LIFE AND EVERYTHING ELSE

Veterans Day

2011-11-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

WW2 veteran Robert Smith (center), 90, of Flushing, puts his hat back on after a moment of silence on Friday at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township during a Veterans Day Program.
Smith, a former Army pilot, spent 11 months as a Prisoner of War after his plane was shot down on May 26, 1944.

Michigan National Guard Veteran Ruben Arceo, 77, of Flint, stands at the grave of his former captain World War II veteran Jesse E. Bradley Jr at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly on Veterans Day. Once-a-year Arceo stands at the grave of his captain to honor him for over an hour as the Guidon Bearer while displaying the Flag of the 125th Infantry after being given the flag from his family. 'It was quite an honor to be his Guidon.' Arceo said, who has taken the position for the past nine years. 'At my age I will probably be here for as long as I can possibly do it.'

Fair day

2011-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Jacob Garchow, of Davison, 8, hugs on his buddy Diamond before his cousin shows the horse in the western walk / trot competition on Monday during the first day of the 2011 Genesee County Fair at the EA Cummings Center in Mt. Morris.

A man walks through the 4H area on Monday during the first day of the 2011 Genesee County Fair at the EA Cummings Center in Mt. Morris.

Twiggy the Water Skiing Squirrel jumps free and onto the back of a woman after being crowded by children loking to pet him after his performance on Monday during the first day of the 2011 Genesee County Fair at the EA Cummings Center in Mt. Morris.

Candidates for the 2011 Genesee County Fair Queen prepare to take off in a parade along the midway on Monday during the first day of the 2011 Genesee County Fair at the EA Cummings Center in Mt. Morris.

Just the start

2011-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Lady waits for her owner Elf Khurafeh Shrine Clown Ronnie O to start his clown cart during a stop to Simms Chevrolet in Vienna Township on Tuesday during the first day of the Tune Up Party Week for the upcoming Back to the Bricks to be held in Flint next week. Cruisers will make their way to six communities around Genesee County during the Tune Up Party Week which includes car shows, dancing, music and more to get them ready for the car cruise in Flint.

Tyler Hayes, of Montrose, gets out of his 1970 Volkswagon Beetle while stopping at Simms Chevrolet in Vienna Township on Tuesday with his friend Brian Stadler, of Clio, at one of the five locations for cruisers during the Back to the Bricks Tune Up Party Week in Clio. Hayes bought the car that was totaled three years ago and started adding junk yard parts to the vehicle.

Erie Walker (left), 76, of Flint, hangs out by his custom 1993 Chevrolet truck at Simms Chevrolet in Vienna Township on Tuesday while stopping along the route during the first day for the Back to the Bricks Tune Up Party Week. 'They say that's supposed to be a young man's truck old man. You ain't got no reason to be with nothing like that,' Walker said, about the response he gets about his truck he bought originally to drive to work that is now equipped with hydraulics, spinning rims, and a television with sound system. 'They look around to try to find the owner. I'll be standing around and they will look around trying to find the owner.'

Back to the field

2011-08-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

Got a chance to shoot the first practice of the year for football at my old high school.

Doggie love

2011-07-28T13:06:00.001-07:00

Flipping hot out

2011-07-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

D'Andre Brown, of Flint, sits on a crate in the middle of Jean Avenue in Flint on Wednesday while cooling off from the heat in the spraying water of an open fire hydrant in his neighborhood.
'Right now I'm straight but earlier in the day when I woke up I couldn't breathe hardly,' Brown said, while finding a way to cool down since his house doesn't have any air conditioning.
Temperatures in the city reached 92 degrees with a heat index of 101 degrees leaving many people throughout Genesee County finding ways to cool down.

Tyquavious Brown, 10, of Flint, flips over Nigel Crader, 12, of Flint, as Shamir Spencer (left), shields herself from the water while playing in a pool in their front yard on Mason Street in Flint on Tuesday as a way to keep cool from the heat wave. Temperatures reached 93 degrees with a heat index of 97 degrees. Hotter temperatures are expected to continue over the next couple of days.

Bad Boys for good cause

2011-04-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

Criminal Justice and Political Science Instructor Nick Robinson reacts after snapping a sledgehammer while breaking out a window of a vehicle during a Smash Lab at ITT in Swartz Creek on Friday. 'It went actually a lot smoother than I thought it would,' Robinson said about his swing.
The event put on by a Criminal Justice student organization was to raise money for the purchase of a crime scene trailer.

ITT Criminal Justice student Jake White, of Davison, is seen through the broken windshield of a Chevy Cavalier while taking a swing with a sledgehammer on Friday during a Smash Lab at ITT in Swartz Creek. 'It helps you get your anger out in one hit,' White said.

