This week on Currently, we welcome Leelanau Ticker’s Craig Manning to the show for the very first time, joining our favorite news whisperer Beth Milligan of the Traverse City Ticker.

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

We’re diving into big changes and big ideas happening across the region:

• A new trailhead on the Leelanau Trail could include some fun surprises (hello, pump track?)
• Plans to expand Inland Seas’ Suttons Bay campus with an $11.1M campaign
• Replacing the Beitner Bridge, and why it always sparks rumors about Hartman-Hammond
• A new TIF district in East Bay Township and updated pedestrian safety plans after a tragic accident on US-31
• And we clear up some of the misinformation around the DNR’s plan to remove a pedestrian bridge along the busy corridor

Currently is a Compass Local Podcast produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

This week, Interlochen Public Radio’s Claire Keenan-Kurgan makes her debut with two timely stories from across the state: Michigan lawmaker John Roth’s push for earmarked funds to build a juvenile facility in Traverse City, and the new ICE detention center now operation in Lake County. Claire shares community responses and workforce concerns.

Then, Beth Milligan breaks down local updates, including the possible use of AI to support 911 dispatch services in Grand Traverse County, planning commission movement on the Mill District redevelopment and Union Street rezoning, and the county's new approach to ORV patrol.

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

Currently is a Compass Local Podcast, produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

On this week's Currently, Christal and Beth Milligan break downf some of the region’s most pressing—and promising—local developments.

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

Beth takes us inside the latest from Garfield Township, where big decisions are being made about land use, housing, and growth priorities. Then, we take a ride down Five Mile Road, unpacking plans and possibilities for one of the area’s most scenic and debated stretches of pavement.

Plus: Where’s the marijuana tax revenue going? How about the opioid settlement funds? Beth walks us through the spending proposals and the larger implications for local infrastructure and community services.

Also: Currently spotlights Help Link, a locally built, tech-driven resource connecting donors directly to real, vetted needs across the region—and shares how your donation could help unlock a $25,000 matching gift.

Stick around for weekend picks, including the Mac & Cheese Festival at Turtle Creek Stadium (bring Lactaid) and the Boardman Review launch party at 7 Hills Winery.

Currently is a Compass Local Podcast, produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

Summer means lots of live music, and on this week’s “Currently,” Christal and Beth Milligan (Traverse City Ticker) welcome Joe Beyer, freelance writer, to kick things off with his full guide to our region’s summer concert season—from big names at Interlochen to intimate local venues like Iron Fish, SummerSounds, and the Alluvion.

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

Beth then takes us inside the latest developments at the Cherryland Center, where a new trampoline park is bouncing into the former Macy’s space. Plus: what the space won’t become, and what it signals for the future of the site. We also cover City Commission updates, including key decisions and priorities heading into the summer.

Currently is a Compass Local Podcast, produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

In Episode 17 of Currently, we're going "OG style" as host Christal Frost and Traverse City Ticker's Beth Milligan have a "classic duo" breakdown of the week’s biggest stories in Northern Michigan.

​This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

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First up: It’s Restaurant and Retail Roundup time — from new openings to surprise closures, Beth breaks down the latest movement in TC’s ever-changing culinary and business scene. Then, we talk about the YMCA’s plans for a brand new childcare center on the west side and what it means for growing families and the Long Lake community. Finally, we spotlight the Old Town Playhouse as they prepare to celebrate a landmark anniversary season — and trust us, they've got something special in store.

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Plus: King Kong invades Coin Slot, the Pit Spitters return to Turtle Creek Stadium, and we dish on our weekend plans, including the Michigan Arts & Culture Summit and some great local live music.

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Currently is a Compass Local podcast produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

On this week’s episode of Currently, we’re digging into everything from international healthcare recruitment to backyard septic tanks—and topping it off with an almost-summertime treat!

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

Joining Christal and Beth Milligan (Traverse City Ticker) is Ed Ronco, News Director for Interlochen Public Radio, who brings us a story about Munson’s plan to recruit 170 nurses from the Philippines as part of an effort to address staffing shortages across its hospital network.

Then, Beth gives us updates on two big developments: the introduction of new county-wide septic inspection rules in Grand Traverse County, and her much-anticipated Summer 2025 Guide.

Next, Ed previews a fascinating piece coming next week from IPR’s Ellie Katz about the state’s deer baiting ban and how it intersects with the DNR’s efforts to raise hunting license fees.

And finally, we celebrate our Sweet 16 episode with a visit from Scott Pierson of Super Cone, the brand-new custard and soft serve window at The Coin Slot in downtown Traverse City.

Currently with Christal Frost is a Compass Local podcast produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

On this week’s Currently, Christal and Beth Milligan (Traverse City Ticker) welcome Aubrey Ann Parker, editor of The Betsie Current, for her first appearance — fresh off two first-place wins from the Michigan Press Association.

This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

First, we take a deep dive into Aubrey’s latest cover story about anaplasmosis, a lesser-known but rapidly spreading tick-borne disease now showing up in northern Michigan. With symptoms more intense than Lyme and cases rising in both people and pets, this one is a must-hear.

Then Beth breaks down the future of Traverse City’s Governmental Center — a civic hub that may be due for big changes. And finally, we cover major state grants heading to both the Civic Center and East Bay Township — and what these funds will mean for public space in the region.

Currently with Christal Frost is a Compass Local podcast produced by Pancake Boy Productions.

Watch the full episode on YouTube + Facebook, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on "Currently," special guest journalist Art Bukowski (Traverse City Business News) joins Christal and Beth Milligan (Traverse City Ticker) to share an unfiltered look into the end-of-life industry in northern Michigan.

​This episode is brought to you by lead underwriter Golden-Fowler Home Furnishings: Home Fashion Elevated, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Traverse City. Support also comes from West Shore Bank – committed to the well-being of the community, and The Coin Slot Arcade Bar – a chill hangout in Traverse City featuring a full bar, pinball machines, and a great selection of drinks.

From funeral trends to green burials to the emotional toll of the work, Art talks to us about his feature story, “The Business of Death.” Then, Beth brought us some headlines about:

• Safe Harbor’s plan to go year-round — what that means for homeless services in TC

• The road issues at 14th and Franke in TC — and what’s being done about it

• And a peek at a brand new summer food and wine festival coming to town.

"Currently with Christal Frost" is a Compass Local podcast produced by Pancake Boy Productions.