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Flint Beat’s arts & entertainment coverage will soon include local theatre reviews

Flint, MI—Flint Beat is partnering with long-time Flint theatre reviewer Kathleen Kirby and her website, Flint Area Theatres, to expand its Arts and Entertainment coverage of the city and highlight the city’s theatre community.  According to Kirby, who spent 25 years writing theatre reviews for The Flint Journal, the city’s theatre scene is a unique […]

by Santiago Ochoa

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As the weather warms up, volunteers around Flint help tackle blight.

Volunteers help clean up a vacant lot on Flint’s east side as part of a cleanup event hosted by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Asa Zuccaro drops his rake to pick up the pile of leaves and trash swept from a fenceline on a vacant property on Flint’s east side during a cleanup organized by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Asa Zuccaro and volunteers help clean up a vacant lot on Flint’s east side during a cleanup event hosted by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Kriss Bearslee stands on Lewis Street on Flint’s east side during a cleanup organized by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Ladel Lewis, of Flint, stands outside Sarvis Park, near her home on the north side of Flint on April 30, 2021. Lewis helps lead blight elimintating initiatives in her area and is part of the Flint Litter Killers Facebook group. She recently wrote a grant to bring solar powered lights to the front yards of her neighbors. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Chad Schlosser, of Flint, picks up trash around his neighborhood in Mott Park on April 30, 2021. Schlosser is a member of the Flint Litter Killers Facebook group. He also organizes Sunday hockey games in the park, and is writing a grant for other neighborhood beautification initiatives. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Dadrian Boone helps load a couch into the dumpster. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Ummy Siddiqui cleans up litter. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Lina Siddiqui cleans up litter. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Mustafa Siddiqui gravitated towards the wheel barrow job. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Ummy Siddiqui and her son Mustafa pull fabric that was half buried in the ground. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazaw
Jamall Merritt with his twin daughters J’Niya and J’Nay. Volunteers gathered on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, to clean up blight surrounding vacant lots on the corner of Forest Hill Ave. and Rankin St. in preparation for a planned urban garden by the Urban Rennaisance Center. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Jess Viale picks up trash off of a vacant lot on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, Mich. on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Garrett Smith cleans up trash from a lot on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, Mich. on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Michael Smith picks up trash on a vacant lot on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, MIch. on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Sydney Stern pets a cat during a clean up near the Latinx Technology & Community Center on Flint’s east side on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Michigan Nursing student Margaret Smith and Flint Beat reporter Santiago Ochoa sweep glass in the road on Lewis Street on Flint’s east side on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Emma Vollmer trims a tree on a vacant lot on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Michigan Nursing student Brendan Schuen landscapes on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, Mich. on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
A pile of tires dumped on the vacant lot at the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, Mich. before volunteers cleaned up on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Michigan Nursing student Sydney Stern carries a tire to the trash pile in the vacant lot on the corner of Davison Road and Lewis Street during a cleanup on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Asa Zuccaro does some landscaping during a cleanup of a vacant lot on the corner of Lewis Street and Davison Road in Flint, MIch. on April 7, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Katie de Araugo, 24, of Davison, trims branches during a cleanup on Flint’s east side hosted by AmeriCorps and LatinX Flint on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Asa Zuccaro, executive director of the Latinx Technology and Community Center, and Zach Hayes, AmeriCorps Vista – Blight Elimination member, help clean up a lot on Flint’s east side across from the Latinx Technology and Community Center o April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich |Flint Beat)
zcheyanne Nordberg, 21, of Davison helps landscape at a clean up organized by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Maria Clara Kohn pulls overgrown vines from a fence in a lot across fromt he Latinx Technology and Community center in Flint during a cleanup hosted by the center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
A Comcast employee works on a wire while volunteers return to a cleanup site on Flint’s east side on April 17, 2021. This part of Lewis street will be part of the Latinx District. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Twins Shula and Sony Gutierrez, 10, help remove trash on a vacant lot on Flint’s east side during a clean up event hosted by the Latinx Technology and Community Center and AmeriCorps on April 17, 2021. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)
Mark Baldwin, of Flint, stands by his newly planted tree on his property on the north side of Flint on April 30, 2021. Baldwin is part of the Flint Litter Killers Facebook page and organizes efforts to clean blight in his neighborhood. (KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat)

KT Kanazawich | Flint Beat

From individual to group efforts, the Flint community and beyond are volunteering their time to help clean up trash, mow lawns, and trim unruly trees. Community clean-ups are happening throughout the city on a weekly basis.