ITT student student James Heyworth, of Flint, smashes out the rear window of a vehicle during a Smash Lab at ITT in Swartz Creek on Friday. 'It felt good. It let's out some stress of school and work and it helps out the Criminal Justice program here at the school,' Heyworth said.

Off the hook

2011-04-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ben Johnson, of Genesee Township, was 18 years old when he started using heroin. After multiple liver failures, bleeding ulcers, kidney failure, dropping down to 69 pounds and hitting rock bottom in a Saginaw jail cell four years ago, Johnson, now 37, began recovering from his addiction and has been clean for four years. Diagnosed with testicular cancer as a teen, he used prescription opiates to numb the pain of treatment. Johnson said prescription drug use ultimately led him to heroin. “I got hooked on it and I kept playing all the doctors in Genesee County and the pharmacists,” Johnson said. “It just progressed into something ugly.”

Ben Johnson shows a photo of his girlfriend Wanda Cole, who he said has helped him through his recovery from a severe heroin addiction.

Looking for an answer

2011-04-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Tokaye Murray, 20, of Flint, looks back at a bunch of balloons where her boyfriend Antonio Stark was gunned down on April 10th, 2011 at the corner of Pierson Road and Flemming Road in Flint's north side as a group of about 20 concerned residents pray while gathered at the gas station on Friday April 15th, 2011, to hold a press conference to demand that there be more police protection to their area.
Murray who is 3-months pregnant with Stark's child.

Out

2011-04-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

McBain High School basketball players and fans react after teammate Nathan Brown (44) (right) made a buzzer beater shot to send them into overtime against Flint Beecher High School during the Class C semi-final match at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The key play led to McBain's 70-66 overtime win against Beecher.

Antuan Burks (20) (center), of Flint Beecher High School, gets emotional with teammates after their team's 66-70 loss to McBain High School during the Class C semi-final match at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Michigan Fallen Soldier March

2011-04-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

Second Lieutenant Richard Dunkley (left), of the Michigan Army National Guard and wife Mary (center) lead a group of soldiers from around the state and civilians on a 13-mile Michigan Fallen Soldier March along Silver Lake Road in Linden to the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly.

A group of soldiers participating in the 13-mile Michigan Fallen Soldier March walk past rows of headstones while entering the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly at the end of the march from the VFW Post 4642 in Linden in memory of those who have fallen while serving in the military.

Members of the VFW Post 1370 Honor Guard of Pontiac, MI perform the Folding of the Flag ceremony at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly marking the end of the 13-mile Michigan Fallen Soldier March.

Showing love

2011-04-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Darlene Maziarz (center), 39, of Flint, sings 'Amazing Grace' amongst a crowd gathered in the snowstorm during a candlelight vigil for her friend, homicide victim LeAnne Bates, outside of her home on Laredo Avenue in Flint. Bates, 40, had been shot and was found dead by the time police arrived, according to police reports.
The homicide was one of three spread across the city of Flint Sunday.

Courtroom outburst

2011-04-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Genesee County Sheriff's Department deputies work to remove a man that made an outburst against a jailhouse informant's testimony in the preliminary hearing for Dantoine M. Brown and Lorenzo D. Releford, who are charged in the killing of a Jeanne Hank in her Grand Blanc apartment, in front of Judge Latchana at the McCree Building in downtown Flint.

Scary reality

2011-03-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

A casket is pushed on stage during a presentation put on by the Genesee County Sheriff's office to show students the damage of getting involved with drugs on Monday during the presentation at Lake Fenton High School. The presentation was organized by the Fenton-area task force formed after the back-to-back fatal heroin overdoses last month.

Sam Jawhari, of Fenton, comforts Brandi Allen, who was best friends with Jawhari's daughter Briona and Erika Schlosser, that both died from apparent heroin overdoses, following a presentation at Lake Fenton High School presentation put on by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office to show the students the damage that getting involved with drugs does to a person's life. 'For a wake-up call like this to happen is exactly what we needed. It's what this whole school district needed to know that this stuff is here and that it's happening and real, ' Allen, also a recovering addict, said about the message from the event.

Semi-loss

2011-03-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Kathy Thomas (13), of Flint Hamady High School, brings the ball down while being double-teamed by Sarah Cullip (3) and Mikaela Kelly (22) of St. Ignace High School during the Class C semifinal game on Thursday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Hamady lost to St. Ignace 63-55.

Kathy Thomas (13) (center), of Flint Hamady High School, walks away dejected as members of St. Ignace High School run past while headed to the locker room after a 63-55. loss to St. Ignace during the Class C semifinal game on Thursday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

East side cleanup

2011-03-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

'Bye bye,' Kara Robnolte, 23, of Flint says, while waving to the abandoned house next to her mother's home on Oklahoma Avenue in Flint's east side on Tuesday while celebrating with a neighbor as a City of Flint demolition crew tears down the house.
'That house has been through so many families. My nephew used to live there. Crack heads used to live there. Prostitutes used to live in there. I'm just kind of glad it's gone now,' Robnolte said, about the house that has been abandoned for almost two years. ' Now my mom can buy those lots and I can fence it all in and let my dog run.'

