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UP NORTH REAL ESTATE After the Lockdown • Affordable Housing Hot Spots The Original Workforce Housing NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • may 04 - may 10, 2020 • Vol. 30 No. 18
Yes, we’re keeping the BACON.
LUCKY’S MARKET TRAVERSE CITY IS NOW ORYANA WEST! Visit Oryana at its newest location 3587 Marketplace Circle, Traverse City Open daily through the transition
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letters Nothing Good to Say About Yourself? Unfortunately, the negative ad campaign season for 2020 has already begun. A prime example: John James, running to represent Michigan in Washington, D.C., stands on camera listing all the faults of another candidate. This reminds me of the old saying: If you have nothing good to say about yourself, run down your opponent. I can’t help but wonder exactly what John James has ever done to help the people of Michigan? Keli MacIntosh, Traverse City Taking Comfort Isn’t it comforting to see that some conservatives and their tea party allies are militantly protecting our constitutional rights down in Lansing?! Sure, they may have stopped a few ambulances from getting to the hospital, but I think you’d agree that in defending our unalienable rights to “LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” sometimes you need to be well-armed and then get in the way of an ambulance. Yes, sometimes it’s necessary to break the rules regarding peaceable assembly in order to exercise our right to assemble peaceably. And while gathering together in a crowd right now, during a pandemic caused by a highly contagious virus, may not be high on Dr. Fauci’s list of ways to contain the virus … well, what does HE know? I particularly applaud the way they have singled out our monstrously tyrannical and totally unapologetic governor for her repeated and egregious violations of the Constitution, while at the same time they have staunchly refused to stoop to cheap opportunistic political attacks on the president for his many — though inarguably trivial and historically unimportant — slights to our beloved founding document. But when the president says “Liberate … Michigan,” you know he means business! (I’m not so sure about that bleach injection idea, though.) Ron Tschudy, Central Lake Science Matters When we look back to the early days of the coronavirus, our leaders made decisions on what was happening where only a few cases were occurring. They ignored our intelligence community’s warning about the possibility of a pandemic. Nor did we listen to the scientists who, as early as 1994, warned about a coming plague. Governors who took action on the virus did so by looking where things were headed instead of what was happening at the time. States where governors took quick action are doing much better, especially California. Unfortunately, we are not doing same thing when it comes to climate change. We are focusing what happening now rather than where we’re headed. The scientists have warned us since the 1980s about the need to cut our fossil fuel emissions to avoid the consequences of our changing climate. If we don’t bend the curve, our global temperature is on a path to rise by more than 3 degrees celsius, according to the IPPC. Oceans would be an average 3 feet higher by 2100. Those rising seas would displace 680 million people in low-lying coastal zones. America’s preparation for a virus outbreak has been weak even before the current pandemic virus. Back in 2018, the Trump administration dissolved the office for virus outbreaks, and in 2019 the White House Budget Office reduced the national emergency stockpile requests in half, resulting in our stockpile being quickly depleted in the current crisis. Likewise with climate change. While our attention is focused on the climbing death rate from the virus (20,000 and
counting), we are not noticing that premature deaths from air pollution is 90,000 annually. Death rates from the virus are higher in areas with higher levels of air pollution. Ronald Marshall, Petoskey Shoutout to Traverse City DDA I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to our Traverse City DDA from the perspective of a small business owner and a community member. Jean Derenzy, Colleen Paveglio, and Nick Viox have been steadfast in their daily informative emails and creative, actionoriented ideas to help the small businesses of Traverse City survive during this unprecedented time. They are truly working on behalf of us, and I could not be more grateful for their support. Shanny Brooke, Owner, Higher Art Gallery Who Was That Unmasked Man? On Tuesday, Mike Pence visited a Mayo Clinic lab in Minnesota. In a video of that event, he can be seen in conversation with Mayo physicians, as well as a patient. He is easy to pick out because he is the only one not wearing a face mask. This is in violation of Mayo Clinic rules, of which Pence was advised and with which he failed to comply. Mike’s often-heard defense for going maskless is that, because of his often close proximity to the president, he must takes daily tests for the coronavirus. What he apparently does not realize is that a person who tests negative for the virus one day can still be infectious a day later. In a very small concession to responsible behavior, Pence manages to accomplish an elbow bump, which required him to place his naked face a mere six inches (rather than the required six feet from the masked face of a Mayo Clinic patient). This is, at the very least, a serious role model failure. Although it is true that Pence’s role model, Donald Trump, also eschews the wearing of a face mask, I believe that Nikki Haley (the running mate replacement whom Pence should fear) would never be seen sans face mask at any Mayo Clinic lab.
CONTENTS features Crime and Rescue Map.......................................7
Addiction Isn’t Taking A Break............................10 Cedar Sol Hydro Farm......................................13 State of the Market Report......................................14 The North’s Original Workforce Housing...............16 Arrested Development?.......................................18
columns & stuff
Top Ten.............................................................5 Spectator/Stephen Tuttle.....................................6 Opinion................................................................9 Cocktail Creations..............................................12 Crossword.....................................................21 Freewill Astrology............................................21 Classifieds...................................................22 Weird................................................................22
Bob Ross, Pellston Vote Them Out! Regarding Grand Traverse County Commissioner Gordie LaPointe’s resolution to send Gov. Whitmer a letter asking her to open up our region before adequate testing and PPE supplies are assured was not only another vacuous attempt by the “Gang of Four” to throw meat to their supporters but also dangerous, since it encourages people to disobey the order and endanger themselves and others. In addition, by passing this resolution, it makes it appear that all of the people of Grand Traverse County support this. In fact, Mr. Hentschel, Mr. Jewitt, Mr. Clous, and Mr. LaPointe represent a tiny fraction of the people in our region who would sign on to such a reckless resolution. The Gang of Four on the Grand Traverse County Commission need to channel their energy into acquiring adequate testing, ventilators, and PPE equipment from the federal government so that eventually, more businesses will be able to open with proper precautions in place. The majority of the people of Grand Traverse County support the governor’s cautious approach to reopening Michigan. Mr. Hentschel, Mr. Jewitt, Mr. Clous and Mr. LaPointe need to stop their political grandstanding and get to work on the business of safeguarding the people of Grand Traverse County. Vote Blue in 2020! Sylvia McCullough, Interlochen
Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase 135 W. State St. 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, Michele Young, Randy Sills, Todd Norris, Jill Hayes For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948 Creative Director: Kyra Poehlman Distribution: Dave Anderson, Dave Courtad Kimberly Sills, Randy Sills, Roger Racine Matt Ritter, Gary Twardowski Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold Reporter: Patrick Sullivan Contributors: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Ross Boissoneau, Jennifer Hodges, Michael Phillips, Steve Tuttle, Craig Manning, Emily Tyra
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www.schulzortho.com Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 3
this week’s
top ten Planet of the Humans Explodes
Good News: Kid Architects Can Get Paid To celebrate its 50th anniversary, The Home Builders Association of Grand Traverse has announced an opportunity for kids ages 3–17 to exercise their imaginations using every home builders’ first construction material: LEGOS. Kids, the rules are simple: 1) Build the best house of LEGOs that you can. 2) Snap a photo of your LEGO house — front and back. 3) Email the photo, along with your name and age, to debbie@hbagta.com by May 10. Winners will receive a $25 Amazon gift card; all photos and winners’ names will be posted on the HBA’s Facebook page.
A Traverse City filmmaker’s documentary about green energy was a massive hit after Michael Moore promoted the film on his YouTube channel, garnering millions of views and backlash from environmentalists around the world. “I am thrilled that Planet of the Humans has ignited a national discussion about the new environmental movement we need,” filmmaker Jeff Gibbs said in a press release. Planet of the Humans made its world premiere on Michael Moore’s YouTube channel (see YouTube.com/MMFlint). To promote the premiere, Moore, who executive produced the movie, appeared as a guest on CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Moore and Gibbs made multiple appearances on on MSNBC and hosted a live discussion and Q&A event on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The film provoked condemnation from some environmentalists, who argued that it is full of disinformation and that it makes misleading and dangerous claims about alternative energy. Moore said in a statement: “This isn’t personal — we admire what so many of our fellow environmentalists have done. It’s just that we refuse to stand by and let the planet choke to death because a few people on our side of the political fence sincerely thought they knew what was best for us.”
2 tastemaker
Parkside DIY Sammies & MABS’ Atomic Mustard
These days, we’ll take excitement wherever we can get it — and for those of us stuck at home, that’s primarily in the kitchen. Which is why we’re letting you know about one of our favorite refrigerator residents, MABS’ Atomic Mustard. Petoskey’s Andrea Simard makes this zesty, tangy brown condiment according to her Swedish Grandma Mabel’s secret recipe, crafted in small batches that involve pure cane sugar, premium ground mustard flour, and an out-of-this-universe zing we can’t name but certainly can taste. You can find MABS’ Atomic Mustard at many markets around the North (see www.mabsatomicmustard.com for a list of retailers or to buy directly) but right now, Petoskey’s Parkside Deli is making an offer no bored and hungry homebound citizen should resist: curbside pickup of full bottles of MABS’ Atomic Mustard (and BBQ sauce; both $7.95 each), plus an array of Parkside’s own deli fixins — by-the-pound sliced meats and cheeses, fresh-baked bread, house salads, and signature condiments — so you can create your own Atomic-dressed sammies at home, every dang day. Think you can best Parkside’s own No. 11 — herb roasted turkey, Swiss cheese, pickled red onions, and Mabs’ mustard on veggie bread? Your mouth would love to see you try. Find the full menu and ordering directions by searching “Parkside Deli Petoskey” on Facebook.
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Hey, read it!
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
It’s the late ’80s in South Carolina, and Patricia Campbell would kill for something to do. In fact, her only source of sanity is her weekly book club, wherein Patricia and a group of likeminded ladies gather to discuss their taste for true crime. Enter James Harris. Striking, sensitive, and curiously sunshy, Harris dominates club conversation — that is, until kids across town go missing. Patricia is certain this stranger is to blame, but what her search uncovers is far more sinister. From acclaimed author Grady Hendrix comes “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires,” in which silver stakes meet Southern hospitality. Gruesome, hilarious, and tasty as, well … you take a bite and decide.
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Pride Week Going Virtual
In-person Up North Pride Week events have been called off for 2020, but the nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocate has lots of virtual programming in the works. “With such a diverse range of attendees at our events — including many vulnerable populations — we feel it’s of utmost importance to do what’s best for the safety and health of our community,” the Up North Pride board of directors said in a recent release, promising that details about virtual events will be released in the coming weeks. To learn about events as they are announced, or for links to support for the LGBTQ+ community, visit www.upnorthpride.com.
Q-Tip: How to Trim Your Mop for Charity Admit it: There’s a good chance your hair couldn’t look any worse right now. So why not follow the bold lead of Dr. Richard Brake and take matters — and clippers — into your own hands. During a live online student forum, the headmaster of Petoskey’s St. Michael’s Academy surprised everyone by buzzing off his own unruly coif. The stunt wasn’t just for appearances; it was to launch the SMA Home Haircut Challenge, in which students (and, really, anybody with guts and a pair of scissors or clippers) cut their own hair (or have a friend cut it for them) and make a donation to the northern Michigan food pantry of their choice. So far, several students have tackled their tresses, and the cause, with verve and style. Want to participate — and watch Dr. Brake shed a mess o’ locks up top? Point your head to donorbox.org/sma-home-haircutchallenge, where you can watch his video and donate as little as $5. Just remember to post an “after” picture on FB or Instagram and use the #SMAhomehaircutChallenge, so we can gasp in awe of your … skills.
