Good morning, Traverse City.

North Sky Raptor Sanctuary pitched county commissioners today for a long-term lease at Camp Greilick to build a public raptor center that will include enclosures, a medical center and education spaces.

The sanctuary would pay $1 a year - with 3 percent of admissions revenue returning to the county.

Construction has begun on phase two of the Interlochen Community Art Trail, a 3.5-mile paved pathway connecting local parks, schools, businesses + cultural spots.

Work on a key section is expected to complete by Nov. 15 to improve pedestrian safety along busy roads.

Two K Farms in Suttons Bay grows 25 apple varieties to craft hard cider, ice cider, and apple brandy; its tasting room is open year-round.

The farm harvests about 450 bins of apples each season and ferments the cider for two to three months (co-owner George Koskela explained).

Students in the Wexford-Missaukee ISD program are building a 24-home subdivision on a 32-acre site off Crosby Road in Cadillac to boost hands-on construction training (nearly 60 high schoolers work on the project daily) while offering homes priced at $400,000-$500,000 to lessen local housing needs.

Endangered piping plovers saw near-record growth as their numbers rose from 88 to 99 breeding pairs in 2025 and 2026 at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Wildlife agencies + local partners are using beach closures and nest protections + targeted measures to help reach a recovery goal of 150 pairs.

The 19th Annual Freshwater Summit will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct.

21 at the Hagerty Center at Northwestern Michigan College — organized by local environmental groups — to cover lake fish migration, microplastics surveys, ecological research and coastal resiliency.

Cherry Capital Airport is expanding as crews lay the foundation and add steel beams for its Gate to the Future project, which will add four new gates (with room for a fifth) to relieve crowded concourses; the new gates will open in spring 2028.

The U.S. Coast Guard finished flight training with the MH-60 crew from Air Station Traverse City earlier this week (using the cutter Biscayne Bay) to boost readiness for MEDEVAC and search and rescue missions in the area.

Benzie Bus has received a $94,750 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation to conduct a 12-month study on modernizing transit services in Benzie County and Northwest Michigan.

The agency will assess flexible routing, updated technology — and paths to boost mobility for residents.

Nurse Jen Busik found a lump while breastfeeding and learned it was stage 2a triple-negative breast cancer.

She had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation at Munson's Cowell Family Cancer Center and now works there to share her experience and urge early detection.

Traverse City Central Soccer team won its first individual Big North Conference championship since 1997 with a 5-0 win over Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and will face 11th-ranked Rockford on the road on Oct.

20.