way to have college paid for and receive a salary while still in school. They also have a love of God, a love of country. They want to do something beyond themselves.”

Students must pass a medical assessment, and it can sometimes end the dreams of an otherwise qualified candidate.

“We had one student who had focused

Traverse City-raised Naval midshipman Camille Madion and Army cadet Teddy Prichard met up at the Army-Navy football game in December. All students from each academy attend the game, which saw Army take a hard-fought 17–10 victory. The pageantry of the annual Army-Navy game is almost as important as the outcome; it’s the only college football game in which the players on the field have taken a solemn oath to fight and die for those watching.

on going to one of the military academies,” says Maday. “Unfortunately she had had eczema and failed the medical exam. It was crushing.”

Physical fitness is mandatory for all academies. West Point, for example, requires applicants to pass a Candidate Fitness Assessment consisting of six events: basketball throw, pull-ups, shuttle run, situps, push-ups and a one-mile run.

“I’m not a natural athlete,” says Madion, who played tennis and ran cross-country in high school. “I worked with a trainer for a year and a half to get ready, to improve my strength and endurance.”

The work paid off, and Madion had little trouble with the Naval Academy’s mandatory physical training (PT) required of all freshman midshipmen. (In sophomore year, PT is not mandatory, but middies take part in a sport of some type.)

Any words of wisdom for high school students planning to apply to a military academy?

“Get started as early as possible,” advises Stellin. “Try to make your resume as strong as possible. Volunteer for things, be active, and be a leader on sports teams.”

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Christian Stellin is at the Air Force Academy, majoring in aeronautical engineering and German.

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Up Early, Study Late A typical day at West Point starts at 5:30am when cadets often take part in an optional fitness workout. Reveille (the bugle, trumpet, or pipes call summoning all hands out of bed) is at 6:30am. Breakfast formation starts at 7, and the meal is served at 7:15.

Four 50-minute classes run from 7:55 to 11:45. Lunch formation is from 12:05 to 12:50, followed by company training time until 1:30pm. Fifth and sixth classes run from 1:30 to 3:30pm, then athletics, extracurricular, and personal time is until pm.

The evening meal is served from 6:30 to 7:15, with an evening study time from 8pm to 11pm. Taps is played at midnight, signaling the end of the day for all cadets.

When you add time for military duties, inspection preparation, and extra academic instruction to this rigid schedule, it’s easy to see that demands on the cadets’ time is considerable.

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Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 13

Charlevoix, Kid City

Last July, NBC’s TODAY Show — awed by Charlevoix’s beautiful beaches, bike and hike trails, and overall sunny disposition — named the city one of the best places to go with children.

Northern Express puts it to the test … in the dead of winter.

By Blair Yaroch There’s something about Charlevoix that gives you all the feels.

There’s the obvious point: It’s beautiful, enchanting even — especially as you watch the rise and fall of a real live drawbridge while the channel below merges Lake Michigan with Round Lake. But spend a little time here, and you’ll see that Charlevoix is more than just a pretty face. Even as the lake-effect snow and icy winds blow off the big water, this lakeside city hums with a warm vibe of timeless charm and offers up affordable fun, delicious food, and views that will delight kids of all ages. No matter what the season, this northern Michigan gem has earned its family travel accolades. Here’s what to do with your crew in Charlevoix this winter:

Photo courtesy of Bestoftraversecity.com

14 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

PLAY Mount McSauba Situated behind dunes that crest Lake Michigan’s shoreline, Mount McSauba is Charlevoix’s winter recreational jewel — and one that offers a full day of fun for a steal. Start with its lighted ski hill: 10 runs operated by tow ropes, plus a terrain park for the trickster in your group. Lift tickets are under $20, making this about the most affordable day of family skiing imaginable.

Private/group lessons plus equipment rental are available. Bonus: If you make it to the highest point, a stunning panoramic view of the lake awaits you.

If downhill skiing isn’t your thing, no worries. Mount McSauba has plenty more to offer, including Friday night candlelit hikes from 5pm to 8pm through the end of February. These self-paced hikes or snowshoe treks end at a toasty, roaring fire with cups of hot chocolate. McSauba also offers a skating rink (skates rent for just $1!), lighted sledding hill, and trail system for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing at your leisure. www.cityofcharlevoix. org/331/Mt-McSauba Charlevoix’s Groundhog Shadow Fest Check out Charlevoix as its residents come together to embrace the winter months at this year’s Shadow Fest, taking place Feb. 1–2. The event kicks off at the waterside Weathervane Restaurant, with a pancake breakfast, then launches into a slew of kid-friendly festivities: free showings of Peter Rabbit and Groundhog Day at the Charlevoix Cinema, and childcentered activities at the Circle of Arts Building. There will be a beer tent (because grown-ups need fun, too), live music, horse-drawn wagon rides, trivia, and more. For up-to-date info check out www. charlevoixshadowfest.com.

Mushroom House Tours It’s impossible to spend any time in Charlevoix without noticing the uniquely charming “mushroom houses” scattered among the city streets. These “hobbit houses,” designed by the 1950’s architect Earl Young, tend to be a big hit with middle and high school kids who fell in love with J.R.R.

Tolkien books or its The Lord of the Rings film franchise. Seeing the houses doesn’t have to feel like a trek to middle earth, though; even in winter, Mushroom House Tours offers GEM car rides to see them. Owner Edith Pairs stocks the cars with cozy blankets.

Thermoses of hot cocoa are welcome, and GEM drivers share insider stories galore about these architectural anomalies. Tours are tailored to be kid- and teen- friendly and are available seven days a week in the winter months — just by appointment only (one day notice is preferred). Tickets: $18/ per person. www.mushroomhousetours.com.

Castle Farms No doubt you and your kids have heard about Castle Farms, but did you know self-guided or guided tours are available through the 1918-built castle and grounds every day, year-round? Explore the various halls and impressive architecture as your family takes a step back in time to discover the captivating story behind this northern castle. Don’t forget to check out the World War I Museum while you’re there. Castle Farms is open daily from 10am to 4pm during the winter season. (If you plan to visit during the summer months, younger kiddos can explore the largest outdoor model train track in Michigan and get their wiggles out by running through the castle’s hedge maze.) www.castlefarms.com Charlevoix Cultural Corridor Round out your stay in Charlevoix with a visit to the city’s “cultural corridor.” Located right in the heart of this well-rounded city, you will find the Charlevoix Circle of Arts building, the beautiful Charlevoix Public Library, as well as the Charlevoix Historical Society Museum. Throughout the winter months the Circle of Arts is exhibiting the Molsen Collection of Children’s Book Illustrations, showcasing more than 80 original children’s illustrations from noteworthy artists. The newly renovated public library is also a spot worth visiting.

Located in a beautiful historic building with a decked-out children’s area (complete with a pirate ship!) there is something for everyone to explore. www.charlevoixcircle. com/cultural-corridor.html

EAT For a small town, Charlevoix packs in its share of good eats! You’re bound to work up an appetite scoping the scene, so here are a few family friendly spots to fill everyone’s bellies: Bridge Street Tap Room Talk about a room with a view! Bridge Street Tap Room overlooks the beautiful Round Lake, boasts a menu full of craft brews and cocktails, a separate kid’s menu, and drool-worthy share options.

(Hint: Try the smoked brisket nachos. www.bridgestreettaproom.com The Cantina Tucked away in Van Pelt Alley sits The Cantina, and trust us, Amigos — you’re gonna want to check it out! A variety of tacos with creative flavor twists, mouthwatering street corn, homemade chips and guac, and — perfect for parents of wee ones — outstanding margaritas and kids menu. Open every day but Monday. www.charlevoix-cantina.com Harwood Gold Support a local family of syrup farmers and check out this eye-catching establishment.

This café offers up delicious homemade pasties, soups, salads, wraps, smoothies, and more! There is also a full espresso bar to assure that you can keep rocking long after lunch! www.harwoodgold.com

STAY Edgewater Inn Located in the heart of downtown, these independently owned condo rentals offer low offseason rates, multiple bedrooms, and an indoor pool and hot tub. An on-site restaurant with delicious fare, views of Round Lake, and an expansive craft cocktail menu make this spot a win for everyone. www.edgewater-charlevoix.com The Weathervane Terrace Inn and Suites Just steps from the beach, Staffords Weathervane Restaurant, and all that downtown has to offer is The Weathervane Terrace Inn and Suites. This Earl Young hotel is truly one of a kind and offers standard rooms as well as more spacious family suites with jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces. www.weathervane-chx.com

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 15

F l a v o r s BLT Pizza. t h e E a s t w i t h butternut squash.

Parents take note: Any time schools are closed for a snow day or due to extreme cold, Mo’s offers one-dollar games of bowling all day!

o f Middle paired local

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

By Janice Binkert OK, so Incredible Mo’s isn’t just like home (unless, of course, home is a 35,000-square foot structure with a 16-lane bowling alley, huge arcade, laser tag and escape rooms, a little kids’ zone, and a full-service restaurant), but on some days and occasions, it might be just the right place for your family to be … even if (or maybe especially if) you’re a large group with different wants, needs, and appetites.

ONE FOR THE AGES The entertainment component of Incredible Mo’s may be the initial big draw, but its in-house restaurant, Sauce, has become an attraction in its own right, offering appealing dining options for everyone from toddlers to grandparents.

“We’ve tried to diversify our menu offerings to appeal to a wide range of preferences and palates,” says Chris Mohrhardt, owner of Incredible Mo’s. “It starts with the really little kids: For them we have the Mini Mo menu, a large, colorful laminated mat with photos of eight different meals, all plated playfully.

Even kids who can’t read yet get a kick out of being able to point to their choice and say, ‘I want the sunshine’ (pancakes) or ‘I want the rainbow’ (mac ‘n’ cheese).”

Sauce was part of the concept for Incredible Mo’s from its beginning in February 2013. “Most bowling alleys or entertainment centers, even in big cities, have traditionally offered snack bar-type food, like hamburgers and hot dogs and nachos,” says Mohrhardt. “But we watch trends in the industry, and we wanted to be able to offer a full-service restaurant and lounge area with a fresher, chef-driven menu.”

Mohrhardt says he’s seen tremendous growth in the restaurant side of the business — even outpacing the growth of the entertainment side — over the last six years.

Although most of Incredible Mo’s customers are families who come to eat and play, Sauce also attracts empty nesters or others without kids who come in for its artisan pizzas and salads or just for drinks and appetizers.

INCREDIBLE IRRESISTIBLES Ah yes, those artisan pizzas … Starting with handcrafted dough and sauces made in house, they are the go-to pick for many guests, both young and old. The Sauce menu lists sixteen specialty pizzas, among them the Maui Wowie (pulled pork, pineapple, goat cheese, crispy onion, house bbq sauce), BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing) and Spicy Cheesesteak (steak, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, crispy onion, spicy aioli).

And the Customize Your Own Pizza section lets you choose from dozens of toppings, six different crusts (plus gluten-free), and 12 different sauces (the original red sauce alone contains 19 ingredients).

The kitchen at Sauce is led by chefs Errik Malmstrom and Victor Dunbar. “The framework for the original menu six years ago was established by our then-chef, who was quite skilled and always thinking outside the box. We’ve kept several of those items, but Errik and Vic have since added many of their own great dishes.” Cue the Vic’s Chicken sandwich (seasoned and lightly breaded chicken, sharp cheddar, bacon, banana peppers, artichoke truffle spread).

“He used to make it for the employees,” says Mohrhardt, “and they loved it so much that they said, ‘You should put this on the menu.’”

According to Mohrhardt, mozzarella bread bites from the Starters category top the list of menu favorites for kids and teens, followed closely by eggrolls. “We started out with our Irish eggrolls (corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, 1000 island dressing), and they were such a hit that we created a couple of other variations.” Now the buffalo chicken eggrolls (with sautéed celery, pepper jack cheese, and blue cheese dressing) and cheeseburger eggrolls (ground beef, pickle, onion, American cheese, and zesty sauce) share equal billing.

Sauce’s parmesan garlic fries with artichoke truffle aioli dip drew such raves that they were moved from the Starters category to a new Artisan Fries category, which now also offers basic house fries (tossed in salt and pepper, Cajun fries, and cheddar-bacon fries with freshly cut scallions.

Still need more choices? Check out the eight variations on wings (habanero honey,

16 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

house BBQ, parmesan garlic, buffalo, dry rub, sesame ginger, Thai sweet chili, spicy sriracha) served with ranch or blue cheese dressing, or the chicken lettuce wraps (spicy sweet slaw, crispy wonton strips, sesame seeds, hoisinginger glazed chicken). “Once people have tried them, they almost always come back and order them again,” says Mohrhardt.

