Village Life: The Flint River dumped us, but we got a story (or two)
By Jan Worth-Nelson I told Sarah Carson the river would give us solace—that was how I talked her into it, for my part always wanting an accomplice in my adventures. Two writers who revel in sedentary hours alone. Two writers—one young, one old—rampantly hopeful but almost comically expecting the worst. Two writers who’d never been in a tandem kayak together on an end-of-summer Wednesday. What could go wrong? Ha ha! Here’s the...
Creating Sanctuary in Pierce Park: “To heal ourselves and heal the land”
By Melodee Mabbitt When Desiree Duell’s parents divorced, they sent her to weekend classes at the Flint Institute of Arts. It was there she learned that art could be very therapeutic. Now living and working in the College and Cultural Neighborhood, Duell’s latest art seeks to help everyone in Flint heal from the water crisis, as well as other environmental injustices and longstanding socioeconomic and racial inequalities she sees in...
Pierce Park out for Zero Mass Water proposal; concerns linger as ZMW eyes other sites
By Melodee Mabbitt Neighbors voicing their concerns prevented Pierce Park from becoming the location for a private company to install up to 1,000 solar panels and a bottling facility on Flint’s public land in order to produce bottled water for sale. Zero Mass Water, a water technology company that uses solar panels to make “drinking water from sunlight and air,” contacted the president of the College and Cultural Neighborhood...
Council gets crime summary, considers anti-bullying and pot policies and Chevy Commons purchase
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council last week considered anti-bullying and pot policies for city employees, tabled a proposal for Genesee County to purchase Chevy Commons, and heard a plea for more resources for the Flint Police Department. The work occurred as the council convened as two specialized “committees of the whole,” the legislative committee and the finance committee. City Attorney Angela Wheeler was present to...
Flint Public Library launches $27.6 million campaign for building renovation
By Jan Worth-Nelson When Flint Public Library facilities technician Mike McMillan looks around the 60-year-old building at the west end of Kearsley Street, what he sees is trouble. “The plumbing is falling apart,” he said at the first of a series of open houses to inform the public about a major renovation effort. “Even today, as we were setting up in here, a radiator started leaking right down into the basement. The HVAC [heating,...
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