Hope For The Future by Flint Foto Factory

Last week Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Michael Brown as the emergency manager for the city of Flint under Public Act 4. A state-appointed review panel recommended a state takeover for the city of Flint, citing recurring cash flow shortages and other financial deficiencies. Flint had an estimated $15 million deficit in 2010 and is projected to have a $7 million deficit in 2011. The Flint Journal explains that:

Brown is under no illusion that fixing the city's long-standing financial problems will be an easy task.

"I know it's a major challenge, there's no glossing it over," Brown said hours after his appointment was announced by Snyder's office. "I think there's a long road ahead and we've got a lot of work to do."

Under state law amended in March under Snyder's administration, emergency managers can strip local elected leaders of their power and have unilateral authority to cut pay, outsource city services, merge departments and, as a last resort, change employee contracts.

Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown

Brown eliminated pay and benefits for the mayor and Flint City Council, ousted numerous appointees of Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and also canceled City Council meetings until further notice. Brown was interim mayor for six months in 2009 and is the current President of Prima Civitas and director of the Flint Area Reinvestment Office which he founded.  He will receive a salary of $170,000 for the position. There's a special page now on the City of Flint website where you can view orders of the Emergency Manager.

You can hear an interview with Michael Brown from Michigan Radio and also a series of video responses from Cindy Shafran's blog.  Follow the discussion at Flint Talk and check out more stories from Flint on Absolute Michigan.

In 2002 the state took over Flint, and Engler appointed Ed Kurtz who issued over 120 directives during his 2 year tenure. Last week the state also took the first steps toward a takeover of Detroit, and Jack Lessenberry notes that the Michigan Emergency Manager law may be placed on hold due to a ballot measure. You can also hear Jack Lessenberry's thoughts on the Flint and Detroit takeovers and hear what Mayor Dave Bing and other Detroit officials to say about that and share your thoughts below.

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Yes, it is Saturday.

darkson33 (Bryant Windom) lives and takes pictures in Flint.Here's his Shutterfly web site.

His sets include Outdoors, People and Flint and things (slideshow).

Dive into his Flickriver.

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Abandoned Richardsonian Romanesque House in Detroit
( Former James Scott Mansion )
by Derek Farr

Michigan has 29 land bank authorities - more than any state. The Detroit News reports that Michigan is going to try to use these land banks to spur redevelopment and garner nearly $300 million:

With the federal money expected to come in January, cities such as Detroit and counties such as Oakland are starting land bank agencies for the first time. The state filed for the Housing and Urban Development funding through a coalition that includes 12 city governments and eight counties. It's a national competition, and the overall fund totals $1.9 billion. Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Pontiac, Saginaw and Wyandotte also would be targeted for revitalization.

The Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority would provide land bank services in Detroit; Oakland County, including Pontiac; and Kent County, including Grand Rapids, until local land banks are ready to take over.

Under the plan, the Michigan land banks aim to buy and redevelop more than 6,000 foreclosed, abandoned and vacant properties. The land banks also envision razing 2,500 structures and rehabilitating or building 1,500 homes.

There's also an effort to encourage urban gardeners to develop empty city lots and allow homeowners to buy inexpensive vacant lots next to their property. "We expect (Detroit's land bank) to be the most aggressive developer in the city," said Douglas Diggs, interim director of the city's land bank office.

Good news for Michigan cities! Check out the Abandoned slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool for some likely suspects for the money!

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market vendor. by sarah. reed.

Last weekend's Chicago Sun Times featured a great writeup on the Flint Farmer's Market, nothing that one thing Vehicle City has over the Windy City is a year-round, enclosed farmer's market:

In September, the market was named “Most Loved Market in America” in a nationwide contest sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org. Hundreds of the country's 4,500 farmers markets entered the competition. The Flint market grabbed the $5,000 prize thanks to Web blasts and Facebook voting.

The Flint Farmers' Market is anchored by a beautiful red brick WPA (Work Progress Administration) building from 1940. It is set in a ravine along the Flint River and has more than 30 vendors. The steel trusses supporting the roof date to 1920, when they were used at the feisty auto town's former Union Market.

The 15,000-square-foot market features an art gallery, book store, restaurant and Michigan's only farmers market wine shop....

“One of the downsides of Flint is that there are 18,000 vacant properties,” (market manager Dick) Ramsdell explained during an autumn stroll through the market. “People who worked here left. The upside is that there's community gardens opening up all over Flint. There's an emerging food security system for low-income folks, using not only local farmers but people who are starting to grow on vacant lots inside the city.”

