Traverse City Record-Eagle

Foodie With Family: Team Couch Potato
There is very little I find more soul-satisfying than cuddling up in a fuzzy blanket on the couch with endless plates of finger foods and hot drinks while watching athletic people exert themselves to the breaking point for pride and nation in sub-zero temperatures.
Loraine Anderson: R.I.P. Sister Janina
I've just finished Mardi Link's "Isadore's Secret," published last year. It's a good read, well-researched and well-told with respect for the people whose lives it touched for decades. Link, a former police reporter and book editor, doesn't conclusively solve the mystery of who killed Sister Janina in 1907.
Amish Cook: Hard to plan funeral meal
It is hard to guess how many to make or how much food is needed for a funeral. Along with the ham sandwiches, chicken noodle soup and casseroles were served, as well as potato salad, cheese, Jell-O, fruit salad, cake and coffee.
Harley Luplow: Alliances work for business
Americans pride themselves on being innovative and self-sufficient, yet we are team players rallying together for higher purposes such as charitable giving and the defense of our country. So too businesses find that aligning themselves with other businesses often creates synergies such as reduced costs and increased sales.
George Weeks: GOP candidates head north
In the primary races for nominations to replace term-limited Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the media theater has dimmed on Democrats while they sort out who will run and get critical endorsements now that labor-backed Lt. Gov. John Cherry has dropped out. The current high-visibility action is among Republicans, all of whom have hit northern trails of late.
Northern Notes: Brighter holidays
Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan and all the Holiday Needs participants thank the community for helping make sure that no child, family or homeless individuals was left out of the wonders of the holidays. (Plus more good news from around the region.)
Jack Lessenberry: 'Interesting times'
Gov. Jennifer Granholm began with a moment of blunt honesty, as she delivered her annual state of the state address for the very last time. "The old Michigan economy is gone," she told a joint session of the Michigan Legislature and a statewide television audience.
Ed Hungness: Navigating the golden years
This past fall, one could hardly read a newspaper or surf through the TV channels and not encounter a recent update about the swine flu -- or H1N1 as it is called. During the drum-beating period, I had my annual physical.
View From Sunnybank: Chuck the rules!
Right! Time to tweak The Establishment. I drove to the hospital and marched to David's bed. (My late mother's English husband is gravely ill.) What rules, pray tell, would he like to flaunt?