The Mitten Channel

We discuss how the roads got so bad and how to fix the problem with road and infrastructure expert Dr. John Daly.  Michigan has a significant problem with its roads and bridges. The state has one of the highest numbers of structurally deficient bridges in the country, and many of its roads need repair. This problem has been exacerbated by years of neglect and insufficient funding. One of the main...

Midnight in Vehicle City by author Edward McClelland is a book that tells the story of Flint, Michigan, during the Great Recession and the struggles of its residents as they try to survive in a city that has been hit hard by the economic downturn. The story centers around autoworkers struggling to make ends meet and their challenges of working for General Motors Corporation in the 1930s. Those cha...

A Michigan original. A musical storyteller. A man who made a lifetime of memories from behind a piano. In this episode, we sit down with George Winters , the beloved “Red Piano Man” from Flint and Davison. George is a lifelong musician, entertainer, teacher, and creative force. His signature red electric piano has become a staple at community events, local concerts, senior centers, benefit perform...

This is a conversation with Sarah Carson about her book of poems, How to Baptize a Child, in Flint, MI. Carson's poems are a jarring portrayal of life in a declining, once mighty, and still proud American rustbelt town, Flint, Michigan.    "How to Baptize a Child in Flint, Michigan" is a heartwarming and thought-provoking exploration of faith, family, and community in the midst of c...

Emily Doerr is a candidate for the Flint Community Schools Board of Education. The election will be on November 8, 2022. She joined a slate of four other individuals running to serve the Flint Community Schools. These candidates agree on core principles governing their service on the Board of Education should they be elected on November 8, 2022. The other candidates on the slate are Dylan Luna, Te...

 Stand-up comic Bryan McCree shares Flint stories, family humor, and the Michigan grit behind a life on stage.  Is it possible to make Flint laugh?  If anyone can, it’s Bryan McCree — nationally touring comedian, actor, writer, and proud Flintstone. Known for his sharp insight into American culture and his uncanny ability to make us laugh at ourselves, Bryan brings a humor that is both fearless an...

Flint, Michigan, has long been touted as a hotbed for high school basketball. Indeed, Flint has produced some of the top basketball talents in the nation. Many Flint athletes are playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and at major colleges and universities. Flint basketball players have had lucrative careers playing internationally. Flint area residents are accustomed to watching hig...

In this episode of Radio Free Flint , retired Public Safety Director Chris Miller recounts one of the most shocking events in Flint’s recent history — the 2017 terrorist attack inside Bishop International Airport. Miller describes the moment a Tunisian national stabbed an airport police officer and how he and an airport maintenance worker subdued the attacker, ultimately saving the officer’s life....

In our highly mobile society, figuring out what to do with our old papers, photographs, and keepsakes is challenging. We accumulate boxes of possessions over a lifetime, and when moving, retiring, or upon the death of a parent it sits in your house begging for a home.  Your junk can be true treasures that preserve the history of your community or your family.    What do you do with all those boxes...

Colleen Marquise, Associate Archivist at the University of Michigan-Flint, Francis Willson-Thompson Library, takes podcast listeners on a virtual tour of the Genesee County (MI) Historical Center archive collection. This historical collection has a fascinating collection of oral histories, documents, papers, etc.  The Center has three primary collections: Flint Labor History, Civil Rights, and Com...

Flag Day Special — The Untold Story of Flint’s Civil War Soldiers and the battle flags that led them through America’s defining conflict. In the American Civil War, 90,000 Michigan soldiers marched into battle. Among them were the men of the 10th Michigan Infantry Regiment , organized in Flint, Michigan and mustered into federal service in February 1862. Their service carried them across the war’s...

Ben Pauli, a Kettering University Political Science Professor, is a water rights activist. Pauli embedded himself with a group of Flint residents during the Flint Water Crisis. This is the group that brought the tainted Flint drinking water problem to the public's attention. The group also was successful in advocating that government fix the cause of the toxic water problem.  Professor Pauli...

The Life of Mr. Flint, Charles Stewart Mott . Charles Stewart Mott (1875-1973) was an American businessman and philanthropist born in Flint, Michigan. He is best known for his involvement in the automobile industry and his philanthropic work. Mott began his career as a clerk in his family's business, which manufactured carriage and automobile parts. He eventually took over the company and exp...

