“We will no longer auction off guns,” Mayor Neeley announces. “It’s just not worth it.” Chief Hart says
By Tom Travis The City of Flint will no longer auction off confiscated guns, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced at a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday. Since 2017, when the City began that practice, 4,539 guns have been auctioned generating $200,000. The revenue generated was put back into the police budget, Neeley said. However, Chief of Police Phil Hart, reiterating Neeley’s words, said, “We will no...
Review: “Begin Again” blends James Baldwin’s urgent lessons and a call to face “the American Lie”
By Robert R. Thomas BEGIN AGAIN by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is a clear example of a historical genre I call living history, i.e., history being written in real time by living historians. Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton, where he is also the chair of the Center for African American Studies and the chair of the Department of African American Studies. Glaude’s...
City Clerk announces 11,000 absentee ballots issued and 3,500 ballots have been returned; Clerk says her office is “sincere”, “honest” and “working hard 24/7”
By Tom Travis City Clerk Inez Brown attempted to assure the community that her office is “honest, sincere and working hard 24/7” to see that the voting process is carried out. In a press conference held in the lobby of Flint City Hall Tuesday morning Brown announced that 11,455 absentee ballots have been issued and 3,574 ballots have been returned. Brown said this is a 31.2% return rate. Pending litigation with ACLU...
How to spend a million in Flint: Mott Foundation wants to know
By Jan Worth-Nelson Flint residents have until Aug. 11 to vote on how the city’s largest and most dominant foundation should spend $1 million. Last November the C.S. Mott Foundation asked Flint residents to suggest how to spend $1 million on Flint neighborhoods. There was no shortage of response. The foundation heard from more than 440 people, who offered 625 ideas. Foundation officials shaped the suggestions into 70 projects...
Education Beat: Flint schools start new school year amid great uncertainty
By Harold C. Ford Amid great uncertainty, Flint Community Schools (FCS) begin a new year in August amidst great uncertainty. Sources of uncertainty emanate from international, national, state, and local levels of our pandemic-plagued world. Already weighted down by numerous challenges, FCS is moving into the 2020-2021 school year beset by an erratic pandemic, an unpredictable federal government, indeterminate revenue sources, the...