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Flint Community Schools move toward pursuit of special education funding

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Flint Community Schools move toward pursuit of special education funding

The following press release was provided to East Village Magazine (EVM) by Tarajah Ramsey at Lambert, the public relations firm for the Flint Community Schools (FCS) As EVM Education Beat reporter Harold C. Ford notes, the news is significant. “The bottom line is that FCS and a few other districts are going to get more funding for their sped [special education] children.  The part of the very complicated formula–that included the general student population thereby favoring larger districts–will be dropped from the...

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Eight-hour Flint City Council meeting, recessed for second time, covers COVID effects on trash pickup, accounting costs.

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Eight-hour Flint City Council meeting, recessed for second time, covers COVID effects on trash pickup, accounting costs.

By Tom Travis At an eight-hour long meeting Monday night, the Flint City Council was updated by the city’s accounting firm requesting a greater reimbursement, heard from the city’s trash collector about COVID effects on yard waste pick-up, and received a follow-up about the September fire which destroyed the Pierce Park community center. City’s accounting firm requests a change order and says “year end financial statement is on schedule.” Doug Deeter of Rehmann accounting firm spoke to council requesting a $7,500...

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The East Village Magazine – November – December 2020

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The East Village Magazine – November – December 2020

The lastest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download here: Click to access FinalRiegleVersionNov_Dec_web.pdf

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Meet Cassandra Washington, Flint Schools’ HR director, who settled contracts with all three employee unions in first year on job

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Meet Cassandra Washington, Flint Schools’ HR director, who settled contracts with all three employee unions in first year on job

By Harold Ford Editor’s Note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat writer, Harold C. Ford, submitted a list of 20 questions to Cassandra Washington, Flint Community Schools’ executive director of human relations. Washington responded to about half of the questions in her online reply. Her responses are provided below in a Q & A format.   Cassandra Washington, a resident of Detroit, was hired as the Flint Community Schools’ (FCS) executive director of human resources in May 2019. In her first year on the job, she helped to settle...

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Land Bank reprioritizing demolitions as federal funds dry up, FNU members told

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Land Bank reprioritizing demolitions as federal funds dry up, FNU members told

By Coner Segren Federal “Hardest Hit Fund” dollars appropriated to Flint expired this year, leaving the Genesee County Land Bank without a large source of funds. These funds were key to demolitions in Flint, the Land Bank’s Christina Kelly told participants in a November Zoom meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU).   Kelly, the Land Bank’s director of planning and neighborhood revitalization, reported that out of a total of 8,300 demolitions, nearly 5,000 have occurred since 2014 when the Land Bank was receiving a...

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After $36.5 million renovation of century-old downtown landmark, Hilton Garden Inn opens with two new restaurants, COVID-19 protocols

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After $36.5 million renovation of century-old downtown landmark, Hilton Garden Inn opens with two new restaurants, COVID-19 protocols

By Tom Travis The first guests have checked into their rooms and reservations have been made for the weeks and months to come, according to the new Hilton Garden Inn staff. A historic century-old building that sat vacant for two decades has been renovated into a new 101-guest room hotel in the heart of Flint’s downtown and is launching with several levels of COVID-19 protections. Towering over downtown Flint, the 11-story building at the corner of Kearsley and Saginaw Streets, which has sat empty for more than 20 years, now includes The...

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City Council Beat: Leadership change brings on Fields, Davis: no city business voted on during five-hour meeting

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City Council Beat: Leadership change brings on Fields, Davis:  no city business voted on during five-hour meeting

By Tom Travis After a contentious five-hour meeting and acting only on two pieces of city business, the Flint City Council  voted to recess until Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The meeting did result in an upending of council leadership, with Kate Fields (4th Ward) elected president of the council by a 5-4 vote, replacing Monica Galloway (7th Ward). Voting for Fields were councilpersons Maurice Davis (2nd Ward), Santino Guerra (3rd Ward), Fields (4th Ward), Allan Griggs (8th Ward) and Eva Worthing (9th Ward). Jerri Winfrey-Carter (5th Ward),  Herb...

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Commentary: Biden wins — What does it all mean? Ten takeaways from the 2020 election

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Commentary:  Biden wins — What does it all mean? Ten takeaways from the 2020 election

By Paul Rozycki In a year of pandemics, racial division, economic crisis, and the most divisive election in the last century, it’s a challenge to uncover the things that really matter in this year’s presidential election. In the last weeks, we’ve all had wall-to-wall coverage and analysis of this year’s presidential contest. It may be months, or years, before we fully unravel the full impact and the meaning of the Trump presidency and its aftermath. And it may take as long to assess the impact of the Biden presidency as he begins to tackle...