On trial

2011-03-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

Mary Chapman is comforted in her chair as she seems uneasy following her preliminary hearing on Wednesday in front of Judge David J. Goggins at the McCree building in downtown Flint, where she is accused with her granddaughter Vamerolyn Chapman on felony murder and second degree vulnerable adult abuse in the death of a 71-year-old under her care.

Bee keeper

2011-02-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

Bee keeper Leo Stevens, of Flushing Township, is seen through a comb while posing for a portrait at his honey farm in Flushing Township. Stevens is in the process of getting ready for spring after half of his bees died off because of the hard winter. A normal loss of bees might only be about 25 percent.

Family feud

2011-02-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Marissa McGinnis, 7, dives for cover behind her snow fort as her sister Madeson (right), 10, prepares to take on their sister Maci, 5, and father Michael while having a snowball fight at their house on Morrison Street in Burton.

Madeson McGinnis, 10, of Burton gets a close up shot on her father Michael while having a snowball fight at their house on Morrison Street in Burton.

Solidarity forever

2011-02-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sitdown Striker Richard Wiecorek (right), of Burton, and Geraldine Blankenship (center), an original member of the Women's Emergency Brigade, look back to a screen showing a short film about the Sitdown Strike during White Shirt Day in honor of the Sitdown Strikers at UAW Local 599 in Flint.
For more than 70 years UAW men and women have marked February 11th as the historic day in 1937 when GM agreed to recognize the union and negotiate a contract. Working people in Flint and throughout America had triumphed. White Shirt Day celebrates workplace empowerment. The shirts represent equal respect and treatment for blue-collar workers, and the unity and strength of UAW members.

Families of Sitdown Strikers join hands while singing 'Solidarity Forever' before eating the lunch of the sitdowners during White Shirt Day in honor of the Sitdown Strikers at UAW Local 599 in Flint.

Sean Crawford, 28 of Flint, hugs his great aunt Geraldine Blankenship, an original member of the Women's Emergency Brigade, as she sits at the table with members of Sitdown Strikers during White Shirt Day in honor of the Sitdown Strikers at UAW Local 599 in Flint. 'She's my darling. To see people admire and appreciate the things I've always admired and appreciated about her is great,' Crawford said, a former General Motors employee.

Looking out for his dogs

2011-02-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Jacob Cobb, of Mt. Morris Township, puts his chihuahua Tiny on his shoulder to keep her paws warm while talking to the mailman at his business, Cobb's Bait & Tackle, on Saginaw Street in Mt. Morris Township after letting his dogs out to go potty.

Trying to give kids a smile

2011-02-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

Cole Thomas (right), 10, of Genesee Township, checks the numbness in his mouth while sitting with his grandfather Gary after having dental work done at Park Dental Center in Burton during the American Dental Association's 'Give Kids a Smile Day'. More than a dozen dentists around Genesee County offered free preventive and restorative services to children from low-income families during the one-day nationwide event.

Logan Mowry, of Swartz Creek, holds a mirror while watching Dental hygienist Jean Lorence show him the proper way to floss while having having dental work done at Park Dental Center in Burton during the American Dental Association's 'Give Kids a Smile Day'.

Dental hygienist Gail Peterson tries to comfort Alanah Hannigan, 3, of Burton, as she sits nervously with her mother Nicole Owens during her first visit to the dentist as part of the American Dental Association's 'Give Kids a Smile Day' at Parkside Dental Associates in Burton.

Fun in the snow

2011-02-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Jamonie Brown (right), 11, jumps past Dalvion Boyd, 7, while taking turns jumping in the snow at a neighbors house on Wyoming Avenue in Flint in the fresh snow following an overnight snowstorm.

Joshua Dishaw (left), 8, of Flint, throws snow in the air after playing with neighbors Dalvion Boyd, 7, and Jamonie Brown (right), 11, at his house on Wyoming Avenue in Flint in the fresh snow following an overnight snowstorm.

Be mine baby

2011-02-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

A group of women follow each other while dancing the train as a band plays at Flushing Senior Center in Flushing for a Valentine's Party.

Ted Buhlis, 79, of Mt. Morris Township, kisses his newly wed wife ClaraBelle Casey, 73, while attending the Flushing Senior Center's Valentine's Day Party at the senior center. 'We've had a lot of fun. We enjoy each other. We're deeply in love with each other. We fell in love at first sight,' Buhlis said. The widowed couple were recently married in January 2011.

