Category: Analysis
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Neeley ousts Weaver in tight mayor’s race; library funding sweeps in with 2-1 support
By Paul Rozycki This year nearly everyone expected a close race to elect the Flint mayor, and that’s what they got. After a hard fought campaign, State Rep. Sheldon Neeley emerged as the victor with just over 50 percent of the vote, edging out incumbent mayor Karen Weaver by 205 votes, 7082 to 6877. At…
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No scandal: Kerry Washington, Secretary of State Benson deliver GOTV message to Flint Neighborhoods United
By Luther Houle Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) members were surprised at the end of this month’s meeting by a chance to meet “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington as she visited Flint in a “Get Out The Vote” effort. Washington arrived at the Flint Public Library with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at about 11 a.m.…
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Review: Absurdist “The Chairs” delivers much more than nothingness
By Patsy Isenberg “The Chairs” opened at Flint Repertory Theatre’s Bower Black Box Friday Nov. 1 to a sold-out house. Artistic Director Michael Lluberes could be seen helping late arrivals search for seats. [The production continues next weekend through Sunday, Nov. 10–details below.] It’s a good bet that most of the audience expected a simple…
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FIA’s First Frost Fair welcomes holiday shoppers for 14th year
By Paul Rozycki Living up to its name, the Flint Institute of Arts held its 14th annual First Frost Arts and Fine Crafts Fair, on Saturday and Sunday Nov. 2 and 3. As the title suggests, the event took place at about the same time as the first hard frost hit the Flint area. The…
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Flint Poet Laureate Semaj Brown to perform at UM-Flint Nov. 13
By Jan Worth-Nelson Flint’s new poet laureate Semaj Brown will present a poetry and prose reading at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Kiva Auditorium at the University of Michigan – Flint. The event, sponsored by the UM – Flint English Department, is free and open to the public. Also part of the evening will…
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After 640+ days, Flint hires new ombudsperson; EAB member quits over process
By Melodee Mabbitt Two years after Flint voters elected to fill the position, the City of Flint has a new ombudsperson. Tané Dorsey starts the week of Nov. 4. Dorsey is a Flint native, a graduate of Flint Northern High School and the University of Michigan. She has years of experience as an Investigator in…
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Costume commentary on council carryings-on: “If they clown, I clown”
By Tom Travis One Flint resident who frequently attends Flint City Council meetings finally had enough, quietly donning a costume with a pointed message at the Oct. 23 session. Here is how it happened: Twice a month the Flint City Council meets in committee sessions. There are several committees that meet through out the year…
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“We are in this fight with you,” Martin Luther King III tells Flint audience
By Tom Travis and Robert Baumgart The nation needs to continue to hear about the Flint water crisis, Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., asserted during an appearance Friday, Oct. 26 at Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint. “Perhaps this is a crisis that could have been…
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Ballenger statue unveiling highlights park celebration
By Paul Rozycki It may have been a chilly, blustery day, with a hint of rain in the air, but those who gathered at Ballenger Park for the “Ballenger Park Celebration” on Saturday Oct. 26, shared warm memories of their time there, and shared that warmth with William S. Ballenger III, the grandson of the…
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Mayor touts job growth, improved water quality in “come back story” State of the City address
By Tom Travis In the glistening lights of the new Capitol Theatre’s gleaming marquee, Flint residents filed into the city’s iconic performance venue Monday night for the annual mayor’s State of the City address. As Mayor Karen Weaver laid it out to a supportive, celebratory crowd, the state of the city is improving and full…
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