
The Mitten Channel
The Mitten Channel
135 episodes listed below
Flint history, evidence, and memory on record.
The gist
The Mitten Channel moves between cold cases, public systems, local biography, and working-class memory with a plainspoken Flint center. Its best episodes connect forensic evidence, courtroom logic, water infrastructure, airport security, sports, foodways, and industrial legacy without sanding off the local detail.
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About The Mitten Channel
The Mitten Channel is a Flint-centered record of crimes, institutions, biographies, and local traditions that rarely fit into one neat category. It has the patience of a public file. Episodes often begin with a specific person, place, or piece of evidence, then widen into the systems around it. A cold case story follows a 1986 Flint murder from a partial fingerprint and stored biological evidence to later AFIS and DNA matches. The forensic detail matters. So does the question of why a case can sit for years before technology and public investment give it another chance. The show uses that same practical frame when it turns to public policy. Its episode on militarized policing argues through the language of rights, war rhetoric, searches, lawyers, bail, and state power. Its Flint water coverage separates bodily harm from infrastructure harm, drawing a clean line between children who may need lifelong support and mechanical systems that need repair. These are not abstract debates. They are told through local consequences. The Mitten Channel also makes room for memory, especially the kind carried by people who grew up in Flint schools, neighborhoods, fields, gyms, and restaurants. Jeffrey Natchez's story moves from Freeman School, McKinley, Southwestern, baseball, football, and basketball into optometry. Christopher Miller's account ties General Motors parents, Flint Public Schools, music, law enforcement, and Bishop Airport into one career arc. Biographical episodes revisit Charles Stuart Mott, William Durant, politics, banking, and philanthropy. Food history gets similar seriousness, with Dave Liske's work on Flint-style coney restaurants leading into recipes, Abbott's, Macedonian people, and Balkan Wars migration. Even the true-crime material stays anchored in Michigan geography, including John Norman Collins, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the fear around his crimes. The show is sober, local, and evidence-forward. It suits listeners who want more than a headline and less than a polished national gloss.
Made for: For listeners drawn to Michigan history, true crime, public institutions, and Flint's working-class cultural memory. It especially suits people who like interviews and narrative explanations that stay close to names, places, and evidence.
What sets it apart: The Mitten Channel treats local history, legal process, environmental harm, and biography as connected civic records. Its strength is the Flint lens: cold cases, coney recipes, school athletics, airport security, and industrial figures all sit inside the same regional story.
In their own words
The Mitten Channel is a Michigan podcast and media network created by former Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur Busch.We produce original programs that blend legal expertise, investigative storytelling, and deep Michigan history — including true crime analysis, environmental investigations, employee rights, and rich biographies rooted in Flint’s working-class culture.Our mission is to preserve Michigan stories, examine the systems that shape our communities, and give voice to the people who define our industrial past and future.Mitten Channel Podcast Shows: Radio Free Flint, Flint Justice, The Mitten Works, Mitten Environmental and The Mitten Biography ProjectTo listen to full audio podcast in…
Why you'd press play
Flint's memory gets a microphone here, and you get the stories that never made the plaque.
Press play if you want
- to hear Arthur Busch draw out the family history behind a judge's life in law
- a Grammy-winning songwriter's memories of faith, mentorship, and making music
Talks about
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Episodes
- 1
How A Flint Attorney Helped Strike Down Virginia’s Poll Tax And Changed American Voting Rights
Mar 10, 2026·38m - 2
Cold Case: How AFIS And DNA Unmasked A Hidden Killer
Feb 19, 2026·6m - 3
John Prine’s America, Hymns for the Working Class
Feb 15, 2026·11m - 4
Saigon’s Baby Airlift: A Flint Medic’s Story
Feb 12, 2026·23m - 5
A Flint Athlete’s Journey From High School Stardom To Optometry
Hidden gem["Jeffrey Natchez, a Flint-area optometrist and former Tigers draftee, traces his path from Dearborn Street and McKinley Southwestern to UNLV, Ferris, and Nevada.", "He says Flint's school gyms and fields gave him nonstop access to sports, and Coach Williams told him to skip sophomore football because he was too fragile.", "Bill LaJoy spotted him at Southwestern, the Tigers drafted him in the sixth round, and he weighed that against a University of Michigan football offer and Tiger Stadium dreams.", "After a spring 1976 release, Natchez and Tommy Thompson mapped out optometry school, and he eventually returned to Flint to practice part-time in Brighton."]
