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In 1995, in Flint, Michigan Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch received a letter from a man in a prison cell in Starke, Florida.  The man wrote that he "wanted to get right with God" as he had just a short time to live.  He had been diagnosed with HIV-Aids.  His conscience was not clear and he did not want to die without revealing his responsibility for the murder of two men.  The Prison letter writer wanted a trip to Michigan to show where he disposed of the dead bodies.  He claimed he dumped one body in a Genesee County lake and the other body was buried in the woods in Clare County, Michigan. Arthur tells of what then unfolds in details about the steps in the investigation.  In a first person true crime investigation, the prosecutor speaks from his perspective about a head scratching case.  It is sure to get your attention.   Prosecutors receive prison letters fairly regularly.  Many are full of pleas for mercy, leniency and yes, some protesting convictions.  But very few prosecutors receive letters from prisoners admitting murders.  This story speaks to a mystery and begs the question of what was the real reason this prisoner sent this letter confessing to two murders.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

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• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

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Judge Jessica Hammon has an unusual passion for community service and yoga.  The new Judge has taken her yoga practice so seriously that she has taken it to the Genesee Valley Regional Detention Center for Youths.  There she has introduced those youths detained to trauma based yoga.  The idea being the yoga experience will help deal with the stress and trauma they experienced.Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday, April 7, 2020  her appointment of Jessica J. Hammon, age 38, a private practice attorney, to fill a partial term in district court after Mark W. Latchana was appointed in March to a judgeship in Genesee County Circuit Court.  She previously served as President of the Genesee County Bar Association and a member of the Board of Directors.  Judge Jessica Hammon comes from a family devoted to public and community service.  Her father, Ted served many years on the Burton City council, Genesee County Commissioner as well as a State Representative and a member of Michigan's Parole Board.  She has learned about her community from childhood.  She has been a well-known volunteer for various community organizations including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, During her tenure with the Genesee County Bar Association she started and continued various efforts to foster community action on the part of local attorneys.  Her work has resulted in raising much needed funds for various worthy causes in the Flint area.  She has been recognized by her collegues as a dynamic leader in area professional activities.  She was an expert at Child Abuse and Neglect matters, criminal and family law. Judge Hammon has much of her career devoted to representing  the poor.    Judge Hammon earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint with a back and a Juris Doctor degree from the Ave Maria School of Law.  She is a graduate of Atherton High School in Genesee County.  For more information on Judge Hammon: https://retainjudgehammon.com/https://www.facebook.com/RetainJudgeHammon/https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499-524643--rss,00.htmlhttps://www.abc12.com/content/news/Burton-attorney-appointed-to-Genesee-County-District-Court-judge-position-569442271.html--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

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The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

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Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

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The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Mary's Sunshine Dairy was the forerunner of the more current version of a Genesee County party  store.   Almost from the start they were victims of robbery.  Arthur tells the true crime story of one of the most sensational robbery-murders in Genesee County history, It was a triple murder execution style in the sleepy bedroom community of Flushing, Michigan. Party stores have become the focus of community outrage, upset and protest at times over the past 40 years. Mary's Sunshine Dairy was an iconic chain of local "Party" stores in the Flint, Michigan community.  They were ahead of their time. The local chain was a version of a mini-grocery store and sold what "drug stores" sold with party supplies, candy and drinks.  They were a place to drive-in and get a gallon of milk and a six-pack of beer and be on your way in 3 minutes or less.   The chain stores seemed to attract customers that love to hangout, sell dope and guns, trade food stamps for wine and beer and engage in serious violent crimes.  Arthur also recounts a case he handled in which the United States Secret Service conducted a "sting" operation by busting the owners of a Flint party store, King Ave Party Store and then operating the store as clerks selling beer, wine and grocery items.  The result was the arrest and prosecution of 130 people.  This episode should give pause to the role of Party Stores in a blue collar community and whether they tend to be magnets for crime and violence.   If you like storytelling and true crime you will love this podcast.    Here is an article about Dollar stores as being the newest version of the Party store.  It details the disturbing trend for these places to attract violence and crime. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-dollar-stores-became-magnets-for-crime-and-killing?fbclid=IwAR0Kc7VLxyWzbawrcq4U0n70lOG_7UV2AegzTaCIJvOUW1Wtz1_PzxDhyRY#970051 Here is the most recent version of killing at a Flint Party Store to prove the point of the article above applies to the Flint area.   https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Customer-shot-in-Flint-liquor-store-after-attacking-security-guard-570551281.html Listen on Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radio-free-flint/id1506799868 Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RNwie9IEMX57kFlBklL1A Google Podcasts:  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xODBkODQ5Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

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Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Professor Paul Rozycki is a respected political scientist.  His commentary and analysis has been a staple of Mid-Michigan news for decades.  His analysis is not that of a partisan but of a man who has spent decades researching and studying local and state government.  Professor Rozycki has taught courses in American Government, State and Local government, Civil Liberties, Leadership and Service Learning.