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Stuff we love What a TC Man can Teach Us 50 Years After Another Nation-Changing Event A half-century ago, a one-way battle that lasted 13 seconds — about two breath’s time — helped galvanize resistance to the Vietnam War. Using rifles, pistols, and a shotgun, Ohio National Guardsmen fired more than 60 shots into a crowd of anti-war demonstrators on the Kent State University campus. The result: four deaths, nine wounded. On that day — May 4, 1970 — journalist Bob Giles oversaw the news desk at the Akron Beacon Journal. In his just-published book, “When Truth Mattered,” Giles recounts the event and the political aftershocks that followed our own military firing at unarmed American citizens. Giles reminds us, too, of the backstory — President Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia, the torching of the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) building at Kent State, and Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes’ exploitation of the tragedy to curry favor among conservative voters. (Rhodes likened the demonstrators to Nazi brownshirts.) His comprehensive retelling is gripping. Giles’ main purpose, though, goes deeper. He explains how the Beacon Journal’s reporting that day and in the intervening months revealed the “unvarnished” truth. (The paper won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage.) Drawing lessons from the past, Giles also suggests ways news consumers today can sort out truth from fiction. His advice: • Be wary of rumors, misinformation, and disinformation • Welcome scrutiny of the powerful • Beware [of] journalist bearing opinions • Pay attention to journalists with deep sourcing • Seek out those who seek objectivity • Always be skeptical Giles is scheduled to appear at the National Writers Series on June 28; tickets are still available at www.nationalwritersseries.org. (That gives you enough time to read it — right after you support your local bookstore with an online order that ships to your door. Keep your downtown alive: www.brilliant-books.net, www.horizonbooks.com, www.mcleanandeakin.com, cottagebooks.indielite.org, www,baybookmi.com, are just a few.
bottoms up accoustic tap room howlers The good folks at Acoustic Tap Room are sensitive to our needs right now. Until the end of May, they are discounting their howlers … deeply: 20 percent off premium cysers, 30 percent off meads, and a staggering 50 percent off ciders. As our current need is for the sweet fruit and floral flavors of honeymade mead, we went for Acoustic’s succulent Electric BzZz, whose orange and apricot zest truly tastes like a mimosa bubbling up in a bottle (minus the champagne headache!). But then, we learned that their Honey BzZz is “like a baby champagne,” with “tinier bubbles,” and who the heck are we to turn down baby champagne? So we didn’t. And it was even more adorable than we’d hoped: crisp, rich in its depth of flavor (shoutout to those hardworking honeybees), and like a million tiny dancers over the tongue. Finally, because the skies were moody, we also opted for a darker gamble — the blueberry-pomegranate-and-honey BlueZBeRi BzZz — which, when topped with a Guinness Stout, as Acoustic suggests, floored the die-hard Black-and-Tan fans among us. Mellow and hearty as a traditional B&T but a far more interesting combo, a Black and Blue is equal parts smooth and effervescent, filling and uplifting, dark and brightly sweet. Ultimately, we eschewed the howler deal so we could sample the trifecta of flavors shown here, but we will return — and Acoustic is ready. Though its intimate taproom and sweet outdoor patio remain closed, Acoustic is offering bottle and howler pickups four days a week: 4pm–8pm Thursdays and Fridays, 1pm–8pm Saturdays, and 1pm–5pm Sundays. Can’t get there? Remain calm; they also deliver to doors (owned by people age 21 and up) in Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse counties — and will make concessions for special cases ordered outside of these counties. Like we said … sensitive. Order online at www. drinkacoustic.com or call (231) 714-5028.
Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 5
BUILD STRONG BUILD SAFE
REWRITING THE GAME, Northern Michigan Style
We’ve thrown out the manual and are brainstorming with our customers, vendors and staff to find creative new ways to work, and work safely. What makes the home building industry strong is what we’re all about. It’s all hands on deck with safe product handling and delivery logistics.
(ALMOST) NOTHING IS IMMUNE spectator by Stephen Tuttle Searching for topics not impacted by COVID-19 is almost impossible. It has consumed, or at least intruded into, virtually every corner of our lives. Politics, nationally and mostly internationally, is all pandemic, all the time. Both China and Russia have used the opportunity to try and make trade and defense inroads in Africa and South America but they’re dealing, mostly dishonestly, with the bug, too. The oil production war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, already self-destructive, was made worse when the virus hit. At one point, producers had to pay storage operators to take excess oil off their hands.
playoffs, and baseball would be a month deep into their season. (The Tigers would not yet be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but they’d be heading there.) For those interested in European soccer, their seasons would be just a couple weeks from concluding. College sports would be wrapping up their spring-sports calendar, and college football would be holding spring practice, often in front of big crowds. High schools would be finishing their spring sports, too, with visions of playoffs dancing in their heads. The sports dearth is so severe that the recent NFL draft, an exercise in which men sat barri-
One thing the pandemic should do is renew respect for teachers. If it’s hard with one or two for a couple months, imagine multiplying that times 10 or more for nine months. BUILDING CENTERS & DESIGN SHOWROOMS PETOSKEY | HARBOR SPRINGS | GAYLORD | TRAVERSE CITY
FARMHOUSE/ACREAGE/STEEL BUILDING w/3 Phase Power Industrial building (60x80) plus an additional 24x40 pole barn that sits next to a farmhouse on 38.83 acres of land in beautiful Leelanau County. Great visibility along the M-72 corridor and agriculturaly zoned to allow for a new business venture! Additional mobile home on the property could be rented out for even more income! So much potential at this location! A must see! $375,000 MLS 1869487 LAKE LEELANAU FRONTAGE Spectacularly charming custom built English Cottage on 103’ feet of private North Lake Leelanau, known as Robinson Bay. Impeccably maintained, 2 BR / 1.5 BA, with over 2000 square feet of finished living space to stretch your legs. With water views from almost every room, and 170’ of private dock to call your own. Large master suite, marble bathroom floors, granite kitchen tops, and more. A must see! $849,900 MLS 1871799 NEWER BUILD IN LEELANAU LOOKING for cozy in the county? You can find it here, in this new construction 2 BR / 2 BA home, in the village of Maple City. Island kithcen and open concept layout with master suite and bath, this home has an egress unfinsihed basement ready to finish, for even more future space. Add another bedroom, or bath! 2 car detached garage with covered walk thru to the house. Adorable and affordable in Leelanau County! $229,900 MLS 1868753 NEWER BUILD IN MAPLE CITY Looking for your first home? This could be it! Come see this brand new construction home, located in the village of Maple City in Leelanau County. 2 BR / 2 BA, with full unfinished egress basement for an additional bedroom and bath if you desire. 2 car detached garage with covered walk thru, ans an open concept layout with island kitchen! All brand new and waiting for it’s first family! $224,900 MLS 1868754 CHARMING LEELANAU FARMHOUSE Charming circa 1890 farmhouse, currently operated as the Sleeping Bear Bed and Breakfast, this five bedroom, five bathroom home, has been nicely upgraded over the years and would make a great family home. Wonderfully appointed gourmet kitchen, wine cellar, new boiler system in 2017. Wonderful yard with beautiful gardens and outdoor living/kitchen areas, also available with the Sleeping Bear Bed and Breakfast business component. $360,000 MLS 1869220 or $394,900 MLS 1869221
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6 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
Domestically, we get nonstop nonsense from the president and an unprecedented giveaway of federal dollars we don’t have, courtesy of Democrats. This includes an unemployment system that suddenly gives some people far more money while out of work than they made while working. It’s sort of daffy. Environmentally, we’re deceived, a little, by the suddenly clean air and jellyfish swimming in the canals of Venice. Reduced use of fossil fuels has helped plenty, but some of the air clarity is the lack of dust kicked up on dirt roads and in farm fields. It’s not really a test run for a world without fossil fuels, though it’s a hint. (The canals in Venice are clear because there aren’t hundreds of gondoliers poking the bottom and stirring up silt.) Animals are roaming free in national parks, but they were always there and smart enough to avoid the loud, stinky humans. Household trash, meanwhile, has increased with everyone stuck at home. Education is stumbling along, with 41 states having canceled in-school attendance for the rest of the school year. Many are trying online programs with varying levels of participation. Children without computers or internet connections — and that’s nearly a third of all public school kids — are in a particular bind. Parents trying to fill the gap have been forced to become homeschool teachers, with mixed results. To be fair, many are also trying to telecommute for their full-time job at the same time. But neither do they have to deal with 25 kids, all with different learning skills and their own sets of issues. One thing the pandemic should do is renew respect for teachers. If it’s hard with one or two for a couple months, imagine multiplying that times 10 or more for nine months. There aren’t any sports, and the calendar is usually full this time of year. Both professional basketball and hockey would be cruising into their nearly endless
caded in their homes in front of multiple computer screens while guessing whom to choose, drew record television ratings. The criminal justice system hasn’t escaped impact. Property crimes against homes are down since few homes are now vacant. Plenty of low-level nonviolent criminals have been given early release to help prevent the virus from spreading in jails. We’ll see if the released miscreants behave. The rather steep downside has been an increase in domestic violence and hate crimes, especially against Asians. With many shelters closed or restricted, abuse victims have few options. The ignorant haters keep moving from target to target. Agriculture has been badly hurt. With most restaurants closed, growers have an excess of product and nowhere to sell it. You’d think the Department of Agriculture would have stepped in early, especially with food banks in desperate need of donations, but they waited until a couple of weeks ago to do anything. Still, it could be 2–4 weeks before growers receive any orders or money. In the meantime, they’re burying tons of tomatoes, onions, beans, and peas, and milk producers are pouring raw product down the drain. A few businesses are doing very well indeed. Walmart’s in-store income was up 20 percent in March, and Amazon orders have increased 35 percent over the same period last year. Some delivery services are doing even better. Ad copywriters might have seen the biggest boom of all since it seems every commercial and public service announcement now has some pandemic connection. Apparently, we’re all in this together. There’s at least one ongoing, non-pandemic story. The Great Lakes are still rising slowly, eating shoreline, collapsing bluffs, and taking homes, completely oblivious to COVID-19. But almost nothing else is immune, including us.
Crime & Rescue MAN ARRESTED AFTER STANDOFF Police arrested a 47-year-old Vanderbilt man on child sex-abuse charges following a standoff that lasted several hours. Parents of a child under 13 complained of a sexual assault in March, resulting in an investigation by the Michigan State Police and the Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center. That investigation led to several charges filed against Joseph Alan Doyle. When police went to arrest Doyle at a home in Vanderbilt on April 9, he was armed with a .22-caliber handgun and locked in a basement, police said. Doyle faces charges in Otsego County of firstdegree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He could face additional charges stemming from the armed standoff. TWO ARRESTED FOR DRUNKEN SHOOTING Leelanau County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men after investigating a gunshot complaint. Deputies responded around 4am April 25 to South Lake Shore Drive in Cleveland Township; they spotted two men going into a home where the incident had been reported. Deputies interviewed the people in the house and determined that two men, both 30-year-old Lake Leelanau residents, were legally intoxicated and had been firing a 12-guage shotgun outside of the home. The men were arrested on charges of use of a firearm while intoxicated.
