In the Scouting organization, becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest honor and quite an accomplishment. In October 2020, Breanna Nicole Trecha of Fenton Township obtained the rank of Female Eagle Scout. She is the first female in Genesee County to have gained the title and one of ten in the State of Michigan. The door opened for females to join Boy Scouts in February 2019.
Imagine yourself in an elevator going up to the 80th floor of a skyscraper. You arrive and the door opens to a single wooden plank jutting out into space, precariously held there by two single nails. You take one tentative step onto the plank. Your palms start to sweat as you look out over the city far below. You take another cautious step, then pause as a helicopter flies toward you and quickly duck as it swoops overhead. Looking down, you see cars and trucks driving through a busy intersection. You start to shake as you edge closer to the plank’s end … once there, you stop. One more step forward and you’ve survived Richie’s Plank Experience. Would you take the plunge?
So, you won’t be able to make a Valentine’s Day reservation at your favorite romantic restaurant this year – but many of us will make plans to create a special meal at home for our significant others. Here are a couple of ideas for a memorable dinner, compliments of two local chefs (who can’t wait to serve customers in their eateries again.) Cheers to Love!
Motown Man, a newly published novel, is a story of an interracial romance set in a faded, Midwestern industrial town. It is filled with veiled racial tension, marked by uncertainty and on the edge of losing its identity, according to the author, Flint native, Bob Campbell.
Barely containing his enthusiasm, A.B.C. Hardy was waiting. He had to talk with Billy. He had seen the future and Billy Durant needed to know what it held for the Durant-Dort Carriage Company. Hardy fidgeted with the hat on his head as the doorknob turned and Durant stepped out of his office. “Billy,” he stood and said, removing his hat. “Hello, Alexander,” said Durant as he shut the door behind him. “How was Europe?”
Craig Coney has always held Flint and its citizens close to his heart. Throughout his life, the city was there to support him spiritually, socially and financially. He has lived his entire life here and owes a lot to the mentors and institutions that helped keep him on the right path. The thought of leaving the city has never crossed his mind. “The Flint community has always been good to me,” he says. “It made me who I am. My family was here and I always wanted to be close to them.”
Water Warrior Green. Ocean Blue. Secret Red. These are the latest eyeglass frame colors available at a growing local business, thanks to the Genusee Artist Collaboration. The company, Genusee Eyewear, produces the first circular economy eyewear brand that upcycles one-use plastic water bottles into eyeglass frames and sunglasses. Founded by Ali Rose VanOverbeke, the kick-starter company was officially launched in 2018 and is located in Downtown Flint’s Ferris Wheel building.
He had big shoes to fill … but Tony Tucker, former owner of Krystal Jo’s Diner in Flint, hit the ground running when he replaced Chris Hamilton as executive director of Old Newsboys of Flint last year. Hamilton passed away unexpectedly on March 1, 2019.
As his sons played in the field, Seymour Ensign packed up the last of his belongings. His wife watched over the two boys, her hand shading her eyes from the morning sun. Ensign’s friend, Thomas L. L. Brent, on whose lands he spent the first year of his life in Genesee County, was waiting to shake hands. In the township of Pewonigowink to the north sat the house Ensign had been working on for the last few months. It was finally finished and his family would be leaving Brent’s farm today to try their hand at pioneer life on their own. He tossed his rucksack into the wagon and called for his family. As they climbed into the wagon, he expressed his thanks to Brent who wished him well and good luck. Soon, the Ensign family was off to settle the last open land around. Ensign had found his home and couldn’t wait to join the other men and women with the courage and heart to tame the wild – to lay the foundation for the future of Genesee County. Hear, hear! To the pioneers!
“Our mission is to promote connectivity and empowerment to female leaders, founders and entrepreneurs,” says Flint’s Future is Female Co-Founder, Rachel Johnson. “One of our goals is to encourage a new generation of females to get involved in their community and its organizations. You can be a decisionmaker at the table.”
Ever since he was a little boy, Larry Atkins felt a deep connection with nature. The Michigan native spent a lot of time outdoors collecting rocks, fossils and interesting pieces of wood. Then, he read about meteorites and was filled with wonder. “It was a defining moment,” he remembers. “I knew then that I was going to search the world to find them.” And, that is exactly what he did.