Moving

2011-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

Carman-Ainsworth High School students DJ Darden and James Tarr perform a liturgical dance titled 'Forever Mountain' during the Carman-Ainsworth High School African American Student Associaton's annual black history luncheon in Flint.

Brought down

2011-02-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

Ciarra Adams (1) of Flint Southwestern Academy is brought down by Tierra Mitchell (32) after Mitchell attempted to block the ball on Monday during a game at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint Township.

'Pretty' devastating

2011-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

Got an early morning wake-up call to cover a structure fire to a local grocery store. After that there was a double-homicide. What a wonderful way to start the day.

Celebrating the dream

2011-01-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of people gathered to hear the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a community celebration at the Flint Public Library.

All in a day at the auto show

2011-01-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Creepy

2011-01-07T17:45:00.001-08:00

A charred doll head hangs from a power line along Jane Avenue in Flint's east side near the scene of multiple arsons that occurred along the street last year leaving empty lots where houses once were wiping out a whole side of the block between Iowa Avenue and Minnesota Avenue.

Inspiration

2010-12-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

Love the inspiration an ipod can give.

What we both needed

2010-12-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

Cody Laur, 22, of Metamora, gets some help from Santa while waiting for the hospital to take a photo of him with his wife Alecia and their twins Wyatt and Westley in Hurley Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for Hurley's 2nd Annual Baby's 1st Christmas Party, on Friday, December 17, 2010. Santa was on scene to take pictures with the babies, and volunteers to give each family a special scrapbooking page, prepared especially for them.

New friend

2010-12-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Azia Reed, of Flint, walks her doll down the hallway in front on her mother Chenae Skinner after receiving it at the Toys For Tots in Flint as part of the holiday giveaway for needy families. 'I have no income and I just didn't want my baby to be without anything. This is just a true blessing,' Skinner said. Families like Skinner's have benefitted from a $100,000 donation to Toys For Tots in Flint, and another $100,000 donation to Toys for Tots in several other areas from an "anonymous" Santa to children in the local area from a former Flint resident.

Helping the needy

2010-12-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

Salvation Army volunteer Paula Dolak, of Flint, waits for a vehicle to pull up while helping load boxes of food for needy familiesduring the Salvation Army giveaway at the Salvation Army in downtown Flint.

Birdie McFadden, of Flint, looks for clothes to give to her granddaughter for Christmas during the Salvation Army giveaway at the Salvation Army in downtown Flint.

Adoption day

2010-11-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Phyllis Young, of Grand Blanc Township, holds her newly adopted daughter Ashaya, 6, after her adoption became official on Tuesday in front of Judge Jennie Barkey in the Genesee County Courthouse in Flint during National Adoption Day.

Thomas Marciniak and wife Kari, of Potterville, look on as their daughter Kyra Lynn kisses the hand of their newly adopted son Joshua David after he is officially adopted on Tuesday in front of Judge Jennie Barkey in the Genesee County Courthouse in Flint during National Adoption Day. The Marciniak's also adopted their daughter.

Remembering

2010-11-18T15:53:00.000-08:00

Ashley King, 23, of Flint, holds her son Nazeir Williams, 1, while sitting on the front steps with friends of the house where her baby's father Martarien Wilson, 27, whom she identified as the male shooting victim of a double homicide at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, was killed on Kearsley Park Boulevard in Flint while leaving balloons.
"I can't really describe (my feelings) right now," she said.
In the past three days, Genesee County has had five homicides.

Clean up for police

2010-11-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

The owner of Los Panchos Cantina on Davison Road in Flint holds a bag of bullet casings and a glove found on the scene of a shooting that happened early Monday morning on Flint's eastside to give to the police. Jamesha Spence, 22, was critically injured by a gunshot to the head and a man was treated and released for a gunshot to the ankle.

Promise

2010-11-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

'Who wants to sit and glue ribbons all day. Whenever I do this and get a little tired of it. I think this is for Patricia. This is important,' Rosaline Brown said, about the purple ribbons she makes for domestic violence awareness. The purple ribbons represent the bruises that women receive in domestic violence.

As the 7-year anniversary of her daughter's death approaches, Rosaline Brown is starting a new series of speaking engagements against domestic violence called "Patricia's Promise" to honor her daughter Patricia Brown - who was stabbed to death by Edward T. Hodo (who then shot and killed himself) Oct. 30, 2003.
The couple's daughter Makenzi was just four months old when both parents died and now the two sets of grandparents share custody of her.

Peachy

2010-11-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

Leigha Price (center) enjoys a peach outside of the Flint Farmer's Market on Tuesday while sitting with her brother, Ethan (left) as her brother Cody House and sister Elizabeth Price climb on a mural at the Flint business during a weekly trip to the market with their mother.