COMING SOON
by patrick sullivan psullivan@northernexpress.com
As we follow Social Distancing, follow us on Facebook for our reopening. facebook.com/TraverseCity.AirportRd/
MAN KILLED IN CRASH A man died after he lost control of his car on a rural Otsego County road and was thrown from the vehicle. Nicholas Romano of Elmira lost control of his Chrysler Town & Country and was ejected from his car around 4:30am on Mancelona Road, near Hayes Tower Road, in Hayes Township. State police investigated and determined that alcohol was likely a factor in the crash. 1133 S. Airport Rd. W., Traverse City • 231-929-9866
THE BOMB SOUNDS EXPLAINED Those loud booms that have been coming from Camp Grayling recently are part of a military training exercise. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office posted an announcement — headline: “Wondering what the bombs are?” — on its Facebook page April 29 to let area residents know they didn’t have to worry about the explosions they were hearing. The announcement linked to the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center page, which explained, “The sound of Freedom returns to Range 40 with Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Jets dropping 500 lbs Bombs until May 3rd.”
MAN MALES CAR-JACKING REPORT Wexford County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating after an alleged carjacking in Mesick. The alleged theft occurred at 8:20pm April 25 on North 19 Road near Harvey Bridge, where a man said that he had been stopped by three people and ordered out of his car at gunpoint. Deputies interviewed the man at his home an hour after the incident, according to a press release. The man’s vehicle was found crashed and abandoned near the intersection of North 17 Road and West 6 Road in Hanover Township. Deputies said they hadn’t yet determined the identity of any suspects.
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Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 7
NEW LISTING! Unique Northern Michigan lakefront home. P
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120 feet of private frontage on all sports Spider Lake. Largest part of Spider Lake, sunshine on Woodsy setting beautifulbottom. view of Duck Lakecon& the westthe beach all with day,a sandy Quality erly sunsets. Shared Duck Lake frontage within a very short struction, perfectly maintained. Open floor plan w/ soaring vaulted pine ceiling w/ a wall of winwalking distance at the end of the road. Large wrap-around dows looking out the to the lake. Floor-to-ceiling, natural Michigan wood burning CHERRY KNOLL Oneyard of athat kindbacks property 113 acres w/ a stone, large main home, rentalfireplace home, multi-level decks inFARMS! spacious up toona creek. w/ Heatilator vents. Built in bookcases in separate area of living room for cozy reading center. workshop, finished garage w/ bathroom, pole building & barn. Currently has a bed & breakfast license. Open floor plan. Master with cozy reading area, 2 closets, slider Finished family room w/ woodstove. Detached garage has complete studio, kitchen, workshop, Massive kitchen w/ painted wainscoting, opens to covered front porch. Formal dining room w/ bay winout to deck. Maple crown molding in kitchen & hall. Hickory original trim/wood wainscoting. Separate owners quarters on main floor. Family room was added 1&dow, ½bamboo baths & its own deck. 2 docks, large deck on main house, patio, lakeside deck, bon-fire pit flooring in main level bedrooms. Built in armoire & inmultiple 1970inon main w/ slate view of gentle valley/woods. Adorable &dresser sets offloor, stairs. Extensively landscaped w/ plants & flowers conducive to all playhouse, the wildlife 2nd bedroom. 6f/ppanel doors.hearth, Finished family room insloping dollhouse & wishing well w/(1791482) koi fish.$220,000. (1871271) $989,500 that surrounds the MLS#1798048 area. $570,000. walk-out lower level.
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231-933-0881 555 Anywhere Ln Heather J Boivin, AAMS® Yancy Boivin, AAMS® Steve Meteer 3285 South Airport Road555 WestAnywhere Ln Suite 1234 555-123-4567 3285 South Airport Road West 125 Park Street, Suite 250 231-933-5263 231-947-3032 555 Anywhere Ln Suite 1234 555-123-4567231-933-5263 Jamie Keillor 555-123-4567 Jim Mellinger Andrew Weaver 4110 Copper Ridge Dr Bldg D Suite 202 12935 S W Bay Shore Dr Ste 310 318 S Cedar Street 555 Anywhere Ln Suite 1234 231-252-3561 555 Anywhere Ln 231-947-1123 231-258-5243 555-123-4567 Claudia F Rodriguez, AAMS® 555-123-4567 555 AnywhereJohn Ln Tredway Suite 1234 125 Park Street, Suite 250 806 S Garfield Ave Suite B 555 Anywhere Ln Suite 1234 231-947-3032 555-123-4567231-932-1290 MKT-6354F-A-A2
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THE (IMMEDIATE) FUTURE OF NORTHERN REAL ESTATE opinion BY Jack Lane Welcome to a whole new real estate world. I’m sure you’re wondering whether this is the 2008-2012 financial meltdown all over again. It’s not. Quite the opposite. When this lockdown has passed, and the economy restarts, there’s a fundamental change occurring that will have enormous financial benefits locally: Millions of workers will be able to live wherever they choose and work remotely. The technology has been around for at least 25 years, but until now, major industries chose not to radically disrupt a proven business model. The Coronavirus effect, however, has forced every industry to create new platforms, adopt different policies, and learn the do’s and don’ts of handling remote employees. Likewise, remote employees have learned how to work from home. This is here to stay. There is no more pre-Coronavirus world, and that will open a whole new real estate market.
with proper video assurances and resulting home inspections, particularly if prices jump higher every month. Early buyers and sellers who adopt this platform will benefit from less competition; cautious people will wait until it becomes mainstream. • This is not 2008-2012 all over again. There might be a short downturn at the beginning, as national news shocks local market conditions. But rest assured: The downturn will be short. The bear of 2012 wasn’t that long ago — and people are fully aware that opportunity follows. Unfortunately, we will see a spike in foreclosures. But, again, that is another opportunity market. The future? Until there’s a cure or vaccination, tourism will morph — but it will only get bigger. Restaurants will have to physically adapt; takeout will thrive. The weekly rental market will resume and likely grow larger once landlords can assure sanitized conditions at checkin. Monthly rentals will rise in the short term. New construction will become more attractive as existing home prices
This is not 2008-2012 all over again. There might be a short downturn at the beginning, as national news shocks local market conditions. But rest assured: The downturn will be short. Here are three major ways I see it playing out in northwest lower Michigan: • The demand for Traverse City, Grand Traverse, and surrounding counties is going to be incredible. The flight from huge cities will be a major economic shift. People are going to seek walkable, arts-friendly, beautiful locales with great recreational infrastructure. In any market, real estate values are all about supply and demand.
jump. Rural properties will benefit from an increasingly popular “grow your own food” trend. Farms, which were headed off a cliff pricewise, are going to be saved (somewhat) by increased demand. Large commercial office space is going to take a hit. Small office space will see an increase. Retail stores are going to suffer as online sales supercharge during this period.
Locally, demand is already way higher than supply; when this new crowd starts arriving, prices are going to go up even higher. Maybe crazy high. For those who will be horrified by the loss of your “small town’s” charm — I get it. I grew up here, too. But there’s no stopping it.
Traverse City and all of northwest lower Michigan might well become the most desired place to live in America. I’m not saying this because I found my cheerleader outfit while I was cleaning out the basement during lockdown; I’m saying it because it makes sense.
If you’re determined to live where smalltown charm is still intact, I’d seriously suggest taking a look at places like Manistee where, today, you can still buy an in-town house for less than $100,000.
As always, calamity brings opportunity. And, in the long view, the opportunities that are coming our way are fabulous!
The good news is you get to cash in high and then go buy low, while still remaining Up North. The crazy Traverse City prices are only going to go up — for years to come. • We might be beginning the “buy it sight unseen” days. There are plenty of potential buyers who are aware of what each neighborhood or condo project offers — and they might become willing to take a chance
Finding & Selling Legendary Michigan Waterfront for 30 years
We live in a gorgeous area. The future is very, very bright. Don’t fret. Stay healthy. Jack Lane grew up here, lives in downtown Traverse City, was never actually a cheerleader, and is the long time host of Ask The Real Estate Guy, airing 8am—9am Saturdays on WTCMAM 580. See more at www.JackLaneTeam. com or the Jack Lane Team YouTube channel. Or call him at 231 995 0000.
231-631-3317 / dick@dickhuey.com Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 9
Addiction Isn’t Taking a Break Kicking an addiction to drugs or alcohol is tough at any time — but the stress of the pandemic’s mandated shutdown, increasing job losses, and feelings of isolation are making it even tougher for folks in recovery to stay the course, as well as for those who are just starting to recognize they need help. The good news: Despite current circumstances, help and support are available.
By Patrick Sullivan Methadone saved Mariah Pelky’s life but getting the dose that helps the Interlochen resident resist her narcotics addiction requires she drives to a clinic in Gaylord six days each week. Still, she considers herself to be one of the lucky ones. The methadone and a stable family life have kept her on course despite the pandemic, which has made life especially difficult for people struggling with addiction. “I know a couple of people that have relapsed. You know, they lose their jobs. Stress. Not knowing where to turn to,” Pelky said. “I have a feeling overdoses are going to skyrocket if things don’t go back to normal soon.” Though she is several years into recovery, Pelky acutely understands the allure of opiates — and how easy it’d be to slip back into them. Driving to Detroit every now and again to pick up some bulk heroin on the street would be much simpler than driving to Gaylord every day, after all. “Hypothetically, it would be way easier for me to just go down to Detroit and pick up a brick and just park myself on the couch,” she said. LACK OF ACCESS TO METHADONE Pam Lynch, director of Harm Reduction Michigan, agrees with Pelky’s prediction about overdoses increasing amid the pandemic.