COME OUT AND PLAY! Like Sauce, the entertainment area of Incredible Mo’s also caters to all ages. For the little ones, Mini Mo’s Playroom awaits: an oversized play park with slides, climbing structures, and toys galore (there are even kid-sized toilets and kids’ step stools for the sinks in the restrooms!); 6- to 12-year-olds gravitate toward the arcade; and teens (as well as many of their parents) are very much into laser tag.

“We also just opened our Escapology escape rooms,” says Mohrhardt. “We’ve seen older teens, even up to millennials, really liking that.”

Mohrhardt says it’s a good feeling to have a business that makes people happy. “I think back to the very first day we opened Incredible Mo’s and Sauce, almost six years ago. I saw all the lights and heard all the sounds, and witnessed the excitement of the kids and parents coming in and laughing and having fun. I always like to keep that in mind, because you know, nowadays when I walk in here, I might be kind of focused on getting to my office and getting my work done — do this, take care of that — but I never want to lose sight of how powerful the place can be and what we can do with that, including giving back to our community.” (See sidebar: The Incredible Birthday Party Project). “And we like the fact that we have activities where you have to put down your phone or your iPad. When you eat, bowl, or participate in games, you have to interact and cooperate with each other. It’s a place where families can come and connect — or reconnect — while playing and sharing a meal.”

Incredible Mo’s and Sauce are located at 1355 Silver Lake Crossings Blvd., in Grawn, about 5 miles south of Traverse City. (231) 944-1355, www.incrediblemos.com.

Sesame Ginger Wings.

Irish Egg Rolls.

FAMILY DAY … is every day at Incredible Mo’s, with

various discounts offered for both dining at Sauce and activities in the entertainment arena. Monday through Thursday, the deal is on a large pizza, a pitcher of soda and game cards (Monday is also burger and a pint day).

On Tuesdays, it’s buy one pizza, get one half off — plus buy one, get one free for Laser Tag, Laser Maze, Juke N Box and Mini Mo’s Play Room. Wednesday is all-you-can eat spaghetti (marinara or meat sauce) for dining in from 4pm to 9pm, and all-you-can play laser tag from 4pm to 10 pm. Get in on Team Trivia every Thursday night with specially priced appetizers, or enjoy discounts on bowling. Fridays feature family-friendly karaoke and late-night cosmic bowling.

Saturday is live music night. Last but not least, Sunday Funday caps off the week with more game and dining discounts, as well as special drink pricing.

THE INCREDIBLE BIRTHDAY PARTY PROJECT

For every five birthday parties booked, Incredible Mo’s donates one back through its partnerships with local charitable organizations and nonprofits like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Child and Family Services, and Michael’s Place. “They help us find area kids who could benefit from this,” says Mohrhardt. “We’ve been able to give away hundreds of parties over the years. We realize that we have a facility that not everyone gets to enjoy — either there’s nobody who brings them or it’s just not in the budget — so we work with these organizations to give those kids opportunities and experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise have — also beyond the birthday parties. It’s at the core of our identity to make sure that we’re making an impact in the community — and beyond. Learn more: www.tibpp.com.

Kid’s Reading List

Don’t dread the next snow-day school closure; be ready. Stock your kids’ bookshelves with the world’s smartest answer to “Mom, I’m bored.” Here, Northern Express’ picks for the latest and greatest books for kids and teens this winter — all from snowbound Michigan authors.

By Anna Faller “The Clockwork Scarab,” by Colleen Gleason Genre: Mystery Fiction The first installment of the bestselling Stoker & Holmes series, by Gaylord author Colleen Gleason, is equal parts factual and fantastic.

Set in steampunk London in the late 1880s, the narrative oscillates between two powerful female protagonists, Alvermina Holmes (Mina for short), the inquisitive, analytical niece of her illustrious uncle Sherlock; and Evaline Stoker, the powerhouse kid sister of Bram, a proud member in a long line of vampire slayers. Their opposing personalities immediately set this twosome at odds, but when London’s young women begin to go missing, Holmes and Stoker’s shared affiliations make them de facto detectives. But can this dynamic duo bury the hatchet in time to save the city’s 16-year-old girls? Elementary, my dear Watson.

“The Griffins of Castle Cary,” by Heather Shumaker Genre: Adventure Fiction R.L Stine, take a seat. Northern Michigan author Heather Shumaker is at it again, this time with a YA title, and it’s chilling enough to freeze the toes of even the most mature middleschooler. Due out in May, “The Griffins of Castle Cary” surrounds Minnesotan siblings Mel, Will, and Ariel Griffin. When we meet our three young heroes, they’re headed off to England to visit their favorite Aunt Effie, and they can hardly contain their excitement. Their week-long homestay is called The Griffanage: a charming family cottage that just happens to border the local haunted house. At first, the trio is skeptical, but when a malicious spirit ensnares the senses of five-year-old Ariel, they must solve the town’s ghostly mystery before its undead inhabitants lay claim to something — or someone — that doesn’t belong to them.

“Potato Pants!” by Laurie Keller Genre: Children’s Literature From Geisel Award-winning creator and Muskegon native, Laurie Keller, comes “Potato Pants!” — a tale of bravery, forgiveness, and plenty of root vegetables. Potato Pants opens with one very excited tuber. But why is Potato excited? Two words: “Potato pants!” That’s right — for one day only, Lance Vance’s Fancy Pants store is selling pants for potatoes, and Potato isn’t about to miss his chance. He rushes right over in a swell of other spuds, but just as he’s about to walk in, he spots his eggplant nemesis already in the store. What’s a potato to do?

Replete with Keller’s own hilarious illustrations and a menagerie of other tubers, “Potato Pants!” will have toddler bookworms giggling their way through the art of apology. Bon appétit!

“Betty Before X,” by Ilyasah Shabazz Genre: Historical Fiction In her powerful debut novel, Betty Before X, Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Dean Sanders, elegantly chronicles her mother’s urban childhood and the inception

of her life as a Civil Rights activist. In 1945 Detroit, 11-year-old Betty is desperate to belong.

Though she knows her family loves her, the only place she really feels at home is church, where the songs and speeches light her soul, and orations of action incite her oppressed congregation. Young Betty Shabazz eventually finds fulfillment in volunteering with the Housewives League, and soon after, the educator and civil rights advocate we know as Betty X is born. In collaboration with gifted novelist Renee Watson, Shabazz tenderly recreates the microcosm of self-acceptance in which her mother discovered her calling, while simultaneously laying the literary foundations for middle-grade readers to find their own.

“My Near Death Adventures (99% True!)” by Alison DeCamp Genre: Historical Fiction If “The Odyssey” and “Holes” had a literary love-child, “My Near Death Adventures (99% True!)” would undoubtedly be it. Set in 1895 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the story opens on 11-year-old Stan Slater. The UP’s own Huck Finn (but with an even bigger mouth), Stan has just learned that his “dearly departed” father is actually just a deadbeat, and that it’s his family’s precarious finances that have landed them in the remote logging community they now occupy. Still, Stan won’t be squandered.

With his trusty scrapbook in tow, he remains determined to locate his distant dad, and the journey that ensues will — quite literally — be one for the books. Peppered with pesky relatives, murderous lumberjacks, and original historic images, “My Near Death Adventures,” by UP native Alison DeCamp, is the page-turner to capture even the most reluctant readers.

“Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story,” by Lindsey McDivitt Genre: Children’s Non-fiction, Biography Artist and author Gwen Frostic is a Mitten State treasure whose nature-inspired artwork has captivated generations of audiences. In her picture-book biography, “Nature’s Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story,” fellow Midwesterner Lindsey McDevitt reacquaints readers with the beauty and preservation of nature to which Frostic devoted her life. After suffering a debilitating disease as an infant, Gwen Frostic fearlessly overcame her physical limitations to create decades of impactful artwork. With humble beginnings as a machine printer in southern Michigan, Frostic’s artistic passions culminated in a successful printmaking studio, Presscraft Papers, which is still operating today in Benzonia. Accompanied by the vivid illustrations of Eileen Ryan Ewen, “Nature’s Friend” creatively chronicles the life of a lady boss who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and serves as a poignant reminder that real disability only exists when we perceive it in ourselves.

“Home After Dark” by David Small Genre: Graphic Novel From bestselling author-illustrator David Small comes “Home After Dark,” a

graphic-novel noir depicting the brutality of adolescence. When we meet 13-year-old Russell Pruitt, his life has been turned upside down. Following his parents’ divorce and his mother’s subsequent abandonment, Russell follows his debauched dad from Ohio to the sun-drenched idylls of 1950’s California, or more precisely, the ramshackle town of Marshfield. Suddenly alone in “Anywhere, U.S.A,” Russell is often left to fend for himself in a town so riddled with toxic machismo and violence that not even the neighborhood pets are safe. In the long-awaited sequel to his critically acclaimed memoir, “Stitches,” Small masterfully combines his own Hitchcock-like illustrations with smatterings of choice dialogue to create a Bildungsroman so singularly understood, so uniquely ubiquitous, that it belongs to anyone and everyone. Holden Caulfield, eat your heart out.

“Okay for Now” by Gary Schmidt Genre: Bildungsroman The year is 1968, and 14-year-old Douglas Swieteck is in over his head. For starters, he’s the new, city-kid on the block in a podunk town somewhere in the Catskills.

The war in Vietnam has left his older brother permanently disabled, his abusive father is almost too awful for words, and all of the teachers and policemen in town have already pegged him, incorrectly, as nothing more than a “skinny thug.” His only solace is the local library, where the artists that came before him can transport him to other lives.

Enter Lil Spicer, the fearless, feisty daughter of Doug’s deli-owner boss. With Lil as his wingman, Doug finally finds the strength to reach beyond the preconceptions of an entire community. A stand-alone sequel to the critically acclaimed “Wednesday Wars,” Newberry Medalist and Calvin College professor Gary D. Schmidt’s “Okay for Now,” is a stunning coming-of-age novel to remind us that blood is merely relative, but family is fundamental.

“Nuts to You,” by Lynne Rae Perkins Genre: Adventure Fiction Jed, TsTs, and Chai are the three best squirrel friends that anyone could have. So, when a hawk suddenly snatches Jed, Chai and TsTs (which, as we’re told, is like the “Emma” of squirrel nomenclature), are nuts with worry!

Everyone assumes Jed is destined for dinner — everyone but Chai and TsTs, that is. Convinced their friend is still alive, the determined duo sets out to find him and consequently embarks on a tail-raising journey rife with man-made dangers like “buzzpaths” (electric wires) and lawn equipment, a bobcat or two, and pages upon pages of squirrelly lore Newsday recommends for kids age 5 to 15. Featuring Suttons Bay author Lynne Rae Perkins’ own illustrations and plenty of witty footnotes, “Nuts to You” is a laugh-out-loud tale of friendship to satisfy both readers and rodents.

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Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 17

The Beat Lab’s Brent Baxter Barrett leads students from grades 6-12 in a Guitar 2 course. Students bring their own guitars to learn guitar basics like tuning and chord structure.

HOMESCHOOLING NORTHERN MICHIGAN The movement is growing fast, moving away from the kitchen table, and making traditional K–12 education anything but.

By Craig Manning It used to be that homeschooling was exactly what the name implied: students being taught at home by their parents.

In the past 10 or so years, though, homeschooling has evolved, taking on a more hybridized format. That format came to the Grand Traverse region two years ago, when Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) launched a new program called the Northern Michigan Partnership. Now, with the Partnership itself growing — and offering opportunities to students and families far beyond TCAPS’ district borders — homeschooling in northern Michigan is becoming more accessible and popular than it has ever been before.

The Northern Michigan Partnership functions by taking homeschool kids out of the home environment and putting them into a more traditional school environment.

Every Wednesday throughout the school year, families involved in the Partnership convene at the old Interlochen Community School for a day of elective courses. The classes are taught by a mix of licensed teachers and homeschool parents with skills, knowledge, or specialties in specific areas. The available electives cover a wide range of subjects, from foreign languages, art, and music to robotics and computer programming.

According to Rose Zivkovich, one of the administrators for the Partnership, the program actually pre-dated any school district involvement. A homeschool parent herself, Zivkovich launched the program that would become the Northern Michigan Partnership in fall 2016, as a way to open up new opportunities for her kids.

“At the time, my older daughter was in first grade,” Zivkovich said. “I was trying

to come up with ways of having more of a classroom setting, both in terms of interaction with other kids and learning things that were a little more challenging for me to offer, like Spanish, or art, or music — things that I didn’t really have a great background in.”