Flowers for a friend

2010-11-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

LeLonnie Alexander, 44, of Genesee Township, lays three roses for the three people killed in a two car accident at the corner of Carpenter and Genesee Roads in Genesee Township on Wednesday. Alexanders friend Robert Stanton Jr. and his wife, Angela, along with Khadijah Akilah Saaba were killed in a two-car crash Wednesday around 5:57 p.m. at the corner of Belsay and Carpenter roads.

Street talk

2010-11-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Barber Phil Davis (center), of Millionare Cuts on Pasadena Avenue in Flint waits on customers in his chair at the shop on Flint's north side. “You get stuck with that ‘S’ word and you be come a target on the street,” Davis said, about how people don’t talk to the cops there because of the fear of getting the “snitch” label. “Life don’t have a value to some people. Life’s cheap, expendable to some people. You don’t want to be labeled that.’
In 2009, along Pasadena and Sonny Avenues between Clio and Dupont, there were 24 felonious assaults in 2009 — the most in any area of a city that ranks as the fourth most violent city in America, according to recently released FBI crime statistics.

Stabbing Reinactment

2010-11-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Elias Abuelazam watches as Richard Booker demonstrates on his attorney how suspected serial stabber Elias Abuelazam attacked him during the first of three preliminary exams dealing with Abuelazam on Friday in front of Judge Richard Hughes. Booker said the attacker stood behind him as he was trying to open the hood to help Abuelazam with car problems. The man stabbed him in his side and the two began fighting.

Last minute sign

2010-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Flint Tool & Die community delegate Scott Shumaker works on a sign showing his business's support for the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan before the start of a press conference to kick-off its annual holiday campaign on Wednesday at the business in Flint.
'I know how blessed how blessed I am having the job I have that I've had for 30 years. I've seen Flint deteriorate so fast. It's good to know that even though we are deteriorating we still have strong people to try to help build us back up,' said Shumaker.

Die Antwoord in Detroit

2010-11-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Veterans

2010-11-11T20:05:00.000-08:00

Ric Winston carries his bugle while preparing to play Taps at The Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly on Thursday during a Veteran's Day observance at the cemetery.

Tanea Montgomery, of Flint, and her son Kadine sit by the grave site of her father Master Sergeant General Ray B. Snyder of the United States Army on Thursday at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly during Veteran's Day.

Deborah Barr, of Ortonville, slumps over her brother US Navy HT1 Daniel Doule's grave at the Great Lakes National Cemetary on Thursday after visiting her husband and friend's graves at the cemetary following a Veterans Day observance. Barr's husband of 40 years recently passed away at age 60 of small cell lung cancer attributed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.

Pod shots from the day 2

2010-10-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Pod shots from the day

2010-10-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hoping for an answer

2010-10-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Family and friends of Lafayette "Guy" Foxx, 23, who was shot and killed in front of a corner store at the Alexander Street and E. Gillespie Avenue intersection in Flint two years ago while talking to some girls in a car, gather for a memorial on the street corner to mark the day of his death. No information has come about in his death that has lead to finding the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting. The family plans to gather every year until someone is caught in relation to his death.

'I just wanted to remember him and keep him in my heart and not remember the tragedy that happened to him. So we come out here to celebrate,' Leola Foxx (left) said about her brother.
The family plans to gather every year at the intersection until something is done about his murder.

We have a winner

2010-09-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

Mary Crapo Child Development Center student Dominic Maceri (left) tosses a football through a hoop while challenging Donovan Miller as Swartz Creek High School varsity football players cheer them on during a homecoming assembly in the gym of the Swartz Creek School on Wednesday.

Waiting to go

2010-09-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Mary Crapo Child Development Center students wait in the hallway during a bathroom break following a homecoming assembly in the gym of the Swartz Creek School on Wednesday. The Swartz Creek School District program which provides early childhood education has seen a spike in enrollment this year.

13 million strong

2010-09-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

(left to right) Flint Assembly workers Jeff Bradat, Tim Shoup and George Travis take cell phone pictures of the 13 millionth vehicle produced at the Flint plant on Thursday as it gets final detailing before a press conference to celebrate the 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD's production.

UAW Local 598 representatives and other local representatives are seen posing for a photo in front of a 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD during a ceremony to mark the production of the 13 millionth vehicle produced at Flint Assembly plant.

Getting it

2010-09-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Catholic Charities worker Tammy Chambers (right) cheers on Flint Northwestern High School drum major Teosha Timmons on Thursday during the United Way kick-off event at the University of Michigan Flint Pavillion.

Securing sacred ground

2010-09-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

Michigan Fence workers Mike Petty (left) and Jake Vida carry sections of donated fencing to instal around the Cha-Wa-Use-Skah-Keaug Chippewa Burial Ground in Swartz Creek.