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$1 million-plus restoration project announced for Flint River-Swartz Creek confluence

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$1 million-plus restoration project announced for Flint River-Swartz Creek confluence

By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes it’s the use of land, not for commercial purposes, that has the greatest value.”  –U.S. Rep.Dan Kildee, (MI-5th District), in a statement to East Village Magazine, Oct. 14, 2020 A restoration project on the peninsula where the Flint River meets Swartz Creek — the “Flint River-Swartz Creek Confluence” — was announced Oct. 14 by representatives of organizations sponsoring the project at an event hosted by the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC). The “Flint River-Swartz Creek Confluence” is an approximate...

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Three newcomers elected make an all-female Flint school board; host of challenges await

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Three newcomers elected make an all-female Flint school board; host of challenges await

By Harold C. Ford The Flint Community Schools (FCS) Board of Education will have a new look in 2021. Joyce Ellis-McNeal, (9.13 percent/9,409 votes), Anita M. Moore (8.78 percent/9,053 votes), and Laura Gillespie MacIntyre (6.09 percent/6,277 votes) were elected to six-year terms that begin Jan.1, 2021 and end in 2026. (Note: Percentages and votes are from the “Unofficial Results” posted at the website of the Genesee County Clerk’s Office on Nov. 4, 2020 at 6:57 p.m.) The remainder of the crowded field of a dozen candidates included: Ariana...

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PFAS in Buick City site so far not detected in nearby drinking water, RACER Trust reps report

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PFAS in Buick City site so far not detected in nearby drinking water, RACER Trust reps report

By Coner Segren Despite the findings of PFAS contamination at the former Buick City site in northeast Flint, so far the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has not found any red flags for any specific substances in the drinking water in the neighborhoods around the site, representatives from RACER Trust reported at a public meeting held via Zoom Oct. 22. RACER Trust, an environmental cleanup and redevelopment company for former General Motors properties, held the meeting to  inform Flint residents of the environmental...

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“I’m running as a proud Democrat but I’ll govern as an American,” Biden tells drive-in Flint audience

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“I’m running as a proud Democrat but I’ll govern as an American,” Biden tells drive-in Flint audience

By Tom Travis Drawing sharp contrasts between the last four years of the Trump presidency and eight years of President Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s administration, candidate for president Joe Biden addressed a drive-in rally today at Flint’s Northwestern High School parking lot by declaring, “I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I’ll govern as an American.” On a bright sunny cold Halloween day, Rev. Ralphael Read, pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, started the program with an invocation. Then a line of...

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Blues singer votes red this year: Councilperson Davis makes waves with Trump endorsement

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Blues singer votes red this year:   Councilperson Davis makes waves with Trump endorsement

By Tom Travis In the days ahead of one of the most contentious presidential campaigns in recent memory, local blues musician turned politician, 2nd Ward Councilperson Maurice Davis, is making waves with his endorsement of President Donald Trump. Democrats “the party of hate” Davis asserts In a phone interview with EVM,  Davis said, “I’ve found out that the Republicans is not the party of hate, it’s the Democrats. Democrats are the ones selling the idea ‘get out the vote’ ‘GOTV’ when they...

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Education Beat: As pandemic numbers surge, student return to Flint schools not likely, officials say

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Education Beat:  As pandemic numbers surge, student return to Flint schools not likely, officials say

By Harold C. Ford “I don’t think that students will be returning to school in the 2020 school year.” –Anita Steward, Flint Community Schools superintendent, Oct. 21, 2020 As pandemic numbers surge in Flint, Anita Steward, Flint Community Schools (FCS) superintendent, told the FCS Board of Education Oct. 21 that students will not likely return to school buildings for face-to-face/brick-and-mortar instruction in 2020. Conversely, FCS teachers were ordered back into the buildings during the week of Oct. 26. Coronavirus numbers surge locally,...