The program Zivkovich created was modest: a regular meetup up of several families at the Grand Traverse Commons.

A few parents would take on instructor roles and teach electives relevant to their backgrounds, and other parents would pay these instructor-parents for the service. But Zivkovich says that the program quickly

Northern Michigan Partnership are free for families. The only limitation is that the program is not legally allowed to offer core curriculum courses — so no math, language arts, science, social studies, or the like.

Technically, the classes are all offered virtually and can be done from anywhere. The weekly meetup at Interlochen Community School is optional, and some families come and go depending on travel plans or other conflicts. For most families, though, the meetup is a valuable part of the equation — a chance to meet other homeschoolers and to give their children a chance to interact with other kids.

Families are taking advantage of the resource in droves.

When the Partnership started its inaugural semester in 2017, Zivkovich says the program had 75 students. Less than two years later, the count is at 264, and growing. became challenging to coordinate, and that it was simply too expensive for most parents to pay other parents to teach their kids.

Fortunately, serendipity lent a hand.

TCAPS had closed Interlochen Community School the previous spring and was weighing whether to keep the building for other educational uses or sell it. When the district decided to pursue a homeschool partnership, a TCAPS representative reached out to Zivkovich and her group to see if they would be interested in working together.

The Northern Michigan Partnership was born. Through the program, K–12 homeschool students can enroll in up to four elective courses every semester. The program enables TCAPS to collect state funding for students that opt to participate.

In turn, all courses offered through the

18 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

While it’s a TCAPS program, the Northern Michigan Partnership is open to homeschool families that don’t live within the TCAPS district. It spans the entire five-county region covered by the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) — Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties — plus any other ISDs that are contiguous to TBAISD. Ostensibly, these rules make the Northern Michigan Partnership an available resource for the entire northern Michigan homeschool community.

Families are taking advantage of the resource in droves. When the Partnership started its inaugural semester in 2017, Zivkovich says the program had 75 students.

Less than two years later, the count is at 264, and growing.

The hybrid homeschooling movement also seems to be growing. When the Northern Michigan Partnership got its start, there were 4 or 5 other similar partnerships throughout the state of Michigan. Since then, Zivkovich says that 5 or 6 more have sprung up around the state, bringing these types of elective services to homeschool families in most every part of the state.

And statistically, homeschooling might be growing in general, too. While there isn’t much firm data on how prevalent homeschooling is nationwide, the National Home Education Research Institute has estimated that the homeschool population grows 2 to 8 percent each year. An increase in available resources, including online courses and homeschooling partnerships, could help explain the continued growth.

Ultimately, though, there is no single motive that drives families to homeschool.

Kingley’s Christi Morgan, for instance, is a mother of three who homeschools her kids and teaches several courses through the Northern Michigan Partnership. With one degree in early education, another in family services and child development, and minors in at-risk and special-needs development, Morgan seems like a natural candidate to homeschool her kids. However, she says that she and her husband had never even considered homeschooling until their children started struggling in the traditional school environment.

“Our kids had special needs, and they seemed to regress in a special ed classroom but couldn’t keep up in a regular classroom,” Morgan says. “My husband mentioned trying out homeschooling temporarily, to help them until they were ready to be in the classroom. And it was like night and day, within a couple of months.”

The two administrators behind the

A Summer Escape

Recess Wednesday, February 6th 5PM-7PM AT WALSTROM MARINE

(ACROSS FROM THE GREAT WOLF LODGE) Northern Michigan Partnership, meanwhile, Even curriculum is up to the parent — a had their own very different reasons for freedom that allows Michigan homeschool going the homeschool route. For Zivkovich, families to approach the education of their the attraction of homeschooling was kids in completely different ways. twofold. First, she loved the idea of spending For instance, Zivkovich uses a strategy the more time with her kids and getting to homeschool community calls “unschooling,” explore the world with them as they learned which advocates for unstructured, child-led and developed. Second, she appreciated the learning. The philosophy of unschooling is flexibility of homeschool education, and the that it allows learning to play out naturally, way it allowed her to adapt her daughter’s without a set curriculum or any concrete education on the fly to expectations.

Arden, on respond to specific needs, the other hand, is diligent Zivkovich says that skills, or interests. about establishing detailed Michigan is “one of “We can cater the curriculums for her kids at programming to an the few states that is the outset of the school year. individual child rather than She then aims to follow these hands-off” in terms to an entire classroom, or an curriculums with her kids, of homeschooling. entire school district, or an day in and day out, though entire state,” she says. “I can she’s willing to adjust things if Parents are not see what is going to benefit her kids need more time on a required to be [my daughter] right now, and subject, or if they demonstrate we can do what is best for her licensed educators in that they’re ready to move at this point in time.” ahead sooner than expected.

Beth Arden, the other order to homeschool, Zivkovich, Morgan, and and the state does administrator for the Arden all acknowledge that what Partnership, says that she they do might not be ideal or not demand any decided to try homeschooling workable for all families, and that form of annual because her husband serves some parents might even thumb in the Coast Guard, and testing or reporting. their noses at the unregulated her family relocates on a nature of homeschooling in relatively frequent basis. For Michigan. For all three, though, Arden’s family, homeschooling provides the homeschooling is a chance to take on a more opportunity to create stability in education, active role and a deeper responsibility in their smoothing out transitions around moves. children’s education. “[Our kids] are not going into a new school “If you take the commitment that you every couple of years where they’re going to want to homeschool, that you want to direct have to figure out if they’re ahead or behind your child’s education, you are invested or somewhere in between,” she says. in a different way,” Arden says. “I’m not Michigan’s lenient homeschool laws also going to expect somebody else to take care play a role. Zivkovich says that Michigan is of my child’s learning needs. I’m going to “one of the few states that is hands-off ” in take that on myself. I feel there’s more of a terms of homeschooling. Parents are not commitment on my side, that I’m going to required to be licensed educators in order to do the very best I can, whatever that looks homeschool, and the state does not demand like, for my child. If there is a failure, that is any form of annual testing or reporting. directly on me.”

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Recess is brought to you by

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 19

In Lieu of Gifts Traverse City family bucks holiday tradition to scale a mountain in Africa

By Ross Boissoneau

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20 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

For Gerald and Shenandoah and their 16-year-old daughter, Sophia, the holidays have become a time for family, though in a different way than the norm. They now eschew buying presents for one another or indulging in a huge meal, and instead take the family time to see sights far distant from northern Michigan.

“We decided six years ago instead of trees and stress, we’d travel,” says Shenandoah. “We said we have everything we need — and why eat leftovers for a week?”

Past excursions have seen them in London, Paris, Rome, and various cities across the U.S. “This year we amped it up a bit,” says Shenandoah. Perhaps “a bit” is an understatement; they ventured to Tanzania to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Hardly your traditional holiday excursion.

They decided on the mountain-climbing expedition as an outgrowth of their enjoyment of hiking. “We carried around a hiking bucket list, and my daughter said, ‘Mt. Kilimanjaro?’

Yes, Mt. Kilimanjaro. The highest mountain in Africa, some 16,000 feet from its base and more than 19,000 feet above sea level.

At that altitude, the thin air makes every step more of a challenge. “The first several days were no problem,” Shenandoah says. The pace those first days was deliberately slow, to conserve energy and get the hikers into a rhythm. “It’s like a tortoise and hare. Slow down to win. If you go too quick, you’ll get sick.”

That hit home the higher they went. “At 12,000, 15,000 feet, it was slower. Everything is exhausting. There were times on summit day I didn’t think I could make it,” she says.

But she did. They all did. “We started climbing on Christmas and reached the summit on New Year’s,” says Chefalo.

Traditionally hikers start the last day of the hike in the middle of the night so they can reach the peak at sunrise. “We started at 11pm, and there was extra anticipation for the eight-hour hike. Some brought champagne, and at midnight we all put our headlights on” to celebrate the New Year.

The Chefalos were part of a group of eight American hikers, which included two couples and a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed in Germany. Also on hand was their crew,

numbering 45 in all. “It takes that many to get eight people up the mountain,” Chefalo says.

The crew includes guides, those to carry the gear, and still more to set up the camp, “so all you have to do is fall into a bed and take a nap. We really needed them all.”

While it took a week to scale the mountain, they took only two days to descend. Then they returned to their hotel, where they slept almost around the clock for two days. “We didn’t eat. We were physically exhausted.”

The Chefalos also decided to include a charitable component to their trip.

Shenandoah is a former foster child who aged out of the system, and they decided to raise funds for and awareness of Crossnore, three group residential foster care homes and boarding schools in North Carolina.

“The idea was some sort of advocacy. It’s super close to my heart. I said if a lazy Midwesterner like me can get to the top of a mountain, we can change the child welfare system,” Chefalo says with a laugh. The Chefalos managed to raise over $3,000, as well as greater awareness, through the use of the hashtag #ChefaloforCrossnore.

The trip is the culmination (so far) of the family’s first decision to see the world during the holiday season in 2012. “We had a conversation about Christmas,” Chefalo recounted. “We said, ‘Let’s do the week of Christmas in London and New Year’s in Paris.’

There was some trepidation, but we did it anyway.”

They were glad they had. “It’s really surprising how many things are open on Christmas. We had a wonderful time. We were one of 100 in the Louvre — we didn’t have to fight crowds.”

While they were abroad, they decided to make plans for the next year. “We said we should see some of the United States.” Trips to Key West, New York, New Orleans followed, as well as one across the country following Route 66, as well as time in Rome and Florence.

So, where to next? What could possibly top a mountaintop? “We usually plan the next year while on our trip,” Chefalo says. But with each step being so physically draining, they didn’t take the time or energy to consider where to head during the 2019–20 holiday season. So that remains an open question.

Till then, they’re reveling and recalling the trip up and down one of the planet’s tallest and most majestic mountains.

jan 26

saturday

20TH ANNUAL NORTHERN MI SMALL FARM CONFERENCE: 8:30am, GT Resort & Spa, Acme. Farmers of all ilks & from different backgrounds gather to network, share ideas & gain new skills. Today is Day 2 of the Trade Show. smallfarmconference.com

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BIGFOOT 5K & 10K SHOWSHOE RACE: 9am, Timber Ridge Resort, TC. The course is a super hilly off trail run with plenty of logs to jump & branches to duck. Early registration, $25; day of, $30. runsnow.com

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FINE ART SALE: 10am-6pm, Women’s Resource Center Thrift Shop, 3030 N US 31 S, TC.

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PROPOSED TORCH RIVER NATURAL AREA HIKE: 10am, Proposed Torch River Nature Preserve, Kalkaska. Presented by the GT Regional Land Conservancy. Choose either skis or snowshoes to traverse the 1.6 mile rolling loop. Bring your own winter gear, including skis or snowshoes. Register. gtrlc.org

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SNOWSHOE HIKE AT STURGEON RIVER PRESERVE: 10am. Presented by HeadWaters Land Conservancy. Call to reserve your free rental of snowshoes: 989-731-0573.

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SOUTH ARM ORV CLUB 2019 WINTER RIDE: Meet at Meijer in Gaylord at 10am & then drive to the Pigeon River Area. Bring your own food. The plan is to build a fire & roast hot dogs or brats. RSVP: 231-675-0918.

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PARTNER PROGRAM - KIDS YOGA CLASS WITH SARAH TOWNSEND YOGA: 10:30am, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. This 60-minute class will blend active yoga sequences, music, mindfulness, & a mix of both individual & group inspired movement. Please bring a mat or towel for your young yogi. Find on Facebook.

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11TH ANNIVERSARY SIDESHOW SPECTACULAR: Right Brain Brewery, TC. Runs 11am-midnight. Freak Show! by Urban Rituals, costume contest, Batch 3000 Beer Release, aerialists & clowns, & much more. $10 VIP tickets, or $5 door or free with costume. mynorthtickets.com

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25 CENT MOVIES: 11am, The Lyric, Harbor Springs. Featuring “Despicable Me 2.”