“We have seen some overdoses, and we had a client whose partner overdosed fatally last week,” Lynch said. “You know, it’s just a tragedy. From my perspective, our country has really done a really poor job in handling the opiate crisis.” Harm Reduction, a nonprofit, has offices in Traverse City, Cadillac, Petoskey, and Midland, and they offer access to medically assisted treatment (with Suboxone) and therapy.
offered before the crisis. They’ve cut back their walk-in hours, but each office remains open. Nonetheless, Lynch said she believes the crisis is causing people to hesitate before reaching out for help with addiction, either because they assume it isn’t available now or because the pandemic has made it harder to do anything. “There is a tendency [for people dealing with addiction] to be embarrassed and
“There is a tendency [for people dealing with addiction] to be embarrassed and ashamed already. You add COVID on top of that, and it just makes it worse,” Lynch said. One of the challenges with fighting the opiate epidemic in northern Michigan is the lack of access to methadone. There are only two places in northern Michigan where it is available, and both of those clinics are in Gaylord. The next nearest source is in Mt. Pleasant. “It’s a pretty ridiculous situation. Methadone should be available in a lot more communities than it is,” Lynch said. Meanwhile, however, Lynch said Harm Reduction has been able to operate through the pandemic and offer all of the services it
10 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
ashamed already. You add COVID on top of that, and it just makes it worse,” Lynch said. For example, through the Traverse City office, Harm Reduction continues to run a needle-exchange program so that addicts have access to clean and safe needles. Lynch said she realized early on in the crisis that she needed to provide clients with letters stating that needle access is an essential service and that clients could travel for the purpose of visiting a needle exchange. Lynch said she has not heard of clients having problems with police, but she said many clients felt
uncomfortable enough driving during the stay-at-home mandate that they wanted such a letter. “It’s challenging for the people living with addiction to feel comfortable accessing those services,” she said. “Some people don’t understand addiction and think it’s a choice.” “A REALLY ODD TIME” In drug court, a diversion program for people who committed crimes that stem from addiction, many of the carrots and sticks typically used to keep people straight are no longer available. “For all of us, there’s a certain level of stress. Even if you’ve got employment still, it’s just a really odd time,” said 86th District Court Judge Robert Cooney. “For people who are dealing with addiction, this [time] is worse.” For one thing, upon initiation into drug court, a defendant must find a job and keep it. Most of the folks in drug court have lost their jobs amid the stay-at-home order. “A lot of them have gained jobs only recently, and then they’ve lost them. Not all of them, but most of them,” Cooney said. “To see that happen is really just sad.” The court and probation officers have also had to cut back on drug testing. The center where defendants could go for court-ordered drug testing, New Direction, had to shut down. There are home monitoring units and ankle monitors to test people for alcohol
use, but with the testing center closed, those are in short supply and have to be reserved for extreme cases, such as habitual drunk drivers or people who’ve committed violent domestic assaults. Cooney said he is concerned that they’ve had to cut back too much, but he said, on the other hand, he recognizes that there’s a feeling among some court observers that the court’s monitoring of defendants on bond has traditionally been too severe. “It definitely concerns me. I tend to err on the side of caution; I want to protect public safety,” he said. “All I can do is say, ‘Please, don’t use alcohol. We can’t test you for it, but if you get caught, you might go to jail.’” And therein lies another dilemma: Judges right now have to take pains not to throw too many people in jail so that jail populations can maintain social distancing. In Grand Traverse County, there are typically 140 to 160 people in jail at this time of year. At the end of April, there were just 91, as low a number as Cooney has seen in 26 years. “Jail is, of course, less of an option right now. I think I can just say that I don’t think it’s a secret with many of our defendants. We’re trying to limit the number of people in the jail,” he said. “I know the jail is doing everything they can to create space, not have it be so congested. We haven’t had any cases, as far as I know, in our jail, and I hope it stays that way. It’s a very difficult balancing act.” On the positive side, probation officers now have more time freed up to spend in one-on-one online meetings with drug court attendees. In early May, Cooney said he plans to start holding actual drug court hearings again over Zoom. A FINANCIAL CRISIS FOR TREATMENT People who work in addiction treatment agree that when this crisis is over, there are going to be a lot of people needing help. That could come at a bad time for treatment providers, however, because many of them are struggling to survive right now, said Christopher Hindbaugh, executive director of Addiction Treatment Services. Take ATS: Unlike some nonprofits, which are funded through grants, the organization is funded primarily through Medicaid fees for specific services, meaning their income is dependent on the volume of people they serve. When the crisis arrived, addiction treatment centers were deemed essential and mandated to stay open by the state; ATS had to increase staff to meet safety guidelines, Hindbaugh said. But for weeks, while the treatment center was fully staffed it also was virtually vacant because most people who needed help were scared away by the coronavirus. “For three weeks, we were open and operating at 10-percent capacity because people just didn’t want to show up,” Hindbaugh said. “Our phones were busy. People were calling and saying they were in crisis. But when it came to coming to detox, they just didn’t want to be here.” Hindbaugh said he closed a couple of programs, like a jail diversion program that was nearly empty, in order to save money. But at the same time, ATS also had to invest in new technology so that workers could work from home and attend video meetings. It’s amounted to a financial crisis for his organization, and other treatment centers around Michigan are also struggling, he said. Hindbaugh said ATS has applied for funding through the Paycheck Protection Program and hopes to weather the storm with it. “I’ve talked to three-quarters of the treatment centers around Michigan, and we’re all in the same state,” he said. “It’s kind of its own other crisis.”
Meanwhile, places like ATS may be soon in more demand than ever. Business at ATS is picking up, and Hindbaugh has noticed that many people have been struggling with drinking of late. “Just within the last week, our census numbers are starting to rise again,” Hindbaugh said. “People are starting to kind of come out a little bit more. A lot of people are calling because of alcohol abuse.” ADDICTION NOT TAKING A BREAK Pelky, the recovering heroin addict, said part of the reason she’s been able to remain steadfast in her recovery despite the hardship of being forced to stay at home is because the methadone provider she goes to — NMSAS in Gaylord — has been able to provide all the support she needs. “I’m very happy with NMSAS in Gaylord. I’m really glad actually how it all worked out,” she said. Even the long drive, now that gas has gotten so cheap, isn’t so bad. Tory Werth, recovery supports coordinator at NMSAS, said that his organization strives to make sure there are people across northern Michigan to support people dealing with addiction. Since 2012, NMSAS has trained around 450 “recovery coaches,” people who are available to help others who are struggling. NMSAS — the acronym no longer stands for anything; it used to stand for Northern Michigan Substance Abuse Services, but people who work in addiction treatment have largely eschewed the term “substance abuse” in recent years — trains recovery coaches from across northern Michigan so that they can be spread out across the region, ready to help people tucked away in far-off rural areas. A person might attend rehab in Traverse City or Petoskey, but when they complete that and move home to their small town, they still need help, Werth said. “A lot of times they are going to go back into their communities, where the hard work is going to begin,” he said. “They need a lot of support for that.” There are usually three Recovery Coach Academy sessions per year. There was one last October in Houghton Lake. There was one in Petoskey in January. And one had been scheduled for Gaylord in March, but of course, that had to be canceled. Werth said it is fortunate that all of these recovery coaches have been trained and are now fanned out across northern Michigan because, amid the pandemic, people need a lot of help. “It is nice to be able to have at least a connection with another person, and we can provide that,” he said. NMSAS also organizes “Virtually Inspired Recovery” online talks each weekday at noon, featuring a speaker who can talk about their experience or expertise with addiction. Werth said one of the biggest challenges he faces right now is getting people to realize that help is still available amid the crisis, and all they need to do is reach out and ask. “There are probably some folks that are starting the process of having an addiction right now. There is still help available,” he said. “We’re out there. We’re trying to let folks know, ‘Hey get in touch with us.’ Addiction is not taking a break.” NMSAS offers connections to recovery coaches through their Facebook page, and outpatient counseling, medically assisted treatment, and therapy through telemedicine. They also can offer referrals — to rehab facilities like Harbor Hall in Petoskey, or Bear River Health in Walloon Lake.
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Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 11
cocktail creations
BUILD STRONG BUILD SAFE
MEET WITH YOUR DESIGNER,
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Our world has been spun on its head, but we’re all connected like never before. We’re putting our heads together with our clients, vendors and staff to find innovative new ways to work, and work safely. Our designers can help you plan beautiful living spaces remotely.
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Shoulder Season Sangria
YOUR REAL ESTATE SUPERHEROES
Michiganders dream of warm summer afternoons while it’s still brisk outside. For those of us wistful for summer, we’ve created this sangria recipe that delivers the punch of July’s ripe peaches. Don’t have peach schnapps knocking around? Substitute in the syrup from a can of peaches!
Here to Serve
Ingredients • 1.5 oz. Sauvignon blanc • 1 oz Cointreau or other triple sec • 1 oz peach schnapps
• •
0.5 ounce of lemon juice Soda water
Add all ingredients to your wine glass or highball, and give it a quick swirl. Garnish with citrus or cherries, enjoy immediately!
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57 N. Michigan Ave. Beulah, MI
12 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
123 W FRONT ST #1B, TRAVERSE CITY
Alongside barstools, we offer family-style arrangements of authentic Victorian and Eastlake seatin 231.753.8841 www.123speakeasy.com Our drinks and food are all presented in a curated collection of vintage crystal and glassware.
We proudly use the best local, seasonal, organic, and foraged ingredients in our drinks and food.
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Pure-and-delicious tacos from a beloved Cedar landmark By Emily Tyra Tacos are hunger-staving, moodimproving food, even when skies are grey. And some of the North’s most revered tacos come from Cedar Sol Taco Stand & Hydro Farm, co-owned by Michael and Nikki McHugh, of Cedar. The couple cracked open the windows of their roadside restaurant in March this year, rather than the as-usual May, to the collective rejoice of their nearby fans. “They opened months in advance to serve us locally sourced food — some from their own gardens,” said longtime customer Shea Petaja, of Traverse City. “The first bite of my chorizo taco was like manna from heaven. A taste of summer right around the corner.” The Cedar Sol Taco Stand & Hydro Farm is perched in the rolling and picturesque hills of Cedar. It’s is its 10th season, which historically ran Memorial Day through Labor Day. Nikki McHugh said of their early opening: “We are here to support our neighbors and provide access to good food. Because the business is on our homestead, we are here already — so we are cooking for our neighbors and locals from our commercial kitchen. It feels good to be able to offer this, and it’s what we know how to do.” And social distancing? The taco stand is built for it. “We have always been a unique that we assist people through windows. Only now we ask for call-in orders only and payment over the phone,” she said. Nikki admitted the vibe at the stand is quite different now: namely, no window chat with chef Michael — the bandana-wearing guy with the buoyant personality. She said, “I’m telling people, ‘Be well; we’ll hug later.’ But it is really awesome to bring that kind of joy and normalcy right now, even for a pickup and faraway wave.” She added, “Where my heart goes is to food access.”
The McHughs have made to-go tacos for neighbors who are not able to go to the store, exhausted parents, and those who can’t afford to stock up on giant grocery runs. “I hope we are filling in some of the food gaps, and course incorporating some nutrition,” she says. “With our menu, you can simply get one taco, and it’s filled with ¼ pound of meat.” Cedar Sol is also providing essential local foods for pickup at the taco stand — staples such as Grazing Fields eggs, Mooville Creamery whole milk, Carlson Arbogast Farms dry beans, Dekam Organics ground beef, Naturally Nutty peanut butter, and Food For Thought strawberry preserves. (Email cedarsolhydrofarm@gmail.com for the complete list; order by Tuesday 3pm for pickup on Friday.) And of course, they are slinging those irresistible tacos. The flour- or corn-shell tacos ($4 each) brim with a choice of seasoned ground beef, marinated grilled chicken, slow-roasted pork, or spicy grilled chorizo. They’re showered generously with chopped cilantro and onions. Fresh lime and Cedar Sol’s homemade red or green hot sauce add just the right brightness. For 50 cents each, you can go wild with cheese, pico de gallo, wild rice, black beans, and sour cream. And all of the above can be crafted into a taco salad. Nikki said they learned secrets to authentic Mexican cooking from their friend Carlos Carrera, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. He lived with them and helped them on their farm in the early days of the taco stand. (Cedar Sol got its start as a hydroponic farm; today the McHughs grow cilantro, onions, greens, tomatillos, and more for their recipes.) “He was the type of teacher that said, ‘Watch me, watch me,’ so we worked behind him to learn how to make the hot sauces, properly salt the pico, add the special ingredients in the beans, and prepare large
quantities of meat,” she said. “He gave us the confidence to start a taco stand in northern Michigan.” Michael McHugh added, “He threw me right into the fire. At the grill, your hands never stop moving, while other parts of the prep and cooking are extremely patient.” Like their slow-roasted pork. “Carlos told stories about open firepits and doing whole pig … old school. We shrunk that down to doing it in the backyard on a grill in foil,” said Michael. The McHughs use Michigan-raised pork and beef in their tacos, and the chorizo is sourced from a company in Holland. “The chorizo has kind of a cult following,” said Michael. And that amazing green hot sauce? “Tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeños, and salt. That’s it,” said Michael. The McHughs sell containers of their hot sauce to-go, as well as their freshly prepared pico de gallo and tortilla chips, which
Michael said they source from El Milagro in Chicago. “They are top-shelf. Their chips are incomparable,” he said, laughing. “I can’t believe I am talking that way about tortilla chips. But they really are.” The taco stand is open 3pm to 8pm Tuesday through Sunday. With the world changing by the hour, said Nikki, “We can pull back or expand as we need to, to accommodate what’s happening. We are coming to terms that it’s not going to be a normal summer, and we are grateful that we can be open now. Like everybody, we’re wondering what it will hold, and it is impossible to know.” In the meantime, locals have access to crave-worthy tacos. Just add hot sauce — red, green or both — tilt the head, close the eyes, and eat like no one’s watching. Find the Cedar Sol Taco Stand at 9452 South Cedar Rd., in Cedar. (231) 883-8080, www. cedarsolhydrofarm.com
Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 13
This 2,600-square-foot East Jordan home, listed with Pat O’Brien, features 100+ feet of waterfront and is listed at $895,000.
