It was dusk. A misty chill hung in the air as the crowd gathered around the tree to witness the execution. Hands bound behind her back, the accused sat upon a horse, defiant. Accused of practicing witchcraft and found guilty by little else than fear and superstition, she glared at the onlookers. As the rope was thrown over the branch of the oak and the noose fitted around her neck, a slight smile appeared on her face. She glanced around the crowd, recognizing former friends, family and acquaintances, whose eager expressions only enraged her further. If they thought her a witch, sobeit – she would act the part. Before she fell, her voice rang out, cursing the village with pestilence and despair. The horse was coaxed forward and she dropped. Her last sight on Earth was the look of sudden fear on the faces of the damned townspeople of Pere Cheney. It was satisfying …
A Detroit native who previously served as the FIA’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions since 2009, Tracee assumed the role of executive director in July. She succeeds John B. Henry, who announced his retirement this year.
Dr. Marty Kaufman, Professor of Geography, Planning and Environment at UM-Flint, and student Paul Mattern were worried. The planet was heating up, temperatures were pushing above normal and people were getting sick. “People don’t realize it, but excessive heat kills nearly 1,300 people per year in the United States,” explains Kaufman. “In fact, most heat-related deaths are attributed to other diseases and sickness that can be caused by excessive heat.” Those who are the most vulnerable to heat are children and the elderly with personal isolation and certain environmental factors (lack of tree cover, asphalt, standing water, etc.) contributing to the problem. With the goal of saving lives, Kaufman and Mattern searched for a way to create an excessive heat-warning system at the ground level. “We wanted to build a ground network to provide real-time heat readings,” the professor explains, “without relying on a satellite system that may not be telling the whole story.” Mattern, who works as manager of planning and scheduling at MTA, had an idea. “He came up with a plan to install heat sensors at MTA bus stops around Flint,” says Kaufman. “They worked perfectly. The bus signs were the right height and their locations made sense.”
Everything about the gritty, blue-collar basement boxing gym at Berston Field House seems to embody Flint. The atmosphere, aesthetics and attitude found here capture the spirit of the city.
From the early 1960s to the late 80s, the City of Flint rode a roller coaster of social and economic change. While the city made gains in social equality and culture, it lost ground in labor force and development. Crime began to rear its head as unemployment increased and business walked away. Population began to flee, leading to the first (of many) school closings. The explosion of growth reversed and many mayors found that a lack of taxpayer funds inhibited future investment. After 1975, it was everything a mayor could do to keep the city afloat.
1. What was your very first job?
A trip in an airplane saved Cody Welch’s life. “When I was very little, my father owned an airfield in Alpena, MI. I had a health emergency, so he flew me to the hospital,” he recalls. “While I was growing up, we transported a lot of patients out of that airfield to distant medical care facilities.” It only made sense that, after succeeding in an aviation profession all his own that Welch restarted the practice.
National Health Observances are special days, weeks or months dedicated to raising awareness of specific health ailments and topics.
If you have a budding interest in anything artistic, Greater Flint holds a few places of opportunity. One often overlooked school, sitting off of Vienna Rd. just west of Downtown Clio, may be just what you are looking for.
The Curtis/Ketzler family has a 170-year history of horticulture in Genesee County. Tonya Ketzler, Mundy Township Supervisor and former owner of Ketzler Flowers, is proud of her family’s heritage and works hard to preserve it.