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Latest News

Kettering grads create electric scooter sharing system coming to Flint this summer

Flint, MI—You’ve seen them in Detroit and college campuses. They materialize overnight, no warning or explanation, and suddenly everyone is zipping past you on the sidewalk at questionably fast speeds.  Yes, we’re talking about electric scooters—and they’re coming to Flint this June.  They’ll be powered by KUHMUTE, a Flint-based company that has reimagined how micromobility […]

by Carmen Nesbitt

Flint residents weigh in on uses for incoming $99.33 million in federal aid

Flint, MI—Public safety and blight were among the top priorities brought forth by residents during a special meeting to discuss how $99.33 million in federal funds coming to Flint should be spent.  The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion federal measure put in place this year to aid the […]

by Amy Diaz

Grant will give Flint River Watershed Coalition new home

Flint, MI—The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation granted $350,000 to go toward a new home for the Flint River Watershed Coalition and their Kayak Flint rental program. The grant will provide funding to the Foundation for the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, a supporting organization of the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, for the redevelopment of the former 1st Source Servall […]

by Press Releases

Genesee County Sheriff announces ‘Walk With Us’ county-wide day of service

Flint, MI— The Genesee County Sheriff who walked with Black Lives Matter protesters last year has just announced a county-wide day of service for the upcoming anniversary of that march. On May 30, Sheriff Chris Swanson is asking volunteers to gather outside of the front lawn of the Genesee County Jail from noon to 2 p.m. […]

by Amy Diaz

Flint and Genesee County voters approve four millage items in special election

Flint, MI–  With a very low voter turnout, Flint residents approved the two millage renewals, for public safety and public transportation, on the May 4 special election ballot.  Flint and Genesee County residents also approved the two county-wide millage items on the ballot.  For Flint, only 6.36% of registered voters cast their ballots in the […]

by Amy Diaz

Around Town

Photos: Flintstones come together to observe 7th anniversary of Flint Water Crisis

On Sunday, April 26, a few dozen Flintstones met in the parking lot of the old farmer’s market building alongside the Flint River to acknowledge the seventh Anniversary of the Flint Water Crisis. The event included speeches by community leaders like Flint Councilman Eric Mays and Flint Water Advocate Joelena Freeman. Impassioned in nature, the […]

by Santiago Ochoa

Vice President Mike Pence to campaign in Flint this week

Vice President Mike Pence will visit Flint on Wednesday for a rally at Bishop International Airport just six days before voting ends. At least five of Pence’s aides recently tested positive for COVID-19, including chief of staff Marc Short and outside political advisor Marty Obst, CNN reported. Pence is considered a close contact with at […]

by Andrew Roth

It’s her first time voting, she’s making sure she’s not alone

Flint, MI–This presidential election will be the first one Ashley McIntosh is eligible to vote in, and she can’t wait.  “This election is the election of my lifetime,” said the 21-year-old. “This my first time voting and I’ll be damned if I’m never voting again.” She’s also on a mission to make sure everyone else […]

by Amy Diaz

Briefs

Mott Foundation grants nearly $200k to support Flint neighborhood projects

Flint, Mich. — The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has granted a total of $192,007 to the Neighborhood Engagement Hub (NEH) to coordinate neighborhood cleanups and hire young people to assist with the work.  Mott announced in August that it would fully fund seven neighborhood projects and partially fund an eighth project — for a total […]

EPA to provide Flint update in virtual press conference Dec. 7

Flint, MI — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Kurt Thiede will be joined by Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley and other local officials at a virtual press conference on Monday to provide an update about the city’s drinking water system. Details When: 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Dec. 7  Where: Virtual Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86365117936; or call-in: […]

City of Flint launches major push to Be Counted as Census deadline approaches

FLINT, Mich. — With just 20 days remaining to complete the 2020 Census, the City of Flint is coordinating a major push to encourage residents to BE COUNTED. A full count of Flint residents equates to approximately $3 billion in funding for Flint-area programs and services. That’s $300 million each of the next 10 years […]

United Way receives grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint for conversations on race, racism, and change

Flint, MI — The Community Foundation of Greater Flint awarded $8,000 to the United Way of Genesee County, on behalf of Community Roots, for the Courageous Conversations on Race, Racism, and Radical Change project. The grant will allow Community Roots to facilitate four community conversations that aim to engage residents of Flint and Genesee County […]

We’re working to cover Flint. We empower, impact and inform the community we serve through impactful journalism.

Flint Water Crisis

Flint City Council approves $500k contract extension for company managing service line replacement

Flint, MI– After being postponed in several meetings, and urged for approval by the mayor, the Flint City Council approved a contract extension for Rowe Professional Services to continue project management on the service line replacement program.  The contract extension adds $500,000 to the company’s original contract. The company entered into a contract with the City […]

by Amy Diaz

Water shutoffs moratorium expired for state, but not for City of Flint

Flint, MI–The State of Michigan’s moratorium on water shutoffs expired on March 31, but Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced that the City of Flint would continue holding off on disconnecting homes from water due to lack of payment.  The water shutoff restoration act was enacted by the state on Dec. 22, 2020, and created a temporary […]

by Amy Diaz

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Flint Beat is here to empower, impact and inform our community. Make a donation today!

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