🌱 Patch AM: Why Flint’s ethics board still can’t investigate resident complaints

Hi Flint! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Why Flint’s ethics board still can’t investigate resident complaints
• How a Flint Township jewelry promo surprised one local firefighter volunteer
• Why a Flint woman now faces charges over her dog’s cold night

Also on today's calendar: Baldwin Woods Apartments OPEN HOUSE.

Today's riddle: What did the shovel say to the dirt? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Friday: A touch of morning rain, with a high of 58 and low of 31 degrees.
• Saturday: A mix of snow and rain, temps: high: 37, low: 29.
• Sunday: Snow showers; windy, colder, with a high of 30 and low of 26 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Flint ethics board member resigns after complaints about attendance (mlive.com) — A member of Flint’s Ethics and Accountability Board has resigned just after City Council weighed whether to remove him over attendance, deepening problems reaching a quorum. The board’s gridlock has left Flint without an ombudsperson since 2022, stalling investigations into resident complaints and undermining a key accountability tool created in the city charter.
   

2. Firefighter wins prize worth $1,000 after volunteering as bell ringer for Salvation Army (midmichigannow.com) — A Genesee County firefighter who volunteered as a Salvation Army bell ringer just won a $1,000 Gaines Jewelry gift card tied to a promotion at the store’s Linden Road location in Flint Township. More than 200 local volunteers entered the drawing, highlighting how many area residents pitched in to support the Red Kettle campaign over the holidays.
   

3. Flint Woman Charged After Leaving Dog in a Freezing Car Overnight (wfnt.com) — A woman from Flint is facing charges in Queensbury, New York, after police say she left her dog in an unheated car overnight in freezing temperatures. Officers found the animal early on New Year’s morning, but it was unharmed and returned to her. The story doubles as a reminder to Flint pet owners about the dangers of leaving animals in cold vehicles.
   

4. Flint man arrested for wife's murder 37 years after her disappearance (mlive.com) — An 82-year-old Flint man has been arrested in connection with the decades-old disappearance of his wife, following new developments in a cold case investigation. Authorities say he was initially held at the Genesee County Jail in Flint before being extradited to Illinois, tying a long-ago Joliet case back to a current Flint resident.
   

5. Sturgeon comeback: new film details Saginaw Bay efforts (ourmidland.com) — A new documentary highlights how regional partners are bringing lake sturgeon back to Saginaw Bay, with key support from the Flint-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The 23-minute film showcases successful efforts to rear and release young sturgeon into local rivers and can be streamed online, giving Flint-area residents a closer look at this Great Lakes conservation comeback.
   

📸 Around Flint

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Flint

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday January 10

• Baldwin Woods Apartments OPEN HOUSE
  Baldwin Circle, Baldwin Cir,
  12:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Saturday January 10

• Robotics Kick-Off 2026
  Kettering University , 1700 University Ave , Flint
  7:30 am

Wednesday January 14

• Volleyball - MS vs New Standard
  Hamady High School , 3223 W Carpenter Rd , Flint
  5:00 pm

📣 Flint Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Monday January 12

• Policy Committee Meeting
  Davison, MI Calendar , 200 E Flint Street , Davison
  5:15 pm
• City Council Meeting
  Davison, MI Calendar , 200 E Flint Street , Davison
  6:00 pm
• Cottage Inn Pizza & Pub – Davison
  Cottage Inn Pizza & Pub Davison , 9430 Lapeer Rd , Davison
  7:00 pm

Tuesday January 13

• Dramatic Play: Pizza Shop
  Mt. Morris Library , 685 Van Buren Ave , Mt Morris
  6:00 pm
• DDA Promotions Committee Meeting
  Davison, MI Calendar , 200 E Flint Street , Davison
  6:30 pm
• Birch Run at Mt Morris
  Elisabeth Ann Johnson High School , 8041 Neff Rd , Mt Morris
  7:00 pm

Thursday January 15

• Evening Story Time at Grand Blanc-McFarlen with Miss Marissa
  Grand Blanc-McFarlen Library , 515 Perry Rd , Grand Blanc
  6:30 pm

Friday January 16

• Davison at Grand Blanc
  Grand Blanc High School , 162-178 Jewett Trail , Grand Blanc
  6:00 pm
• Durand at Mt Morris
  Elisabeth Ann Johnson High School , 8041 Neff Rd , Mt Morris
  7:00 pm

Saturday January 17

• Documentary: The Life & Death of Tupac
  Mc Cree Theater , 4601 Clio Rd , Flint
  2:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Flint PatchAM possible:

• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Missing in unfamiliar area !
  Family member new puppy got spooked and took off around 10 pm last night . Headed towards bray road we believe. She’s very afraid. (Nextdoor Bray/Stanley Crossroads)
• Please share & repost to help reunite this lost dog!
  Toby was LOST on January 5, 2026 in Flint, MI 48507 near Atherton road Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest information or to contact the owner,… (Nextdoor South Flint)

• Why Michigan’s new minimum wage hike is comparable to 1979... (X: flintjournal)
• 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔! Additional Genesee County Food Pantries can be found at: TODAY 10am:. Jones... (X: GeneseeHealth)

• Clean Team posted a job opening for Commercial Cleaner in Flint. Apply here.
• McDonald's posted a job opening for Shift Manager 32510 (Grand Blanc Rd and 23) in Flint. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Flint here.

Ok Flint! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I really dig you!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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