A buyer purchased this home, listed for $63,500, through Coldwell Banker Schmidt in Cadillac, without stepping foot inside.
State of the Market Report What the pandemic has done to the region’s real estate industry, the new approach to selling — and how buyers might ultimately benefit. By Ross Boissoneau At the beginning of the year, the real estate industry looked poised for a very good, potentially great year. Interest rates were low, the economy was strong, there was interest in buying and selling — the only cloud on the horizon was the low inventory of homes for sale. Even the construction industry, which had been unable to keep up with demand since the recession ended, was making headway. And for two, two-and-a-half months, that was the way it worked. “Inventory was tight, [but] we were doing fine,” said Pat O’Brien, owner and broker at Pat O’Brien & Associates Real Estate in Boyne City. “A lot of stuff sold as soon as it was listed.” “It was really good across the board,” said Amy Wagner of Coldwell Banker Schmidt in Cadillac. “Everything was strong: Commercial, residential, all price points. Everything was great,” echoed Wally Kidd of Kidd & Leavy Real Estate in Boyne City and Petoskey. First-quarter statistics back that up. For the five counties served by the Traverse Area Association of Realtors, there were 582 sales, besting the record of 567 sold in January through March of 2017. The dollar volume of $163,397,361 outstripped 2018’s record high by almost $20 million. The low inventory and continued push for both primary and second homes made it a seller’s market. AND THEN … Now the question is whether there’s a market at all.
As the pandemic took hold in the United States, signs of softening price growth and slower buyer activity began to emerge in the last two weeks of March, according to Realtor.com. Nationally, the number of homes for sale declined 15.7 percent year-over-year. Businesses closed and the economy shut down. “Mortgage applications have fallen for five straight weeks. Home starts are down 22 percent. We have a very challenging year ahead of us,” said Randy Dye, a longtime real estate veteran who has his own brokerage in Beulah. Even when things open up, he’s not sure it will make an immediate difference, given the financial downturn and an anticipated cautious reaction. “There’s not a switch. People have lost money in the stock market.” HOW AGENCIES ARE PIVOTING Rather than getting caught off-guard and standing idly by waiting for normalcy to return, many are leaning hard on technology, something proving to be a lifeline in this highly unusual business environment. “I’m thankful we’ve been getting ready and are able to operate without stopping our business,” said Tracy Bacigalupi, president of marketing for the Coldwell Banker Schmidt Family of Companies. Tom Gray, the company’s COO and president of its northern region, said, in effect, the industry has spent the last two decades getting ready for just this sort of situation. With cell phones and the internet enabling email, virtual tours, and electronic signatures for closings, most Realtors still
14 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
Jason Read
Tracy Bacigalupi
have the ability to do business. “It wouldn’t have happened if not for the progress in the last 20 years,” he said. “It was an unfortunate event, but it allowed us to push our agents into the 21st century.” That push includes providing information and education for both sales agents and the general public. Keller Williams has teamed up with Facebook to train its agents on creating virtual home tours and navigating the digital world. Each morning, Keller Williams offers on-demand training sessions with content — including strategies, scripts, and tools to help them tackle today’s real estate challenges remotely. Keller Williams Vice President of Learning Jay Papasan told Housing Wire, “I believe that what we’re seeing is what was once a novelty might become the norm. I think that we’ll see a lot more virtual training in the future because now that people have
Mike Annelin
broken through that barrier, they’re like ‘Okay I can benefit from this and there are real benefits to doing it this way. If I can’t go there, I can do it on demand.’” Bacigalupi and Gray said meeting with agents and staff via Zoom, Facetime, and other means of face-to-face connections helps keep everyone motivated and engaged. “We posted 11 videos today,” Bacigalupi said. The videos often include information about properties, marketing how-tos, industry trends, and other material the company’s agents can quickly put to use. Gray said communication — both internally and with clients — has been uninterrupted. That wouldn’t have been possible with the old PBX systems, aka, Private Branch Exchange telephone networks, in which companies use different channels, like Voice over IP, ISDN, or analog, for internal and external communicating.
“When there was a hurricane in Florida, calls were transferred to Ohio.” [In addition to northern and western Michigan, Coldwell Banker has offices in Ohio, Florida, and the Virgin Islands.] “Now, with the shutdown, we made the transfers in one afternoon.” Like in any business, the ability to be nimble is what’ll keep agencies alive through the crisis and, some theorize, will ultimately determine which are still standing after it’s over. “We’re still putting deals together,” said Jason Read, team leader and business consultant at Keller Williams. “What we do from here will determine who thrives and survives going forward.” REALTORS PREDICT “Some days I think it will take right back off. Others, I look at all the people on unemployment. I’ve never been so uncertain,” said Mike Annelin, a Realtor with Century 21 in Traverse City. “Brokers are still fairly confident. I tell my clients no one really knows. I tell them, ‘Let’s hang tight, see what happens in the next couple weeks.’ This is so unprecedented.” “I tell clients this is the great pause,” said Kidd. “It’s unlike anything we’ve had before.” He said the bursting of the housing bubble and subsequent Great Recession in 2007 was a market correction. “It was just time. Here, we were in a roaring economy. People are chomping at the bit to get back to some normalcy.” So the outlook is muddled. “We’ve got appointments booked. Based on demand … I think we’ll be super busy,” said Wagner. The downturn in the stock market might make people leery of spending money. On
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the other hand, they could see real estate as a better investment. Three months from now, people may see their portfolio is down 15 percent, said O’Brien. That may cause them to suggest they could also buy a home for 15 percent less. Is that realistic? “I think caution will rule the day,” he said. BETTER BUSINESS, OR JUST DIFFERENT? While agents aren’t able to meet with clients or conduct showings in person, they can direct sellers in the art of shooting photos and videos, which can then be posted — something Read said is proving to be more efficient and very popular with buyers. With virtual open house events, potential buyers can visit multiple houses all from the comfort of their own living room. “Sellers don’t have to leave their house for three hours. And we’re getting high [numbers of] views. You’d have 10 people [in an actual open house] versus 500 views [in the virtual open house].” Gray believes it’s possible that the pandemic might benefit the northwest lower Michigan market, because it might cause potential buyers to shift their thoughts in a couple of ways. He thinks people in urban areas downstate, where they are crowded together, might be likelier now to seek out more rural areas in this region. “All the people in metro areas, Detroit or Chicago, that wish they had a place Up North [might be] thinking, ‘I’m not going to be trapped down here again.’” Along the same lines, he wouldn’t be surprised to see acreage parcels begin to sell. “In the ’70s, there was a surge to buy vacant acreage in northern Michigan. I’m not sure we won’t see that again.”
Pat O’Brien
Wally Kidd
Like Gray, Read said he believes the pandemic and subsequent shutdown will foster changes in the industry even after the pandemic subsides. “There will be a recalibration of the real estate industry,” he said, from changes in pricing to how buyers shop. BUYING SIGHT UNSEEN Thanks to the preponderance of online information, buying homes without actually setting foot in them has become more common. That’s especially true now that buying without visiting is the only way to do so. Many are including in the contract a provision that when the buyer does a walk-through inspection, they can still back out of the deal. “We sold one yesterday the [buyer] hadn’t even seen,” said Wagner. “The seller did the video and photos. The inspection is tomorrow — that’s the first time he’ll see the home.” Logan Mohtashami, a financial writer and a senior loan manager in mortgages
Tom Gray
in California, suggested in an article on HousingWire.com that purchase applications might drop by more than 50 percent. He attributed that to the limited capacity to perform real estate transactions while the economy remains in “stay-at-home” mode, but it’s also true that it may not be a potential buyer or seller’s highest priority at this time. “While we are homeschooling kids and uncertain if we will remain employed, both buying and selling of homes may seem like a challenge beyond our reserves of energy,” he noted. Another factor is the credit market. Corbin Buttleman is a mortgage loan officer with Lake Michigan Credit Union. He said he expects interest rates to remain low, though there will be movement. “We do a lot of purchases, [but] right now we are doing mostly refinance. It’s a very good time to refinance, but it’s very volatile.” “The question,” he added, “is will interest rates stay low? Or do the rates go back up? I think it will be lower rates for a while.”
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Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 15
The North’s Original Workforce Housing Boarding houses of the past and present. By Ross Boissoneau Swanky hotels and modest motels dotting our downtowns and shores have long been the norm of the North, beckoning tourists to unwind for a weekend or even a season, since the mid-19th century. But between the tourists and the townies are another lot — those folks who came here not to play or buy property for a lifetime stay, but rather, to test the waters and try their hand at a new job, a new town, maybe a new life ... at least temporarily. Boarding houses, you might say, are the true birthplace of our Up North towns, the place longer-term travelers and workers called home while they built our local industries and economies and figured out the future shape of their own dreams. Most of those “as long as it takes” lodgings — like the folks who occupied them — are long gone, but some of their structures remain. And while few serve their original purpose, we can’t help but give a nod to the many ghosts and hopes for a better life Up North that they once held.
The former Potter’s Rooming House
SHILSON HOUSE NOW ON TAP Traverse City Traverse City’s first boarding house, Hannah and Lay’s, was located on the southwest corner of what today is North Union Street and Grandview Parkway. This “home” for the employees of Hannah, Lay & Co.’s early lumbering and mercantile operations is no longer with us, but its second proprietors established a new boarding house, which is still extant. William and Jane Shilson took over Hannah and Lay’s from original proprietor David Goodale (who also served as Traverse City’s first doctor) in the 1860s. In 1872, they opened the Boardman River House at what is now 401 S. Union St. William Shilson died a year later, so their son Tom joined his mother in running the place. When Jane Shilson retired in 1891, Tom took over, renaming the establishment the Shilson House, in his parents’ honor. Like its predecessor, the Shilson House served as a home for the workers of the area. Nevertheless, accommodations for the town’s blue-collar residents seemed to lack for little. An ad in the Oct. 10, 1897, the Traverse City Record touted “First Class Accommodations” in “pleasant and well-ventilated rooms.” The rates were described as very reasonable — and with an option for seating at the “First Class Table.” (Right next to that ad was one for McLellan & Ash Fine Candies and Ice Cream, including flavors of Peanut, Taffy, Coconut, Almond and “Fresh Oysters, Direct from Baltimore.” (It seems there were oysters aplenty available in northern Michigan in those days; the ad below McLellan & Ash, for Frank Stepan’s Big West Side Grocery, also touted “Oysters in Bulk.”) Though no longer a boarding house, the Shilson House still stands today, and from the outside, it really doesn’t look all that different from what it was then. It goes by a different name, however: Brady’s Bar.