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Mayor warns against door-to-door trick-or-treating as Coronavirus cases and deaths surge, alternative trick-or-treating venues offered

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Mayor warns against door-to-door trick-or-treating as Coronavirus cases and deaths surge, alternative trick-or-treating venues offered

By Tom Travis The City of Flint warned residents against door-to-door trick-or-treating due to the continuing spread and rise of coronavirus cases and deaths. In a press release Thursday Mayor Sheldon Neeley and city officials recommend children in the Flint community attend alternative trick-or-treating venues to celebrate Halloween rather than going door to door. There are five venues trick-or-treaters can celebrate Halloween at: Sarvis Park, 4000 Wisner Street at Noon Latinx Technology and Community Center, 2101 Lewis St. 4:30-5:30 p.m....

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Kildee calls GOP “11th hour” Coney Barrett confirmation process “disgraceful,” warns of peril to health care

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Kildee calls GOP “11th hour” Coney Barrett confirmation process “disgraceful,” warns of peril to health care

Statement by Congressman Dan Kildee on the Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court FLINT—Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate, on a 52-48 party line vote, confirmed Judge Amy Coney Barrett as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: “Shame on Senate Republicans for ramming through a Supreme Court nominee that will likely be the deciding vote to take away health care from millions of Americans. This rushed confirmation...

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Power of low income voters highlighted by Poor People’s Campaign reps at October Tendaji Talk

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Power of low income voters highlighted by Poor People’s Campaign reps at October Tendaji Talk

By Coner Segren The power of low-income voters was on display at the latest virtual installment of the Tendaji Talks held Oct. 13. During the 2016 presidential election, for example, the total number nationally of  low-income voters was about 63 million.  Of these, only 29 million voted, while 34 million stayed home. In Michigan during 2016 the PPC website estimates that in 2016 there were 980,000 low-income non-voters in the state. The margin of victory in the state’s election was 1.1%.  These were among data points presented by...

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Transform I-475 to a boulevard? City officials offer ideas, public invited to weigh in

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Transform I-475 to a boulevard?  City officials offer ideas, public invited to weigh in

By Coner Segren An ambitious proposal to fill in the 12-lane I-475 through downtown Flint and replace it with 30 acres of land open to development was introduced to the public at a virtual town hall Wednesday hosted by Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his chief of staff Brian Larkin. Neeley and Larkin are seeking community input on possibilities renovation of the freeway,  under consideration because of of new state funds available to Flint from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).   The funds would allow the city to repave a portion of...

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The Rep of Flint presents virtual theatrical production of The Breath Project

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The Rep of Flint presents virtual theatrical production of The Breath Project

By Patsy Isenberg The Flint Repertory Theatre is joining 22 other theaters across the country today and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, in a virtual performance inspired by the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Black actors from around the country will present works they’ve created for the theatre in a virtual format in what they’re calling The Breath Project. Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep) has partnered with The Breath Project.  Two Flint artists, the one-named Harvey and David Guster, are among those featured. Free tickets...

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The East Village Magazine – October 2020 – Special Edition

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The East Village Magazine – October 2020 – Special Edition

A special edition, covering the Flint Community Schools Board Election Candidates and their views, is available for download here: Click to access 10-23-20_EVM_special_section_web.pdf

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Mixed signals from state lead to multi-pronged plan for reopening Flint schools

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Mixed signals from state lead to multi-pronged plan for reopening Flint schools

By Harold C. Ford “If we have to go back to school next week, we’ll be ready.” —Anita Steward, superintendent, Flint Community Schools, Oct. 13, 2020 Anita Steward, superintendent of Flint Community Schools (FCS), presented a multi-pronged plan for the possible reopening of schools on a face-to-face/brick-and-mortar basis to the FCS Board of Education’s Governance Subcommittee on Oct. 13. The FCS team that included Eileen Tomasi, school health coordinator, devised the plan while receiving input from Flint area members of the medical community...

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Future of I-475 through downtown Flint topic of Mayor’s online community discussion tonight

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Future of I-475 through downtown Flint topic of Mayor’s online community discussion tonight

A community visioning and input session regarding the future of I-475 at 6:30 p.m. tonight will be hosted by Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Chief of Staff Brian Larkin. With new available state funds, the city expects to resurface a portion of I-475 going through downtown. Neeley is soliciting community input on a proposal to remove a portion of the expressway by filling it in. This would level the landscape and allow for creation of a boulevard that would run through the city so that downtown could be reconnected to the adjacent neighborhoods....