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ICE WINE FESTIVAL: 11am, Chateau Chantal, TC. Enjoy tastes of wines made from frozen grapes. Featuring a Wine Club Member VIP Reception, Ice Wine Cellar Tours & more. chateauchantal.com/events/ice-wine-harvest-festival

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JANUARY ACCESS - PAINTING PARTY: 11am-12:30pm, A4A Studio, 1137 Woodmere Ave., Suite 2A, TC. ACCESS is a monthly art & cultural outing for individuals with disabilities & their families & peers. Help paint wooden letters for Great Lakes Children’s Museum, & experiment with some chalk paint projects & a favorite tape line method. RSVP required. $5/ person. artsforallnmi.org

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VINE TO WINE SNOWSHOE TOUR: 11am4pm. A snowshoe hike with guides, stopping at Suttons Bay Ciders, Ciccone Vineyards & BigLittle Wines. Enjoy a lunch of chili & soups with wine purchase pick up service. Tour starts at BigLittle & L. Mawby Vineyards, Suttons Bay. $55. grandtraversebiketours.com/vine-to-winesnowshoe-tour.html

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YETIFEST: Suttons Bay. Featuring a Yeti Discovery Program, Yeti Scavenger Hunt, Movie & Music for Kids, Turkey Bowling at the Ice Rink, Norseman Cardboard Classic, Yeti Chili Cookoff & more. facebook.com/YetiFest

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MEET AUTHOR CARRIE PEARSON & STRETCH TO THE SUN: Saturn Booksell-

ers, Gaylord. Story time & yoga. Readings at 11:45am & 12:30pm. Kids yoga after each reading with Amy Mertz from Yoga-45. saturnbooksellers.com

jan/feb

----------------------

26-03

SNOWSHOES, VINES & WINES: 12-5pm, Black Star Farms, Suttons Bay. blackstarfarms. com/snowshoes-vines-wines

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WOMEN IN THE WILD SERIES PART 1: XC SKIING: 1-3pm, Goodhart Farms Nature Preserve, Harbor Springs. Pre-register: 231-3470991. A field trip for women of all ages to become more comfortable getting outside in new places. Free. landtrust.org

send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

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BIG SING BENEFIT CONCERT: 3pm, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, TC. Join TC Sings! Community Choir for a concert to benefit the Northwest MI Community Action Agency. Will feature a cappella favorites from around the world. tcsings.org

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CHAPEL ORGAN CONCERT: 4pm, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Dendrinos Chapel & Recital Hall. Free. tickets.interlochen.org

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BEARCUB OUTFITTERS TORCHLIGHT SNOWSHOE OUTING: 5-9pm, Camp Daggett, Petoskey. Enjoy snow-covered trails illuminated by more than 100 torches on your trek.

Afterward, go inside for a cup of hot chocolate, freshly-baked cookies & to warm up by the fire.

Snowshoes available. Free. campdaggett.org

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HOMECOMING WEEKEND: Boyne Highlands, Harbor Springs, Jan. 25-27. Includes a bonfire & s’mores, Cardboard Classic, live music, Snow Globe Ski & Snowshoe, fireworks & more. boynehighlands.com

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“THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME”: 7pm, Cadillac Elks Club.

Presented by Cadillac Footliters. $11. cadillacfootliters.com/tickets

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“FUN HOME”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse, TC. A musical adapted from Alison Bechdel’s memoir of the same name. The story takes you through Alison’s discovery of her sexuality, relationship with her closeted gay father, & attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding her life through three different time periods. $28 adults, $15 for 18 & under. oldtownplayhouse.com

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“PURPLE” ALBUM RELEASE PARTY & HIP HOP CONCERT: 8pm, Red Sky Stage, Petoskey. Featuring Drebb, Noemad, True Flya, & Filo Bar God. There will also be an open mic. $5. redskystage.com

jan 27

sunday

YOGA RECOVERY AT RUNNING FIT: 9:30am, Running Fit, downtown TC. A 50 minute, all-levels class designed to enhance recovery for athletic performance. The goal is to build strength, flexibility, focusing on lengthening tight hamstrings, calves, quadriceps & hip flexors. Donations appreciated. eventbrite.com

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SOUL SOOTHING SUNDAY: Family fun, cooking demo, exercise. 10am-1pm, Table Health, GT Commons, TC. Free. TableHealthTC.com

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FINE ART SALE: 11am-5pm, Women’s Resource Center Thrift Shop, 3030 N US 31 S, TC.

---------------------ICE WINE FESTIVAL: (See Sat., Jan. 26) ----------------------

GRAND TRAVERSE FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: 12-6pm, Bookbrokers & Kramer’s Café, GT Mall, TC.

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YOGA + BEER: Noon, Silver Spruce Brewing Co., TC. A one hour flow class. Bring your own mat. Donations appreciated. eventbrite.com

Israeli sculptor Orna Ben-Ami of Tel Aviv brings her “Entire Life in a Package” exhibition to Dennos Museum Center, NMC, TC. It is the story of millions of refugees with millions of packages, suitcases…sacks that hold the desire to survive. Ben-Ami has sculpted the packages carried by refugees shown in Reuter’s new photos in iron and then mounted them to the photo in place of the photographic image of the package. Ben-Ami will offer a presentation on her work on Sat., Feb. 2 at 7:15pm in Milliken Auditorium, followed by a book signing. The exhibit runs Feb. 3 – May 5. dennosmuseum.org

DARK & STORM CLOUDY FILM & BEER SERIES - “CAFFÉ”: 2pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. January beer is Coffee Saison.

Movie tickets are $10; each ticket purchaser receives a $5 Stormcloud Brewing Co. token. stormcloudbrewing.com

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SNOWSHOE HIKE RANSOM LAKE: 2pm.

Clearwater Sierra Club Snowshoe Hike at Ransom Lake Natural Area. Snowshoe about 2 miles over a relatively flat, very wooded trail.

Contact Vicki Olsen at volsen17@yahoo.com for more info. Meet in the parking lot off Lake Ann Road (Route 665). Please RSVP & bring your own snowshoes. Free.

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CTAC COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS WINTER CONCERT: 2:30-4pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center Theater, Petoskey. Also includes students from the CTAC Strings Program & a performance by the Crooked Tree Garage Band.

Free. crookedtree.org

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THE JOE WILSON TRIO: 4pm, Sleder’s Family Tavern, TC. Joe Wilson is best known for playing with Steppin’ In It. He is joined by Don Julin on mandolin & Kevin Gills on bass. Enjoy the release of Joe’s latest album. $20 advance; $25 door. 947-9213.

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HOMECOMING WEEKEND: (See Sat., Jan. 26)

jan 28

monday

YOGA FOR ATHLETES AT RUNNING FIT!: 8:30am, Running Fit, 3301 West South Airport Rd., TC. An all levels class designed to enhance your athletic performance no matter what sport you are involved in. Classes will

build strength, flexibility, focusing on lengthening tight hamstrings, calves, quadriceps & hip flexors. Must sign up at Eventbrite.com. Donations appreciated.

COFFEE HOURS W/ SEN. CURT VANDERWALL: 10-11am: Manistee County Government Center, Manistee. 12-30-1:30pm: Benzie County Government Center, Beulah.

3-4pm: Leelanau County Government Center, Suttons Bay. VanderWall represents the 35th Senate District.

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WINTERFOLK CONCERT W/ ELIZA THORP: 6:30-8:30pm, Charlevoix Public Library, Community Room. Eliza often finds inspiration for her songs in her outdoor adventure. Her debut album “Queen of the Sea” will be released sometime this winter. Free. charlevoixlibrary.org

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FRIENDS @ THE CARNEGIE: LETTERS FROM WORLD WAR I: 7pm, Petoskey District Library, Carnegie Building. Jane Garver & Dylan Taylor from the Little Traverse Historical Museum will share letters & journal entries written by local men & women to illustrate their contributions to World War I. petoskeylibrary.org

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OTP AUDITIONS: 7pm, Old Town Playhouse, Schmuckal Theatre, TC. For “Marjorie Prime.”

This Pulitzer Prize Finalist has roles for two women & two men. oldtownplayhouse.com/ get-involved/auditions.html

jan 29

tuesday

GET CRAFTY: Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Start by swirl painting on a spinner.

Then add a winter silhouette or two. Held at 11am & 2pm. greatlakeskids.org/news-events

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 21

SPEED NETWORKING: 5pm, 123 Speakeasy, TC. Join fellow professionals for a high-energy round of speed networking. After the roundrobin, use your notes to figure out which guests you’d like to like to follow up with during the cocktail hour. Your ticket includes admission, a raffle ticket & a drink ticket. Bring 30-50 business cards to distribute during the round robin, & prepare your 1-minute “elevator speech.” $10. mynorthtickets.com

---------------------OD CLINIC: 6pm, Traverse Area District Library, Thirlby Room, TC. Harm Reduction Michigan presents their monthly OD clinic in order to demonstrate the use of life saving NALOXONE/ NARCAN to one who has become unconscious from opioid overuse. All participants will leave with their own emergency kit & knowledge of its use. Free. harmreductionMI.org

---------------------AUTHOR BOOK PRESENTATION & SIGNING: 6:30pm, Charlevoix Public Library. Kath Usitalo presents her two travel books: “100 Things to Do in Upper Peninsula Before You Die” & “100 Things to Do in Mackinac Island Before You Die.” Free. charlevoixlibrary.org

---------------------OTP AUDITIONS: (See Mon., Jan. 28)

jan 30

wednesday

STEAM COMMUNITY COLLABORATION EVENT: 11:30am-1pm, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. For anyone currently involved or interested in being involved in impacting STEAM efforts in the five county region. greatlakeskids.org

---------------------TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP: CYBERSECURITY: 2pm, Leland Township Library. Join Leland Township Library Director Mark Morton for a technology workshop on cybersecurity, including ways to protect yourself from identity theft, online scams & other attempts to steal your personal information & money. Free. lelandlibrary.org

---------------------BUSINESS AFTER HOURS: 5-7pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. Decades Theme to Kick off 100th Celebration. $10 members; $15 others. petoskeychamber.com/businessafter-hours

jan 31

thursday

DETOX YOGA FLOW: 6pm, Press On Juice Cafe, TC. This class involves a lot of twists & poses that are focused to help eliminate toxins. Bring your own mat. Donations appreciated. eventbrite.com

---------------------FULFILLAMENT #13: 6:30pm, The Workshop Brewing Co., TC. Five storytellers from the TC business community share true stories from their journey toward fulfillment through work. $500 is awarded to an audience member to get a good idea going. Storytellers: Courtney Lorenz, Cultured Kombucha Jeff Haas, Building Bridges with Music Troy Daily, Create TC ++++ Sue Kurta, Boss Mouse Cheese Dan Fuller, Pathways Preschool Created & hosted by Chelsea Bay Dennis & Shea Petaja. $12 online or $15 door. fulfillamentstories.com/next-event

---------------------DARK & STORM CLOUDY FILM & BEER SERIES - “CAFFÉ”: 7:30pm, The Garden Theater, Frankfort. January beer is Coffee Saison.

Movie tickets are $10; each ticket purchaser receives a $5 Stormcloud Brewing Co. token. stormcloudbrewing.com

feb 01

friday

DISCOVER WITH ME: TALK TO ME: 10am-noon, Great Lakes Children’s Museum, TC. Enjoy Groundhog day fun, designed to promote language development. greatlakeskids.org/news-events

---------------------STORYTIME AT LELAND TOWNSHIP LIBRARY: 10:30am. Stories & play designed to promote joy & growth in literacy. Children ages 0-6 & their caregivers welcome. Free. lelandlibrary.org

---------------------FIRST FRIDAYS FOR FOODIES: THE MEDICINAL MARKET WITH NINA FEARON, RDN: 11am, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. Enjoy a free food sampling in the CTAC kitchen. crookedtree.org

---------------------ALPENFROST: 5pm, Gaylord. Tonight includes Frosty 5K Registration, Frosty Pub Crawl & Family Movie Night. gaylordalpenfrost.com

---------------------CANDLELIGHT HIKE: 5-8pm, Mt. McSauba, sledding hill parking lot, Charlevoix. Presented

by Charlevoix Recreation & Visit Charlevoix.

Enjoy snowshoeing, hiking or cross-country skiing on candle-lit trails. Enjoy hot chocolate by a fire afterwards.

---------------------“LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS”: 5:30pm, Tucker’s, Northport. Northport Community Arts Center’s Feb. dinner theatre production. $60, includes dinner. northportcac.org/events/thelast-of-the-red-hot-lovers

---------------------CABIN FEVER ARTIST TALKS: 5:30pm, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Featuring Carol Greilick, photography. Free. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

---------------------NORTHWEST MICHIGAN REGIONAL SALON DES REFUSÉS 2019: 5:30pm, Leelanau Studios, TC. A one night exhibition following in the tradition of the 1863 Salon des Refusés — an exhibition of work rejected from the Paris Salon. This show presents the work by artists who weren’t juried in to the 2019 Dennos Museum Regional Exhibition. Free. roycedeans2. wixsite.com/mysite/the-show

---------------------FRIDAY FAMILY FUN NIGHT: 6-9pm, Table Health, GT Commons, TC. Enjoy a potluck dinner, games for kids & adults, music & more.