16 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
POST-CIVIL WAR RETIREMENT PLAN & HEMINGWAY’S STOPOVER SPOT Petoskey Head north on US-31 to Petoskey, and you’ll find a grand home at 418 Waukazoo St. It was built between 1903 and 1907 as a boarding house and home for Eliza Phillips, its proprietor. She previously lived next door, at 414 Waukazoo, with her husband, R. T. Phillips. He was born in 1843 and died Jan. 7, 1905. R.T. Phillips, who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War — first in a battery, then re-enlisting as an officer in the Sixth United States Colored Cavalry — is credited as one of the pioneer settlers of the region. He first came to northwest Michigan in l878, moved to Petoskey in 1880, and, as his obituary later stated, “… he worked untiringly to promote the commercial interests of our city.” For nearly 20 years after her husband’s passing, Eliza Phillips ran the boarding house alone, her work ending only when she died, in 1923. The Phillips house’s role in the city, however, continued on for decades. (Sue Watson, a member of the board of directors at the Little Traverse Historical Museum, said her great aunt Mary Yesberger lived there for a time with her son, Francis, and his wife, Ada, sometime after the 1940s. Since its time as a boarding house, the building has had a couple of encores. It’s now the home of Encore Financial.) Perhaps of greater fame in Petoskey, however, is the former Potter’s Rooming House at 602 E. State St., occupied for a time by a struggling writer trying hard to make a living while recuperating from injuries he received in World War I: Ernest Hemingway. The wounded solider had returned to his family cottage on Walloon Lake in the fall of 1919, but because the home’s only source of heat was from its lone fireplace, he moved to Petoskey to rent an $8-a-week room, heat included, in Eva Potter’s Petoskey rooming house. Now a private home, Eva Potter’s old place bears a plaque in the front yard: “In the fall of 1919, Ernest Hemingway decided to stay in Petoskey and work on writing stories. From October to December, he rented an upstairs bedroom from Mrs. Eva Potter, a widow living here with her children. It was in that bedroom that he worked hard — but with little success — at writing fiction.”
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In Honor of Our Staff A WIDOWS NEST & TEENAGE … DREAM? Gaylord Imagine moving from the big city to rural northern Michigan town at age 14 — decades before the advent of internet and cell phones — to a new home with a more than a dozen beds, which had been, until then, occupied by a rotating cast of strangers. That was the case for Chris Grosser when, in 1971, her parents, Fred and Gerrie Bagnasco, bought the rambling house at 210 E. Main St. in Gaylord. They’d purchased it from Beeman Simmons, whose own mother had operated it as a boarding house after her husband had died and he and his brother, Bud, had grown up and moved out. “My folks paid $25,000 for the house, one of three on the block just east of the edge of the business district. My mom says there was still a sign reading “Rooms for Rent” at the time,” said Grosser. When they moved in, there were 14 metal frame beds set up in the upstairs. “One bedroom was Dr. Simmons dormitory style and would have easily accommodated at least four beds; three of my sisters shared the room and had plenty of space, and a sink was tucked into the closet. There were four other bedrooms, all except one of which was large enough to accommodate a couple of large beds, and my mom recalls a bed or two in the hallway as well, with a curtain drawn across as if to make a room out of the hall, which extended into a second-story balcony.” The house featured beautiful and substantial oak woodwork throughout, including a stately staircase from the large foyer to the upstairs. It also had massive pocket doors leading into the parlor and beautiful French doors leading into the dining room. Grosser said her mom recalled that for a time an attorney had rented out the dining room as both a sleeping room and his office; it not only had a separate entrance off theTwest Have a median income above $86,500 HE Bside of the porch but also featured double oak doors that hid a murphy bed. “It wasBabsolutely AYS, OATSmy , W an incredible of express readers favorite feature of92 thepercent entire house while we lived there,” said Grosser. & WA IND VES Despite its manyfood, fine accouterments, the house did not ever have a fireplace. According have purchased wine, or products to Gerrie Bagnasco, the omission was purposeful: The original owners wanted everyone to based on had an aadfurnace, they saw onsymbol our pages know they a status at the time, instead. Skinner and his wife, Lois, bought the house from the Bagnasco family around For Ralph advertising information contact: 1999. Besides selling them the house, the Bagnascos left a gift for the new owners in info@northernexpress.com the form of an old cookbook. “Mom recalls an advertisement in an antique community cookbook of that era that mentioned Dr. Simmons and his painless dentistry,” noted Grosser. “Mom left the cookbook behind with the Skinners because she felt it belonged with the house.” Another story she learned about the house is that one of the Simmons sons, either Beeman or his older brother, Bud, weighed only 1½ pounds at birth so the family had made a bed for him from a shoebox. He slept in the large closet under the front stairs because that was the warmest place in the house, as the furnace was located directly beneath the closet.
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Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 17
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ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT? How the shutdown is impacting progress on a critical Up North essential: affordable housing.
By Craig Manning Affordable housing is a dilemma that northern Michigan has been contending with for years. On the one hand, few would argue that the region needs more low-cost housing options for hospitality workers and other low or mid-income residents. On the other hand, few developers are willing to invest in those types of projects, and even if they were, no local seems to welcome the idea of affordable housing being built in their neighborhood. Established in 2018, Housing North is a local nonprofit organization that is pushing to solve the region’s affordable housing dilemma. Serving a 10-county northwest Michigan radius, from Manistee County to Emmett County, Housing North seeks to address some of the systemic issues — from zoning to taxes to public opposition — that typically act as barriers to the development of affordable or workforce housing.
writing zoning ordinances that dictate development density. Despite these factors, Lucas says almost every recent affordable housing or workforce housing development proposed for northern Michigan has met with opposition from local residents and property owners. In 2018, the affordable housing debate hit a fever pitch over a Traverse City project called East Bay Flats, which converted an old Country Inn & Suites on Munson Avenue into housing for local workforce or at-risk/homeless youths. Community members raised a range of concerns about the project, from increased traffic on the nearby Eighth Street to worries that the development would spur an increase in crime throughout the nearby neighborhoods. The project ultimately went ahead and is now open for leasing.
NIMBY According to Sarah Lucas, the nonprofit’s executive director, the biggest barriers are fear, assumptions, and misinformation — all of which are powerful enough to bring potential affordable housing projects to a grinding halt. “By and large, everyone agrees that we need more housing in the northern Michigan community,” Lucas told Northern Express. “Everyone agrees we need more housing for the workforce. But when it comes to any specific affordable housing project, there are almost always people who oppose it on the grounds that it will change the character of the community, or negatively impact property values, or damage the environment, or create too much traffic, or create too much parking pressure, or increase crime.”
OBSTACLE JUMPER Michigan Community Capital (MCC), a partner in the East Bay Flats project, was not daunted by the public criticism of its first northern Michigan project. On the contrary, since helping see the East Bay Flats project to completion, MCC has gone on to launch numerous other workforce housing projects in northern Michigan. According to Martha Crowley, MCC’s vice president of investment, the nonprofit organization actively seeks out projects that would be viewed as lowreturn — and therefore not viable — for most property developers. “The market is not motivated to build these kinds of projects,” Crowley said. “You see a lot of condo developments happening in northern Michigan vacation communities, and if you’re a builder or developer, you are probably going to target that kind of product because it yields the highest return.”
FEARS UNFOUNDED Nationwide, research has repeatedly shown that affordable housing projects can actually boost property values and reduce crime. In addition, Lucas says that issues like environmental impacts, neighborhood character, and parking pressure are all factored into regulatory measures for affordable housing. In order to secure state or federal funding for a low-income project, developers need to meet lofty design and engineering standards for environmental friendliness. Local governments, meanwhile, look closely at parking demands when
WORKFORCE V AFFORDABLE HOUSING Crowley notes that “workforce housing” and “affordable housing” — while often lumped into the same category — are actually different things. MCC focuses on workforce housing, defined by the Urban Land Institute as “housing that is affordable to households earning 60 to 120 percent of the area median income (AMI).” Affordable housing, meanwhile, is usually targeted toward households earning less than 60 percent AMI. Crowley says both categories are important to a region like northern Michigan, where families that don’t qualify
18 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
for low-income affordable housing might still struggle to afford apartments, condos, or homes priced at the usual market rate. Lucas agrees and predicts that the need for workforce housing and affordable housing is only going to grow in the wake of COVID-19. The pandemic has led to a rapid uptick in unemployment nationwide and has tanked the tourism industry as a whole — a major worry for areas like Traverse City. “There are going to be a lot more people with a lot less income,” Lucas said. We had an affordability crisis before, but I think that’s going to be bigger now.” 7 PROJECTS WE’RE WATCHING NOW If Lucas proves to be right, there’s still good news on the horizon: Several affordable or workforce housing developments are underway throughout northern Michigan. Northern Express reached out to developers to get updates on these projects and to find out how COVID-19 has impacted their progress. CADILLAC LOFTS The Location: North Mitchell Street, Cadillac The Developer: MCC The Basics: Cadillac Lofts will be a four-story mixed-use development, encompassing two commercial units on the first floor (complete with outdoor patio space) and 42 residential rental units on the second, third, and fourth floors. Apartments will include 12 studio units at 304 square feet each, 24 one-bedroom units at 439 square feet, and six two-bedroom apartments at 754 square feet. As an MCC project, Cadillac Lofts is classified as “workforce housing,” with 85 percent of residential units priced at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) rates. The remaining units will be priced at market rates. Cadillac Lofts marks the first newconstruction apartment building in Cadillac since 2005. Current Status: Construction on the Cadillac Lofts development began last year and was originally projected to finish by the beginning of July. Construction has been delayed due to COVID-19. Crowley says the project will now likely finish out around the beginning of September, though the ultimate completion date depends on how long the governor’s stay-at-home order persists. Cadillac Lofts is already accepting pre-leasing application forms, and while Crowley says MCC won’t start signing leases with anyone until construction is complete,
she notes that the property has 39 interested tenants —and counting. LOFTS ON LAKE STREET The Location: Lake Street, Boyne City The Developer: MCC The Basics: Lofts on Lake Street is planned as a three-story mixed-use development that will incorporate 9,000 square feet of retail and/or restaurant space on the first floor (including outdoor patio/dining capabilities), as well as 42 apartments on the second and third floors. As with MCC’s Cadillac Lofts project, the Lofts on Lake Street development will be part workforce housing. Rent rates for 51 percent of the apartments are to land at 80 percent of Boyne City’s AMI with the remaining 49 percent renting at local market rates. The majority (26) of the apartments are one-bedroom units with 500 square feet of space, though the development will also include eight smaller studio apartments and eight larger two-bedroom units. Current Status: Initially, MCC intended to break ground on the Lofts on Lake Street project starting this fall, with construction expected to take about a year. However, Crowley tells Express that MCC is still working to secure some additional grant funding for the project — including money for environmental cleanup of the Lake Street site — which could push the start date into 2021. HILLCREST VILLAGE The Location: Ford Street, Manistee The Developer: Hollander Development The Basics: Set to be built on the site of Manistee’s old Washington Elementary School, Hillcrest Village will feature 45 new residential units for low- to moderate-income families and individuals. The development will feature four different buildings: one 27-unit apartment building and three separate “stacked flat” buildings. In total, the development will include 12 one-bedroom apartments, 15 two-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom flats, and six three-bedroom flats. Matt Hollander, president of Hollander Development, says rent rates will range from 30 percent AMI (or below) to 120 percent AMI for Manistee County, with the cheapest one-bedroom going for $267 a month and the most expensive three-bedroom topping out at $1,100. Current Status: Construction on Hillcrest Village is slated to start this summer and will take about a year, with move-ins expected