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Second St. Paul’s concert Oct. 25 cancelled due to COVID concerns

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Second St. Paul’s concert Oct. 25 cancelled due to COVID concerns

The Sunday, Oct. 25 concert at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has been cancelled due to COVID concerns, Director of Music Holly Richardson announced today. The concert, second of the 2020-2021 “Music in the Heart of the City” series, was to have featured  “Soprano and Flute in Song,” with Townes Osborn, Brittnee Siemon, and artist-in-residence Carl Angelo on organ.  The September concert also was cancelled, for the same reason. In an email to the popular concert series’ supporters, Richardson said Father Dan...

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New absentee ballot drop boxes donated by L.A. Lakers forward Flint native Kyle Kuzma

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New absentee ballot drop boxes donated by L.A. Lakers forward Flint native Kyle Kuzma

By Tom Travis Four additional ballot drop boxes for Flint have been donated by Los Angeles Lakers basketball forward and Flint native, Kyle Kuzma,  according to a press release from the City Clerk’s office. The newest drop boxes are located at four Flint fire stations:  Fire Station 3, 1525 Martin Luther King Ave.  Fire Station 5, 3402 Western Rd. Fire Station 6, 716 W. Pierson Rd. Fire Station 8, 202 E. Atherton Rd.  Kuzma, 25, was raised in Flint and attended Swartz Creek schools and Bentley schools. He played college basketball at...

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Flint Board of Education election: twelve candidates for three six-year positions

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Flint Board of Education election: twelve candidates for three six-year positions

By Harold Ford Assisted by EVM Editorial staff Tom Travis, Jan Worth-Nelson and Ted Nelson SCROLL DOWN FOR CANDIDATE PROFILES AT THE END OF THIS STORY “When parents are looking at where to send their kids (to school), there’s an awful lot of faith involved in the sense that, you may not have any money, but you’re investing your kid in a school district.  It’s the job of the school district, the challenge of the school district, to be worthy of that faith.” – Paul Jordan, member Flint Board of Education, 2005-2009 The election of 2020,...

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GOP leaders’ words “fan the flames” of domestic terrorism in Michigan, Kildee says

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GOP leaders’ words “fan the flames” of domestic terrorism in Michigan, Kildee says

By Tom Travis “Self-indulgent” Michigan GOP leaders try to “twist” the Whitmer kidnapping into a story about themselves, and by their words “fan the flames” of domestic terrorism, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (5th District) said in comments made while visiting the Flint Public Library (FPL) Friday. Kildee spoke to EVM about the kidnapping plot against Whitmer, the use of the term “militia,” the Flint water crisis, and ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic. Kildee was at the FPL to tour the...

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Kildee visits Flint Public Library to discuss $2 billion Library Stabilization Act and announces grant money for local libraries

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Kildee visits Flint Public Library to discuss $2 billion Library Stabilization Act and announces grant money for local libraries

By Tom Travis Federal grants totalling $28,914 will help Michigan libraries address operational challenges during the pandemic. U.S. Representative Dan Kildee (D) announced the new grants during a visit to the Flint Public Library (FPL) on Friday, where he received an update on the Kearsley Street Flint Public Library building renovation project by Kay Schwartz FPL director. “I am proud to announce these federal grants to support our public libraries. Libraries provide such a critical service to our community. During the pandemic, they...

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Local surgeon’s car collection revs up donations for area programming at Sloan and Flint Institute of Music

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Local surgeon’s car collection revs up donations for area programming at Sloan and Flint Institute of Music

By Tom Travis Car collector and local surgeon Bobby Mukkamala says every one of the 75 classic cars in his collection has a story explaining why he was attracted to it–and those stories are entertaining.  In an upcoming fundraising event for the Sloan Museum and Flint Institute of Music (FIM) Mukkamala will take visitors on a virtual tour of his massive collection and share some of those stories. “For example,” he says, noting just one, “You’ll hear about how I ended up with the 1986 Ferrari Testarossa that Sonny...

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Cash prizes offered in Step Up, Pick Up program; blight, environmental clean-up and distracted driving discussed at Flint Neighborhoods Meeting

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Cash prizes offered in Step Up, Pick Up program; blight, environmental clean-up and distracted driving discussed at Flint Neighborhoods Meeting

By Coner Segren The Step Up, Pick Up program will combine fitness with community litter pickup, offering cash prizes of $1000 (1st prize), $500 (2nd prize) and $250 (3rd prize). The program will offer cash prizes to community groups that pick up the most trash and debris in their areas. Groups can collect trash from Oct. 19-25 to address litter in their areas and compete for the prizes. Groups must sign up and complete a form at the end of the event to be eligible for prizes.  Glenn Wilson, executive director of the non-profit Communities...

