“Bug” matter dropped by Hart; “insignificant” device never seized
By Melodee Mabbitt “I would always make an inquiry before an indictment,” Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said when asked how he learned of a “device,” at first thought to be an electronic surveillance bug, found in the mayor’s office following the Nov. 5 election when Neeley defeated incumbent Karen Weaver. In a press conference unusually called on Saturday morning, Flint Police Chief Phil Hart attempted to close the matter...
Mayor, police chief connect, state reps offer update, councilpersons conflict at CCNA
By Jan Worth-Nelson It was the night of the politicos Thursday at the November meeting of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA), as the assemblage of about 50 residents heard from the city’s new mayor, the interim police chief, the state senator, the state representative, and the chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint. To top it all off, residents were bystanders to a brief brouhaha between two Flint...
Police Chief Hart: Device found at City Hall “not sophisticated” and does not record video, audio
By Melodee Mabbitt Flint Police Chief Phil Hart confirmed today that a device found at City Hall is not capable of recording video or audio and is not sophisticated enough to warrant sending to state police or the FBI for further investigation. East Village Magazine (EVM) learned of the device when Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley appeared on a Nov. 16 WFLT 1420-AM 10 a.m. radio show, where he stated that “in having the office swept,...
Education Beat: School closures put on hold as Flint School officials search for deficit solutions
By Harold C. Ford “We have to get to a number that will allow us to be a viable district…We have too much infrastructure for the number of students we’re trying to educate.” …Derrick Lopez, superintendent, Flint Community Schools The elected and appointed leaders of Flint Community Schools (FCS) have decided to keep looking for possible solutions to eliminate the district’s massive debt and, for the time being, postpone final...
“Meaning Train” author Carrie Cunningham appearing Saturday at Totem
By Jan Worth-Nelson Carrie Cunningham, author of a new book exploring ” how ideas of nonviolence and love might save the world” will appear at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Totem Books, 620 W. Court St., Flint. Meaning Train: Essays on Religion and Politics was published by Archway Publishing this autumn. Cunningham, of Grosse Pointe Farms, graduated from Harvard College where she studied American and African history. She...
City of Flint Communications Director Raymer says document about device found at City Hall was “not a press release”
By Melodee Mabbitt City of Flint Communications Director Marjory Raymer sent multiple text messages to East Village Magazine (EVM) since Tuesday night’s publication of a story on Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s allegations that an “electronic surveillance device” was found in the mayor’s office at Flint City Hall. Neeley defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Weaver Nov. 5 by 205 votes and was sworn in Nov. 11. At 9:27 p.m. last night, EVM...
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