What were the biggest local news developments in Traverse City this year? With just a few days left in 2021, The Ticker looks back at the stories that generated the most interest and debate among readers.

The Pandemic

2021 began with high hopes that the year might see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ticker even kept close tabs on the rollout of vaccines in northern Michigan – from the arrival of the first doses last December, to the broadening of eligibility categories, to the key numbers and takeaways local healthcare experts tracked along the way.

Unfortunately, as 2021 draws to a close, COVID-19 is still very much the elephant in the room. As such, it’s no surprise that some of The Ticker’s most read and most discussed stories this year were directly linked to the pandemic.

We reported, for instance, as local festivals and events decided how to handle year two of the pandemic – with some, like the Traverse City Film Festival, cancelling outright; and others, like the National Cherry Festival, pivoting to find ways of proceeding safely.

We were there as the Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Board of Education weighed the pros and cons of mandating masks in schools. That matter inspired huge community response, from local healthcare workers urging TCAPS to implement a mask requirement; to a lawsuit from parents who argued that TCAPS lacked any legal authority to demand such a requirement. Along the way, Ticker readers chimed in with thousands of Facebook comments and social media shares.

Another highly read and hotly contested story? The November announcement that Munson Healthcare would be moving to level red in its pandemic response plan, indicating “overwhelming number of local cases beyond capacity of the healthcare system.”

The Housing and Labor Crises

While the pandemic seemed to be the big lightning rod for controversy in 2021, Ticker readers also had a lot to say about another pair of crises festering in Traverse City: the housing and labor shortages. Some of our biggest stories of the year concerned both topics, including an on-the-ground perspective from two young professionals trying and failing to find housing in Traverse City, and a roundup of local employers trying every strategy they could think of to fill open positions. The latter was our most read story of the year, drawing well over 100,000 views and more than 11,000 reactions on social media.

Breaking News

While the big lingering stories of the pandemic, housing, and labor dominated a lot of local conversations in 2021, there were plenty of new developments to follow this year as well. The Ticker broke many of those stories first. We told you about big shakeups at the city government – including the hiring of Shawn Winter as the City of Traverse City’s first new city planner in 35 years, the controversial firing of City Treasurer Kelli Martin after just one year on the job, and the decision of former mayor Jim Carruthers not to seek reelection in the fall. Along the way, Traverse City got several new commissioners and a brand-new mayor.

We were also the first to report on a slew of business openings, closing, and sales throughout the region, including the arrival of new restaurants like Modern Bird, Loco Boys Brewing, Zest Plant-Based Kitchen, and Bahia; second locations for Workshop Brewing Company and Common Good Bakery; the sale of McLain Cycle and Fitness; and the closure of a 20-year local institution, Green Island. We also told you about Traverse Area District Library’s plan to bring its “bookmobile” program back to life for the first time since the mid-1900s.

In September, The Ticker broke one of Traverse City’s biggest news stories of 2021: the ousting of Ty Schmidt from Norte. Our two stories on the subject – one announcing Schmidt’s exit, the next sharing his first public statement in the aftermath – collectively drew 180,000 views and inspired hundreds of shocked comments on social media.

2021’s Developing Stories

This year also saw its fair share of big, ongoing stories in Traverse City – many of which are still developing as the year comes to a close. The Ticker kept tabs on those notable stories throughout the year, including legal battles over Fishpass, recreational marijuana licensing, winery activity on Old Mission Peninsula, and the fallout caused by a county commissioner brandishing a gun in the middle of a virtual public meeting.

Other long-gestating stories included the planning process for Traverse City’s new Healthier Drinking Culture initiative, the development of the Northwestern Michigan College strategic plan; the dormancy (and eventual reopening) of the State Theatre and the Bijou by the Bay; the news that TCAPS would lose possession of the Interlochen Community School building; the (ultimately sad) tale of a 500-pound black bear determined to make his home in Traverse City; and the will-it-or-won’t-it saga of Chick-fil-A’s arrival in northern Michigan; and a noisy debate about racism and DEI education in local schools.

Fascinating People

At the end of the day, sometimes, the biggest stories are just the ones that share the tales of fascinating and respected local people. Such was the case this year. The Ticker got a big response when we shared an interview with McKeel Hagerty in August, just a day after Hagerty announced the big news that it would be going public. A week later, our comments section saw an outpouring of grief and condolences when Kim Hagerty, McKeel’s sister and the former co-CEO and board chairman of Hagerty, passed away.

We also told you about the local elementary school teacher finding new ways to engage his students with a little help from Harry Potter; about 40 of the most impressive young professionals in the region; about the Traverse City lawyer who sat down with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes; about the officer taking on the role of Traverse City Police Department’s first LGBTQ+ liaison; and about the NMC alum who played a key role in potentially game-changing COVID-19 research.

And speaking of interesting people, 2021 marked the second consecutive year that the sitting United States president paid a visit to Traverse City – something that inspired quite a bit of conversation on our Facebook page.