Feb 10, 2026·21m·1 clip - 6
Joe Ryan III: From Flint to Hollywood — The Sound of a New Generation
Feb 7, 2026·18m - 7
Can Minnesota Prosecute an ICE Agent?
Feb 6, 2026·15m - 8
A Republic at War With Itself: Militarized Policing and the Slow Erosion of Civil Liberties
Arthur Bush discusses the historical shift in U.S.
Feb 3, 2026·17m - 9
Flint on the Brink: Who Governs After Collapse—Broken Systems, Billion-Dollar Philanthropy, and Flint-First Leadership
Jan 29, 2026·8m - 10
Bad Water, Kids, Big Money, and Lawyers
This episode examines the human and mechanical damage from the Flint water crisis, focusing on lead-poisoned children and infrastructure failures.
Jan 25, 2026·14m - 11
Leaving Flint to See America on a Schwinn Bicycle
Jan 21, 2026·13m - 12
John D. Voelker and Anatomy of a Murder: Law, Doubt, and Justice in Michigan
Dec 27, 2025·14m - 13
Inside Anatomy of a Murder
Dec 27, 2025·3m - 14
The Age of Anxiety: Political Media, Dementia, and the Boomer Fear
Dec 15, 2025·7m - 15
She Dodged Bullets for the UAW — and Her Legacy Still Haunts the Auto Industry
Dec 12, 2025·18m - 16
Inside Detroit’s 99th Thanksgiving Parade:On-the-Ground Coverage by Arthur Busch
Dec 12, 2025·9m - 17
When Flint Fought Back: Genora Johnson and the Strike That Changed America
Dec 12, 2025·1m - 18
DETROIT RISING: The Untold Story of the Motor City's Durable Comeback | The Mitten Channel
Dec 8, 2025·2m - 19
DETROIT RISING: A Photo Tour of Motor City's Amazing Comeback | The Mitten Channel
Dec 8, 2025·3m - 20
Flint’s 1937 Sit-down Strike Saved Wages, Work, and Democracy
Nov 25, 2025·1m - 21
The Michigan Murderer: John Norman Collins and the Ypsilanti Terror
Host Arthur Busch interviews author Gregory Frenier about serial killer John Norman Collins, who terrorized Ann Arbor in the late 1960s.
Nov 14, 2025·25m - 22
Flint’s Coney Island Legacy: The Immigrant Story Behind a Michigan Icon
Nov 13, 2025·38m - 23
Why I Leave Michigan Every Winter (And What It Says About Us)
Nov 12, 2025·14m - 24
The Golden Age: Flint Community Schools
Jan 7, 2023·37m - 25
Electronic Drone Musician Hauras: A Song for Flint, Michigan
Jan 3, 2023·18m - 26
Conservation and Sustainable Food Growing in Michigan
Dec 7, 2022·29m - 27
Potholes, Roads and the Future of a Michigan Rustbelt Town
Nov 22, 2022·38m - 28
Midnight in the Vehicle City: The Strike Heard Around the World
Nov 15, 2022·35m - 29
George Winters — A Michigan Music Life: Flint, Davison & The Red Piano
Nov 1, 2022·35m - 30
In Flint They Don't Name the Streets for Us
Oct 26, 2022·27m - 31
Emily Doerr: What Can Be Done To Fix Flint's Schools?