Stabber victim

2010-09-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Davon Rawls, 19, of Flint, shows off the stab wound on his left side he sustained while walking along Leith Street in Flint at 3:30 a.m. on July 29th, 2010, after allegedly being attacked by Elias Abuelazam, 34. The Genesee County Prosecutor’s office has charged Abuelazam with five assault with intent to murder charges — including the Rawls attack — and one open charge of murder. 'Sometimes I get timid when people walk too close to me,' Rawls said, after being attacked.

He be clubbin

2010-09-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Pat Lehr, of Clayton Township, stands in a 13 foot-13 foot stall in his barn where he has collected about 500 golf putters, but about 2,000 golf clubs total that fill the area from ceiling to floor. It's just a hobby that randomly got started and he ran with it. It's all showcased in his barn.

Missing

2010-09-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Franklin a 40-pound tortoise and Lady sit at the door of Scales and Tailz pet store in Genesee Township on Wednesday. Another tortoise also named Franklin recently came up missing from the store.

Done

2010-07-21T05:50:00.001-07:00

Stone Krupp, of Linden, rests on the steering wheel of a tractor after going as far as he could pulling 70-pounds of weight for his age group during the Pedal Pusher Tractor Pull as part of the Linden Summer Happening Festival in downtown Linden.

Smooth dancers

2010-07-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Katie Van Klompenberg (center), of Zeeland, MI, is blurred during a long exposure while dancing with Brett Young (center right), of Houston, TX, during the Magnus Midwest Dance Intensive workshop at The Whiting in Flint.

2010-07-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

(left to right) D'onte Fetzer, of Holly, hangs upside down while waiting to carry a tarp of leafs for Kayla Lorenz and Maddy Morgan, both of Grand Blanc, while helping clean Max Brandon Park in Flint with youth groups from First Presbyterian Church of Fenton and of Flint, along with Salem Housing.

2010-07-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Narcissa Molina (left), of Flint, sprays her neighbors Junior Martinez (center) and his brother Jesus while keeping cool from the heat in their front yard on Leith Street in Flint. Temperatures reached the mid 90's continuing the recent heat wave.

2010-06-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ashley Patterson (right), of Flint, gets emotional while leaving the 'rock' with Scott Carrell, of Flint, that was painted in memory of his friend U.S. Army Spc. Joseph Dennis Johnson, who died in combat on Wednesday in Kunduz, Afghanistan. 'I'm just so shocked. I'm at a loss for words,' said Patterson about Johnson, who he grew up with. 'He's in a better place now. It's sad. It's messed up.'

Helping hands

2010-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

Genesee School volunteers Blake Little, Alexis Vance and Jojo Baker try to get a water hose hooked up while helping teachers and national honor students with planting perennials in a garden and cleaning up the area around Haas Elementary School in Genesee Township.

Crime scene

2010-06-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

A young boy waits amongst a large crowd gathered behind police tape at the scene where a 22 year-old man was shot to death in a driveway near West Ridgeway Avenue and Dupont Street in Flint. The shooting death marks Flint’s 29th homicide this year.

Family members of a 22 year-old man that was shot to death Wednesday in a driveway near West Ridgemont Avenue and Dupont Street comfort each other while being turned away from the scene as Flint police officers continue investigation.

Summer camp

2010-06-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Helen Wilson (center), of Flint, leads a group of children in singing and signing 'He's got the whole world in his hands' during her music & movement class as part of the Urban League of Flint's Eyes on the Prize Fine Arts Summer Program. The program, for youth ages 5 to 13, includes activities like art, African Dance, Music Production, drama and choir.

Last day of school

2010-06-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Torrey Hill Intermediate School students Tania Henry (left) and Logan Wallace hang out of the window as teachers Laura Perry (left) and Patti Sabourin (right) squirt the buses of students as they leave the school during the last day of the year at the Lake Fenton school.

Torrey Hill Intermediate School 5th-grade teacher Sandy Gibson (center) is held as a shield by fellow teacher Jamie Pattison (right) as she has a water fight with teacher Joan Kinghorn (left) after all of the students were seen off during the last day of school for the summer at the Lake Fenton school.

Working it.

2010-06-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Was just getting ready to go home when I stumbled upon this part of the Juneteenth celebration downtown.

Keeping faith

2010-06-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Pamela Carpenter (left) hugs Toya Blackmon after riding the Fire Ball carnival ride at the Holy Redeemer Festival in Burton while taking children from Bridon's Child Development Center in Flint for an outing.
'The ride was fun. I had a ball. I'm just glad I've got the faith,' Carpenter said.
'I could hear her saying help me Jesus. Help me Jesus,' Blackmon said about Carpenter.

