Carriage Town housing proposal draws protest; Fifth Ward residents speak out
By Tom Travis At its regular meeting Monday, Sept. 9, the Flint City Council declined to consider a resolution regarding a controversial affordable housing development in Carriage Town, after Councilperson Jerri Winfrey-Carter, whose ward includes the contested parcel, declared, “I’m going to fight this nail and tooth…because my constituents do not want this.” In other business, the council debated proposed...
Motion to prevent hiring ombudsperson denied; process moving forward
By Melodee Mabbitt Seventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge F. Kay Behm denied a motion to prevent the hiring of an ombudsperson filed by Linda Pohly, a Flint resident with a complaint before the court alleging that the City of Flint failed to follow the Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the Flint City Charter. Eight people had applied for the ombudsperson positions, but only three applicants were provided by the...
Public hearing on Flint’s alleged failures to follow charter 10 a.m. Tuesday
TRO denied: see followup story here: By Melodee Mabbitt A hearing is scheduled at 10 am. tomorrow, Sept. 10, before Seventh Judicial Circuit Court Judge F. Kay Behm on the complaint filed by Linda Pohly alleging that the City of Flint failed to follow the Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the Flint City Charter. “We are seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent the hiring of an ombudsman...
Education Beat: Flint schools test scores show modest gain, still lag behind area, state averages
By Harold C. Ford Test scores for students in Flint Community Schools (FCS) showed modest gains in 2018-2019, but lagged significantly behind “similar students” and state averages, according to data released the last week of August by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) scores in Grades 3-7 show overall modest improvement: M-STEP was administered to students in Grades 3-7...
Flint City Council chaos continues: Mays and Gilcreast’s attorney face off
By Tom Travis Meeting in committee sessions Wednesday night, the Flint City Council’s attempt to get answers from City Hall about the handling of bids and rebids for restoration work following water pipeline replacement in the city ended in a shouting match between First Ward Councilman Eric Mays and the attorney for Mayor Karen Weaver’s chief advisor Aonie Gilcreast. The council also heard from the Hurley Medical Center board of...
Education Beat: Flint Schools launch balanced calendar as donated AC units help mitigate heat
By Harold C. Ford “We always talk about our kids being our most valuable resource, so let’s act like it.” — Flint Mayor Karen Weaver at Brownell STEM Academy assembly upon delivery of donated air conditioners Aug. 20 Flint Community Schools (FCS) launched its newly adopted balanced calendar for the 2019-20 school year on Aug. 7, the first day of school for its students. “We had a tremendous first day of school,” according to...
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