The Mitten Channel

I Left My Blue-Collar Hometown On A Schwinn And Learned How The "Other Half" Actually Lives

Have you ever felt that crushing pressure to leave home just to "figure out your future"? 🤔 In this episode, I’m looking back at 1970, when I ditched the factory smoke of Flint, Michigan, for a 2,000-mile cross-country bicycle odyssey that changed everything.

Expect to hear about:

• Why riding at dawn in the Mojave Desert is basically a 110-degree survival horror movie. 🐍
• The "poor man's air conditioner" that totally blew my Michigan mind.
• What happens when you’re 16, solo, and realize postcards have been lying to you about Los Angeles.

It’s a story about "sea to shining sea" on two skinny tires, outlasting the factories that defined my youth. Hit play for the full "Rest of the Story."

#FlintMichigan #BicycleTouring #PaulHarvey #Schwinn #RadioFreeFlint

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.

This is a short excerpt from an upcoming episode of Flint Justice.

In this preview, Arthur Busch explores the real Michigan homicide case that inspired Anatomy of a Murder and the lawyer behind it, John D. Voelker—prosecutor, defense attorney, Supreme Court justice, and writer.

The full episode examines what this case still teaches us about jury trials, reasonable doubt, and the uneasy line between truth and proof.
 Full episode coming soon.

"Photography by Jim Hansen, LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress."

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.

In 1952, a saloon killing in a small Upper Peninsula town became one of the most important—and controversial—criminal trials in Michigan history.

The lawyer who defended the accused was John D. Voelker: former county prosecutor, defense attorney, future Michigan Supreme Court justice, and a gifted writer who would later publish the landmark legal novel Anatomy of a Murder under the pen name Robert Traver.

In this episode of Flint Justice, Arthur Busch examines:

• the real Big Bay homicide that inspired the book,
• how Voelker transformed a trial transcript into one of the most realistic courtroom novels ever written, and
• what Anatomy of a Murder still teaches us about prosecutors, defense lawyers, juries, and reasonable doubt.

This is not a story about tidy verdicts or cinematic courtroom speeches.
 It’s about ambiguity, discretion, community judgment, and the uncomfortable truth that justice is often shaped by what can be proven—not what actually happened.

For lawyers, judges, and communities like Flint and Genesee County, Anatomy of a Murder remains a mirror held up to the justice system itself.

Photography by Jim Hansen, LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

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.

The Age of Anxiety: Political Media, Dementia, and the Boomer Fear

In Michigan living rooms—from Flint to Saginaw to small towns up north—older Americans watch political news that feels less like reporting and more like a public trial of aging itself. Every stumble, verbal slip, or moment of confusion by national leaders is clipped, replayed, and mocked. For older viewers, this coverage is not abstract or partisan. It is personal.

This investigative audio essay examines how constant media focus on age and cognition quietly harms older adults, especially in aging, post-industrial communities. Drawing on research in psychology, aging, and media studies, it explores fear of dementia, stigma, loneliness, and how political spectacle fuels anxiety, withdrawal, and disengagement from democracy.

As Michigan approaches critical elections, this episode asks a deeper question: What happens to a democracy when aging itself is treated as entertainment—and dignity is the cost?

 #TheAgeOfAnxiety
 #InvestigativeAudio
 #AgingInAmerica
 #MediaAndDemocracy
 #MichiganPolitics
 #BoomerGeneration
 #CognitiveHealth
 #PublicWellBeing 

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.

Join Arthur Busch on location in downtown Detroit as he takes you inside the magic of the 99th Annual America’s Thanksgiving Parade. In this special field-report episode, Arthur walks Woodward Avenue, captures the sights and sounds of the morning, and talks directly with the people who make this iconic tradition come alive.

From families bundled up in the cold, to lifelong Detroiters describing what the parade means to them, to first-timers experiencing the floats, balloons, and Big Heads with wide-eyed excitement—this episode brings you the street-level spirit of a Detroit Thanksgiving.

Arthur reflects on the city’s resilience, the legacy of the parade, and why moments like this matter to Michigan’s identity. If you couldn’t make it downtown, this episode puts you right there at the curbside.

🎧 Listen for:

• Candid conversations with parade-goers
• Atmosphere and live sounds from Woodward Avenue
• Arthur’s insights on Detroit’s holiday traditions and community pride
• A snapshot of Detroit’s energy heading into the holiday season

A warm, uplifting Michigan story—perfect for Thanksgiving week.

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.

In 1937, a 23-year-old Flint woman stood between General Motors security, Flint police gunfire, and the workers fighting for their lives inside Fisher Body.
Her name was Genora Johnson Dollinger — and she did more than rally the Women’s Emergency Brigade.
She dodged bullets for the UAW and helped spark a labor uprising that reshaped the American middle class.

This episode begins with a cinematic reenactment of the Flint Sit-Down Strike and Genora’s electrifying moment on the picket line. From her kitchen-table organizing to the chaos outside the plants, Genora’s bravery becomes the doorway into a deeper story about labor, power, and the long shadow cast over America’s auto industry.

🔍 What This Episode Explores
• The Real Genora Johnson Dollinger

A young mother who stepped into leadership during a crisis — and became one of the most important (and overlooked) women in American labor history.