Learn more in the article and also on the Flint Farmer's Market web site. Be sure to check out Sarah's slideshow in the link above as well!

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jmbarclay (Jim Barclay) says he first discovered photography when i was about 7 years old and his father brought home his new 35 mm camera and dark room equipment. He spent many hours watching the images come to life in the chemicals under the glow of the orange bulb.

Check this photo out bigger in his Flint - Michigan slideshow. Also see his other sets including bldg, vintage and up north.

Dive into his Flickriver.

Editor's Note: Today is of course Monday. Some wires got crossed on Friday apparently.

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The Mason House c 1872 in Carriage Town by mansardroofsf

The New York Times has taken note of an area in Flint called Carriage Town that is making a comeback due to some industrious and motivated homeowners. In the midst of an otherwise impoverished area and dire economic circumstances these people are taking advantage of real estate deals and restoring the beautiful old homes that make up the area. The article Faded Glory: Polishing Flint's Jewels also notes that as people move in businesses follow and once again becomes a community.

In a city that is synonymous with faded American industrial and automotive power, Carriage Town's success is both unexpected and inspiring. A persistent group of long-term urban homesteaders — along with newer arrivals eager to live near a downtown showing signs of life — has restored dozens of Victorian-era houses and buildings in the last 20 years. While many Flint neighborhoods feel all but abandoned, in Carriage Town home ownership has increased 10 percent over the last decade, according to Census data.

In a worldwide recession, development projects with more than $47 million in public and private financing are in progress or recently completed in the 30-square-block Carriage Town area, including the conversion of the derelict Berridge Hotel into lofts and the ongoing renovation of the long-vacant Durant Hotel into 93 apartments and commercial space. There are even plans for a neighborhood grocery store.

But there's no denying that Carriage Town is a work in progress, and that those who call it home must deal with challenges like speculators, abandoned houses and lack of code enforcement by the cash-strapped city.

For more images of Flin't Carriage Town check out this slideshow from Flickr...

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Abandoned building in Flint - Colors by Derek Farr ( DetroitDerek)

The New York Times has a great report titled An Effort to Save Flint by Shrinking It that begins:

Instead of waiting for houses to become abandoned and then pulling them down, local leaders are talking about demolishing entire blocks and even whole neighborhoods.

The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval.

“Decline in Flint is like gravity, a fact of life,” said Dan Kildee, the Genesee County treasurer and chief spokesman for the movement to shrink Flint. “We need to control it instead of letting it control us.”

With 75 neighborhoods over 34 square miles and the immense challenge of trying to maintain infrastructure and deliver services over too large an area to too few people, it's clear that Flint - and other places in Michigan - will need to think deeply and creatively about our use of space.

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One consistently described feature of the Dog Man, an upright-walking canine many witnesses claim stalks the woods and roadsides of Michigan, is its size… usually six to seven feet tall on its hind legs. It stands to reason, then, that massive, wolfen creatures should be glimpsed or even bagged by hunters now and then. That is exactly what happened to a deer hunter named Eastman around noon on November 18, 1935, on the third day of deer hunting season. Eastman was hunting near Flint around Rhody Creek Trail, and despite good weather and a great layer of tracking snow, there were absolutely no deer to be seen.

Eastman soon found out why. He suddenly heard what sounded like “horses running,” and turned to see a massive timber wolf at a dead run. Eastman ended up shooting a wolf rather than a deer that day. He gutted it and dragged it into town to have it weighed and measured; it was 182 pounds even after gutting, and measured seven feet, 11 inches tall when measured hanging vertically. The creature stood 39 inches at the shoulder! It was considered such a magnificent specimen that the carcass was sent to the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh where it was mounted and displayed. The entire story of the great Flint Wolf was told in the Great Lakes Pilot, Vol. 3, No. 6, 2005. And Strange Michigan found a copy of it displayed in the North Star Tavern in Luther, the town known for Dog Man sightings and incidents. Click the image to the left to see the pic from the Pilot!

Excerpted by permission from Strange Michigan: More Michigan Weirdness, by Linda S. Godfrey and Lisa Shiel, 2008, Trails Books

The Timber Wolf in Michigan

The timber wolf (also known as the gray wolf or simply wolf) is the largest member of the Canidae family. Michigan DNR page on the Gray Wolf (canis lupus) says:

It is believed that wolves were once present in all 83 counties in the state of Michigan. A combination of European werewolf mythology, fairy tales, views that wolves were incompatible with civilization, and active predator control programs throughout the 20th century virtually eliminated the gray wolf from Michigan: by 1840, they could no longer be found in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula; by around 1910 they had completely disappeared from the Lower Peninsula; and by 1960, when the state-paid bounty on wolves was repealed, they had nearly vanished from the Upper Peninsula.