He has co-authored a text book on "Government and Politics in Michigan."  

Professor Rozycki shares his analysis of the City of Flint's management and financial problems, the need to restructure local government in Michigan and whether more modern techniques of voting might change the current gridlock in our politics.  He also discusses the impact new reforms in legislative redistricting will have on the future of Michigan's political system.  This is a fast moving interview with insights into how our system has failed and what needs to be done to fix it.  

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At age 92, Harry Binder finished his last Bobby Crim Road Race.  The Binder Family is well known in the Flint area for their successful businesses.  During Harry Binder's long business career he owned a radio station, WAMM-AM along with Reliable Furniture Store. His cousin Julius Binder owned Binders' Big and Tall Mens Store.  He tells of his file growing up on McFarland Avenue in Flint with other Jewish families.  He is a humanitarian raising funds for the needy in Flint and even has a Crim Festival of Races award named in his honor for over 40 years of participation.   Harry's storytelling is a living history of Flints' multi-cultural Industrial Avenue.  He recounts his days in Flint after WWII and describes Flint as a bustling city, full of life and hustle  Describing houses of prostitution, his fun as a kid and his service in the United States Air Force.  Harry served in France, Germany, Japan and the South Pacific. Harry is now 95 years old and lives in California.  His life has been full and active.  For many years he was an active member in Flint area civic and charitable organizations.  Listen to his story of life in Flint during its glory days.  Listen carefully as he describes Flint as a place that taught him life lessons.  He describes the multi-cultural fabric of the city including Flint's Jewish community. Flint Journal article about Harry's participation in the Bobby Crim Festival of Races. https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/08/oldest_crim_racer_91_tells_sec.html Flint Journal article about 91 year old Harry Binder about to participate in is last Crim Road Race. https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/08/oldest_crim_racer_91_tells_sec.html--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

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The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

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Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Arthur Busch, does some storytelling by once again sharing an entertaining story about his Dixieland Subdivision of Flint, Michigan.  He recounts the fine art of collecting from his customers, avoiding grouchy dogs, eating too many cookies and much more.  He tells of the lessons he learned as a newsboy for the Flint Journal.  While technological change has nearly wiped out home delivery of newspapers.  But the lessons working class kids learned were important to their success later in life.  In an entertaining essay, Arthur learned to be nice to people who aren't always very nice.  He discussed the valuable lesson of being responsible everyday.  Arthur delivered newspapers during the tumultuous 1960's when news carriers were delivering the body counts from Vietnam, reports of riots and racial division, the moon landing and the Detroit Tigers winning the World Series in 1968.

In a factory town like Flint, Michigan the paper route was a ticket to learning about work and people.  In Arthur's case, he tells of learning how to deal with difficult people and how those skills and others helped him become a political leader serving his community.

In this episode and others before it, Arthur Busch explores his working class neighborhood, Dixieland subdivision located  in a GM company town. Listen in for a few laughs and some thoughtful storytelling about life in Flint during it's golden age.

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Chris Christenson, is a dynamic  lawyer and also a Flint native.  He took an unusual path to the Courthouse and becoming President of the Genesee County Bar Association.  Chris was a union carpenter when he decided to give up nails and planks for law books.  He worked his way through law school as a union carpenter.  Recently named a Super Lawyer by Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Chris has built his career around community service and activism in the legal profession.  He is an expert in construction lawsuits, criminal law, real estate and trial practice.  Chris was elected to serve as the Chairperson of the Michigan Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section and as a Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan.  That is the governing body of Michigan's State Bar Association.  He is also a candidate for Genesee County Circuit Judge in the November 2020 election. Attorney Christenson shares some amusing stories of his life and path to becoming a lawyer.   He also describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the legal system and practice of law.  Chris has a remarkable life story as a home grown Flint Attorney.   He shares his opinions about Flint and how the area's culture helped his success. Chris is a graduate of Flint Southwestern High School, University of Michigan-Flint and the Western Michigan's Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/chris.christenson.33Law firm's Website:https://www.cflegal.net/attorney-profiles/chris-d-christenson-iii/Mlive Judicial Announcement: https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2018/03/chris_christenson_announces_ru.htmlInstitute for Continuing Legal Education Biography:https://www.icle.org/modules/directories/contributors/bio.aspx?Pnumber=P61009--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

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Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, Craig DeRoche R-Novi, discusses criminal justice reform and sentencing reform.  He also shares his personal story .  Craig now works for Prison Fellowship Ministries, a national faith based group, who seek better understanding in how we see offenders and the criminal justice system.  Craig advocates the justice system treat drug and alcohol offenders as a public health problem and not using traditional methods of our criminal justice system.   He says that Democrats and Republicans need to discover their shared values in developing a more effective system of justice.  His views on the system are part of an emerging school of thought among opiate weary states, who have spent billions of dollars incarcerating alcoholics and drug addicts, without much long term benefit. 

 Craig has recently advocating that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, as a humanitarian gesture, commute the sentences of Michigan's non-violent prisoners during the COVI-19 pandemic. 

