5 YEARS AGO March 26, 2020
As locals settle into the new normal of mandated home quarantine from COVID-19, some fear the impending return of snowbirds to Leelanau Peninsula could throw a proverbial wrench into the gears. Referring to folks returning to their summer homes from other areas, Leland Township Supervisor Susan Och said she has been hearing about snowbirds returning early to Leelanau this year in order to escape both the virus that causes COVID-19 and its surrounding restrictions in other locales. *** A group of Suttons Bay residents last week began showing their support for local restaurants by hosting a “dinner party” through their home computers via the video conferencing application Zoom. “I’m kind of on a campaign to get more people to do this all over Leelanau County,” said Donna Popke, best known locally as an organizer of the annual Suttons Bay Art Festival and as a member of the Village of Suttons Bay’s zoning board of appeals
10 YEARS AGO
March 26, 2015
A Leelanau County teen was recently in an online chat room when the guy she was chatting with asked her to send him a nude photo. She told him “no,” that she doesn’t do that. The guy responded a few minutes later by sending her a nude photo of herself that he had found on the Internet, said Mike Bankey, a deputy with the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office. The teen had apparently sent the photo to someone she trusted and it got passed around. *** Dispatcher Matthew Ansorge saw an opportunity rather than more work when Leelanau County Emergency Services director Tom Skowronski needed administrative help. Ansorge’s extra effort has paid off in him being named earlier this week as retiring Skowronski’s successor. The two men have a high level of respect for each other.
25 YEARS AGO
March 30, 2000
Attendance dropped slightly at eight annual meetings held during the past two weeks in Leelanau County, although the decrease can be attributed to two townships. But the 142 residents who did attend learned about proposed millage increases, plans for improvements to roads and facilities — and chairs. *** Cedar mother is charged in county’s first truancy case. Katherine M. Ruth, 41, stood mute before District Court Judge James R. McCormick Friday during her arraignment. According to police reports, Ruth’s 15-year-old daughter, an eighth-grader at Leland, was absent from school on 12 days between her enrollment on Oct. 1 and Nov. 17, 1999.
50 YEARS AGO
March 27, 1975
Leelanau Township Volunteer Fire Department, including Northport, Northport Point and Omena Departments this week received $1,260 worth of radioactive monitoring equipment, consisting of nine monitoring units. The equipment was obtained through the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency and the Department of Emergency Services, Michigan State Police and the Leelanau County Emergency Services Department. *** The annual Empire Area Maple Syrup Festival and pancake breakfast sponsored by the Empire Lions Club will be held Sunday, April 6. Serving for the all-day “breakfast” will begin at 9 a.m. and continue to 5 p.m. in the Empire Town Hall.
75 YEARS AGO March 30, 1950
Deluge and blizzard, balmy noontimes and shrieking, frozen nights, winds from North, South East, West, gentle zephyrs and howling gales . . . that’s been the varied weather in Leelanau the past week. Temperatures ranged form into the high 60s. The barometer Monday night nosedived to a year’s record low of 28.50 . . . almost sure sign of hurricane . . . but little wind blew. *** All Leelanau roads were open Wednesday but floods and mud made hard driving on some in the southwest corner of the county. Deep water halted traffic on Road 72 between Traverse City and Empire several times early in the week.
100 YEARS AGO March 26, 1925
Douglas and Gerald Selby and Roy Buckler arrived home today from Mt. Pleasant to spend Easter vacation with their parents.
*** Mr. Richard Tobin in of Maple City and Mrs. Augusta Kaisar of Buffalo, N.Y. were married by Justice Nelson last Monday. The happy couple were attended by Mrs. Thos. Tobin. The Enterprise join their many friends in wishing them a happy married life.