Troubadour Neil Woodward is an instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and folk historian who helps preserve Michigan musical traditions. He is often heard at historic Crossroads Village, Michigan, near Flint in the summer months.   Neil holds the title -- State Troubadour. In 2003, the Michigan Legislature officially named Neil Woodward Michigan’s Troubadour in recognition of his lifelong commitment...

Flint Poet Laureate Semaj Brown gives a fascinating reading of her environmental injustice poems. Poet Semaj Brown shares stories of working with the child victims of the Flint Water Crisis. Brown is on a mission to help heal the trauma victims in Flint, Michigan.   Semaj Brown is an amazingly accomplished woman who is a poet, author, playwright, and educator; she was named the first poet laureate...

Marquise Gray, the former Michigan State Spartan, is now the head basketball coach at Flint Beecher High School.  Marquise Gray has excelled at every level of his sport, including coaching and professional basketball. Gray played at Michigan State from 2005-to 09. Marquise Gray has blazed a remarkable trail in basketball. He is currently the acting Athletic Director, head basketball coach, and a t...

Dave Liske discusses his new book "The Flint Coney: A Savory History." Learn about the history of the Flint food culture and love affair with the Flint-style Coney Island hot dog. In a lively interview with author Dave Liske who shares recipes, secrets, and myths about Flint and Detroit's legendary coney island hot dogs. The history of Flint's food culture has taken a backseat...

Michael J. Thorp Has Stories to Tell about His Life in Mid-Michigan Television and Radio. Michael  Shares Curious Tales from His Latest Book Former WJRT TV-12 morning anchor Michael J. Thorp has been a familiar voice to the people of Mid-Michigan for nearly 50 years. He shares the story of his life and career along with his work in radio and television.  Michael is also a published author of 6 boo...

Jan Worth-Nelson, former editor of the East Village Magazine, shares stories about the colorful history of the iconic Flint publication The East Village Magazine started about the same time as Michael Moore's Flint Voice back in the 1970s.  Today, the magazine has become a brilliant piece of journalism each month, covering hyper-local government meetings and thoughtful essays from some of Gen...

In this interview, Connor discusses his newest novel, the 4th in the series "Urbantasm." The series is set in deindustrialized Flint, Michigan. Connor Coyne is a writer living and working in rust belt Flint, Michigan, a town devastated by deindustrialization. Connor spent his teenage years in Flushing, Michigan.  Connor represented Flint's 7th Ward as its artist-in-residence for the...

What does it mean to be a Flintstone? Rustbelt Flint, Michigan, residents and expatriates, call themselves Flintstones. They discuss their community identity and its rust belt revival. Podcast guests include Judge Duncan M. Beagle, Sandra Branch of the Flint Public Art Project, John Daly of the City of Flint Department of Transportation, Cindy Johns of Carriage Town Ministries, and Rico Phillips,...

CS Mott was a giant in automotive history. Author Ed Renahan discusses the remarkable life of Charles Stewart Mott. "The Life of Charles Stewart Mott" is a fascinating and comprehensive look at the life of one of the world's most successful capitalists. Charles Stewart Mott (1875-1973) was an American businessman and philanthropist born in Flint, Michigan. He is best known for his i...

Cindy Johns discusses homelessness and the causes of homelessness in the Flint area. Carriage Town Ministries began in 1950 as the Flint Rescue Mission on the banks of the Flint River at Grand Traverse Street. The organization has been working to find solutions to poverty and homelessness for 70 years. The community has supported the work of the organization throughout those years. Many faithful F...

Rev. Robert McCathern, the pastor of a hip church in Flint's Civic Park, tells of convincing young people to put away guns and take up hammers to improve the area. Rev. Robert McCathern, the pastor of the Joy Tabernacle Church, leads a church some call a "hip" church. His Flint, Michigan church is the former Community Presbyterian Church in Flint's Civic Park neighborhood. Past...

Jeffrey LeValley is a gospel composer and songwriter. He discusses a Grammy-winning song he wrote, "Revelations 19:1," recorded by hip-hop artist Kanye West. The pandemic brought well-known Flint area gospel composer, director, and performer Jeffrey LeValley a gift he could never have imagined. In 2021, a song he wrote, Revelations 19:1, was recorded by hip-hop artist Kanye West. The son...