A report published this week by the Detroit Free Press paints perhaps the most dire portrait yet of Michigan’s child care crisis. Specifically, the report notes that Michigan is home to twice as many “child care deserts” as previously thought, and that the state’s cumulative waitlist for child care slots now numbers in the tens of thousands. Perhaps most damning of all, for northern Michigan? Grand Traverse County has one of the longest child care waitlists in the entire state.

The increasing cost of gas has people looking for ways to save money at the pump. To help them do that, Networks Northwest is relaunching NMRide.net, a website designed to make it easier for commuters to find or offer rides in northwest Michigan. NMRide.net can help local residents cut spending on gas, reduce traffic, and make friends who value smart commute options.

Find out why and how Leelanau County, with a population of just over 22,000, has become a shining star for building a strategy for connecting everyone with the tool they need to connect with the rest of the world and, yes, their neighbors and schools.

Agri-Valley Services (AVS), an internet provider serving Michigan’s Thumb and Northern regions, will soon begin offering high-speed internet service to rural areas within Leelanau County.

To provide information about the company and its internet offerings, AVS will host public ‘Meet & Greet” events on Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24 at the Leelanau County Government Center, located at 8527 E. Government Center Drive in Suttons Bay. Both events will be held in the Community Room on the building’s lower level from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Leelanau Peninsula Economic Foundation (LPEF) held its annual meeting on February 23, 2022 where the following Officers were elected. Incumbents, Jim Bardenhagen of Bardenhagen Farms, Patricia Soutas-Little of Solira Laboratories, Scott Walker of Due North Marketing Communications, and Jeff Shaw of Traverse City Charter Fishing and Elmwood Twp Supervisor were re-elected as President, Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer respectively. Brayton Farr of Cardinal Financial was newly elected as Vice-Chairperson.

Through a survey of Leelanau businesses conducted in 2016, LPEF found that one of the most critical barriers to business success and growth was lack of available high speed internet service. Learn more about the status of rural broadband planning and the recommendations being implemented.

The Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission (LECDC) announced today that it is launching an initiative to increase the number of early child care facilities in Leelanau County. The working model was created in an effort to address the severe lack of child care resources in Leelanau County. The shortage of child care is a nation-wide problem right now and Leelanau County in particular has been hit hard. Three facilities closed last year, leaving few child care options for families with small children.

The purpose of this essay is to educate, inform, provide insights, inspire, challenge, provide thought-provoking data, encourage discussion, share ideas and offer recommendations for the citizens of Leelanau Township.