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Public electronic meetings nixed by Supreme Court action; City Council, EAB cancel.

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Public electronic meetings nixed by Supreme Court action; City Council, EAB cancel.

By Tom Travis Moments before the Flint City Council was to hold their bi-monthly Monday evening meeting a public notice was sent out from the City Clerk’s staff notifying the public that the meeting was cancelled. The notice was signed by Council President Monica Galloway (7th Ward) and Council Vice-president Maurice Davis (2nd Ward). Also, Monday evening Tane Dorsey, Flint’s Ombudsperson, sent out a public notice that the Tuesday evening Ethics and Accountability Board meeting is cancelled. The Public Notice sent out Monday...

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Blessing of the Animals honors “creatures who know nothing of the madness of the world”

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Blessing of the Animals honors “creatures who know nothing of the madness of the world”

By Jan Worth-Nelson Today’s  annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, affected and re-arranged by the coronavirus, was something special–even though it went to the dogs. Thirteen of them, to be exact,  in noisy canine COVID-compliance on the front lawn of the church, accepting in most cases calmly the blessing from St. Paul’s rector Dan Scheid — a gesture he delivered expertly with a scratch behind the ears and a pet on the head. (Except for Bubbles, who her owner warned is “a little...

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Pandemic Alters Halloween Plans for Flint; Four Neighborhoods offer Community Buildings for Trick-or-Treaters

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Pandemic Alters Halloween Plans for Flint; Four Neighborhoods offer Community Buildings for Trick-or-Treaters

Community groups for four neighborhood-based options will offer an alternative to the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating method this Halloween. The community events will be held, with all standard safety precautions, at the following four locations on Saturday, Oct. 31: Berston Field House, 3300 N. Saginaw St., 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Latinx Technology and Community Center,  2101 Lewis St., 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bethel United Methodist Church, 1309 N. Ballenger Highway 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Flint Development Center, 4121 Martin Luther...

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Pride Fest activities begin Friday with Free Community BBQ; virtual activities continue through the weekend

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Pride Fest activities begin Friday with Free Community BBQ; virtual activities continue through the weekend

By Tom Travis A free community BBQ will be offered Friday, Oct. 9 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the parking lot behind Wellness Services, Inc. located at 311 E. Court St. as part of a weekend of activities for Flint Pride Fest 2020.   According to Rachel Strickland, prevention specialist at Wellness Services, the Flint Pride Fest was originally scheduled for June 20 and was postponed due to COVID-19.  Strickland said Flint Pride was rescheduled for August but the Flint Pride Planning Committee decided to go virtual with one in-person event....

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City of Flint being sued by conservative group; source of grant money in question

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City of Flint being sued by conservative group; source of grant money in question

By Tom Travis This article has been updated on Oct 8, 2020 to include the motion filed in Federal Court.  A conservative group called Election Integrity Fund is suing the City of Flint over a $475,000 grant for the City Clerk’s office to use in the Fall election season. EVM reported last month that the Flint City Clerk’s office had applied and received this grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life. Various media outlets are reporting that the grant money came from a personal contribution from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg...

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Flint School Board to close Northwestern except for Central Kitchen

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Flint School Board to close Northwestern except for Central Kitchen

By Harold C. Ford “The big question: What to do with Northwestern?” … Carrie Sekelsky, FCS executive director of finance, Sept. 9, 2020 “N-Dub” is the nickname proud graduates of Flint’s Northwestern High School often use to reference their alma mater, including a former colleague of this writer.  Wildcat pride has been obscured, however, by the financial dilemma the Northwestern campus has become for Flint Community Schools (FCS). For more than a year, FCS leaders have wrestled with possible uses for the deteriorated facility. What to do...

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Today is “Count Day” for Flint Schools; “We want to make sure that all of our scholars are online, engaged, and connected.”…Anita Steward, Flint Community Schools superintendent

Posted by on 1:18 PM in Analysis, Features, Local News | Comments Off on Today is “Count Day” for Flint Schools; “We want to make sure that all of our scholars are online, engaged, and connected.”…Anita Steward, Flint Community Schools superintendent

Today is “Count Day” for Flint Schools; “We want to make sure that all of our scholars are online, engaged, and connected.”…Anita Steward, Flint Community Schools superintendent

By Harold C. Ford “Wednesday, October 7 – Count Day”: That’s the message that greets visitors to the website of Flint Community Schools (FCS) as the number of students present and accounted for on this day will determine the initial amount of state aid received by local school districts in the state of Michigan. “Every student we get in attendance, we get roughly $8,000 for that pupil,” said FCS Superintendent Anita Steward in an interview with East Village Magazine (EVM). “And that is what we use to be able to educate our...