Table Health will provide a healthy dish to pass & recipes to share. Participants are welcome to bring healthy, whole food side dishes, main dishes, appetizers, or dessert. RSVP. Free.

TableHealthTC.com/events

---------------------“THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME”: 7pm, Cadillac Elks Club.

Presented by Cadillac Footliters. $11. cadillacfootliters.com/tickets

---------------------BLISSFEST FOLK & ROOTS MINI-CONCERT SERIES: 7pm, Red Sky Stage, Petoskey. MI Emmy award-winning songwriter Kitty Donohoe describes her music as ‘folky, bluesy, Irishy, American, Canadianish.’ $15 advance; $20 door. redskystage.com

---------------------MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS “MARY POPPINS, JR.”: 7pm, Harbor Springs Performing Arts Center. $7 adults, $5 students.

---------------------“SYLVIA”: 7:30pm, Old Town Playhouse Studio Theatre @ the Depot, TC. Enjoy this comedy about a marriage & a dog. $17. oldtownplayhouse.com

---------------------HEIKKI LUNTA PARTY: 7:30pm, Treetops Resort, Gaylord. Party of the Snow Gods. The weekly celebration carries on the tradition of asking for abundant snowfall. Enjoy a big bonfire, entertainment by Tommy Tropic, s’mores, hot chocolate, a tube-pulling contest, & more.

Free. treetops.com

22 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

feb 02

saturday

ALPENFROST: Gaylord. Today includes the Snow Slide & Swiss Alps Excavation, Frosty 5K, Soup Cook-Off, Free Skate, Alpenfrost Queen & Little Miss Pageant, Guided Snowshoe Hike, MI Beer & Wine Festival & much more. gaylordalpenfrost.com

---------------------GROUNDHOG SHADOWFEST: 9am, Downtown Charlevoix. Today features a pancake breakfast, Official Kick-Off with Joe Charlevoix, Super Soup Contest, Snowboard Rails Contest, Groundhog Scavenger Hunt, Groundhog History for Children by the Historical Society, live music by Sleeping Gypsies, & much more.

Find on Facebook.

---------------------WHITE PINE STAMPEDE: 9:30am, Mancelona High School. This premier cross-country ski event will feature a 10K fun race, 20K race & 45K race. It will honor Race Founder & Director Jack McKaig, who passed away in June 2018.

The 45K starts at 9:30am; the 20K at 10:30am; & the 10K at 11:30am. Races end at Shanty Creek & include the Short’s Cool-Down Party & Awards Ceremony at 1:30pm, featuring lunch & Shorts beer. Registration before Jan. 31 for the 45K & 20K is $85; afterwards is $95. The 10K cost is $40. whitepinestampede.org

---------------------25 CENT MOVIES: 10am, The Lyric, Harbor Springs. Featuring “Born Free.”

---------------------ARCADIA DUNES - BALDY HIKE: 10am. Hike to the top of Old Baldy & see panoramic views of Lake Michigan. Presented by GT Regional Land Conservancy. gtrlc.org

---------------------KID’S ART DAY: 10am-noon, Oliver Art Center, Frankfort. Young artists, six & under, will have fun making early valentines. Kids ages seven & up will look at the world through the eyes of famous artists & create their own works of art. $2 donation appreciated. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

---------------------NMC FESTIVAL OF FOODS: 10am-3pm, The Hagerty Center, NMC, TC. See live demonstrations by area chefs & gourmet food artisans.

Also enjoy tastings throughout. $99. nmc.edu

---------------------WINTER HIKE WITH ERIC HEMENWAY: 10am-noon, McCune Nature Preserve, Petoskey. Look at what the Odawa people did historically to survive the harsh winters of years past. Pre-registration requested: 231.347.0991.

Free. landtrust.org/events

---------------------VINE TO WINE SNOWSHOE TOUR: (See Sat., Jan. 26)

---------------------VOLUNTEER OPEN HOUSE: 11am-3pm, Discovery Center - Great Lakes, TC. The Discovery Center is a collaboration of five non-profit organizations with two things in common: a passion for the Great Lakes & a need for volunteer help. Stop by to talk with representatives of each org about how you can support your local non-profits dedicated to Great Lakes history, education, stewardship & recreation. discoverygreatlakes.org

---------------------SNOWSHOES, VINES & WINES: (See Sat., Jan. 26)

---------------------AUTHOR SIGNING: 1-3pm, Horizon Books, TC. Debi Helm will sign her book “Secrets of Dating After Fifty.” horizonbooks.com

---------------------“THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME”: 2pm & 7pm, Cadillac Elks Club. Presented by Cadillac Footliters. $11. cadillacfootliters.com/tickets

---------------------“LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS”: (See Fri., Feb. 1)

A PLASTIC OCEAN SCREENING & FUNDRAISER FOR FLOW (FOR THE LOVE OF WATER): 6-8pm, Ethanology, Elk Rapids.

---------------------MICHIGAN WILD GAME DINNER: 6:30pm, The Boathouse, TC. A five-course “wild game” dinner paired with wine from Bowers Harbor Vineyards. $15 of each ticket & a silent auction will benefit Conservation Resource Alliance to support coldwater habitat restoration. $75/person. boathouseonwestbay.com/event-tickets

---------------------MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS “MARY POPPINS, JR.”: (See Fri., Feb. 1)

---------------------“SYLVIA”: (See Fri., Feb. 1) ---------------------BLISSFEST COMMUNITY DANCE: 7:30pm, Red Sky Stage, Petoskey. Contras & squares, plus circles, waltzes & more. Music provided by Peacemeal & Cynthia Donahey will be calling.

All dances taught. No partner necessary. $5/ person, $7/couple, $10/family. redskystage.com

---------------------CABIN FEVER W/ LOCAL ARTIST CHARLIE MILLARD & SPECIAL GUESTS: 7:30pm, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey. Tickets: $15 members, $20 non-members, & $5 students. crookedtree.org

---------------------U OF MICHIGAN MEN’S GLEE CLUB IN CONCERT: 7:30pm, First Congregational Church, TC. “This is Our Song.” Buy tickets online. Go to “Events” & then go to “Reserve a Seat.” $15 adults, $10 students. fcctc.org

feb 03

sunday

RECOVERY YOGA AT RUNNING FIT: (See Sun., Jan. 27)

-------------

THE OUTFITTER NORDIC SKI LOPPET: 9:30am-3pm.

Nordic skiers travel 16 miles of freshly groomed trail from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. Select your mileage from a point-to-point route running 16 miles (give or take) between LaCount Rd. (west of State Rd.) at Laura & Vern Kors’ barn & the Crow’s Nest restaurant on State Rd., just south of Cross Village. $35 through Jan. 30; $40 after. outfitterharborsprings.com/event/xc-ski-loppet

----------------------

WOMEN’S HISTORY PROJECT ANNUAL SOUPER SUNDAY EVENT: 12:30pm, Traverse Area District Library, McGuire Community Room, TC. Kathy Firestone, Leelanau County author, artist & historian, will share her research on the history of Power Island. Hearty lunch of soup, bread & dessert. Reservations required by 01/30/19: sansep19@earthlink.net or 703-567-7925. $5 donation. whpnm.org

---------------------“SYLVIA”: 2pm, Old Town Playhouse Studio Theatre @ the Depot, TC. Enjoy this comedy about a marriage & a dog. $17. oldtownplayhouse.com

---------------------“LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS”: 3pm, Tucker’s, Northport. Northport Community Arts Center’s Feb. dinner theatre production. $60, includes dinner. northportcac.org/events/thelast-of-the-red-hot-lovers

---------------------KITTY DONOHOE: 3pm, Sleder’s Family Tavern, TC. This Ann Arbor based songwriter & Michigan Emmy recipient draws from her Irish heritage & American roots. 947-9213. $20 advance; $25 door. 947-9213.

---------------------MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTS “MARY POPPINS, JR.”: 3pm, Harbor Springs Performing Arts Center. $7 adults, $5 students.

ongoing

ART PARK SNOWSHOE TOUR: Sundays, 2:30pm, through Jan. 27 at Michigan Legacy Art Park, Thompsonville. Bring snowshoes & wear layers. $5 per adult. Complimentary for 17 & under with paying adult. Snowshoe rentals are available at Crystal Mountain at the Park at Water’s Edge. 231-378-2000, ext. 7000. michlegacyartpark.org

---------------------DEBTORS ANONYMOUS: Tuesdays, 6:307:30pm, Cowell Family Cancer Center, Rm. 3002, TC. A twelve step program for those with money problems. debtorsanonymous.org

---------------------RANGER-LED SNOWSHOE HIKE: Saturdays, 1pm, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire. Meet at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center. Snowshoes will be loaned at no charge to participants who do not have their own. Reservations required: 231-326-4700, ext. 5010.

---------------------SNOWSHOE SUNDAYS: 12-5pm, Rove Estate Vineyard & Tasting Room, TC. Bring your snowshoes or skis. roveestate.com

---------------------WINTER WALK WEDNESDAYS: Presented

by Norte. All community members are invited to commit to walking to work, school, as an errand or just for fun every Weds. through March. elgruponorte.org/winter/walk

graphs by 34 exhibiting photographers of local & regional acclaim. Runs through March 30.

- 2019 CROOKED TREE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY JURIED FINE ART SHOW: Runs through March 2. Juried by current Crooked Tree Photography Society members. Showcases the work of fifteen current members. Subject matter includes, but is not limited to, nature, landscapes, wildlife & northern MI scenes. crookedtree.org

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - FRESH CUTS: THE ART OF PAPERCRAFT: Runs through Feb. 16. crookedtree.org

---------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - “ENTIRE LIFE IN A PACKAGE”: Runs Feb. 3 – May 5. The story of millions of refugees with millions of packages, suitcases...sacks.

“Life packages” that hold the desire to survive.

In this exhibition Ben-Ami sculpts the packages carried by refugees shown in Reuter’s new photos in iron & then mounts them to the photo in place of the photographic image of the package.

----------------------

- 2019 NORTHWEST MICHIGAN REGIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION: Runs Feb. 3 – May 5.

Featuring art made by local artists over the last year, juried by a regional arts professional.

Hours: Mon. - Sat.: 10am-5pm; Thurs.: 10am8pm; Sun.: 1-5pm. dennosmuseum.org

---------------------BOYNE CITY INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-noon, City Hall, Boyne City.

---------------------GAYLORD DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 10am-2pm, The Alpine Plaza, main hallway, Gaylord.

---------------------THE VILLAGE @ GT COMMONS, TC INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 10am-2pm. Held inside the Mercato. Enjoy local fresh produce, eggs, farm fresh cheese, local meats & more.

art

GRAND TRAVERSE ART BOMB: Runs through April 6 at Right Brain Brewery, TC. A collaborative art show with talent from around northern MI. Featuring three reception events throughout the show. It supports artists & their creative endeavors, by giving them an opportunity to showcase their talents with minimal cost. gt-artbomb.wixsite.com/2019

---------------------NORMAN KLINE PAINTINGS: Martha’s Kitchen, Suttons Bay. Runs through Jan.

---------------------BLACK & WHITE & A LITTLE RED EXHIBIT: Runs through March 1 at Gaylord Area Council for the Arts, Gaylord. Open during Art Center hours of 11am-3pm on Tues. through Fri. & 122pm on Sat. A reception will be held on Feb. 9 from 5-7pm. gaylordarts.org

---------------------FURNITURE, FIBER, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND SCULPTURE: Oliver Art Center, Frankfort.

Runs through Feb. 22. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org

---------------------HIGHER ART GALLERY, TC: - LOCAL ARTIST SPENCER MCQUEEN: Spencer presents his show “You’re So Yourself.” Runs through Feb. 8.

- BIG GROUP / SMALL WORKS ART SHOW: Runs through Jan. Over 40 artists, with nearly 200 small, affordable original works to choose from. higherartgallery.com

---------------------CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - HERE AND THERE: Runs through March 30.

A photographic exhibition showcasing the work of photographers Jin Lee, Larson Shindelman & Regan Golden.

