City Council Beat: mutual condemnations, calls for civility dominate September meetings
By Meghan Christian “All I’m gonna say is: get the word out. When you hear me say I want to change the complexion of this council, and people say is it a threat, no. It’s factually what I’m going to do,” First Ward Councilperson Eric Mays said during his final comments at the Sept. 24 Flint City Council (FCC) meeting. “If I have to go in two wards and find people in that ward and help them circulate petitions to get the number to...
Brian O’Leary pursues the “dynamic symmetry” of street photography
By Jeffery L Carey Jr. “Anywhere you look in Flint there is something interesting to take a picture of,” street photographer Brian O’Leary says, and then jokingly adds, “I’ll often stand in one place for hours waiting for that truly interesting thing to happen, but it tends to happen when I finally walk away.” As O’Leary searches for what he describes as “dynamic symmetry” in the composition of his work, his patience is clearly...
Ethics and Accountability Board progress slow to implement charter; no ombudsperson yet
By Meghan Christian The City of Flint Ethics and Accountability Board (EAB) has made some progress getting organized since it first convened in August, but the body still has yet to appoint an ombudsperson, one of the conditions outlined in the new city charter. During their last meeting Sept. 25, members provided updates on tasks they have been working on and discussed how to proceed to hire the City’s ombudsperson. The EAB is a...
Hundreds of environmental journalists arriving in Flint for national convention Oct. 2-7
By Jan Worth-Nelson The 28th annual national convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists will open Wednesday at the University of Michigan-Flint’s Riverfront Center, with hundreds of reporters expected to be on hand for four days of talks, seminars, workshops, tours, and trying out the city’s night life. Built on the theme, “Fresh Water, Fresh Ideas,”the conference aims to bring concentrated...
CCNA hears blight, crime, pot shop and tree planting reports
By Patsy Isenberg Establishment of a city court to help eliminate neighborhood blight and a report on difficulties of containing crime in the neighborhood were features of the Sept. 20 meeting of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association. About 45 residents, officers, volunteers and speakers gathered at the Mott Technology Center, after a summer break, back on the regular CCNA schedule of meeting on the third Thursday of each...
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