Podcast Episodes Interviews, Show Notes, and Transcripts

Our guest is Daniel Moilanen , a Fenton-area native now living in Flint, and the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) . Under Dan’s leadership, Michigan’s soil conservation districts are bringing conservation-minded farmers together to modernize agricultural practices—reducing nutrient runoff, protecting wetlands, and addressing the toxic algal blooms threatening the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie . Modern Farming, Healthier Water A core focus of thi...

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 issues is the lack of funding to maintain and repair the roads and bridges properly. Michigan has rel...

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 challenges included poor pay and working conditions. The author does an excellent job of capturing the ...

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 performances, and neighborhood gatherings across Mid-Michigan. George reflects on: • His musical beginnings...

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 challenging circumstances. The book tells the story of a young mother, Sarah, who is struggling to raise her child in t...

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, Terae King Jr, Melody L. Relerford, and Michael Clack. The Flint Community Schools are at a crossroads...

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 and deeply rooted in real life. In this interview, Bryan shares personal stories from his Flint upbringin...

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 high school talents honing their skills in high school gyms against their favorite teams. However, watc...

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. The attacker was later convicted of multiple federal terrorism charges and is serving a life senten...

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 and files that you will "someday" get around to sorting out? What is valuable, what is worth saving, an...

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 Community Organizations such as the UAW Local 599. The local archives also contain the most definitive c...

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 most brutal frontlines — Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and North Carolina — ultimately marching ...