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to begin during summer 2021. Hollander says that pricing could potentially change for the 70-80 percent AMI units, depending on the lingering effects of COVID-19. “We’re confident that the lower-income units will rent without issue, because there’s always a high demand for 30, 40, 50, 60 percent AMI units. The 70-80 percent units, we’re less sure. We’re monitoring the overall economic situation and trying to make sure that those units are still going to be appropriately priced for the middle-income families we’re targeting.” OAKWOOD TOWNHOMES The Location: E. Eighth Street, Traverse City The Developer: HomeStretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation The Basics: Oakwood Townhomes, approved last summer for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with the City of Traverse City, will consist of six townhomes located on East Eighth Street. The six two-story buildings will each feature a two-bedroom/ one-and-a-half-bath design, with 973 square feet of total space. Four of the units will be available for $720 per month, while the other two are priced at $930 a month. The cheaper apartments are targeted at residents earning at or below 60 percent AMI, while the more expensive townhomes are aimed at those earning at or below 80 percent AMI. (Note: HomeStretch is also currently in the early development stages for two other Traverse City affordable housing developments: one on Fern Street and the other on Carver Street.) Current Status: After nailing down the PILOT agreement from the City of Traverse City, HomeStretch secured funding for the Oakwood Townhomes project from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). Jon Stimson, executive director for HomeStretch, says the organization is about two weeks out from finalizing that MSHDA grant, at which point it will be ready to commence construction. However, Stimson thinks there could be a delay, given that Michigan’s stay-at-home order has likely created a backlog of work for construction contractors. “I fear that, once we do get the closing financials, it’s going to be a fight to get our contractors back on the job. We’ve got them all lined up, but I don’t know if they’re going to be available when we’re ready to close.” SAWMILL LOFTS The Location: Michigan Avenue, Grayling The Developer: MCC The Basics: Similar in design to MCC’s projects in Cadillac (Cadillac Lofts) and Boyne City (Lofts on Lake Street), Sawmill Lofts is a 42unit workforce housing development planned for downtown Grayling. The development will feature a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, with monthly rent prices ranging from 80 percent of Grayling’s AMI to standard market rate. Current Status: Of the three northern Michigan projects in the works for MCC, Sawmill Lofts is the least far along. Crowley says the project is still awaiting additional local
approvals, including sign-offs on updates to its Brownfield plan, before it can move forward. The tentative plan is for construction on the apartments to commence sometime this fall. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSING IN LEELANAU COUNTY The Location: County Roads 667 and 616, Maple City The Developer: Habitat for Humanity The Basics: In January, Habitat for Humanity partnered with the Leelanau County Land Bank Authority to purchase three parcels of land in Maple City, all for an affordable housing project. According to Wendy Irvin, executive director of Habitat for Humanity for the Grand Traverse Region, the current zoning rights on the parcels allow for one duplex to be built on each piece of land. The tentative plan, then, is to build six three-bedroom units, each approximately 1,000–1,100 square feet, and targeted at the 30–60 AMI range. Current Status: Irvin said Habitat is awaiting feedback from the health department to determine whether the sewer system at the development site could feasibly serve a higher density of homes. If higher density is possible, the nonprofit will seek to modify its zoning to allow for more homes. That process could involve merging the three parcels into one, and could change the project from three duplexes to several townhouses. The goal, Irwin said, is to serve as many families as possible (though she expects the maximum potential for the land is eight homes). Habitat will continue conversations with the health department and the county zoning administrator to finalize plans for the project, with a goal to start construction this fall or early next spring. HONOR VILLAGE APARTMENTS The Location: Main Street, Honor The Developer: HomeStretch Nonprofit Housing Corporation The Basics: Last fall, HomeStretch received a $400,000 Affordable Housing Program grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis — money that will help fund the construction of eight affordable housing rentals on Main Street in Honor. The land itself was donated to HomeStretch by the Benzie County Land Bank, while the Village of Honor made it a team effort by providing a parcel for tenant parking. The eight two-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom units will be split across two new-construction apartment buildings, each housing four rentals apiece. Two of the units are earmarked for households earning at or below 30 percent AMI, while another pair is intended for households earning at or below 50 percent AMI. The remaining four rentals are priced for households earning 80 percent AMI or lower. Current Status: Initially, HomeStretch hoped to break ground on the Honor Village Apartments development this spring, with the first move-ins set to occur during early 2021. Stimson is hopeful those timelines will be able to remain intact, despite COVID-19.
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lOGY
MAY 04 - MAY 10 BY ROB BREZSNY
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious,” says businessperson and entrepreneur John Sculley. You Tauruses aren’t renowned for such foresight. It’s more likely to belong to Aries and Sagittarius people. Your tribe is more likely to specialize in doing the good work that turns others’ bright visions into practical realities. But this Year of the Coronavirus could be an exception to the general rule. In the past three months as well as in the next six months, many of you Bulls have been and will continue to be catching glimpses of interesting possibilities before they become obvious. Give yourself credit for this knack. Be alert for what it reveals.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) “It’s always
too early to quit,” wrote author Norman Vincent Peale. We should put his words into perspective, though. He preached “the power of positive thinking.” He was relentless in his insistence that we can and should transcend discouragement and disappointment. So we should consider the possibility that he was overly enthusiastic in his implication that we should NEVER give up. What do you think, Sagittarius? I’m guessing this will be an important question for you to consider in the coming weeks. It may be time to re-evaluate your previous thoughts on the matter and come up with a fresh perspective. For example, maybe it’s right to give up on one project if it enables you to persevere in another.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The 16-century mystic nun Saint Teresa of Avila was renowned for being overcome with rapture during her spiritual devotions. At times she experienced such profound bliss through her union with God that she levitated off the ground. “Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction,” she wrote. I hope that you will be periodically moving in that direction yourself during the coming weeks, Capricorn. Although it may seem odd advice to receive during our Global Healing Crisis, I really believe you should make appointments with euphoria, delight, and enchantment.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Grammy-
winning musician and composer Pharrell Williams has expertise in the creative process. “If someone asks me what inspires me,” he testifies, “I always say, ‘That which is missing.’” According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you would benefit from making that your motto in the coming weeks. Our Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to discover what’s absent or empty or blank about your life, and then learn all you can from exploring it. I think you’ll be glad to be shown what you didn’t consciously realize was lost, omitted, or lacking.
PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): “I am doing my best to not become a museum of myself,” declares poet Natalie Diaz. I think she means that she wants to avoid defining herself entirely by her past. She is exploring tricks that will help her keep from relying so much on her old accomplishments that she neglects to keep growing. Her goal is to be free of her history, not to be weighed down and limited by it. These would be worthy goals for you to work on in the coming weeks, Pisces. What would your first step be?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to Aries author and mythologist Joseph Campbell, “The quest for fire occurred not because anyone knew what the practical uses for fire would be, but because it was fascinating.” He was referring to our early human ancestors, and how they stumbled upon a valuable addition to their culture because they were curious about a powerful phenomenon, not because they knew it would ultimately be so valuable. I invite you to be guided by a similar principle in the coming weeks, Aries. Unforeseen benefits may emerge during your investigation into flows and bursts that captivate your imagination.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For 148
uninterrupted years, American militias and the American army waged a series of wars against the native peoples who lived on the continent before Europeans came. There were more than 70 conflicts that lasted from 1776 until 1924.
If there is any long-term struggle or strife that even mildly resembles that situation in your own personal life, our Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to call a truce and cultivate peace. Start now! It’s a ripe and propitious time to end hostilities that have gone on too long.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Novelist Marcel
Proust was a sensitive, dreamy, emotional, self-protective, creative Cancerian. That may explain why he wasn’t a good soldier. During his service in the French army, he was ranked 73rd in a squad of 74. On the other hand, his majestically intricate seven-volume novel In Search of Lost Time is a masterpiece— one of the 20th century’s most influential literary works. In evaluating his success as a human being, should we emphasize his poor military performance and downplay his literary output? Of course not! Likewise, Cancerian, in the coming weeks I’d like to see you devote vigorous energy to appreciating what you do best and no energy at all to worrying about your inadequacies.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Fortune resists half-
hearted prayers,” wrote the poet Ovid more than 2,000 years ago. I will add that Fortune also resists poorly formulated intentions, feeble vows, and sketchy plans—especially now, during an historical turning point when the world is undergoing massive transformations. Luckily, I don’t see those lapses being problems for you in the coming weeks, Leo. According to my analysis, you’re primed to be clear and precise. Your willpower should be working with lucid grace. You’ll have an enhanced ability to assess your assets and make smart plans for how to use them.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Last year the
Baltimore Museum of Art announced it would acquire works exclusively from women artists in 2020. A male art critic complained, “That’s unfair to male artists.” Here’s my reply: Among major permanent art collections in the U.S. and Europe, the work of women makes up five percent of the total. So what the Baltimore Museum did is a righteous attempt to rectify the existing excess. It’s a just and fair way to address an unhealthy imbalance. In accordance with current omens and necessities, Virgo, I encourage you to perform a comparable correction in your personal sphere.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the course
of my life, I’ve met many sharp thinkers with advanced degrees from fine universities—who are nonetheless stunted in their emotional intelligence. They may quote Shakespeare and discourse on quantum physics and explain the difference between the philosophies of Kant and Hegel, and yet have less skill in understanding the inner workings of human beings or in creating vibrant intimate relationships. Yet most of these folks are not extreme outliers. I’ve found that virtually all of us are smarter in our heads than we are in our hearts. The good news, Libra, is that our current Global Healing Crisis is an excellent time for you to play catch up. Do what poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti suggests: “Make your mind learn its way around the heart.”
ScORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Aphorist Aaron
Haspel writes, “The less you are contradicted, the stupider you become. The more powerful you become, the less you are contradicted.” Let’s discuss how this counsel might be useful to you in the coming weeks. First of all, I suspect you will be countered and challenged more than usual, which will offer you rich opportunities to become smarter. Secondly, I believe you will become more powerful as long as you don’t try to stop or discourage the influences that contradict you. In other words, you’ll grow your personal authority and influence to the degree that you welcome opinions and perspectives that are not identical to yours.