Oct 23, 2022·25m - 32
Bryan McCree: A Flintstone Comedian With Joy in His Bones
Sep 20, 2022·32m - 33
Prep School Transfers Impact Flint Prep Hoops and Culture
Sep 6, 2022·36m - 34
The 2017 Bishop Airport Terror Attack: Chief Chris Miller Tells the Inside Story
Former Public Safety Chief Christopher Miller discusses his background and a significant 2017 event that rocked the Flint community.
Aug 30, 2022·40m - 35
Keeping Old Documents,Photos and Donating Your Treasures
Hidden gemColleen Marquis explains how to flatten curled photographs using a Rubbermaid container, water, and a baking rack.
Aug 25, 2022·26m·1 clip - 36
A Conversation with Genesee Historical Center Archivist Colleen Marquise
Jul 26, 2022·28m - 37
Flint’s Civil War Heroes: The Story of the 10th Michigan Infantry
Jun 14, 2022·42m - 38
Ben Pauli: Democracy and the Flint Water Crisis
Jun 8, 2022·37m - 39
"Mr Flint" Charles Stewart Mott an American Capitalist Pt II
Arthur Busch interviews author Edward Renehan about the life of Charles Stuart Mott, focusing on his business ventures, political involvement, and philanthropic foundation in Flint, Michigan.
May 31, 2022·40m - 40
Troubadour of Crossroads Village Michigan: Neil Woodward
May 21, 2022·32m - 41
Semaj Brown, Flint Poet Laureate, Author and Educator
May 17, 2022·27m - 42
Marquise Gray: MSU Basketball Great & Flint Beecher Coach
May 10, 2022·22m - 43
Dave Liske: History of the Flint Style Coney Island Restaurant
Author Dave discusses his book on the history and recipes of the Flint Tony sandwich, tracing its origins to Macedonian immigrants.
May 3, 2022·27m - 44
Michael J Thorp: Michigan Trivia & People We Should Know
Arthur Busch interviews veteran broadcaster Michael J.
Apr 26, 2022·48m - 45
Jan Worth-Nelson: History of the Iconic East Village Magazine
Apr 19, 2022·40m - 46
Connor Coyne novel "Urbantasm" Set in Deindustrialized Flint
Apr 12, 2022·29m - 47
Flintstones: Whats in a Nickname?
Host Arthur Busch explores the origin and meaning of the term 'Flintstone' as a symbol of Flint's resilient identity.
Apr 5, 2022·25m - 48
CS Mott: A Giant in Automotive History Part 1
Apr 2, 2022·42m - 49
Carriage Town Ministries and Homelessness in Flint
Mar 23, 2022·28m - 50
Rev Robert McCathern and His Hip-Hop Civic Park Church
An interview with Pastor Robert McCatherin of Joy Tabernacle in Flint, discussing the church's history, urban ministry, and community impact.
Mar 15, 2022·40m - 51
Jeffrey LeValley, Gospel Grammy Songwriter
Hidden gemThe Mitten Channel interviews Grammy-winning gospel composer Jeffrey LaVallee about building a 40-year music career from Flint, Michigan.
Feb 22, 2022·31m·2 clips - 52
The First Internet Murder Trial (ft David Nickola)
Feb 17, 2022·48m - 53
Judge Duncan Beagle Interview Part Two
Hidden gemDuncan Beagle describes developing transverse myelitis after numbness in both legs led to four months in hospitals and ultimately left him using a wheelchair.
Feb 9, 2022·29m·1 clip - 54
Judge Duncan M. Beagle Part One
Feb 2, 2022·41m - 55
Reviving Rust Belt Flint with Phil Hagerman
Jan 25, 2022·40m - 56
Safetyville, Corvettes, T-Birds, and Miniature Flint-- Part Two
Jan 18, 2022·26m - 57
Flint Poet Laurate Semaj Brown
Hidden gemSamaj Brown’s Flint poem turns water, industrial damage, and environmental injustice into a declaration of survival.