...The comeback of the gray wolf in Michigan is a remarkable wildlife success story. Estimated at 20 animals in 1992, Michigan's gray wolf population has grown to 361 animals in 2004, and the 2004-2005 winter count is expected to be even higher. While state and federal endangered species laws have helped make this comeback a reality, the most important factor has been the willingness of Michigan's citizens to accept the gray wolf as part of our natural heritage. This continued public support for wolf recovery is critical as our wolf population continues to grow.

You can see some pictures & sounds of the gray wolf from Wikimedia including this pic of a wolf print and the uncropped version of the photo above.

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Michigan's Most Enduring Settlement

Wikipedia's Flint, Michigan page says that some scholars consider the Saginaw Valley, particularly the vicinity of Flint, to be the oldest continually inhabited part of Michigan. The Flint River had several convenient fords which became points of contention among rival tribes, as attested by the presence of arrowheads and burial mounds near Flushing. The region is a microcosm for the development of Michigan, transition from lumbering in the 19th century to carriages at the dawn of the 20th and on to a prominent role in the auto industry where it became the birthplace of the UAW.

Photos from the Region

The photo above is Old Flint HDR by hemicuda8. It's one of a number of photos that can be explored in the Flint, MI group on Flickr. Other groups from the region include Tri-cities Michigan, Saginaw, Michigan and Bay City MI. Some searches you might enjoy include Flint Michigan, Saginaw (and Saginaw River), Midland Michigan and Port Huron.

Sugar & Wind

While the beleaguered auto industry gets much of the regional press, there are a lot of other industries in the region. One of the oldest is sugar. The Michigan Sugar Company's history page says that after loggers had cleared the pine forests in the area, the land was virtually unusable due to the massive expanse of tree stumps left behind and (eventually) sugar beets became the solution. Fast forward 125 years and once again the resourcefulness of folks in the region is being demonstrated. Michigan's Thumb has become the seat

What is there to DO in Flint/Tri-cities?

With its enduring history and a number of wealthy patrons of arts & culture, all kinds of cool cultural attractions have been established in the region. Some of our favorites include the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum in University Center - home to the greatest collection of work from this longtime Michigan resident, the The Castle Museum of Saginaw, the Port Huron Museum and the Frankenmuth Historical Museum. The Flint Institute of Arts features work by Renoir, Cassatt & Wyeth and the Saginaw Art Museum boasts a collection of art and artifacts in excess of 2,500 pieces that 4,500 years of art history. If you never have, a walk through the Dow Gardens is not to be missed.

Hay on the water by Alanna St. Laurent

There's of course plenty of auto & vehicle history at sites like Junction Valley Railroad (Bridgeport - very cool) and Michigan's Own Military & Space Museum. Children (of all ages) will enjoy the Antique Toy & Firehouse Museum in Bay City, Crossroads Village in Flint, Mid-Michigan Children's Museum (Saginaw) and the Saginaw Children's Zoo.

Where do I go for more?

To explore the region, check out the county pages for Arenac, Bay, Genesee, Gladwin, Huron, Lapeer, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, St Clair, Tuscola Counties. You'll also want to see visitflint.org
Visit Saginaw County, Tour Bay City, The Midland CVB and Blue Water CVB (Port Huron).

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Gore, Obama and Granholm by wizardkitten

As the editor, I try pretty hard to keep the tone on Absolute Michigan as non-partisan as possible.

When I read Obama Reaches Out to Michigan Voters in the Washington Independent, I realized that as a result, we probably side-step a lot of significant news ... and also some vital discussion for the future of this state. You should check the article out, as it pretty plainly outlines the challenge the next President (Democrat, Republican or otherwise) will face in revitalizing Michigan and other old-line industrial states.