“Jonesin” Crosswords "In Storage" --walk-ins accepted. by Matt Jones
ACROSS 1 NATO Phonetic Alphabet vowel 5 Socially distance from 10 Kind of D.A. 14 Hawaiian party 15 Cape ___ (westernmost African point) 16 Tea-based drink 17 ___ Blanc (highest peak in the Alps) 18 About 1% of the Earth’s atmosphere 19 Prefix for “medicine” seen more often recently 20 Heart charts, briefly 21 Is a huge fan of, slangily 22 Garden gastropod 23 Nigiri sushi option 24 Come back inside 26 Army outposts (abbr.) 27 Squeeze bunt stat (or so I’m told... it’s sports) 29 Pen name? 30 “Meatspace,” for short 32 Like some sprays 34 Wu-Tang Clan member born Robert Diggs 35 Balance 38 Got high 39 ___ Arann (former airline) 40 Charge to a sponsor 41 “Hurts 2B Human” singer 42 Rosie of “Birds of Prey” 44 Gasket, e.g. 45 Flub 47 Fluffy grazer 49 With 53-Across, what a 7-Down helps keep 53 See 49-Across 57 “First Blood” protagonist 58 France on the new “Queer Eye” 60 “A Fish Called Wanda” Oscar winner Kevin 61 Sicilian mountain 62 Madcap 64 Americana lithographer 65 Punxsutawney notable 66 Multiple-choice choice, sometimes 67 Infamous fiddling emperor 68 Blue-green shade
69 Showtime series set in Agrestic Township 70 Spring up DOWN 1 Fudd who bugs Bugs 2 Actress Kaley of “The Big Bang Theory” 3 *Sycophants 4 Escape clauses 5 “Three Sunflowers in ___” (1888 Van Gogh painting) 6 Spine components 7 *It helps out in the closet (as demonstrated by the other starred answers) 8 “Meh, whatever” 9 Packed 10 Does something 11 *Product’s freshness period 12 “Cheers!” in France 13 ‘70s supermodel Cheryl 24 Really irk 25 “Live With Kelly and Ryan” cohost 28 *Steph Curry’s sport 31 *”The Twilight Zone” creator 32 Forty winks 33 “Dutch” actress Meyers 36 The briny 37 “Jellied” British fish 42 Lead-in to lude 43 “Your Moment of ___” (“The Daily Show” feature) 46 17th letter of the Greek alphabet 48 Panda Express vessel 49 Crawled cautiously 50 Wood shop equipment 51 “___ vincit amor” 52 Texas, for one 53 Did some comic book work 54 Coral reef visitor 55 Start of el aÒo nuevo 56 Implant again 59 Dull pain 62 “That’s great” 63 ‘19 and ‘20, e.g.
Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 21
NORTHERN EXPRESS
CLASSIFIEDS
OTHER
NEWFOUNDLAND 3.5YR OLD Female AKC $1000 OBOUTD shots, black and white coloring, friendly and social. 231-832-4809
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OTHER Sewing, Alterations, Mending & Repairs. Maple City, Maralene Roush 231228-6248
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NOW HIRING FULL-TIME MECHANICS, Drivers & Laborers The Benzie County Road Commission is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: Fulltime Mechanic, Full-time Truck Drivers, and Temporary Summer Seasonal Workers. Position information and applications are on our website at www.benziecrc.org. Applications may also be picked up at our office located at: 11318 Main Street, Honor, MI 49640
opportunities in Grand Traverse or Leelanau counties. Serious candidates with a business plan can call Tim at: 248-761-6680.
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NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES wants your virus stories: Share your thoughts, feelings and your life during the pandemic — for history — at lifeinthetimeofvirus.org. Writing from all ages is welcome — and there are prizes!
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LOCAL INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY!: Private investor looking to invest in business opportunities in Grand Traverse or Leelanau counties. Serious candidates with a business plan can call Tim at: 248-761-6680.
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GARAGE WANTED TO RENT Private single garage to rent in Slabtown neighborhood. Call Rob at 231-642-5228
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LOCAL INVESTOR OPPORTUNITY! Private investor looking to invest in business
Police Report Early on the morning of April 15, an unidentified driver smashed his yellow Mustang into a fence in unincorporated Marin County, California, KPIX reported. California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay later recounted what followed: The driver tried to back out of the fence, but failed to realize he was in drive and crashed through a home instead. The homeowner came out to investigate and, noting the driver’s impaired state, removed the keys from the Mustang and returned inside to call police. The driver then discovered the keys inside the homeowner’s Toyota and tried to make his getaway, Barclay said, but he shifted the car into drive and barreled through the house once more, coming to rest alongside his Mustang. When the homeowner again tried to take the keys away, the driver allegedly hit him repeatedly, causing major injuries. CHP arrested the driver for suspicion of DUI involving drugs, battery and theft of a vehicle. Bright Ideas Many hospital workers are self-isolating to keep their families safe from COVID-19 exposure, but Corpus Christi, Texas, emergency room doctor Jason Barnes, 39, is taking a novel approach: He’s moved into his kids’ treehouse in his backyard. Barnes told the Caller Times on April 20 that he’s lived in the treehouse for about three weeks. If he needs something, he’ll shout down to the kids or call the house. “(T)he Wi-Fi reaches the treehouse, so I have my laptop and my own little command center here,” Barnes said. He uses a camping toilet with disposable bags, and he either showers at the hospital or “my oldest son will rig up a water hose. ... Luckily, my fence is pretty tall.” As for when he can re-enter the house, Barnes said, “We’re always looking at the CDC and Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision, but the final determinator is the wife.” The Washington Examiner reported on April 21 that some people appear to be spending their coronavirus stimulus checks on another kind of stimulation. The adult live model site Cams. com says it has seen a surge in traffic. “Since April 13, we’ve seen a 22% uptick in traffic to our livestreaming site, and tips to our models have increased by 40%,” said Gunner Taylor, director of strategic development for FriendFinder Networks, of which Cams.com is a part. Traffic from Washington state is up 204%, and it’s up 83% in Illinois, but it’s down in Washington, D.C., by 29%. The Entrepreneurial Spirit At the Peace N Peas Farm in Indian Trail, North Carolina, owners Francie and Mark Dunlap have launched a new career for their 8-year-old mini donkey, Mambo, and their other horses. For $50, Mambo, Eddie, Zeus or other animals will make a 10-minute guest appearance to liven up your next videoconference, the Charlotte Observer reported. You can even give the four-legged interloper the on-screen name of a regular attendee: For instance, Zeus might become Paul, the guy who asks too many questions. The Dunlaps also arrange for their animals to visit classrooms or happy hours. Reports of My Death Cancer patient Gladys Rodriguez Duarte, 50, was rushed to a clinic in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, on April 11, after her blood pressure shot up, according to the Paraguay National Police. Two hours later, Dr. Heriberto Vera declared her dead and shared the news with Duarte’s family, but her daughter, Sandra, later told local media, “He assumed she was dead and ... they disconnected her and passed her off to the funeral home.” The Daily Mail reported that
22 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly
funeral directors told investigators they were shocked to find she was breathing and moving around inside the body bag at the funeral home. Duarte was immediately transferred to another hospital for observation. The Continuing Crisis Geauga County (Ohio) Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand told WJW his office was called to break up a large party of Amish late on April 18 in Huntsburg Township. “When we got there, there was a barn full of people and some of them ran,” he said. One partier was arrested for disorderly conduct, two were charged with underage drinking and another was issued a summons for violating the state’s stay-at-home order, according to the sheriff. “We won’t tolerate this,” Hildenbrand said, “and we have to keep everybody safe.” Amish people are reportedly continuing to gather in large groups, and the county health commissioner has sent a letter to Amish bishops about an increase in COVID-19 cases in that community. NOT COVID-19 An unnamed 22-year-old Chinese woman has spent the last 14 years trying to discover the cause of her persistent cough, which started when she suffered a serious fit of coughing as a child, Oddity Central reported on April 22. Over the years, she has been misdiagnosed numerous times, but as she recently prepared for an unrelated surgery, the mystery was solved. Dr. Wang Jiyong at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine ordered CT scans that revealed a foreign object in her right lung that turned out to be a chicken bone fragment just over half an inch long. Doctors said she had probably inhaled it at 8 years old, when the coughing started. Ignorance Was Bliss Elena Manighetti and Ryan Osborne, formerly of Manchester, England, followed their dream and have been sailing around the world on their boat since 2017. They were en route from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, where they planned to dock on a small island in mid-March, but were surprised to discover the island’s borders were closed because of a worldwide pandemic. “In February, we’d heard there was a virus in China, but ... we had figured by the time we got to the Caribbean in 25 days it would all be over,” Elena told the BBC. The couple had told friends and family they didn’t want to hear any bad news, but Elena is from the hard-hit Lombardy region of Italy and has since caught up with her family. “It’s a very macabre picture at home, there are no more coffins, no more cemetery space. ... My family is thankfully safe ... but people we’ve known for years have died,” Elena said. The couple was eventually able to dock in Saint Vincent, and they hope to head north before hurricane season starts in June. “We’re sandwiched between the hurricane season and the virus,” Elena said. Numbers Game Doriana Fontanella contacted KDVR in Denver to report that she’s been inundated with phone calls recently and she suspects she know why: Her mobile phone number is just one digit off Colorado’s fax number for the Department of Labor and Employment, where people are trying to send applications for unemployment claims. “There’s a real need out there, and I needed to let people know that I’m not the one they want,” Fontanella told the station’s Problem Solvers team. “I see on the news they’re saying they can’t get any response from unemployment, and I think that’s because they’re not getting the right number.”
Mike Annelin
Enthusiastic & Experienced
Call Mike 231-499-4249 or 231-929-7900 E
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133’ of beautiful Old Mission Peninsula frontage Stylishly impeccable 3 Bed/2.5 Bath $1,100,000 MLS# 1872313
7 Modern Live/Work Units near Boardman Lake Very unique investment opportunity $1,100,000 MLS#1854942
39.5 acres, zoned Moderate Density Residential 3 Bed/1 Bath ranch, just miles from town $650,000 MLS#1863607, MLS#1863608
Desirable State Street neighborhood Marvelously updated Craftsman, 5 Bed/3 Bath $575,00 MLS# 1869152
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Two 20 acre parcels on Old Mission Peninsula Prime AG land, Conservation Easement in place $850,000 MLS# 1872811
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Charming one-of-a-kind on Old Mission Peninsula Incredible landscaping & award-winning historic barn $525,000 MLS# 186240
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Beautiful Lake Leelanau views 9.1 acres, split available, elevated home sites $100,000 MLS# 1872535
Northern Express Weekly • may 04, 2020 • 23
LET’S SHOUT OUT
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY HEROES From the essential workers that are stepping up. To the doctors and nurses that are standing tall. We can’t say thank you enough. So, we are going to need some help. If you have a friend or family member working every day keeping us safe, tune into Salute at Six at our partner stations below and tell our community heroes how much we appreciate them. That’s the Salute at Six every day at Six o’clock brought to you by Odawa Casino.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY HEROES! FOR INFO TUNE INTO THESE STATIONS OR VISIT THEM ONLINE.
STAY SAFE AND STAY STRONG. WE MISS YOU AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU SOON.
PETOSKEY AREA DRIVE-THRU PANTRY FOR HOSPITALITY & SERVICE WORKERS
WHEN: Fridays, May 1–May 22 | Noon to 3 p.m. WHERE: Odawa Casino Thanks to the generosity of KorthaseFlinn and Auto-Owners Insurance, Manna Food Project will be offering food assistance to Petoskey area workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Call Manna at 231.347.8852 if you have any questions or concerns.
24 • may 04, 2020 • Northern Express Weekly