- 2019 JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION: Held in Bonfield Gallery. Juried by John Fergus-Jean, this exhibition includes 43 photo-

NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN BESTSELLERS

BAHLE’S 210 St. Joseph’s St - Suttons Bay 231-271-3841 - www.Bahles.net

For the week ending 1/20/2019

HARDCOVER FICTION Chickadees at Night by Bill O. Smith & illustrations by Charles R. Murphy Sleepytime Press $18.95 New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke Simon & Schuster $27.99 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens G.P. Putnams’s Sons $27.00

Save 50% on ALL Floor Samples

PAPERBACK FICTION Sparrow Migrations by Cari Noga Lake Union Publishing $14.95 Beneath a Scarlett Sky by Mark Sullivan Lake Union Publishing $14.95 Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley Thomas & Mercer $15.95 HARDCOVER NON-FICTION You Are A Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero Viking $20.00 Becoming by Michelle Obama Crown $32.50 Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin Simon & Schuster $30.00 PAPERBACK NON-FICTION You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero Running Press $16.00 You Are A Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero Penguin Books $16.00 Trails of M-22 by Jim Dufresne Michigan Trail Maps $19.95 Compiled by Horizon Books: Traverse City & Cadillac

C E D A R

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INTERIORS SHOWROOM & DESIGN STUDIOS

Visit our New Showroom at 212 River St. Elk Rapids 231-933-4321 www.cedarcreekinteriors.com

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 23

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MAROON 5?

Adam Levine and his Maroon 5 bandmates are officially confirmed as the headliners for this year’s Pepsi Super Bowl LIII halftime show, with special guest musicians for the big event including rapper Big Boi and Travis Scott. Maroon 5 will follow in the halftime show footsteps of celebrated musicians like Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Beyonce, and they’ll take the stage … er, field … at halftime on Sunday, Feb. 3 at the MercedesBenz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia …

Late American rock legend Elvis Presley’s likeness has been emblazoned upon all manner of things, from T-shirts and socks to posters, wall murals, and motorcycles. Now his pretty mug is adorning traffic lights in the little town of Friedberg, Germany. The town is said to be where Presley met the girl who would become his wife (Priscilla Beaulieu) when he was stationed there with the U.S. Army.

To honor Presley (in addition to the town’s already-existing “Elvis Presley Square”), they’ve installed custom pedestrian traffic lights that feature Presley standing at a microphone for “Don’t Walk,” and Presley dancing for “Walk”…

MODERN

Maroon 5

ROCK

BY KRISTI KATES

Speaking of Elvis, he was just honored at a very special event hosted by country star Blake Shelton: The Elvis All-Star Tribute.

In addition to Shelton, a long lineup of musicians, including John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Josh Groban, Jennifer Lopez, Shawn Mendes, and more paid tribute to Presley’s own 1968 “comeback special,” with additional presentations including rare Elvis footage and an interview with Presley’s former wife Priscilla, plus an appearance from their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. The two-hour show will air on NBC Sunday, Feb. 17 …

The 2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a favorite road trip of northern Michigan music fans, is set for June 14–16 in Manchester, Tennessee, about an 11-hour drive from northern Michigan. The three-day event will include headlining performances from Phish, Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Cardi B, Hozier, The Avett Brothers, and more, including a preview “Grand Ole Opry” night on Thursday, June 13, which will include special guests from the Opry itself. For tickets and all the info, visit www.bonnaroo.com …

LINK OF THE WEEK Panic! at the Disco has just dropped a new tune, “High Hopes,” and it’s already

been snagged by house DJ Don Diablo for one of his primo remixes. Check out Diablo’s soulful-house mix of “High Hopes,” complete with marching-band beats, added piano, and horns, now at https://tinyurl.cm/ybsqbcsd …

THE BUZZ Michigan musicians May Erlewine and Olivia Millerschin will take the stage at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven for a special duo concert on March 1 …

Detroit native Alexandria Berry, aka True Blue, has released a four-song cassette album called Solitary Queen, available now at

https://trueblue.bandcamp.com ...

Justin Timberlake has added two Michigan dates to his Man of the Woods Tour; he’ll perform at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena on March 24 and Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on April 4 …

Spiritualized has also announced a Detroit area stop for 2019. The band will play April 10 at the Royal Oak Music Theater … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.

| | Buy now and Save! Purchase a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses and receive 30% off. Current eyeglass prescription is required.

This offer includes designer frames and prescription sunglasses. *some restrictions apply see store for details. Offer also valid at Midland and Mt Pleasant locations.

24 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

FOURSCORE

DOWNTOWN

TRAVERSE CITY

by kristi kates

Danny Elfman – Batman (Original Score) Re-Released – Mondo

SUN, MON & THU 12:30 • 3:15 • 6 • 8:30 PM TUESDAY 3:15 • 6 • 8:30 PM WEDNESDAY 1 • 4 • 7 PM

When Batman movies are in short supply, one sure way to relive that Batcave magic is through the music of Elfman, who gave those distinctive sounds to Tim Burton’s version of the caped super (anti-) hero 30 years ago. Celebrating that anniversary, Mondo is reissuing Elfman’s original score here, from the hallmark opener (“The Batman Theme”) through “Descent Into Mystery,” “The Joker’s Poem,” “Charge of the Batmobile,” and “The Final Confrontation,” all with Elfman’s wry spin. They’ve also made it available on 180-gram vinyl for the dedicated collector.

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE A BURRITO

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DOWNTOWN

Various Artists – Adventure Time: Come Along with Me (Original Soundtrack) – Mondo Make a stop in the Land of Ooo for the series finale of the longrunning (10 years), criticallyacclaimed Cartoon Network series that features Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, and crew as they try to prevent the Great Gum War. Their allies? Quite likely some of these standout pop songs by show composer Tim Kiefer and singer-songwriter Rebecca Sugar, including “Happening Happened,” the underground indie hit “Island Song” (which fans know closed every episode), and the standout “Time Adventure.”

IN CLINCH PARK

SUN 1:30 • 7 PM SUN 4 PM MON 4 PM MON 1:30 • 7 PM TUE & THU TUE & THU 1:15 • 6:30 PM 3:45 • 9 PM WED 3:15 • 8:30 PM WED 12:30 • 6 PM 3 OSCAR NOMINATIONS!

3 OSCAR NOMINATIONS!

231-947-4800

Tom Holkenborg – Mortal Engines Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

With its modernized, cutting-edge feel, Holkenborg’s tracks for Mortal Engines click right into place alongside the film itself, a futuristic romp in which cities literally roll around the globe and battle each other. Holkenborg — whom you might also know as Junkie XL — does some epic work with these sounds (his first soundtrack since Mad Max: Fury Road), blending spacy soundscapes with more bombastic audio ventures to keep right up with each evermoving metropolis. You’ll likely keep “London Suite in C Major” and “No Going Back” both on repeat.

John Duprez – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Original score – Waxwork Records

Also in the redux market (movie score fans, this is your lucky week!) is this score, perfect for all the ’90s kids who spent hours watching their favorite heroes in a half-shell. The first soundtrack set (which included MC Hammer) got a release in 1999, but this full score by composer Duprez never really got above the pavement until now. The bonus for waiting: You can also get it on double vinyl, with everything from “Their Greatest Fear” to “Trouble” fusing traditional action-movie score with retro synths and squealing guitars.

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 25

The reel

by meg weichman

on the basis of sex if beale street could talk

D

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the iconic, weightlifting, dissenting rock star of the judicial world, has had had quite a year — breaking ribs, undergoing cancer surgery, welcoming a new member to the Supreme Court, and seeing the release of not one, but two movies chronicling her life.

So in addition to this summer’s hit documentary, we now have a biopic that serves as the Notorious RBG’s own superhero origin story, if you will, following Ruth as she studies to become a lawyer and then jumping ahead to her first groundbreaking case as an attorney.

And while it’s certainly interesting to see aspects of Ruth’s life play out in dramatic (but mostly melodramatic) fashion, it’s not the most illuminating. No, the documentary RBG easily bests On the Basis of Sex on that and pretty much all other accounts. But Ruth’s story is certainly one that bears repeating and should be celebrated and showcased, especially in a mainstream “Hollywood” film. It’s a story that is inherently inspiring and powerful; it’s just that, here, the filmmaking doesn’t do much to earn it.

We open with Ruth (Felicity Jones), in her first year at Harvard Law, attending a dinner the dean is hosting for the nine female students (out of 500!) in her class. She is subjected to a multitude of little indignities, including having to explain to the table why she is here, occupying a space that could’ve gone to a man.

It’s this kind of blatant sexism that dominates the first act. That — and Ruth demonstrating she is smarter than any man and rising to No. 1 in her class. These infuriating moments are set up to play like, “Can you believe how bad it was back then?” But in light of current realities and national mood, don’t seem to go over with the audience the way the filmmakers intended.

When Ruth finally graduates and begins her job search, despite being first in her class at Harvard and Columbia, she can’t land a position. She’s told women are too emotional to be lawyers, or, even after encountering a man sympathetic to her situation, he can’t hire her out of fear the firm’s wives would get jealous. Ughhhhhhhh.

But thank God for Martin Ginsburg (Armie Hammer). This is where the film is its strongest, in presenting a real relationship that is the kind of representation we can’t have enough of. Ruth and Marty’s marriage is a true equal partnership, and the film knows that showing Ruth’s capabilities as a woman in the workplace is just as important as showing Marty doing domestic work. Marty isn’t threatened by a brilliant, passionate, and driven woman — no, far from it. He knows firsthand how amazing Ruth is, and he is her biggest supporter.

Ruth finally takes a position as a professor at Rutgers. And then we jump to the 1970s and the film’s stronger second act. Ruth is still teaching, but realizes that giving the next generation the

irector Barry Jenkins follows up his Oscar Best Picturewinning, near-perfect second feature, Moonlight, with an adaptation of a 1974 James Baldwin novel about a young African American couple and their families in early 1970s Harlem and a devastating injustice they face. And it’s a tribute to the film, the filmmaking, and the story that Jenkins creates something so beautiful out of something so painful.

Sure, there’s a plot, and it’s very compelling, and sure, there’s social commentary about the systemic oppression of Blacks in America, and it’s potent and resonant, but what stays with you most is the film’s profound feeling. Beause at its core, If Beale Street Could Talk is a love story — a gorgeous, aching, swooning romance of exquisite longing and intoxicating visuals.

Practically a tonal poem of a film, the warm colors and music dazzle the senses and transport, allowing the luminous glow of their love to wash over you. And just like Moonlight, this is a film where one wordless glance can cut straight to the heart.

tools to change the world is not what she’s here for. She wants to change things herself.

So when Marty brings to her attention an obscure bit of tax code that could be the key to setting legal precedent for gender discrimination (tax law was never so sexy), Ruth acts. The case centers on a single man taking care of his ill mother. He is unable to claim the caretaker tax credit because he is not a woman or widower. By showing how gender discrimination goes both ways and challenging this law, Ruth believes she can create legal precedent to topple other sexbased discriminations.

Working with Marty, as well as pioneering lawyer Dorothy Kenyon (Kathy Bates) and the ACLU’s Mel Wulf (Justin Theroux), they craft a case. And as Mel tries to assist Ruth, he is the perfect example of how even so-called “woke” men can be condescending. Ruth is also at odds with her teenage daughter, Jane, a budding feminist influenced by Gloria Steinem. Jane doesn’t understand her mother’s less radical approach to feminism — with Ruth so square she thinks even Atticus Finch’s legal ethics are questionable — and their ideological differences gives the film some needed complexity and nuance.

It all leads to a classic and semi-schmaltzy courtroom showdown where we get to see Ruth find her confidence, her calling, and we see her start her path to making history.

As Ruth, British-born Jones suits the part more than one would think, though she is not entirely convincing as a Brooklynite. She masters Ruth’s steely resolve in the face of disrespect but doesn’t ever become fully threedimensional. Like when Marty and Ruth have a semi-intimate love scene, you can’t help but feel icky because Jones never convincingly expands or brings any new shades of understanding to Ruth, so it feels like watching your grandma.

As Marty, Hammer is a complete dreamboat, but both Ruth and Marty’s casting downplays their Jewishness, and the script doesn’t address any anti-Semitism they would’ve faced.

Director Mimi Leder (of the beyond brilliant The Leftovers), working from a script written

by RBG’s nephew Daniel Stiepleman, takes a standard approach to her subject. Sure it has its rousing moments, is earnest in its respect, and has the best of intentions, yet it can’t avoid a TV biopic sheen. But even though there is nothing remarkable about the filmmaking, in a way, this less flashy approach is perhaps more true to Ruth and her personality. Quiet, humble, and unassuming; a more dynamic film would not capture her essence. So, final verdict? On the Basis of Sex is impassioned enough to make a case for its existence.

Meg Weichman is a perma-intern at the Traverse City Film Festival and a trained film archivist.