Jun 8, 2021·49m·2 clips - 58
Rico Phillips Helps Hockey Break Barriers to Diversity
May 21, 2021·50m - 59
Michigan Truck Camper Tour: Lake Huron Shoreline
May 6, 2021·24m - 60
Michigan Lumber Company: Oldest Lumber Yard in Flint Area
May 3, 2021·36m - 61
Author Patricia Majher
Apr 25, 2021·37m - 62
The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water Crisis (ft. Anna Clark)
Apr 18, 2021·46m - 63
Policing Flint: Jermaine Reese on Community, Training, and Accountability
Apr 14, 2021·38m - 64
Michael Jablonski
Apr 4, 2021·44m - 65
Joel Bye and the Blue Hawaiians Band
Mar 28, 2021·40m - 66
William S. Ballenger III
Mar 21, 2021·36m - 67
Pete Flanders, Musical Memories
Mar 14, 2021·42m - 68
Flint Community Schools (ft Norm Bryant)
Mar 11, 2021·40m - 69
Joel Feick: Life After Television
Mar 8, 2021·38m - 70
Arlene Crane-Curns: 93 Year Old Author Shares Her Story
Mar 8, 2021·43m - 71
The KKK and Flint, Michigan 1920-2020
Mar 4, 2021·34m - 72
Fighting the Poll Tax with Attorney Robert Segar
Feb 28, 2021·38m - 73
Former neo-Nazi Leader Charts an Unusual Path
Feb 4, 2021·46m - 74
Daniel J. Clark: Your Grandpa's 1950's Auto Industry
Feb 1, 2021·34m - 75
Ang Adamzcik: Arts & Scraps
Jan 17, 2021·24m - 76
Before Columbine: Remembering the Bath School Bombing of 1927
Jan 10, 2021·29m - 77
Flint’s Country Music Capital Story—David O. Norris on Maybelle Carter & Johnny Cash
Dec 31, 2020·15m - 78
MC5 Guitarsist Wayne Kramer: Rock and Roll Pioneer
Dec 27, 2020·31m - 79
Ernie Harwell: Detroit Tiger Broadcaster (ft Jack Lessenbury)
Dec 20, 2020·40m - 80
Hip Hop Artist Joe Ryan III: Flint to Hollywood
Dec 13, 2020·19m - 81
Flint Water Crisis: Musical Tribute (ft Antje Duvekot and Barb Barton)
Nov 29, 2020·26m - 82
Kate Garns: Self Talk & Motivational Speaking
Nov 26, 2020·17m - 83
Marty Embry: Flint Basketball Legend
Nov 22, 2020·26m - 84
Kosher Nostra: The Purple Gang and Prohibition-Era Detroit
Nov 19, 2020·30m - 85
Toxic Brownfield and the Flint River
Nov 12, 2020·17m - 86
Flint River Blues: Colton Ort
Nov 10, 2020·14m - 87
A Cain & Able Murder Case: David Melfi
Nov 10, 2020·17m - 88
Ode to Singer Songwriter Justin Townes Earle
Oct 24, 2020·15m - 89
Safetyville, USA Part 1
Oct 19, 2020·17m - 90
Characters in the Commercials: Flint Television Advertising
Oct 12, 2020·18m - 91
Harrowing Rescue of Orphan Babies, a Plane Crash and a Flint Hero, Phillip Wise
Oct 1, 2020·43m - 92
Truck Camping: The Mackinac Bridge and the Straits of Mackinaw
Sep 27, 2020·27m - 93
Truck Camper Tour: Lake Michigan and Wilderness State Park
Sep 19, 2020·21m - 94
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: My Eulogy
Sep 19, 2020·13m - 95
Gypsy Jazz Guitarist Remi Harris
Sep 14, 2020·1h - 96
Labor Day Tribute: UAW Dir Steve Dawes
Sep 7, 2020·59m - 97
Michigan's Woodstock: Sherwood Forest #20042
Sep 5, 2020·32m - 98
Wild Rice in Michigan with Author Barb Barton
Aug 30, 2020·1h 6m - 99
