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Articles by Gary Howe
Committees to continue their detailed review of legislation
As the Legislature moves deeper into its fourth week of the 60 day regular session, the pace in Charleston has settled into a steady rhythm. While the term normal rarely applies to a legislative session, this week comes close. There are no immediate procedural deadlines driving rushed decisions, which allows committees to continue their detailed review of legislation and gives members time for careful consideration.
Three weeks in and House settles into a steady working rhythm
We are now three full weeks into the legislative session, and the House has begun to settle into a steady working rhythm. Committees are actively meeting, legislation is moving through the process, and the work of shaping policy is well underway. Below are several bills of interest that reflect a broad range of issues, including measures that have already passed the House as well as others currently advancing in committee.
A busy time for Legislature
We are now in the first full week of the legislative session, and committees are beginning their work as bills are assigned and taken up for consideration. This is one of the busiest periods of the Legislature, as ideas start moving from proposals into active discussion and action. In the House, we are placing a strong focus on economic development and on making West Virginia a more welcoming and competitive place for job creation.
Legislators look at pay raises for state workers
West Virginias 2026 Regular Session officially began Wednesday, but lawmakers were already deep into legislative work before the first gavel strike. In the days leading up to opening day, the Legislature held a full round of interim committee meetings to finalize reports, advance ongoing studies, and prepare policy priorities so they are ready to move as soon as bills reach the floor.
Forum: Keep city moving forward: Vote 'no' on Proposals 1, 2
By Gary Howe Tax increment financing (TIF) is one of the smartest ways Traverse City funds projects without raising taxes. The tool has shaped the Traverse City we love today, supporting projects like the Boardman Lake Loop, the Grand Traverse Commons and downtown. TIF also has funded bridge repairs, stormwater systems, parks and affordable housing, including the future Ida Tompkins redevelopment. If Proposals 1 and 2 pass, these opportunities could be lost.
Forum: Traverse City's big choice: Vote for the future
Tax Increment Financing brings more tax dollars to Traverse City without tax increases. Unfortunately, the maneuvers of the anti-TIF crowd in town would do just the opposite. A “no” vote on the proposed charter amendment this fall is crucial to save TIF as a smart funding tool and to avoid unnecessary tax hikes. Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, is a straightforward yet impactful way to fund community improvements.
One Night, a Trifecta of Authors
NWS hosts special Black History Month literary event By Anna Faller | Feb. 12, 2022 On Thursday, Feb. 24, the National Writers Series welcomes esteemed authors Wanda M. Morris, Vanessa Riley, and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers to its virtual stage for a special Black History Month celebration.
Banning History
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | Feb. 12, 2022 There are now at least 11 states — Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Arizona, North Dakota, Arkansas, Florida — that have passed legislation banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in their public schools. That's sort of ironic since CRT is not being taught in any K-12 public school in any of those states, or in any other states for that matter.
Great Meals, Hot Deals
Winter Dining for Locals By Jillian Manning | Feb. 12, 2022 One of the biggest perks of enduring the colder months in northern Michigan is that we locals can finally get into our favorite restaurants without a wait. Even better, our foodie friends are eager to welcome us back with specials, discounts, and events geared toward year-round residents.
"Steaking" its Claim
Harbor Springs' Vernales Restaurant: Serving Up Michigan’s Best Chops By Jillian Manning | Feb. 12, 2022 The No. 1 steakhouse in Michigan — according to MLive (and a vocal cadre of Northern Express readers who named its TK to our first Iconic Eats list — is nestled in Harbor Springs, serving up award-winning Wagyu beef just past the intersection of M-119 and Powell Road.
February is Snow Fun
Chili! Yetis! Scavenger Hunts! Sled! Silent Disco! And … bikinis!? By Ross Boissoneau | Feb. 12, 2022 For some, February is when the winter doldrums start to set in (though that happened three months ago for others). Regardless, what better way to reckon with those feelings than to embrace the frosty temperatures. Bundle up and get outside to schuss, slide, or straddle a big sled at one of these frosty-fun outdoor events happening Up North this February. East Jordan Sno-Blast, Feb.