Paint recycle

2010-06-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Bubbles

2010-06-14T21:43:00.002-07:00

Hoopin

2010-06-14T21:43:00.001-07:00

2010-05-21T20:48:00.001-07:00

2010-05-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

Family of the 4 year-old Dominick Calhoun hug each other as the hearse drives off at the end of his funeral at the Fenton Freedom Center in Fenton.
Dominick Calhoun, 4, was found severely beaten in his Argentine Township apartment later dying after he was removed from life support. Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said the beating began after the boy urinated on himself while he sat on the couch. Brandon Joshua-Frederick Hayes, 24, the boyfriend of the boy's mother, was charged with torture, first-degree premeditated murder and other felony charges in the death.

2010-05-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

A woman pulls the blinds back through smashed out windows into the home where Antwan Duwade Shields, 28, was shot at the corner of Wolcott Street and Donaldson Boulevard in Flint. Shields later died at the hospital.

Hair care

2010-05-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Brendel Elementary School kindergartener Kyle Lahaie looks up at Talking Heads Salon stylist Vickie Stimac as she teases him about adding glitter to his hair while classmate Aubrey Yager looks on during the 'Save the Sea' hair fair at the Grand Blanc school. Students were given free hair cuts and donated their hair to be sent to help build hair booms to absorb the oil from the Gulf oil spill.

In the name of the 'father'

2010-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

St. Pius X Catholic School second graders Zachary Lash (left) and Michael Chammas (right) help their principal R.J. Kaplan put back on his Drath Vader helmet after reading a story about Star Wars to students during Star Wars Day — "May the 4th be with you" at the Flint school. Kaplan, a huge Star Wars fan, used the different races and species in the film that come together for good as a way to help celebrate the differences in people while also encouraging students to dress in cultural attire.

2010-04-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

A Flint firefighter battles an abandoned structure fire in Carriage Town that was a part of a rash of arsons throughout the city following the layoff of police and firefighters in the city of Flint.

Cleaning up

2010-04-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

Bill Green power washes the nails and debris that filled the parking lot of Flint Neighborhood Improvement & Preservation Project, Inc. Monday morning following a structure fire to a vacant house that burned behind the business at Court and Oak Street in Flint Sunday evening. 'Now that they're seeing that they are pretty much abandoned homes and whoever is doing it is not really putting anybody else in danger it kind of eases up some people. But you never know how bad it'll get,' said Green.

2010-04-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

"It's a wonder I didn't have a heart attack," said Robin Camp, 50, of Flint, while sitting on her front porch after watching as her garage caught fire from the neighboring property Thursday on Reynolds Street in Flint.

Honored

2010-02-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

World War II veteran Olaf Hanson (left), of Flushing, was honored on by the City of Swartz Creek for his service in the Navy on the USS Mississippi. Hanson's youngest brother Richard Hanson (right), of Davison, decided to carve a walking stick with details of his military history in his honor that was presented in the council chambers. (Also in the photo background is Olaf's son-in-law Michael Shaw, of Flushing.)

Community support

2010-02-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

A large group of supporters gather around the families of the four children that died in an apartment fire at River Park Apartments in Flint during a prayer vigil at the community center of the complex.

Nakia Wiley, 35, hugs Deshawn Barry, 29, of Detroit, the father of their two children that died in a fire at River Park Apartments in Flint, following a vigil for the families of the four children that were killed in the fire.

2010-02-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Patricia Williams, 59 , of Flint, prepares to release four balloons in memory of the four children under the age of 5 that died on Saturday during a fire at River Park Apartments in Flint. Williams, who did not know the children, found out about the children from her church.

Patricia Williams, 59 , of Flint, cries after releasing four balloons in memory of the four children under 5 years old that died on Saturday during an apartment fire at River Park Apartments in Flint. "I feel a little bit better knowing at least I was able to do that since I don't know where any of the other people are to help them out," Williams said. "It helps me to carry on. If I don't do the balloons I'll just be at home in sorrow."

Kearra Wiley (left), 18, and Teaonia Halford (right), 26, are comforted by Halford's mother Caroline Beard, of Mt. Morris, during a press conference at Foss Avenue Baptist Church while standing next to photos of the four children that died in a fire while being watched at River Park Apartments in Flint. Wiley and Halford both lost a child in the fire.

2010-02-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

John VanTol, 7, listens to music while on his positioner at his home in Flushing. VanTol, who is a quadriplegic and unable to move his body or speak, also has a seizure disorder. The family was invited to the State of the State address as a guest from Senator John Gleason.

2010-02-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Gerald Smith, of Flint, is receiving his Eagle Scout award at age 72 becoming one of the oldest people to receive the award in the United States to date.

2010-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

Diane Blassingame, of Flint, waves a banner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while performing an inspirational dance to a crowd attending a celebration marking the first anniversary of Barack Obama's inauguration at Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church in Flint before the start of the program.