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$2.5 million in grants available for “communities of color” with Friday deadline

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$2.5 million in grants available for “communities of color” with Friday deadline

A fund of $2.5 million is being made available to Genesee County nonprofit organizations identified as addressing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on African American and Latinx residents,  according to a Wednesday press release from The Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF). The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. According to the press release,  funding for this Rapid Response Initiative comes from a grant from the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). Grants for communities of color with disparate impacts due to...

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Commentary: Beyond Biden and Trump, who else and what else is there in Election 2020?

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Commentary:  Beyond Biden and Trump, who else and what else is there in Election 2020?

      By Paul Rozycki             Who’s your choice — Trump or Biden? Sometimes it seems like the only thing on the ballot this year is Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden.  It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing an ad for either candidate.  We’ve all felt the impact of the most divisive presidential contest in our lifetimes. With a month to go, it seems that this is the most important and critical presidential election in our lifetimes. The vacancy created by the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underscores the...

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Mayor Neeley responds to Michigan Supreme Court ruling against Gov Whitmer

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Mayor Neeley responds to Michigan Supreme Court ruling against Gov Whitmer

By Tom Travis Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley Monday urged residents and businesses “to continue following all recommended precautions against the spread of COVID-19,” following a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s actions to attempt to control COVID-19. Whitmer’s executive order powers were slashed by the highest court in the State on Friday. The Michigan Supreme Court, which leans Republican, wrote in its remarks in the ruling  “We conclude that, the Governor lacked the...

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Flint city clerk reports 15,000 absentee ballots mailed out; extended and weekend hours offered for voters

Posted by on 12:38 PM in Analysis, Coronavirus, Features, Local News | Comments Off on Flint city clerk reports 15,000 absentee ballots mailed out; extended and weekend hours offered for voters

Flint city clerk reports 15,000 absentee ballots mailed out; extended and weekend hours offered for voters

By Tom Travis Over fifteen thousand absentee ballot applications have been processed and ballots have been mailed out so far from the Flint City Clerk’s office, and extended weekly hours and Saturday and Sunday hours continue to be made available for voting,  according to a press release issued from the clerk’s office Friday. The clerk’s office also has hired additional staff in preparation for the first presidential general election during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release. City Clerk Inez Brown told City...

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Hundreds of area small businesses and non-profits awarded $2.34 million in grants

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Hundreds of area small businesses and non-profits awarded $2.34 million in grants

Today, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) announced that 236 small businesses and nonprofits in Flint and Genesee County were awarded grants totaling more than $2.34 million through the Michigan Small Business Restart Program. The grantees were among the more than 11,300 organizations statewide that received grants announced in a press release today from Bob Campbell, Senior Communications Manager of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce. 1,950 jobs retained for Flint & Genesee employees In Genesee County, the grants,...

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East Village Magazine – October 2020

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East Village Magazine – October 2020

The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here: Click to access EVM-10.20_web.pdf

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City Council beat: City collected $31 million in property taxes and $2.9 million in income taxes in first months of fiscal year

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City Council beat:  City collected $31 million in property taxes and $2.9 million in income taxes in first months of fiscal year

By Tom Travis The City of Flint has collected $2.9 million in income taxes and $31 million in property taxes only a few months into the FY 2021 budget year, according to Amanda Trujillo, City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, in a report to the Flint City Council Monday. Trujillo added that the city is projecting to collect $56 million in property taxes by the end of the fiscal year. Trujillo went on to explain that $56 million is the total property taxes collected by the city for all the millages. She said the city is essentially a pass...

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Mayor Neeley speaks about Breonna Taylor ruling; the community protests

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Mayor Neeley speaks about Breonna Taylor ruling; the community protests

By Tom Travis In a statement issued Friday, Mayor Sheldon Neeley denounced the outcome of the Breonna Taylor case, in which a grand jury ruled to not indict any of the officers involved in the shooting death of Taylor, 26, in her home in Louisville, Kentucky March 13. “It is such a deep and powerful pain we feel in part because it feels self-evident that the shooting death of Ms. Taylor was wrong. The conscience of America is at stake,”  Neeley stated.  “Ms. Taylor’s death has weighed heavily on this nation. As a...