Always Room for Improvement
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | Feb. 12, 2022 US-31/M-72 — aka Grandview Parkway — is set for a major rebuild in 2023 and again, on another section, in 2024. It's a highway carrying 30–40,000 motor vehicles a day. It serves the region's trucking industry as a state trunkline and is part of the national highway system. It moves us when we drive and delivers goods to our doors.
Carrying on the Tradition
Local Author Kristen Hains brings a Michigan cookbook legacy to the table By Jillian Manning | Feb. 12, 2022 What do Double Frosted Bourbon Brownies, Mock Apple Pie, and Prince of Wales Cake have in common? (Besides sugar and appearing together in the sidebar, you clever reader.) They're all recipes from Michigan author Carole Eberly’s cookbooks, which date back to 1977 and have all the nostalgia, history, and delicious treats you can imagine.
Ostrich, and Camel, and Kangaroo, Oh My!
Brent Temple takes his second big risk in NoMi's culinary scene By Craig Manning | Feb. 12, 2022 Brent Temple still remembers the last few nights before he opened the doors to Habibi Middle Eastern Coney last May — mostly because he was barely sleeping. As Temple tells the story, the road to Habibi’s grand opening had been dotted with good luck and generous favors from people who believed in him.
If You CAN Do, Teach
A Q&A with Joel Papcun of the Great Lakes Culinary Institute By Jillian Manning | Feb. 12, 2022 For almost 20 years, Joel Papcun has been preparing the next generation of chefs at Northwestern Michigan College’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute. He has not only trained and graduated hundreds of students into the culinary industry but also opened the institute’s teaching restaurant, Lobdell’s.
Your Up North Restaurant Week(s) Cheat Sheet
Pencil in these meal deals Feb. 12, 2022 Restaurant Week is just around the corner in several northern Michigan towns.
Winter 22 restaurant roundup By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Feb. 12, 2022 Sweet’s Bar & Grill Honor Meet Bill Sweet, an outgoing guy who — along with his wife and partner in entrepreneurial optimism, Toni — opened Sweet's Bar & Grill in Honor last summer. The spot? Inside the former Sleepy Bear Lounge, formerly Lumberjack Tavern, on Main Street. “We opened July 12,” he says. “That was after months of refurbishing and changes to make the place lighter, fresher, and more welcoming.
49 Years, 2 Months, 4 Days ... and Counting
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | Dec. 18, 2021 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year — we're all going to die. Someday. I hope you find comfort and inspiration in this finite fact. At least, that's the motivation behind Tom Urban's Life Calendar. The writer and illustrator introduced the tool in 2014 on his website, Wait But Why. I came across it shortly thereafter and built my own Life Calendar in a Google Sheet. So, now, when I'm in a reflective mood, I revisit, update, and give thanks. I'm still here.
Sidewalks: Something Useful to Argue About
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | Oct. 23, 2021 "The ballet of the good city sidewalk never repeats itself from place to place, and in any one place is always replete with new improvisations." — Jane Jacobs There's always something to quarrel about when it comes to town planning. People seem inclined to disagree with their neighbors. We argue about who said what, this building or that building, and how much drinking is enough, ignoring that all this arguing likely leads to more drinking.
Needles, Blood, and the Wanton Destruction of Infrastructure
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | Aug. 28, 2021 When I watch movies, I squirm when needles go into skin and when blood oozes all over the place. These seem like pretty common reactions among moviegoers, but I wonder how many other people also have to avert their eyes when bridges, streets, and buildings are destroyed? When Godzilla and King Kong took their dispute to Hong Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong, I tensed up in my seat and could barely watch. “Hong Kong will never recover from this,” I thought.