2010-01-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

Atlas Coney Island waitress Myra Wright, of Fenton, is hugged by Atlas Coney Island co-owner Jimmy Todorodsky on her last day of work at the Flint business as she retires after working there for 30 years. 'It'll be sad because I worked with Jimmy and David all of these years and they're like my family,' Wright said. 'I still plan on coming in and having coffee but I'll be on the other side now.'

2010-01-14T20:40:00.001-08:00

Backstage

2010-01-14T20:28:00.001-08:00

Rafael Abuhadva, waits in the hallway with performers Magic (center) and Joe (right) to enter the arena to perform as the Cartoon Poodles during the Shrine Circus at Perani Arena in Flint.

Eerie X-mas

2009-12-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

A frame I shot last night at a holiday tree lighting ceremony. Love the faces and scene.

2009-12-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Traveling Museum of Afrikan Ancestry & Research Center curator Kathryn Hunter-Williams (right), of Flint, is seen reflected in an image from the Kemet, ancient Egypt, exhibit with chairwoman Kathryn Blake (left), of Flint. Hunter-Williams is quitting the museum that reached school children across the state she ran for 25 years. "It's nothing that I wanted to do but we haven't had a space in nine years," said Hunter-Williams, about the non-profit organization. "I would love to see this up so people could come and see it. We broke down a lot of racial barriers and the door is opened for someone else to do it."

2009-12-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

More pain

2009-11-17T08:22:00.000-08:00

Pastor R. Sherman McCathern holds Shureale Bridges (center), 19, as he has difficulty breathing while talking to a reporter about his mother, Jalila Munria Carter who was shot and killed with two others in a van early Sunday morning in Flint, as his grandmother Carolyn Carter, 52, of Flint, and grandfather William Caldwell (right), 56 comfort him at Joy Tabernacle Church in Flint.

Remembering the fallen

2009-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

Kimberly Richardson, of Genesee, cries while resting on the headstone of her husband US Army SGT Gregory T. Richardson while visiting his grave site following a Veteran's Day observance at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly Township. "He was a very very noble man just like all the rest of these veterans," said Richardson, whose husband past away from complications due to combat related injuries last year. "This was my first ceremony attending but this is my second address. It's my home away from home."

"When the canons were going off down there I looked up and said this is for you baby. Big guns boom boom. This is your day. It's all of their day but this is for him," said Kimberly Richardson, of Genesee Township, about her husband of 25 years US Army SGT Gregory Richardson while visiting his grave site at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly on Veterans Day. Gregory passed away last year due to complications from a combat injury. Richardson got the tattoo on her leg in memory of her husband who was in the artillery division.

Never ran

2009-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Loren Krieger, of Grand Rapids, watches television screens simulcasting horse races on at Sports Creek Raceway in Swartz Creek. "All the tracks that have Racinos are doing excellent and we need that in Michigan," Krieger said, who has been involved with horse racing for 40 years. Krieger drives from Grand Rapids to the raceway since the track he went to in Muskegon had closed.

Down and out

2009-10-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

2009-10-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Le'Vaughn Johnson, 23, of Flint, is reflected on a photo of her son Quale' Jelani Johnson while holding his bear-shaped urn. Authorities originally concluded Quale' died of the mysterious phenomenon Sudden Infant Death Syndrome while at a daycare in Georgia. “I’m not giving up. I’m not going to stop until there is a law that prevents this from happening to other children,” said Johnson, who still doesn’t believe she has the answers to why she lost her son.
The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies is telling Quale’s story on Capitol Hill as it lobbies for legislation that would require fingerprint, child abuse and sex offender registry checks.

In Memory

2009-10-03T18:11:00.002-07:00

Shelia Brown (center), 44, of Flint, watches as balloons are launched by family and friends in memory of her son Lafayette "Guy" Foxx, 23, who was shot and killed in front of a corner store at the corner of Alexander Street and E. Gillespie Avenue in Flint last year while talking to some girls in a car. "I'll be back here next year," Brown said. "I want to keep coming up here every year if that's what it takes. Maybe next time a homicide goes down maybe the next person will try to do something instead of nobody saying nothing,"

Sweater fashion

2009-10-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

2009-10-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sam Prezzato, of, Mayville, shines his chrome 2005 Heritage Classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle while parked on Saginaw Street in downtown Flint as part of the 2009 Bikes on the Bricks festival.

2009-10-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ron Fouss (left) and his mother Geraldine (passenger seat) wait for the procession to start outside of Nelson-House Funeral Home in Owosso following the funeral of his brother Michael L. Fouss, who was shot and killed in his office at Fuoss Gravel Company last week a short while after an anti-abortion activist was gunned down while protesting across the street from Owosso High School.

Just like dad

2009-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:00