City Hall open for voters to cast May 4 election ballots; four items cover police, fire, 9-1-1, mental health support
By Tom Travis Flint City Hall is now open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for in-person absentee voting for the May 4, 2021 election, according to a press release from the City of Flint. Residents may register to vote, receive an absentee ballot and vote in person all in a single visit. Absentee voting is open to all residents. Additional hours, including weekend availability, will be added leading up to the May 4 election. The May 4...
Vaccine Beat: Genesee County is 24% fully vaccinated; MTA providing free transport to vaccination sites
By Tom Travis The alarming number of new coronavirus cases and deaths throughout Michigan has brought renewed urgency for a vaccine. Three major vaccines have been distributed in the area and throughout the country since mid-December 2020: Moderna and Pfizer both requiring two injections to be fully vaccinated and the Johnson & Johnson, a single injection vaccination. Last week the Johnson & Johnson vaccine...
“Unconscionable” and “blatant filibustering” – Mayor Neeley accuses City Council; work on last 500 water lines halted by council’s inaction
By Tom Travis Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley Tuesday scolded the City Council in a scathing statement released a day after a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting in which the council failed to address a resolution to allow additional funds to complete water pipeline replacement. Seven years into the city’s water crisis, 500 water lines remain to be checked and potentially replaced. The mayor’s statement read in part: “It is...
Harmonious voices rise from the parking lot: local choir meets to safely socialize and sing
By Tom Travis On a warm spring evening amid the pavement, sidewalks and brick buildings of downtown Flint, the sound of harmonious singing voices rose from a church parking lot across the street from the county courthouse. They were the voices of the Carolyn Mawby Chorale (CMC), a local choir established in 1987 by 16 alumni members of the UM-Flint Chamber Singers, They were singing together in person for the first time in more than a...
Education Beat: Flint Schools pause face-to-face instruction and all athletics on April 12 as pandemic numbers spike
By Harold C. Ford It’s been a school year unlike any other in several generations. Flint Community Schools’ (FCS) off-again/on-again face-to-face instruction inside its school buildings is off-again. FCS Assistant Superintendent Kevelin Jones announced on April 6 that all FCS students would return to remote/online instruction starting Monday, April 12. Additionally, FCS will pause all athletic programs as well. [Jones’ statement is...
Public Hearings to be held throughout April on Flint’s $71 million budget
By Tom Travis The City of Flint’s $71 million budget will be discussed in public hearings held by the city council on four days in April. The city council will hold departmental budget hearings for both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 city budgets. According to a press release from the city council and finance committee chair Santino Guerra (3rd Ward) the public hearings will be held on Monday, April 5 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and...