26 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

vice

D

ick Cheney was second in command (first, some would perhaps argue) of our country for eight years. He’s one of the most influential forces of the 21st century, and yet he’s someone we seem to know next to nothing about. In Adam McKay’s (Step Brothers) latest “serious” film, McKay pulls back the curtain on the ultra secretive former vice president for an unconventional and absurdly original biopic. An absolutely savage satire that is as funny as it is mournful, it’s a totally diverse work that functions almost as a cinematic essay, using a meta and irreverent style. And it’s a style McKay mastered in his Oscar-winning film The Big Short, where using a humorous approach to teach us about another extremely alarming part of our recent history, the 2008 housing crisis, was put to nothing less than absolutely exhilarating use. And while Vice is similarly illuminating and entertaining, here the playful mix of storytelling techniques can frustrate as much as it exhilarates. Playing Cheney is an unrecognizable Christian Bale, who has already swept up too many awards to share here, and he’s joined by Amy Adams as Cheney’s wife, Lynne, and a supporting cast that includes Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell. Satire had to be the approach here. A film that chronicles nothing less than the moral decay of the country is almost too upsetting. So while Vice is certainly funny at times, it’s no laughing matter.

holmes & watson

I

t should’ve been a wonderful Christmas gift: the reunion of one of the great big-screen comedy duos, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, whose previous collaborations in Step Brothers and Talladega Nights were nothing less than genius. But Holmes & Watson was not the gift from the comedy gods we were hoping for, notoriously obtaining at a zero percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

And while the film is by no standard “good,” it’s also not as bad as headlines would have you believe. On its side is a premise and characterizations that really do make sense. Stepping into the role of our most famous and over-adapted literary sleuth is Ferrell, who, as Holmes, walks a very fine line between absolute genius and complete idiot, and the sweet-natured Reilly is a great fit for the loyal and devoted Watson. Together their winning bromantic chemistry is still there. So while the setup is solid, it’s really the only thing about the film that was well thought out. The mystery Holmes & Watson are trying to solve — involving Queen Victoria, a one-armed tattoo artist (Steve Coogan), longtime rival Professor Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes), a cake-covered cadaver, and too many painful and vaguely old-timey gags about selfies or drunk texts — was not. The jokes are beneath an esteemed cast that features many acclaimed British actors, who are completely underused. A major disappointment, Holmes & Watson goes to show you that even when putting two amazing comedic talents together, there’s nothing elementary about making a great comedy.

nitelife

jan 26 - FEB 03 edited by jamie kauffold

Send Nitelife to: events@traverseticker.com

Grand Traverse & Kalkaska

7 MONKS TAPROOM, TC 1/31 -- Mike Moran, 7:30-10:30 GT DISTILLERY, TC Fri. – Younce Guitar Duo, 7-9:30 KILKENNY'S, TC 1/25-26 -- Strobelite Honey, 9:30 1/27,2/3 -- DJ Bre-Z, 8 1/31 -- 2 Bays DJs, 9:30 2/1-2 -- 5th Gear, 9:30 LEFT FOOT CHARLEY, TC 1/28 -- Open Mic Night w/ Rob Coonrod, 6-9

THE WORKSHOP BREWING CO., TC 1/28 -- Rotten Cherries Comedy Open Mic, 8 Tue -- TC Celtic - Traditional Irish Music, 6:30-9 Wed -- Jazz Jam, 6-10

SAIL INN BAR & GRILL, TC Thurs. & Sat. -- Phattrax DJs & Karaoke, 9 SLEDER'S FAMILY TAVERN, TC 1/27 -- The Joe Wilson Trio, 4 2/3 -- Kitty Donohoe, 3 TC WHISKEY CO. 1/31 -- Paul Livingston, 6-8 TAPROOT CIDER HOUSE, TC 1/26 -- Fauxgrass, 8-10 THE DISH CAFE, TC Tues, Sat -- Matt Smith, 5-7

PARK PLACE HOTEL, TC BEACON LOUNGE: Thurs,Fri,Sat — Tom Kaufmann, 8:30

THE HAYLOFT INN, TC Thu -- Roundup Radio Show Open Mic Night, 8

RARE BIRD BREWPUB, TC 1/28 -- Blair Miller, 8-10:30

THE LITTLE FLEET, TC Wed -- Tiki Night w/ DJ, 3

RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY, TC 1/26 -- 11th Anniversary Sideshow Spectacular w/ Freak Show by Urban Rituals, 11

THE PARLOR, TC 1/26 -- John Sanger, 8 1/30 -- Wink Solo, 8 1/31 -- Chris Smith, 8 2/1 -- Jim Hawley & Co., 8 2/2 -- Joe Wilson, 8

UNION STREET STATION, TC 1/26 -- DJ Dante, 10 1/27 -- Head for the Hills Live Show; then Karaoke, 5 1/28 -- Jukebox, 10 1/29 -- TC Comedy Collective, 8-9:30 1/30 -- Skin & Marshall Dance Party, 10 1/31 -- The Pocket, 10 2/1 -- Happy Hour w/ Chris Sterr; then Kung Fu Rodeo, 5 2/2 -- Kung Fu Rodeo, 10 2/3 -- Karaoke, 10 WEST BAY BEACH HOLIDAY INN RESORT, TC 1/25-26 -- DJ Motaz @ View, 10 2/1 -- Strobelite Honey @ View, 7-9:30 Thurs. – Jeff Haas Trio & Laurie Sears, 6-8:30

Otsego, Crawford & Central ALPINE TAVERN & EATERY, GAYLORD Sat -- Live Music, 6-9

OTSEGO RESORT, THE SITZMARK, GAYLORD 1/26 -- Jakey Thomas, 5-8 2/2 -- Galactic Sherpas, 5-8

SNOWBELT BREWING CO., GAYLORD 2/1 -- Phil Gorny, 7-10

Manistee, Wexford & Missaukee

Emmet & Cheboygan BEARDS BREWERY, PETOSKEY 1/26 -- Pete Kehoe, 8-11 1/27 -- BB Celtic & Traditional Irish Session Players, 6-9 1/31 -- Open Mic Nite w/ Host Charlie Millard, 7-11 2/1 -- Jason Dean, 8-11 2/2 -- Greg Vadnais Quartet, 8-11 2/3 -- Eliza Thorp, 6-9

1/31 – Pete Kehoe, 6 2/1 – Myke Rise, 9 ZOO BAR: 1/26 – The Remedee, 4:30 2/2 – Metro Rockway, 4:30 CITY PARK GRILL, PETOSKEY 2/1 -- Annex Karaoke, 9 KNOT JUST A BAR, BAY HARBOR Mon,Tues,Thurs — Live music

BOYNE HIGHLANDS, HARBOR SPRINGS MAIN DINING ROOM: 2/2 – Chris Calleja, 6 SLOPESIDE LOUNGE: 1/26 – Chris Calleja, 9

LEO’S NEIGHBORHOOD TAVERN, PETOSKEY Thurs — Karaoke w/ DJ Michael Willford, 10 NUB'S NOB, HARBOR SPRINGS NUB’S PUB: Fri. – Pete Kehoe, 3-6 PIERSON'S GRILLE & SPIRITS, HARBOR SPRINGS Tue -- The Pistil Whips, 8-11 THE SIDE DOOR SALOON, PETOSKEY Sat. – Karaoke, 8

Leelanau & Benzie LUMBERJACK'S BAR & GRILL, HONOR Fri & Sat -- Phattrax DJs & Karaoke, 9

BIG CAT BREWING CO., CEDAR 1/30 -- John Phillips/Joe Williams, 6:30-8:30 DICK’S POUR HOUSE, LAKE LEELANAU Sat. — Karaoke, 10-2

ST. AMBROSE CELLARS, BEULAH 1/26 -- Barefoot, 6-9 2/1 -- The Duges, 6-9 2/2 -- Dale Wicks, 6-9

LAKE ANN BREWING CO. 1/29 -- Jim Hawley, 6:30-9:30

STORMCLOUD BREWING CO., FRANKFORT 1/26 -- Blake Elliott, 8-10 2/1 -- Don "Bub" Rousseau, 8-10 2/2 -- Evan Burgess, 8-10

LEELANAU SANDS CASINO, BIRCH ROOM, PESHAWBESTOWN 1/26 -- Alan Turner, 8 2/2 -- Risque, 8

2/3 -- Storm the Mic - Hosted by Blake Elliott, 6-9 THE 231 BAR & GRILLE, THOMPSONVILLE 2/2 -- Tim Thayer, 7-10 THE CABBAGE SHED, ELBERTA Thu -- Open Mic Night, 8-11 VILLA MARINE, FRANKFORT Tue -- Open Mic, 8-11

Antrim & Charlevoix CELLAR 152, ELK RAPIDS 2/1 -- Jeff Brown, 8-10

RED MESA GRILL, BOYNE CITY 1/29 -- Blake Elliott, 6-9

ETHANOLOGY, ELK RAPIDS 1/26 -- Steve Leaf & The Ex Pats, 8-11 2/2 -- Younce Guitar Duo, 8-11

SHORT'S BREWING CO., BELLAIRE 1/26 -- Luke Winslow-King & Joshua Davis, 8:30-11

LAKE STREET PUB, BOYNE CITY Sat -- Karaoke, 8-11

TORCH LAKE CAFÉ, CENTRAL LAKE 1st & 3rd Mon. – Trivia, 7 Weds. -- Lee Malone Thurs. -- Open mic Fri. & Sat. -- Leanna’s Deep Blue Boys 2nd Sun. -- Pine River Jazz

LITTLE RIVER CASINO RESORT, MANISTEE RIVER ROCK: 1/25-26 – Jedi Mind Trip, 10

Send us your free live music listings to events@traverseticker.com Mon - Ladies Night - $1 off drinks & $5 martinis with Jukebox Tues - $2 well drinks & shots Trivia nite • 7-9pm

Wed - Get it in the can for $1 w/Skin & Marshall Dance Party

FRIDAY FISH FRY

Thurs - $1 off all drinks & $2 Coors Lt. pints

HAPPY HOUR:

FOR ALL Sporting Events!

Daily 4-7 Friday 4-9 Sunday All Day

231-941-2276 121 S. Union St. • TC. www.dillingerspubtc.com

231-922-7742 121 S. Union St. • TC. www.dillingerspubtc.com

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Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 27

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28 • January 28, 2019 • Northern Express Weekly

: There’s a place for the photographic Museum of Relationships Past, but it isn’t the area around your bed — assuming that your sex partners don’t require inflation with a bike pump.

Actual human beings have feelings. They long to be treated with dignity — to be given the sense that others value them and care about how they make them feel. This would be reflected, for example, in replacing what, to a woman, probably looks like a wall shrine to the ex with pix of your other, less inflammatory loves, like Linda, your family’s late Rottweiler.

It’s possible that you have some sort of empathy gap — something keeping you from the usually automatic “fellow feeling.” This is a way researchers have described the sort of empathy that involves “emotional contagion” — “catching” and then feeling an emotion another person’s feeling, to some degree. Even if this isn’t natural for you, you can bring it into your relationships through “perspectivetaking” — making an effort to imagine how another person feels in a situation. (This is different from imagining how you would feel.)

Research by C. Daniel Batson suggests that trying to feel what another person is feeling leads us to have empathy, “which has been found to evoke altruistic motivation.” This means that it motivates a person to behave in kind and compassionate ways. In contrast, though imagining how we would feel if we were in the other person’s shoes produces empathy, too, the researchers found that it also produces “personal distress, which has been found to evoke egoistic motivation” — which is to say, “Me! Me! Me! All about me!”

In general, treating other people as if their feelings matter — even when you don’t share their feelings or think they’re entirely legit — makes for far happier relationships. If you aren’t interested in putting in the work to show empathy, you can still have a relationship — but with an atypical partner. Your best bet is probably a Boston fern — specifically one advertised to have “durable plastic leaves that are resistant to fading.”

BY Amy Alkon

: Do men fall in love at first sight more than women do? My male friend says it’s mostly men who’ll see a woman from across a room or subway platform and fall for her. Yeah, I know that happens. Don’t women do this, too? Like, a lot?

— Wondering Dude

A

: A guy’s claim of “love at first sight” plays better with the ladies than “I wanted to spend eternity with your boobs.”

Research by psychologists Andrew Galperin and Martie Haselton finds that men, far more often than women, report experiencing “love at first sight.” However, they conceded that “some men might be reporting some episodes of sheer sexual desire as ‘love at first sight.’” (Ya think?)

This sex difference in love at first sight aligns with the different pressures ancestral men and women had to contend with to survive and pass on their genes. Because women alone get pregnant from sex, female emotions evolved to push women to take the slow route in mating — to assess a man over time for his level of commitment and character — lest a woman end up with a baby daddy who’s all “Beep, beep! — I’m outta here” like the Roadrunner.

