Costume commentary on council carryings-on: “If they clown, I clown”
By Tom Travis One Flint resident who frequently attends Flint City Council meetings finally had enough, quietly donning a costume with a pointed message at the Oct. 23 session. Here is how it happened: Twice a month the Flint City Council meets in committee sessions. There are several committees that meet through out the year including Grants, Legislative, Special Affairs, and Governmental Operations. One of the most significant and...
“We are in this fight with you,” Martin Luther King III tells Flint audience
By Tom Travis and Robert Baumgart The nation needs to continue to hear about the Flint water crisis, Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., asserted during an appearance Friday, Oct. 26 at Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint. “Perhaps this is a crisis that could have been avoided,” King said in response to questions from East Village Magazine at a press conference preceding the...
Ballenger statue unveiling highlights park celebration
By Paul Rozycki It may have been a chilly, blustery day, with a hint of rain in the air, but those who gathered at Ballenger Park for the “Ballenger Park Celebration” on Saturday Oct. 26, shared warm memories of their time there, and shared that warmth with William S. Ballenger III, the grandson of the man who created the park and has supported it for many decades. The event brought together several dozen friends, neighbors and...
Mayor touts job growth, improved water quality in “come back story” State of the City address
By Tom Travis In the glistening lights of the new Capitol Theatre’s gleaming marquee, Flint residents filed into the city’s iconic performance venue Monday night for the annual mayor’s State of the City address. As Mayor Karen Weaver laid it out to a supportive, celebratory crowd, the state of the city is improving and full of hopeful developments in water quality, pipeline replacement, public health, job growth, and opportunities...
Weaver, Neeley face off in their only mayoral debate
By Paul Rozycki With less than three weeks to go before the election, incumbent Mayor Karen Weaver and her challenger Rep. Sheldon Neeley, squared off in a debate on WJRT-TV12 on Thursday, Oct. 17. It was the only scheduled debate between the candidates, who are running to be Flint’s next mayor on Nov. 5. Moderated by anchors Angie Hendershot and Matt Franklin, the two candidates responded to each other, and to viewers’...