Category: Analysis
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Dysfunction and Democracy from Flint to Washington. Is Flint a model for the nation?
By Paul Rozycki For much of the 20th Century Flint was a leader for much of what mattered in the nation. It was home for one of the largest manufacturing corporations in the world. It was the place where one of the most progressive and influential labor unions in the nation stood up to that…
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Education Beat: New leadership team for Flint Board of Education all first-timers
By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes you’ve got to pivot.” – Melody Relerford, newly-elected Flint Board of Education trustee, Jan. 11, 2023 A new leadership team was impaneled at the annual organizational meeting of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) on Jan. 11, 2023. Newly-elected members of a five-person electoral slate were chosen to fill…
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Early cancer detection to save lives highlighted at MLK Jr. Day Berston celebration
By Tom Travis “Dr. King once said that injustice in health was the most inhuman form of inequality because it leads to death that could have been prevented. Earlier detection of cancer should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford to pay out-of-pocket.” — Gary Puckrein, National Minority Quality Forum Berston…
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Michigan Speaker Rep. Joe Tate considers economic development with Flint business, housing leaders
By Tom Travis Housing was a key factor considered in an economic development round-table held Monday upstairs in Flint’s Farmers Market. The meeting was organized by recently-elected State Representative Jasper Martus and his special guest the new Speaker of the House in Michigan’s legislature Rep. Joe Tate (D-2nd District). Tate listened and jotted notes as…
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Mott Foundation grants $16.5 million to support a new YMCA and mixed-use space in downtown Flint
Construction is scheduled to begin in March on a mixed-use facility in downtown Flint that will feature a new home for the YMCA of Greater Flint and residential rental space. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation granted $11 million to the YMCA and $5.5 million to the Foundation for the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation to support the…
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Flint residents can apply for WRAP water bill assistance Thursdays at City Hall
By Tom Travis The City of Flint is encouraging Flint residents to apply for the Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP)—a two-year program that provides assistance to eligible, low-income households through water bill credits, arrearage assistance, and water conservation assistance, such as minor plumbing repairs, according to a press release. Representatives from the WRAP program are…
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UM – Flint “people’s” group critiques “top down” Strategic Transformation process and challenges “employers as customers” approach
By Jan Worth-Nelson University of Michigan – Flint assistant professor Kimberly Saks adamantly declares she is not “unAmerican.” At a virtual community town hall last week sponsored by a loosely-organized group of faculty, staff, students and alumni who call themselves the “people’s UM-Flint” to distinguish themselves from the official Strategic Transformation process underway at the…
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“From Crisis to Recovery” and a call for unity, are the themes of Mayor Neeley’s State of the City address
By Paul Rozycki For the first time since the COVID pandemic Mayor Neeley gave his state of the city address to a live audience at the Capitol Theater. Because of the pandemic the previous two state of the city address were given virtually. He said “I’m excited to share highlights from the past three years,…
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A new type of health care coming to Flint in January
By Tom Travis Harris Family Health, Flint’s first direct primary care clinic, is opening in downtown Flint in January, 2023. It is a membership-based primary care clinic started by Flint native, Dr Aisha [pronounced eh-sha] Harris MD, aimed at offering members more time and access to their doctor so they can prioritize their health and…
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“Just wait and see”: UM-Flint Chancellor says campus “Strategic Transformation” will bring fiscal stability, vibrancy to Flint community
By Jan Worth-Nelson with Tom Travis The University of Michigan – Flint is “a beacon of hope” for the Flint community, UMF Chancellor Debasish Dutta declares, and he intends to keep it that way. “I am committed to doing everything I can do to make the UM – Flint strong — financially strong, programmatically strong,…
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