Men, on the other hand, have an evolved sexual business model of volume and variety (kind of like Walmart). However, because ancestral men could bolt right after sex and still have a chance of leaving surviving descendants, it was in men’s evolutionary interest to hook up with an endless parade of hot-erellas. As I often mention, female features we think of as beautiful — like youth, clear skin, an hourglass figure, and pillowy lips — are actually cues of health and fertility. So, not surprisingly, male mating imperatives evolved to be visually motivated — “Do you look like the woman for me?” — in a way female ones did not.

Ultimately, though evolved male mating psychology is pushing you — even today — to be eyeball-driven, understanding its origins can help you be mindful to take a step back and put in the time to explore a woman’s character. This may help keep you from jumping into a relationship with some woman who turns out to be an extremely hot sociopath. As you might cry to your friends, “I’m so confused; she seemed so genuinely interested in me — wanting to know where I bank, the name of my first pet, and the last four of my Social.”

aSTRO

lOGY

JAN 28 - FEB 03

BY ROB BREZSNY

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here are your fortune cookie-

style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Start a new trend that will serve your noble goals for years to come. MARCH: Passion comes back into fashion with a tickle and a shiver and a whoosh. APRIL: As you expand and deepen your explorations, call on the metaphorical equivalents of both a telescope and a microscope. MAY: This is the beginning of the end of what you love to complain about. Hooray!

JUNE: You’ll have an abundance of good reasons to celebrate the fact that you are the least normal sign in the zodiac. Celebrate your idiosyncrasies!

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: A new phase of your education will begin when you acknowledge how much you have to learn.

MARCH: Initiate diplomatic discussions about the Things That Never Get Talked About. APRIL: Revise your ideas about your dream home and your dream community. MAY: You have the power to find healing for your oldest lovesickness.

If you do find it, intimacy will enter a new Golden Age. JUNE: Solicit an ally’s ingenuity to help you improvise a partial solution to a complex problem.

PIScES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You’ll have a knack for enhancing the way you express yourself and present yourself. The inner you and the outer you will become more unified. MARCH: You’ll discover two original new ways to get excited. APRIL: Be bold as you make yourself available for a deeper commitment that will spawn more freedom. MAY: What are the gaps in your education? Make plans to mitigate your most pressing area of ignorance. JUNE: Your body’s ready to tell you secrets that your mind has not yet figured out. Listen well.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You’ll be invited to make a pivotal transition in the history of your relationship with your most important life goals. It should be both fun and daunting! MARCH: Don’t waste time and energy trying to coax others to haul away the junk and the clutter. Do it yourself. APRIL: The growing pains should feel pretty good. Enjoy the uncanny stretching sensations. MAY: It’ll be a favorable phase to upgrade your personal finances. Think richer thoughts. Experiment with new ideas about money. JUNE: Build two strong bridges for every rickety bridge you burn. Create two vital connections for every stale connection you leave behind.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You have access to a semi-awkward magic that will serve you well if you don’t complain about its semi-awkwardness.

MARCH: To increase your clout and influence, your crucial first step is to formulate a strong intention to do just that. The universe will then work in your behalf. APRIL: Are you ready to clean messes and dispose of irrelevancies left over from the past? Yes! MAY: You can have almost anything you want if you resolve to use it for the greatest good. JUNE: Maintain rigorous standards, but don’t be a fanatic. Strive for excellence without getting bogged down in a counterproductive quest for perfection.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Be alert for vivid glimpses of your best possible future. The power of self-fulfilling prophecy is even stronger than usual. MARCH: High integrity and ethical rigor are crucial to your success — and so is a longing for sacred adventure. APRIL: How can you make the best use of your likability? MAY: Cheerfully dismantle an old system or structure to make way for a sparkling new system or structure. JUNE: Beginner’s luck will be yours if you choose the right place to begin. What’s a bit intimidating but very exciting?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here are

your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Your sensual magnetism peaks at the same time as your spiritual clarity. MARCH: You want toasted ice? Succulent fire? Earthy marvels? Homey

strangeness? All of that is within reach. APRIL: Sow the seeds of the most interesting success you can envision. Your fantasy of what’s possible should thrill your imagination, not merely satisfy your sense of duty. MAY: Deadline time. Be as decisive and forthright as an Aries, as bold as a Sagittarius, as systematic as a Capricorn. JUNE: Go wading in the wombtemperature ocean of emotion, but be mindful of the undertow.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here are your fortune

cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: There’s a general amnesty in all matters regarding your relationships.

Cultivate truces and forgiveness. MARCH: Drop fixed ideas you might have about what’s possible and what’s not. Be keenly open to unexpected healings. APRIL: Wander out into the frontiers. Pluck goodies that have been off-limits. Consider the value of ignoring certain taboos. MAY: Sacrifice a small comfort so as to energize your ambitions.

JUNE: Take a stand in behalf of your beautiful ideals and sacred

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Master the Zen of constructive anger. Express your complaints in a holy cause. MARCH: You finally get a message you’ve been waiting to receive for a long time. Hallelujah!

APRIL: Renew your most useful vows. Sign a better contract.

Come to a more complete agreement. MAY: Don’t let your preconceptions inhibit you from having a wildly good time.

JUNE: Start your own club, band, organization, or business.

Or reinvent and reinvigorate your current one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: Be open to romantic or erotic adventures that are different from how love has worked in the past. MARCH: You’ll be offered interesting, productive problems. Welcome them!

APRIL: Can you explore what’s experimental and fraught with interesting uncertainty even as you stay well-grounded?

Yes! MAY: You can increase your power by not hiding your weakness. People will trust you most if you show your vulnerability. A key to this season’s model of success is the ability to calmly express profound emotion. JUNE: Wild cards and X-factors and loopholes will be more available than usual.

Don’t be shy about using them.

ScORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are your

fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: The world may finally be ready to respond favorably to the power you’ve been storing up. MARCH: Everything you thought you knew about love and lust turns out to be too limited. So expand your expectations and capacities! APRIL: Extremism and obsession can be useful in moderation. MAY: Invisible means of support will become visible. Be alert for half-hidden help. JUNE: Good questions: What do other people find valuable about you? How can you enhance what’s valuable about you?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here are

your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You’ll have the need and opportunity to accomplish some benevolent hocus-pocus. For best results, upgrade your magical powers. MARCH: Make sure the Turning Point happens in your power spot or on your home turf. APRIL: You should be willing to go anywhere, ask any question, and even risk your pride if necessary so as to coax your most important relationships into living up to their potentials. MAY: If at first you don’t succeed, change the definition of success. JUNE: You can achieve more through negotiation and compromise than you could by pushing heedlessly ahead in service to your single-minded vision.

“Jonesin” Crosswords

"Free Range" --another freestyle puzzle for everyone. by Matt Jones ACROSS 1 Video game series where you follow the moves of onscreen characters 10 Food service giant based in Houston 15 Very soon 16 Knightley of “Atonement” 17 La Paz currency 18 Archipelago feature 19 Took the offer 20 Mystical foresight 21 Employer of Africa correspondent Ofeibia Quist-Arcton 23 Idris of “The Wire” 25 Play ___ (cause mischief) 27 Sooner than soon 28 Distributed cards 30 Ballet practice 32 Two before Thu. 33 Journal opening 35 Abbr. before a founding date 36 Musical genre for 1990s punk band Bikini Kill 38 “’Scuse me” 41 Western movie hangout 44 “Chandelier” singer 45 Muscle-to-bone connector 46 Makes the scene 48 Leave behind 50 Stereotypical librarian admonition 52 Shiraz, for one 53 “Tell me ...”

55 Velvet finish?

57 Aptly titled ‘80s film about BMX racing 58 RR station posting 59 It’s on a continuum 62 Fulcrum for an oar 63 Character whose headwear had a tag reading “10/6” 64 Ravi Shankar’s instrument 65 Completely broke

DOWN 1 Shied away, slangily 2 Still squeaking 3 Meme nickname of Turkish meat-seasoning chef Nusret Gokce 4 “Enough already!”

5 Peace proponent 6 They shun most technology 7 Three-part flavor 8 Tapper’s home 9 English prep school 10 Steers clear of 11 Simple question type 12 Early movies 13 Soldier’s hairstyle 14 Cereal grain item 22 In ___ (“on paper”) 24 Smartphone setting 26 Long-eared dogs 29 Quindec- divided by five 31 Some stone finds at archaeological digs 34 Peanut butter-based Girl Scout Cookie 35 Macaroni shape 37 2020 political event in Charlotte, for short 38 John Stockton has the most in NBA history 39 Sony competitor 40 Eavesdropping range 42 “True, no?”

43 Titles differently 45 “Watchmen” director Zack 47 “Why is this night different ...?” feasts 49 Cub Scout pack leader 51 Anne of “Donnie Brasco” 54 Sch. at West Point 56 “Swell!”

60 “N’est-ce ___?”

61 Inits. for supplementary costs at a car dealership

Northern Express Weekly • January 28, 2019 • 29

NORTHERN EXPRESS

CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT UNDERCOVER STORE DETECTIVE DK Security is hiring a Full Time Undercover Store Detective for the Traverse City area. Store Detectives are responsible for protecting a store’s assets – cash, merchandise, property, and to ensure a safe and secure environment for persons on store property. Please Contact Jake at jaketasma@dksecurity.com RECEPTIONIST : If you love people and can work in a fun, busy environment ALLURE SALON&SPA would like to talk with you! 231-946-9666 - 300 East Front Street #101 CFO / DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Based in Charlevoix, the CFO/Director of Admin. serves a four county health department covering Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet & Otsego counties. This position provides direction for financial management by demonstrating extensive knowledge of accounting practices, develops and monitors budgets and financial reporting through knowledge of federal, state, and local funding mechanisms and sources. Also provides oversight of IT, payroll, and agency support. Master’s degree and previous supervisory experience required; CPA preferred. Full time

REAL ESTATE RARE DOWNTOWN TRAVERSE CITY R-2 Lot 2313137020: 312 Locust St 4019 sq foot lot builder ready to go or buy the lot $165000 offers

OTHER VALENTINE’S MASSAGE TO YOU! (Across N. Michigan): Treat yourself & your Valentine to a great gift! Call Stephen: (231) 439-5099.

UPHOLSTERY AND SEWING Looking to upgrade your home décor or need clothes altered/ repaired. Call Marcie in TC at 231-342-0962.

BUYING OLDER MOTORCYCLES / ROAD & DIRT BIKES Used ATV’s Snowmobiles, Antique Boat Motors,Buying In Any Condition 810-775-9771 NO SNOW OR RUST - SOUTHERN REAL ESTATE Deeded RV & CABIN LAND WWW.LAKEHARTWELLLAND.COM WWW.LAKERVLAND.COM 980.254.5653 SEWING, ALTERATIONS, Mending & Repairs.

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ANTIQUE STORE CLOSING SALE Lola’s Antiques, 402 South Union is closing. Our last day is January 31. Everything will be discounted.

All reasonable offers will be considered. Our store hours during the sales will be 10 AM to 4PM January 24,25,26,28&29.

RECEPTIONIST If you love people and can work in a fun, busy environment ALLURE SALON&SPA would like to talk with you! 231-946-9666 - 300 East Front Street #101

MASSAGE Massage $45 hour at Bodies in Motion. Denise 941-232-2265. Gift cert. avail.

BMI Pole Buildings “Your Barn, Your Way, Your Price” Call 989-916-8668 McLaren.brad@ gmail.com

ANTIQUE Old advertising sign “Railway Express Agency” enameled, good condition, green & gold letters, 74”x 11”, $500, 231-348-5906.

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VALENTINE’S COUPLE’S MASSAGES: Available at Sacred Waters Massage or your home. 231-709-5440 BMI POLE BUILDINGS : “Your Barn, Your Way, Your Price” Call 989-916-8668 McLaren.brad@gmail.com

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PROJECT CHERRY TREE, Veterans Advocacy Non-profit 501c3, Officially Changes Name to: Northern Michigan for Veterans Our name change better reflects those we serve and our scope of operations. Our mission of untiring advocacy and outreach to northern Michigan Veterans remains strong with expanded efforts in Veteran’s educational opportunities, gaining meaningful employment and the establishment of a northern Michigan Rural Veterans Cemetery.

Our office has relocated to the Michigan Works building at 1209 S. Garfield Ave Suite C. Our website is now northernmichiganforveterans.org. For additional information call us at 231-922-3768.

COLDS COUGH Flu have you down try Dry Salt Therapy @ Urban Oasis Salt Spa Urban Oasis Salt Spa 231 938-6020 Traverse City

GALLYS -TIME TO LAYER UP- XTRA 20% OFF ALL JACKETS: New TC Resale Shop. www.gallygirl.com. 11-7 Tues-Fri & 11-5 Sat 855-STYLE-85

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