Food Trucks Worth the Road Trip
Four fantastic food trucks juuuust a bit outside By Gary Howe | July 17, 2021 There's nothing quite like the allure of the owner-operated food truck. It provides a personal, visceral link straight from the grill, through the window, and into stomachs and minds. Thankfully, northwest Lower Michigan is bursting with new and established mobile culinary delights. And while we love the graze-all-day deliciousness that’s readily found at dedicated multi-truck destinations like The Little Fleet (448 E.
Chefs’ Secret Weapons
Some of the region’s top chefs share their favorite kitchen gadget, tool, or pantry item By Janice Binkert | May 8, 2021 My own “secret weapon” is a birthday gift I received from my husband some time ago (after several hints had been dropped by me). It’s a Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender, and I’m sure I sound like a carnival hawker when I start telling friends and family how great it is.
"Every important person was once a child."
Rochelle Riley's latest book traces Black heroes from their beginnings By Anna Faller | May 8, 2021 A nationally syndicated columnist and near two-decade veteran of the Detroit Free Press, Rochelle Riley has spent much of her career telling stories that might otherwise have gone unheard.
The Ultimate in Outdoor Dining
No reservations needed for these open air, chef-prepared meals By Ross Boissoneau | May 8, 2021 We love the variety of outstanding food and beverages available here in the North country, from our restaurants, markets, and roadside stands to our bakeries, breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries.
Servers Spill All
What restaurant life’s really been like since March 2020 By Ross Boissoneau | May 8, 2021 Few industries have been as decimated by the effects of the pandemic as the restaurant industry. As the world stumbles toward a new normal, we wondered what the last year has been like on the front lines as restaurants suddenly had to change their business model, many looking to takeout and curbside delivery to survive.
Live and In-Person Performances at GLCFA are Back - and Big
Bruce in the USA, Gladys Night, Pink Martini, comic Ryan Hamilton, and more coming this summer By Ross Boissoneau | May 8, 2021 In the good old summertime, people used to gather, enjoy one another’s company, and do things. One of the things they’d do was go to concerts. Then 2020 happened, and everything changed. At Great Lakes Center for the Arts, like every other venue, that meant the season’s shows were canceled and the auditorium went dark.
Where to Eat this Spring
Inspired eats around the region By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | May 8, 2021 Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant profiles we’ve featured since our last Restaurant Issue.
Goliath Brewing Co.’s Scorpius Morchella
Bottoms Up By Lynda Wheatley | May 8, 2021 There’s not a lot we don’t like about Iowa’s Topping Goliath Brewing Co. Purposely founded in the wee northern town of Decorah, in 2009, the perfection-driven brewery has seen several of its beers ranked among some of the globe’s best: Mornin’ Delight, an imperial stout, and Kentucky Brunch, a barrel-aged imperial stout, were ranked the second and third best in the world in 2016 by beer culture and rating site Beer Advocate; 7 million reviews of...
Is Water a Commodity?
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | May 8, 2021 There will be one overriding issue in the next couple of decades, one of the few that is literally an existential threat to our future. It isn't terrorism, or white supremacy, or socialism, or Trumpism. It's water, or the lack of it. The looming water crises — and multiple crises is what this will become — will be the most obvious result of climate change. It has already begun. There is a daily report called the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Bike There - Adventure and Empowerment Await
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | May 8, 2021 I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't have a bicycle. I also don't remember anyone teaching me how to ride. My older brothers and sisters must have taught me, but I suspect their pedagogical method was along the lines of "Keep up or stay behind." In reality, they probably ditched me often. But the way I remember it, I not only kept up with them but also bravely struck out on my own and left them in the dust. That's the power of the bicycle.
Brasserie Amie’s French Cruellers
Tastemaker By Lynda Wheatley | May 8, 2021 It is said that French girls (and guys) don’t get fat — or at least not as fat as Americans — despite the fact (or perhaps because) they typically take le goûter. The tilted-beret version of the Brits’ high tea, le goûter is the French’s afternoon tradition, a languorous and fortifying pause between lunch and the traditionally light, traditionally late French dinner, which usually happens around 8pm.
