“America owes Flint a huge debt of gratitude,” Edwards tells NOVA premiere audience
By Jan Worth-Nelson In Flint for the premiere of the upcoming NOVA production, “Poisoned Water,” towering and sometimes controversial water crisis figure Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech leaned into the near-capacity crowd at the Flint Institute of Arts theater and stated, “America really owes Flint a huge debt of gratitude.” That’s because, he said, “in the aftermath we’ve discovered problems...
Immigration officer describes ICE processes, but offers few local details
By Jan Worth-Nelson Editors’ Note: This story has been modified to include information offered by Valentina Seeley about ICE enforcement actions at “sensitive locations.” If an undocumented person is accused of a crime in Flint or elsewhere, he or she likely would be deported soon thereafter, even if he or she is found not guilty. In other words, simply being accused of a crime is enough to get an undocumented...
Windy work day yields hopeful results at Pierce Creative Arts Elementary
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Pierce hoop house is back. First a sign of hope, then a source of despair after vandalism, the structure was rescued back to its hopeful role at Pierce Creative Arts Elementary School Saturday. A work day drew neighbors, community volunteers and representatives from charitable organizations in blustery but sunny weather to resuscitate the structure and its associated gardening projects. Volunteers from the...
Uptown plans $17 million residential-business complex, “The Marketplace,” at site of old YWCA
by Harold C. Ford A new, $17 million, residential-commercial project is being planned at the site of the old YWCA in downtown Flint according to Kyle McCree, director of Core Initiatives for the Flint and Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. The project is spearheaded by the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (URC), a nonprofit organization focused on the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Flint. PK Housing and Management...
Village Life: If it’s Tuesday, that means jazz at Soggy Bottom Bar
By Teddy Robertson Tuesday night in downtown Flint and that means jazz at Soggy Bottom. On this cool April evening a gust of wind propels people through the front door just as the smiling drummer John Hill grabs the mic and announces, “We’re going to do some spring songs!” Together with Pat Cronley on keyboard and Jack McDonald on the bass, Hill opens the first set. The sticks go down and Hill looks radiantly happy. I think he is the...