For the past seven years, the city of Flint has been under the control of the state of Michigan. All government decisions made there were made by an unelected Emergency Manager or, later, a Receivership Transition Advisory Board. In the meantime, the city had its water poisoned with the powerful neurotoxin lead, saw 12 people die from an Legionnaire’s Disease […]

In what can only be described as a Hail Mary attempt to use the Jedi Mind Trick on three judges on the Michigan Court of Appeals, Attorney General Bill Schuette’s Assistant Attorney General Nathan Gambill is arguing that Emergency Managers appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder are not “state officials”: The Michigan Court of Appeals is weighing legal arguments which may […]

The health of nine million children is at risk, with even more at stake in hard-hit Flint. It’s bad enough that if Congress does not act to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), nine million lower-income children will lose the health insurance that allows them to see a doctor or go to the dentist. The problem is even worse […]

There’s one thing you can say about Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder: He has zero #$@&%*!s to give when it comes to how things look or are perceived by the public. Today we have Exhibit A in this regard: Gov. Snyder has appointed Michgan’s chief medical executive Dr. Eden Wells to lead the newly-formed Public Health Advisory Council: Gov. Rick Snyder […]

The first time I saw this image, everything around me stopped and the hair on my arms stood on end: Photo courtesy of Ti-Rock Moore The piece, titled “Flint”, was an entry in the renowned ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids. It brings the hideous national shame and stain of Jim Crow-era racism and systemic white supremacy and slams it like […]

On April 25th, 2014, with its government run by the latest in a series of Emergency Managers appointed by Republican governor Rick Snyder, the city of Flint, Michigan switched its water system over to the Flint River, ending a decades-long purchase agreement with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) which draws its water from Lake Huron. Within a few […]

Testimony in the first day of the preliminary examination for Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, facing felony charges in the Flint Water Crisis, revealed that health experts believe the switch to the Flint River was the cause of the huge increase in cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in the beleaguered city: “My opinion is the most […]

We’ve seen this movie before… Last month, disinfectant dispensing equipment that chlorinates the drinking water supply of Flint, Michigan ran dry, allowing untreated water to be distributed to city residents. According to documents obtained by MLive reporter Ron Fonger, a plant worker attributed the mistake to water plant staff members who are severely over-worked and under-paid: A Flint water plant […]

The following essay was written by Dr. Ben Pauli, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Social Science in the Department of Liberal Studies at Kettering University in Flint. Enjoy. In a special meeting on May 17, the Flint City Council voted to approve a one-year moratorium on the city’s practice of putting tax liens on properties for overdue water bills. A […]

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s Flint Water Crisis continues apace with Flint residents still being told that their drinking water is completely safe but that they should not drink it without filtering it first. First we have gubernatorial candidate (and state attorney general) Bill Schuette telling reporters that he’s not going to charge Gov. Snyder in his investigation, at least not […]

In the wake of manslaughter and other charges being filed against five people involved in the Flint Water Crisis, including two current members of his administration, Gov. Rick Snyder issued the following statement: Gov. Rick Snyder’s statement in support of DHHS Director Nick Lyon and Dr. Eden Wells Wednesday, June 14, 2017 LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder issued the […]