The crisis in Flint, Mich., goes far beyond the lead in its water, and a new Netflix docu-series sheds light on the city’s much deeper economic and social problems.
“Outside investment is needed to really rebuild this community,” Zackary Canepari, one of the directors of “Flint Town,” told Cheddar.
Flint, home to about 100,000 people, reportedly has fewer than 100 police officers, and violence has run rampant.
Part of the reason is the city’s high unemployment, according to co-director Drea Cooper. He points out that issue stems from General Motors’ leaving town in the 1980s.
“It’s a town that’s missing a core industry,” Cooper said. “It was a town that was built on a singular industry, and now it’s trying to make its way.
“There’s been influx of universities coming in through the University of Michigan, hospitals are coming in, so they’re starting to find a new sort of niche and a new industry. But I think so many of these things start with education and job opportunities.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/welcome-to-flint-town).
Hollywood writers picketing to preserve pay and job security outside major studios and streamers braced for a long fight at the outset of a strike that immediately forced late-night shows into hiatus, put other productions on pause and had the entire industry slowing its roll.
The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike this week after negotiations with Hollywood studios that began in March failed to result in an agreement.
Filmmaker and comedian W. Kamau Bell joined Cheddar News to talk about his HBO documentary project, United Shades of America, which tackles growing up mixed-race in America.
British star Ed Sheeran is facing accusations that he plagiarized Marvin Gaye's hit song, "Let's Get It On." Cheddar News breaks down how the high-profile copyright trial came to fruition and gets expert guidance from Joe Bennett, a forensic musicologist.
The 2023 Tony Awards are scheduled for next month, and Some Like It Hot, a musical and theatrical adaptation of the 1959 film, is leading the pack with a total of 13 nominations.
