Infrastructure work, environmental justice “can’t wait another generation,” Kildee and activist panel agree
By Jan Worth-Nelson As the U.S. Senate was voting to approve the American Jobs Plan 69-30 Tuesday morning, with 19 Republicans joining all Democrats, a group of Genesee County activists from environmental justice, health care, and education spoke out forcefully to U.S. Representative Dan Kildee(MI-5) in a zoom webinar about the $1 trillion plan now on its way to the House of Representatives. The roundtable, organized by the activist...
Education Beat: Flint Summer Enrichment Programs conclude as students return to school buildings and balanced calendar
By Harold C. Ford Students enrolled in Flint Community Schools (FCS) returned to school Aug. 4 for a third consecutive year under a “balanced calendar” that was adopted by FCS at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. A balanced calendar features an earlier start to the school year, a later finish, and longer and more frequent breaks during the academic year. While balanced calendar proponents cite many advantages, the...
Flint Home Improvement Fund offers low- and no-interest loans up to $20,000 to homeowners of all income levels
The Flint HIF (Home Improvement Fund) has released updated information on the progress of the program. Home renovation projects underway through the Flint Home Improvement Fund The Flint Home Improvement Fund, launched in February 2021, generated a lot of interest among Flint residents. More than 200 applications have been submitted. A total of 14 home improvement projects are currently underway in eight of the city’s nine wards, and...
Commentary: After the water crisis and the pandemic, what’s next?
By Paul Rozycki It looked like the Flint water crisis was over…and it wasn’t. It looked like the pandemic was over…and it wasn’t. The water crisis In Flint, as July ended, nearly all of the lead pipes in the city had been replaced, a court settlement was on track, lead levels were at record lows, and it seemed that the seven years of the Flint water crisis might be behind us. Then the newly installed pipes on Court Street began...
At five-year milestone Flint water tests at 3 ppb for lead – the lowest yet: EGLE says, “We know that trust was broken”
By Tom Travis “From EGLE’s perspective and my own perspective, we know that trust was broken. We know that what we need to do is to deliver results to the people of the City of Flint,” said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). Clark made these comments at a press conference Thursday on the grounds of the Flint Water Plant, 4500 N. Dort Hwy. to announce the...