At 34 years old, the youngest speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, Craig's talents resulted in a meteoric rise in the political arena. But the image was shattered when the secret that had been hidden made an unexpected and unwelcome entry onto the public stage.  This is his story, the unvarnished truth of events that caused his catastrophic downfall and how he found redemption. Craig speaks as a former self professed alcoholic who is a multiple offender and actually spent time in jail!  His is a story of redemption.  

Craig has traveled to 37 state capitols consulting with legislators on how best to reform the criminal justice system.  His personal story about rising above his addiction to alcohol is both inspiring and refreshing.  

Books and Publications:

He is an author, speaker and consultant.  His book, Highly Functional: A Collision Of Addiction Justice And Grace  is a memoir of his life and battle with addiction and is available on Amazon (link provided)  https://www.amazon.com/Highly-Functional-Collision-Addiction-Justice/dp/0993284507 

Craig also contributor to the book OUTRAGEOUS JUSTICE, published by Prison Fellowship Ministries. also available at the link below. 

https://www.amazon.com/OUTRAGEOUS-JUSTICE-Heather-Rice-Minus-DeRoche/dp/0990922243/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=craig+deroche&qid=1592703864&sr=8-2

Craig also was a contributor to an article in the Huffington Post about  eliminating mandatory minimum sentences .  The publication and Craig's thought on the subject of sentencing reform can be found at "Steps Ahead of Most on Capitol Hill".

 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/post_4030_b_2008576

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This is the second episode of the Boomer Zone.  Arthur Busch and Scott McKinstry, lifelong friends talk about Radio Free Flint and the Boomer Zone.  They talk about the selfie photo booth in the 1960's at Kresge's Department Store in downtown Flint, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, Dawn Donuts the Flint's legendary chain of donut shops people grew up on in the 1960s and 1970s. The talk goes to the essence of boomer culture and memories.  So listen in and take a stroll down memory lane. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

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The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

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Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

General Motors dumped leaded automotive paints, thinners, laquors, and other chemicals into a public park and surrounding areas in Flint, Michigan.  The most obvious evidence of the environmental dirty deed was covered up with bulldozer and a little dirt. Then in 1953, the area known as the Dixieland Subdivision was built on top of and around this lead laced toxic chemical stew.   Testing done in the area showed extremely high levels of lead at 200,000 parts per million in certain areas.  In yards of some nearby houses,  lead was found at 9,700 ppm.  The U.S. government says that humans should not be exposed to lead found in excess of 400 parts per million.    There remain questions and mysteries as to the health effects on the children and residents of Dixieland Subdivision.  There does not appear to be any study of groundwater or the watershed in the area. This is so even though the toxic chemicals had been exposed to repeated flooding for over 50 years.  It is not hard to imagine the toxic chemicals from the magic ponds leaching into the stream, creek and even a nearby Thread Lake.  Even more troubling is the limited knowledge homeowners and residents have about the amount of contaminated soil in subdivision.  This appears to be kept secret from the public.  Public officials and GM admitted they underestimated the size and the extent of the hazardous waste site.  The question is what else did they know and why haven't they shared it all with the public?Arthur Busch recounts his neighborhood and the places where kids played.  He describes playing in and near the magic ponds which were laced with lead.  He also describes using GM's discarded auto parts such as fenders, hoods and trunk lids to make forts and camps.  Later in life, Mr. Busch became the a County Commissioner and County Prosecutor.  He began to get some insight into the dump and the toxic park where he and his friends played during Michigan summers.  As the County tried to stop the extensive flooding over top of the toxic neighborhood and part, Mr. Busch details the County finding of an unmarked "poor farm" burial ground complete with the skeletal remains of more than 19 people, found in unmarked graves.  The discovery was made as the County found an even larger GM toxic waste dump nearby.  The effect of toxic lead on the locals who complained of various ailments and disease over the years have been given little to no attention.  The effect of this dumpsite on the watershed is also not clear.  This much is clear, that for 50 years the toxic dumpsite operated while little kids played in and around it.  Further, most of those exposed to the hazardous lead are now in their 50's and 60's.  No comprehensive effort was ever made to test the people known to be in direct contact with the most toxic parts of the park in order to determine the full extent of the harm done to Flint's children at the time.This is the first in a series on Windiate Park and its environmental secrets.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiofreeflint/message

Join us on The Mitten Channel on Substack.

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The Mitten Channel is a network of podcasts.  

👉Subscribe to The Mitten Channel

Join us for the full experience. Subscribe to The Mitten Channel on Substack to receive our latest narrative essays, audio stories, and deep-dive reporting directly in your inbox.

Explore Our Series:

• Radio Free Flint: Narrative storytelling and community perspectives on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Essential history and analysis of labor and economic policy.
• Flint Justice: Critical insights into the legal and institutional challenges facing our state.
  
  

Visit our Mitten Channel website for our complete library of podcasts, videos, and articles.

The Mitten Channel is a production of Radio Free Flint Media, LLC. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.