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Judge Bell grants most ACLU complaints; Flint voters still holding their breath with election season underway

Posted by on 10:13 PM in Analysis, Features, Local News | Comments Off on Judge Bell grants most ACLU complaints; Flint voters still holding their breath with election season underway

Judge Bell grants most ACLU complaints; Flint voters still holding their breath with election season underway

By Tom Travis Flint voters have been given some reassurance about safeguarding election processes by the 7th Circuit Court, where Judge Celeste Bell has granted the bulk of the relief sought by the American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU) and five Flint voters against Flint City Clerk Inez Brown. In the end, after a series of motions and hearings over the summer, Judge Bell granted most of the requests sought by the ACLU, agreeing from the evidence presented there were problems in the handling of absentee applications, including delayed mailing...

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City Clerk’s office receives $475K grant for fall election season; Council approves eight appointments

Posted by on 8:10 PM in Analysis, Features, Local News | Comments Off on City Clerk’s office receives $475K grant for fall election season; Council approves eight appointments

City Clerk’s office receives $475K grant for fall election season; Council approves eight appointments

By Tom Travis A $475,625  grant for the Flint City Clerk’s office  to provide additional ballot drop boxes, additional staffing, strengthened election security, and processing of absentee ballots has been approved by the Flint City Council. The grant, from the non-profit Center for Tech and Civic Life , comes on the heels of 7th Circuit Court Judge Celeste Bell ruling on complaints about voting and ballot processes from the American Civil Liberties Untion (ACLU) and five Flint voters against City Clerk Inez Brown. Brown explained to the...

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Shelter of Flint announces new president/CEO

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Shelter of Flint announces new president/CEO

Linda Bielskis has been appointed president and CEO of Shelter of Flint by the agency’s board of directors. Bielskis, who has 25 years’ experience in non-profit social service organizations  joined Shelter of Flint on an interim basic March 2 as part of a transition plan after the retirement of Anne Grantner.  She is a longtime Shelter board member and former chair. “As we move forward in these uncertain times, the Board is fully committed to the future and success of the Shelter,” according to Shelter Board Chair Michael...

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VP nominee Sen. Kamala Harris makes first campaign stop in Flint; visits local businesses and Farmers Market

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VP nominee Sen. Kamala Harris makes first campaign stop in Flint; visits local businesses and Farmers Market

By Paul Rozycki Greeted with cheers of “Kamala, Kamala,” and “Welcome to Flint,” Democratic vice- presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris began her Michigan campaign tour Tuesday, with a stop in Flint.  She visited the new Comma Bookstore near Buckham Alley before walking to the Farmers’ Market surrounded by media, Secret Service, and enthusiastic supporters. A modest crowd that waited over an hour to greet her at the Comma Bookstore, grew as she walked towards the Farmers’ Market. Along the way she stopped at the Capitol Theater to...

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St. Paul’s Episcopal Sunday concert cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns

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St. Paul’s Episcopal Sunday concert cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns

The first concert scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27 in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church recently resurrected live music series has been called off, Rector Dan Scheid announced today. “I regret to inform  East Village Magazine readers that the recital scheduled for this Sunday, Sept. 27 is cancelled,”  Scheid posted on Facebook. “This is due to the continued response to Covid-19, taking into account the governor’s orders and the directives from the Episcopal Dioceses in Michigan,”  Scheid said. “We are so...

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Pipeline replacement deadline Sept. 18, FNU reminds residents; census, blight, COVID testing, placemaking also discussed

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Pipeline replacement deadline Sept. 18, FNU reminds residents;  census, blight, COVID testing, placemaking also discussed

By Coner Segren Reminders of the Sept. 18 pipeline replacement deadline, COVID-19 testing sites, the census, placemaking projects featuring porches, and ongoing efforts against blight were the main topics of discussion of the Sept. 12 meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) conducted via Zoom because of the pandemic. The meeting was moderated by Theresa Roach, program director of the  Crim Foundation;  and Lucille James, FNU vice-president; with the assistance of FNU president Carma Lewis. Sept. 18 deadline for lead pipe replacement The...

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