Village Life: Getting on the bus might help alleviate community’s “toxic stress”
By Jan Worth-Nelson The water crisis has taken its toll on more than our pipes. As Elizabeth Burtch, a supervisor at Genesee Health System puts it, “There is a lot of anxiety out there, a lot.” And there’s what she calls “toxic stress,” leading to understandable but troubling reactions such as obsessive water hoarding, exacerbated physical symptoms, confusion, guilt and anger. And for the most part, the precipitating triggers have...
Aging parkway maples challenge city services, neighborhood character
By Kayla Chappell Editor’s note: This story has been revised on 11/16/16 to clarify that residents needing help with a downed or dangerous tree should call City of Flint Street Maintenance at (810)-766-7343. That number is available 24/7, according to Angela Warren, Genesee County Conservation District administrator. City of Flint officials can do some immediate tree removal, while assessment for follow-up needs goes...
Park millage renewal will help sustain Flint’s acres of green spaces, playlots, trails
By Megan Ockert Support for a park system of 70 facilities, one of Flint’s design achievements going back to the 1920s, is the object of a Nov. 8 city-wide vote. Next Tuesday Flint’s Park and Recreation millage is up for renewal after 10 years. As a .50 millage renewal, for a home valued at $50,000, the tax would be $25 per year. There is no increase or decrease. City of Flint planning staff state that, if passed, the renewal...
Shigella outbreak subsiding, but answering the “why” continues
By Jan Worth-Nelson Incidence of the latest health threat to hit Flint and Genesee County, the diarrhea-causing bacterium shigella, appears to have subsided, at least for now, representatives from the Centers for Disease Control told the Flint Water Recovery Group under the dome at City Hall last week. Jevon D. McFadden, a CDC physician headquartered in Lansing, told the group that as of Oct. 19 no new cases of shigellosis, the...
Community Read aims to foster dialogue on lives of African-American youth, community response
By Jan Worth-Nelson A “Community Read” series focused on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bestselling book Between the World and Me is underway in Flint, with the second of nine discussions scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at Flint Central Church of the Nazarene, 1261 W Bristol Rd. Coates’ book, written as a letter to his 15-year-old son, confronts from its first page the sorrow and dangers faced by young black men in an America Coates...