Planet of the Humans: A Movie About Surviving Climate Change
Aug 23, 2020·1h 17m - 100
Flint's White Backlash: George Wallace, Don Williamson & Trump #20039
Aug 16, 2020·21m - 101
1970's Flint and Other Tall Tales: Jon Harpst
Aug 15, 2020·59m - 102
Super Lawyer Tom Pabst on Whistleblowers, Police Misconduct and Civil Rights
Aug 9, 2020·1h - 103
State Rep Tim Sneller: Memories from a 30-Year Career in the Michigan Legislature #20036
Aug 6, 2020·35m - 104
Judge Herman Marable on his Career, Efforts to Help Kids in the Flint area
Jul 29, 2020·36m - 105
From Flint Sandlots to the Michigan's Big House and the NFL: The Paul Staroba Story
Jul 26, 2020·35m - 106
#32 Schools & Pandemic: Michigan State Rep Sheryl Kennedy Discusses the Plan
Jul 23, 2020·44m - 107
#31 Murals & Graffiti: Flint Public Art Project
Jul 19, 2020·41m - 108
Harry Barrett FGC Golf Teaching Pro
Jul 16, 2020·33m - 109
#29 Michigan Murder Mystery: A Confession but No Bodies?
Jul 9, 2020·21m - 110
#28 Judge Jessica Hammon: Exciting, Smart and a Yoga Teacher for Delinquent Kids
Jul 5, 2020·47m - 111
Cold-Blooded Murders at Mary's Sunshine Dairy #20027
Jul 2, 2020·10m - 112
At 92,Harry Binder, Finishes His Last Crim Road Race.
Jun 28, 2020·40m - 113
Judge Chris Christenson. His Path to the Bench.
Jun 24, 2020·16m - 114
Scott & Me: #2: M&S Pop, Dawn Donuts, Kresege Store Selfies and Olive Burgers #24
Jun 18, 2020·40m - 115
Toxic Tadpoles and Curious Kids: Flint's First Lead Crisis
Jun 14, 2020·25m - 116
Gritty Flint: George's Gambling Joint, Armed Robbery and Pinball #20022
Jun 11, 2020·21m - 117
Welcome to Flint: Charlie's Drug Store Murder #20021
Jun 7, 2020·15m - 118
US Supreme Court & Flint's Gang-Related Murder Case #20020
Jun 3, 2020·20m - 119
Flint Culture Clash: Southerners Find Auto Boomtown USA
May 31, 2020·17m - 120
Student Diary: A Riot at High School
May 31, 2020·19m - 121
Income Inequality in a Factory Town
May 28, 2020·17m - 122
Flint's Hidden History
May 26, 2020·36m - 123
Investigative Reporter's Most Haunting Murder Cases
May 23, 2020·54m - 124
Flint's 1960's "Golden Age" Memories: Hot Rod Cars, Music and Girls
May 16, 2020·32m - 125
A Career in Journalism In a Place Like No Other
May 12, 2020·44m - 126
Oldtime Baseball News: From Hobby to Dream Job
May 4, 2020·42m - 127
A Champion for Flint's Poor
Apr 25, 2020·37m - 128
A Grand National BMX Racer and Auto Gypsy
Apr 22, 2020·31m - 129
Sports Broadcaster Recalls Flint's Best Athletes #20007
Apr 18, 2020·34m - 130
JFK, Coors, Golf: Flint's Trailblazer Leo Seide #20006
Apr 15, 2020·31m - 131
Jeff Natchez, DO: A Detroit Tiger Baseball Dream
Apr 13, 2020·40m - 132
Ode to John Prine
Apr 8, 2020·12m - 133
Americana tribute to Working People of Flint #20003
Apr 7, 2020·38m - 134
Musician Rachel Cole: Flint Roots #20001
Apr 3, 2020·21m - 135
Radio Free Flint Podcast: Voices from America's Heartland (Trailer)
Apr 3, 2020·1m