Village Life: A raptor crash heralded my life with birds
By Teddy Robertson Smack! The front legs of my chair leave the floor, my hands pop off the laptop keyboard; I jerk backward. A split second, then a tinkling sound ripples over my left shoulder. I turn and look: in the storm window beside me fissures radiate outward as if pushed by an invisible hand. Something’s struck the plate glass almost dead center. I’m out the door — scanning the front porch for a clue — but the missile...
Commentary: A funny thing happened on the way to the election
By Paul Rozycki Note: This column has been updated for a correction via City Clerk Inez Brown: it was the city’s Finance Department that initially omitted the $320,000 in the budget for this year’s election, not the City Council–Ed. For most cities, villages, and townships, an election is a pretty routine thing. Candidates file, their names go on the ballot, they campaign, voters go to the polls, and the next set...
Education Beat: Admin shakeups, contracts highlight end of year for Flint Community Schools
By Harold C. Ford “Our buildings are not worthy of the children that enter them…There are lots of people who have been paid to do lots of things that have not done the things they were paid to do.” …Derrick Lopez, Superintendent, Flint Community Schools Administrative shakeups and the approval of ten service contracts highlighted the end of the 2018-2019 school year for Flint Community Schools. After robust debate, the district’s...
Flint City Bucks are winning games–and the hearts of the “River Rats”
By Harold C. Ford “Our Father who art in Atwood, Soccer be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, all matches won, on Earth as it is in Section Eleven. With Liberty and Justice for Flint and Demir Muftari.” … River Rats pregame prayer–by River Rat William Balcer The Flint City Bucks soccer team bested Chicago Football Club United by a 2-1 score before 3,145 paid fans at Atwood Stadium June 27. It was the Bucks’ fourth victory this season...
“Please tell me some heads are going to roll”– Flint residents direct anger, hope, doubt at prosecution team
By Jan Worth-Nelson Things started out reasonably well Friday night as the state’s new water crisis prosecution team, led by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud faced down 200 Flint residents at the UAW Local 659 Hall. The prosecutors were there to explain why 15 days ago the state dropped all criminal charges against eight central figures in the Flint Water Crisis, now in its fifth year. That...
Water class action attorneys detail progress of civil cases; not everyone satisfied
By Jan Worth-Nelson Leading a call and response of “We won! They lost!” with a crowd of 100 vocal Flint residents at UAW Local 659 last night, Flint Water Class Action attorney Michael Pitt asserted that the numerous water crisis civil cases chugging through the courts are heading in the right direction. “All avenues of escape have been cut off,” Pitt said of the arguments and unsuccessful attempts at...