Do You Recall?
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | March 13, 2021 Recall elections, or at least the threat of them, are suddenly all the rage. We'll recall Republicans who supported the Donald Trump impeachment and recall Democrats who initiated pandemic-related restrictions. Almost none will succeed. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has been the target of five recall efforts, and the current permutation, unlike the others, has a chance to make the ballot.
Turn the City over to the Dogs
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | March 13, 2021 We'd heard that they were coming, but we didn't know how long they'd stay. The public didn't usually take time to attend our monthly Parks and Recreation Commission meetings. Still, on this particular Thursday evening, 10 long years ago, a controversial project on West Bay was on the agenda. As we expected, over 100 people came to speak on it. The other group of individuals we'd heard were coming sat patiently in the back of the room.
Focus on the Foam
Lagers the way the Czechs intended By Karl Klockars | March 13, 2021 As Farm Club approaches its first full year in business, it’s appropriate to look at some of the things that the agriculturally focused brewery, restaurant, and market has brought to the Traverse City area. A destination for literal farm-to-table vegetable-focused cuisine? Check. A market for local craftspeople to sell their products, and a home for thoughtful lagers and farmhouse-style ales? Check and check.
Ethanology’s Hipster Water
Bottoms Up By Lynda Wheatley | March 13, 2021 Let the kids have their green beer. You, mature hipster, need neither artificial food colorants nor a kiss-entreating T-shirt proclaiming your adopted-for-a-day national pride. You need only a sweater befitting mid-March in Michigan and a short glass of Ethanology’s Hipster Water.
Taproot’s Toum
Tastemaker By Lynda Wheatley | March 13, 2021 If you can forgive the fact that our half-Lebonese editor smeared it atop Costco-bought falafel balls (trust us; they’re better than any she’s managed to make herself), we urge you to get yourself some of the tastiest salsat toum in town. An authentic taste of the Middle East, Taproot whips up its toum, initially, the traditional way: with loads of garlic, plus lemon juice, sunflower oil, and salt.
Arts & Entertainment to Warm Your Winter
Galleries, lectures, author events, international "travel" sketching classes, and more By Ross Boissoneau | Jan. 9, 2021 The pandemic has played havoc with all facets of life, including the arts. Whether music, lectures, visual art, dance, the live experience has all but disappeared. While the world awaits the vaccine and (hoped-for) subsequent return to something approaching normality, artists of all stripes continue to create.
Moosewood Jaw Junction, Larks Lake
The winter woods' best little bar & eatery By Eric Cox | Jan. 9, 2021 America is speckled with little hole-in-the-way places that sometimes make our culinary hearts go pitter-pat. These little bars and restaurants can often be found in the most rural, out-of-the-way places, where there might be as many poor or mediocre joints as there are good ones. Those sub-par places quickly slip our minds, especially when memories of a remote but star-spangled food experience linger on our collective palettes.
The Legendary Moose Jaw Safari
There's a detour ahead — but history shows it won’t be lost for long. By Eric Cox | Jan. 9, 2021 The nation’s longest-running snowmobile event – the Harbor Springs Snowmobile Club’s annual Moose Jaw Safari – has shown tremendous resilience. For 54 years, the 30-mile ride has survived frustratingly warm winters and disappointing, low-snow Januaries, choosing carefully altered routes aimed at sustaining the proud procession of consecutive events.
Tusen Taak’s Gift to Artists
A solitary time and place to create significant work By Craig Manning | Jan. 9, 2021 What if you could escape your normal environment for a few weeks — ditch your day-to-day obligations and disappear somewhere quiet and remote, free of distractions and routine? What could you get done? What could you create? Would it be your masterpiece?
Alone
Guest Opinion By Gary Howe | Jan. 9, 2021 Recently, I've spent a lot of time alone with Alone, the popular survival series available on several streaming services. Indeed, it's enjoyable TV for a long pandemic winter, and by nature, I prefer nonfiction. But I find Alone compulsively binge-worthy because it's an intriguing, ongoing psychological experiment, and because — apparently unintentionally — it's some of the best social commentary on television.
