Surrounded by state-of-the-art recording equipment, Marshall Block sits in his studio at Real II Reel Productions listening to a new track he recently mastered for a new band called The Fruits. “They are fantastic musicians, a great singer and great players. Most importantly, they are putting in the work to make it in today’s music world,” he says. “A lot has changed in the years that I have been doing this.” The Fruits have surpassed 500,000 streams on (digital music service) Spotify and are hitting the rest of the social media world hard. “That’s what it’s all about nowadays,” adds Block.
Athena McKay was in a quandary. While working as a Flint community liaison with Michigan State University, she and other members of the Flint Eats Project steering committee agreed with MSU researcher, Dr. Joshua Introne, that the Flint Eats App they were developing would be best owned and operated by a non-profit organization in Flint. The trouble was, they couldn’t find an organization with the necessary resources and skills. So, they did the only thing they could think of: they started their own. The steering committee became the board of directors for Flint Innovative Solutions (FIS), a 501c3 non-profit. McKay was named executive director with Kathy Roberts as acting board president. “We started out of necessity,” says McKay. “We needed an organization to handle developing and implementing the Flint Eats App, and everything else expanded from there.”
I can’t help but feel like we Flintstones have something special. Those outside of Genesee County just don’t know what they are missing. Sure, our fair city has had a hiccup here and there – what city hasn’t? But its positives far outweigh the negatives and the gap is growing. We have our own highway (I-475), a world-changing history, great (and affordable) colleges, a fantastic park system, festivals, a community that supports one another (counter that, New York), a fantastic art scene, great music, etc. With all of the things that Flint has to offer, have you taken advantage of it (Pre-COVID, of course)?
Clutching a flag and sporting a Detroit Red Wings jersey, 13-year-old Jon Merrill was awestruck as he waited in the tunnel at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena prior to a 2005 playoff game. The Holy Family seventh-grader had been chosen as a flag bearer for the contest and was moments away from skating a lap around the ice in front of a typically raucous postseason crowd.
It was a sad occasion for the city of Flint. St. Michael Catholic Church, Genesee County’s oldest Catholic church, permanently closed its doors in December 2020. “It was such a significant church,” says Father Tom Firestone, who has been Pastor of the City (St. Michael’s, St. Matthew’s and St. John Vianney churches) since 2015. “I’m sad. I tried so hard to keep it open. It was the Mother Church of the region dating back to 1843. It was the only Catholic parish in the city of Flint for 67 years.”
A successful Fenton restaurateur, Jason Warda owns three restaurant/bars in the area: The Barn, Fenton Pub and Ponemah Lakeside Lodge. The challenge of owning three such businesses during a pandemic has been very frustrating, leading him to seek a way to diversify his businesses. After taking a trip with his family to clear his head, Warda came up with the idea of pursuing an entirely different type of venture – a meat market – something he felt was missing in the landscape of the bustling city.
John Rhymes, Founder of the Institute of R.H.Y.M.E.S. has been a mentor for many years, making a positive impact on Flint’s young people. Founded in 2002, the nonprofit organization sees the value in everyone. “We want to be a catalyst for positive change,” he says. “Our goal is to equip the future generation with tools and resources to be productive and effective in life.” R.H.Y.M.E.S. stands for Reaching and Helping Young Minorities Excel and Succeed.
Giving birth can come with some powerful emotions. It can be exciting and wonderful but it can also lead to something unexpected: depression. Postpartum depression is a special medical diagnosis that is fairly common after childbirth, according to Dr. Patrick Gramith, DO, who has a family practice at McLaren Flint in Fenton. And, there is a difference between postpartum depression and the “baby blues. “The baby blues go away in about ten days,” he adds. Symptoms include very mild irritability, being more emotional, crying for no reason and difficulty sleeping.
Many expectant mothers will have three ultrasounds during their pregnancy, according to Dr. Robert Welch, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Hurley Medical Center. “Most women have at least one,” he reports. An ultrasound is given for multiple reasons: to confirm the due date, establish fetus count, measure growth and possibly even learn the gender.
Are there any benefits to reading to and playing music for your baby before and after its birth? The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!” according to Dr. Gwendolyn Reyes, a Pediatrician at Hurley Medical Center. “A baby can recognize a caregiver’s voice while in the womb,” says Dr. Reyes. “They can also recognize music. It’s a great thing to introduce them to it during pregnancy.”