The focus of the candidate's 2 day visit was mainly on the economy and education. Obama's speech at Kettering University in Flint addressed the severe economic plight of the region and proposed education and investment in new technologies as the pathway to renewed prosperity. In Detroit, Obama received the endorsement of Al Gore. This was a surprise to (as Newsweek noted) exactly no one. What was (to the writer) mildly interesting was the choice of Michigan as the location (something that has been questioned by others in the media). From Newsweek (which includes video of Gore's slightly less than electric speech):

Obama is obsessed with Michigan because, unlike Florida, it's a must-win state--and winning there is hardly a sure thing at this point. In Tropicana country, Obama currently trails McCain by an average of 8.3 points. That's a difficult hill to climb, which is why Obama campaign manager David Plouffe has designed his boss's electoral strategy around losing Florida (like John Kerry) in November. The problem is, Obama can't afford to drop Michigan's 17 electoral votes (which Kerry won) as well. Recent Michigan polls are rare, but the three taken since May 19 show McCain with an average lead of 1.6 percent.

The Detroit Free Press had a cool 360 degree panorama from the Joe Louis Arena. For more pictures, check out wizardkitten's Barack Obama Detroit Joe Louis 6/16/08 slideshow (set) and you might also enjoy this Obama slideshow for Monday & Tuesday (Jun 16 & 17, 2008) which is mostly photos from his visit to Flint and Detroit.

We'll close with a video from the rally at the Joe, and also a link to the Michigan Republican Party's YouTube production attacking Obama for slighting Michigan:

Also check out John McCain & Michigan and leave your comments or updates below!

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Fork in the Road is a Michigan based food show that celebrates the diverse food heritage of the Great Lakes region.

If you're a serious coney dog fan and are up for a road trip you can use the following links to navigate your way to the many Detroit and Flint locations.

Recipe:
Check out Chef Eric's unique take on Detroit and Flint style coney dogs.

Related links:
The Coney story: How Detroit went to the dog from the chicagotribune.com

Coney Detroit A place to share Detroit-area Coney Island hot dog dining experiences, memories and lore. Two to go -- everything!

Coney Island (restaurant) from Wikipedia

Michigan hot dog from Wikipedia

Coney Island hot dog from Wikipedia

Coney Dog's MySpace page

Almost Flint-Style Coney Sauce from micuisine.com

Flintstyle from librarianavengers.org

A Celebration of Sausage, the Poor Man's Steak All Things Considered / NPR

Koegel's...Always in Good Taste! Quality Meats Since 1916

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There's pretty much zero chance that I'm NOT going to post a link to an article titled "Proton beam group forms". More here.

The photo is Attacked by a lamp post (150) by caterpillars. It's part of her Detroit show. Yow.

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Whaley Historical House by sarrazak6881

The central portion of this handsome Victorian home was built in the late 1850s. Several prominent Flint families lived in it before Robert J. Whaley purchased it in 1884. Whaley a local lumberman and banker, remodeled the house extensively. Three bays, the library alcove and a west-end addition were among the exterior changes. The interior was enhanced by adding ornate woodwork and colorful tiled fireplaces. In 1925, Whaley's wife endowed the house, making it a home for elderly women. In 1975 it became the Whaley Historical House Museum.

On their history page you can learn about the Whaley family including patriarch Robert Jeremiah Whaley (1840 - 1922):

R. J. Whaley served as Citizens Bank's president for over forty years. His 1886 loan to the Flint Road Cart Company eventually led to the creation of General Motors in 1908. William C. Durant's bank book which records the loan is currently exhibited at WHHM courtesy of Citizens Bank.

There's some cool old portraits there and even information about the family pets. The photo is part of Sarah's Whaley Historical House Museum set and also her Downtown Flint Houses. She has helpfully placed it on Flickr's photo map!

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Terry doesn't have a whole ton of photos online yet, but he offers some neat views of the Flint area from Stepping Stone Falls to scenes from around Genessee to everyday life.

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Jennifer Granholm by C.A. Carrigan

WJRT-TV 12 Flint has complete video coverage of the first of Governor Jennifer Granholm's live town hall meetings and also video of the Republicans "counter-offensive" on the budget.

The Freep has an article that includes a schedule on these invitation-only events:

• Tuesday, March 6: Southfield, 7 p.m. on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). View the archived broadcast from WXYZ.
• Wednesday, March 7: Grand Rapids, 7 p.m. on WOOD-TV (Channel 8). View WOOD-TV's broadcast and a ton of related links about the Governor's presentation and responses.
• Thursday, March 8: Lansing, 7 p.m. on WILX-TV (Channel 10).
• Monday, March 26: Traverse City, 7 p.m. on WWTV-TV (Channels 9 and 10)

We're interested in any comments you have about how Michigan should attempt to surmount our economic crises.

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