• The Strike That Built the Middle Class

The 1937 Sit-Down wasn’t just a labor dispute.
It changed wages, dignity, and economic mobility for millions of American families.

• The Debate That Still Divides Michigan

Did the UAW negotiate such generous contracts that GM was forced to flee Michigan for low-wage states, Mexico, and China?
—or—
Did GM’s executives practice financial engineering, enriching themselves while starving plants of investment and innovation?

• How Genora’s Legacy Still Haunts the Auto Industry

The decisions made in Flint in 1937 — by workers and by corporate leaders — still shape:

labor costs

global outsourcing

the collapse of industrial cities

the rise of the non-union South

today’s EV-era labor battles

Genora’s courage is a lens for understanding how the middle class was built — and how it unraveled.

🎶 Ending with a Flint Ballad: “1937 When Fires Burn”

The episode concludes with the hauntingly beautiful song “1937 When Fires Burn,” written by Flint musicians Dan Hall and David Norris for the Flint Labor Museum.
Told from the perspective of a striking worker, the song vividly captures:

cold nights inside the occupied plants

tension with police

the grit of Flint’s working class

the fire of a movement rising

It is the perfect emotional arc to close this story.

🇺🇸 Why Genora Johnson Still Matters

Her voice remains a reminder that the fight for economic justice — and the decisions that shape American industry — always begin with ordinary people willing to stand in extraordinary moments.

📺 Subscribe to The Mitten Channel

For cinematic Michigan stories, deep dives into labor history, and original reporting from America’s industrial heartland.

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.

In 1937, a 23-year-old Flint woman stood between General Motors security, Flint police gunfire, and the workers fighting for their lives inside Fisher Body.
 Her name was Genora Johnson Dollinger — and she did more than rally the Women’s Emergency Brigade.
She dodged bullets for the UAW and helped spark a labor uprising that reshaped the American middle class.

This episode begins with a cinematic reenactment of the Flint Sit-Down Strike and Genora’s electrifying moment on the picket line. From her kitchen-table organizing to the chaos outside the plants, Genora’s bravery becomes the doorway into a deeper story about labor, power, and the long shadow cast over America’s auto industry.

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.

Welcome to the Detroit comeback. With a voice as warm and familiar as the streets themselves, we take a tour of the Motor City's stunning revitalization. From the iconic RenCen and the architecture of the Whitney Building to the vibrant Riverwalk and the energy of the city's sports scene, this video captures the enduring, tough, and durable spirit of Detroit.

This is more than a travel documentary; it’s an ode to the city that refuses to quit. As the "big brother" to the state's industrial heartland, Detroit's story of resilience mirrors the community spirit we champion on our network.

The Mitten Channel is dedicated to exploring the true policy and labor history behind the Michigan experience. If you love the complexity behind the comeback, subscribe to our hub!

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.

Send us a text

Welcome to the Detroit comeback. With a voice as warm and familiar as the streets themselves, we take a tour of the Motor City's stunning revitalization. From the iconic RenCen and the architecture of the Whitney Building to the vibrant Riverwalk and the energy of the city's sports scene, this video captures the enduring, tough, and durable spirit of Detroit.

This is more than a travel documentary; it’s an ode to the city that refuses to quit. As the "big brother" to the state's industrial heartland, Detroit's story of resilience mirrors the community spirit we champion on our network.

The Mitten Channel is dedicated to exploring the true policy and labor history behind the Michigan experience. If you love the complexity behind the comeback, subscribe to our hub!

Don't miss our full investigative podcasts:

• Radio Free Flint: The community perspective on industrial resilience.
• The Mitten Works: Labor history and economic policy analysis.
• Mitten Justice: Legal and institutional analysis of the state's challenges.

If you would like to receive new podcast episodes by email please subscribe on our Home Page. All new episode are Free!

👉 Subscribe to Radio Free Flint Podcasts at The Mitten Channel:

• YouTube Full catalogue of podcasts for Radio Free Flint, Flint Justice: America on Trial and Work in the Mitten

Subscribe to our mailing list at the Radio Free Flint Podcast.

Also Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Linkedin.

The Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936–37 wasn’t just a labor dispute — it was a turning point in American history. In this short documentary segment, former Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur Busch breaks down what really happened inside the Fisher Body plants, why the strike succeeded, and how Flint became the birthplace of modern union power.

This video explores:

• The strategy workers used to shut down General Motors
• How the UAW was born inside the factory walls
• Why General Motors feared the sit-down tactic
• The role of women’s brigades and community support
• How Flint’s labor victory shaped wages, work, and democracy for generations

The sit-down strike wasn't about nostalgia — it was about power, dignity, and the fight for the American middle class. Its lessons are still relevant today as workers confront automation, corporate consolidation, and the changing nature of labor.

If you want to understand Flint, Detroit, the Rust Belt, or the history of American work, it starts here.

About This Channel

This video is part of Radio Free Flint Podcast, a narrative documentary project exploring how Flint became a mirror for the American working class.
 For more episodes and deep-dive storytelling, subscribe to The Mitten Channel.

“When men and women are united in common purpose, there is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free people.” — Walter Reuther

#UAW #SitDownStrike #FlintMichigan #LaborHistory #WalterReuther #UnionStrong #TheMittenChannel

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.