Baby Steps
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | Jan. 9, 2021 It didn't take the ultra-progressive wing of the Democratic Party long before they started carping away at President-elect Joe Biden. His cabinet nominees, so far the most diverse group ever, wasn't diverse enough. Or he wasn't aggressive enough combating the Trumpian nonsense. Or he wasn't sufficiently loyal to their agenda. They were surely correct on the last point, and Biden has made no secret of that.
Bill and Carol’s Time Out
Tastemaker By Eric Cox | Jan. 9, 2021 Resort communities such as these we call home can sometimes feel like they’re smothered in high-dollar burgers, fancy sandwiches, and other high-end culinary creations. While delicious, those upscale plates aren’t always attainable — especially now. Thanks, then, for Bill and Carol’s, 523 Charlevoix Ave., Petoskey, a friendly little neighborhood joint that has a consistent slate of tasty and imminently affordable lunch and dinner fare.
Nub’s Pale Ale
Bottoms Up By Eric Cox | Jan. 9, 2021 After a day carving up some fresh powder, it’s nice to soak in some quality suds and watch the tide of humanity play in the snow. At Nub’s Nob near Harbor Springs, one can recline with the ski resort’s own signature beer, Nub’s Pale Ale ($6/pint). True to its name, Nub’s Pale exudes those hop-forward notes that are carefully coaxed from pale malts and ale yeast.
New Season for Safe Harbor
The stakes are high for a homeless shelter determined to make it through a season amid a pandemic. By Patrick Sullivan | Nov. 14, 2020 At the end of March, as the pandemic descended and uncertainty raged, residents of Safe Harbor spent their last night of the season in Traverse City’s homeless shelter, which closed early out of concern that the new virus could gain a foothold and spread among the guests.
Election Leftovers
Spectator By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 14, 2020 * The folks doing the political polling need to change their methodology or there is no reason for the media to report their results. Even in the states correctly predicted for Biden, the projected margin was off well beyond the margin of error. This was a far worse performance than in 2016. *Mail-in ballots encourage turnout and are reasonably safe and secure.
The Stone Oven
Handheld goodness — pizza, sammies, quesadillas galore — plus a lot more in the tiny village of Lake Ann By Ross Boissoneau | Nov. 14, 2020 Brian Adams saw an opportunity in his hometown. When the LA Café closed, he took up the torch, opening The Stone Oven in 2012. It appears he hit on something, as the business has continued to grow even in this year of the pandemic. Maybe it was simply his destiny. After all, his first job was in the restaurant industry.
Bubbie’s Super Nova
Tastemaker By Lynda Wheatley | Nov. 14, 2020 If you can get past the initial brutal realization that you just spent $52 on a bagel breakfast for a family of four, you will be justly rewarded. Fact is, Bubbie’s Bagels isn’t just any bagel shop. It’s a bagel shop that upends a Midwest-born-and-raised gal’s idea of what a bagel can be.
Cider Centerpieces
What to Sip with Thanksgiving Dinner By Jillian Manning | Nov. 14, 2020 Hold my beer (and my wine) because autumn is cider time. Truly, could there be a better place to enjoy cider than the apple Mecca of northern Michigan? You probably know one of the farmers whose apples made it into your glass. You get all the inside jokes that cider makers include when naming their latest product. And best of all, you don’t have to go far to find an incredible cidery — or retailer that carries its bounty.
Is Bird Still the Word?
The North's biggest purveyor of pasture-raised turkeys takes on the strangest Thanksgiving yet. By Ross Boissoneau | Nov. 14, 2020 At Thanksgiving, thoughts always turn to the big bird. Not the yellow one from Sesame Street but the bronze and buttered breast-side-up bird on a platter that’s the centerpiece of so many family gatherings each November. This year, the pandemic has altered so much of what’s been considered normal.
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