Passed over by state in December, Flint public schools seek debt relief
By Harold C. Ford “Change must happen in Flint Community Schools, but we cannot do it alone.” – Kevelin Jones, superintendent, Flint Community Schools, Jan. 26, 2024 press statement Six financially distressed school systems in Michigan stand to benefit from debt...
Rep. Dan Kildee announced as next leader of Community Foundation of Greater Flint
By Kate Stockrahm The Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF) announced today the selection of soon-to-be-retired U.S. Representative Dan Kildee as its next president and CEO. In a press release on Feb. 9, 2024, CFGF noted that Kildee's selection followed "an...
Flint Councilman Quincy Murphy schedules 3rd Ward Town Hall event
By EVM Staff Flint City Councilman Quincy Murphy will host a town hall event for 3rd Ward residents on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 at 5 p.m. According to Murphy's announcement, the town hall will be held at Lakeview Grill, located at 2713 Layton Blvd. During the event, the...
Catholic Charities receives $500k grant to support bungalow development for unhoused veterans in Flint
By Kate Stockrahm Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties has received a $500,000 grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to support the creation of a housing development for local veterans. The overall $3.5 million development, called Sacred...
Genesee Health Plan, Huntington Bank to provide free financial literacy classes
By EVM Staff Genesee Health Plan (GHP) will provide two free financial literacy classes with Huntington Bank through its emPOWER Genesee program this month. The first class, "Recovering from the Holidays" will take place on Thursday, Feb. 8. The second, "Getting your...
The East Village Magazine – January / February 2024
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EVM_Jan_Feb24.pdf" attachment_id="41549" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true...
City of Flint to offer cash for guns at buyback event while state police work on destruction solution
By Kate Stockrahm The City of Flint Police Department will offer residents cash for guns turned in during a gun bounty event on Feb. 3, 2024. The buyback, which will take place from 12 to 5 p.m. at Cathedral of Faith Church, is the first the city will host since a New...
Testing the bonds of brotherhood: ‘Into the Side of a Hill’ premieres at Flint Rep this weekend
By Canisha Bell “Into the Side of a Hill,” a play about the bonds and bounds of fraternity brotherhood by nationally-acclaimed playwright James Anthony Tyler, will make its world premiere at the FIM Flint Repertory Theatre on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Developed during the...
Kate Stockrahm joins East Village Magazine as new editor
By Jan Worth-Nelson Kate Stockrahm, an experienced journalist already well-attuned to issues in the Flint community, has joined East Village Magazine (EVM) as editor, the publication's board of trustees have announced. Stockrahm, 32, a Dearborn, Mich. native, came to...
Flint ReCAST mini-grant applications open for 2024
By EVM Staff Local nonprofits can now apply for this year’s Flint Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) mini-grants of $5,000 to $25,000. Flint ReCAST grants are awarded annually and meant to support evidence-based violence prevention and youth...
Mott Community College receives $340k grant to increase students’ degree, certificate completion rates
By EVM Staff Mott Community College (MCC) today announced a $340,000 grant to support increased degree and certificate completion for the college’s adult students. According to a press release on Jan. 29, 2024, MCC plans to use the grant, awarded by the Charles...
MTA seeks public feedback about routes, sets six meeting dates
By Kate Stockrahm The Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking public feedback as part of an ongoing fixed route study. The study, originally announced in June 2022, aims to understand how the MTA’s 14 primary routes serve the Flint community after recent...
Five candidates certified for 7th, 9th Ward council elections, Worthing opts out
By Kate Stockrahm Five candidates are now certified for this year’s 7th and 9th Ward Flint City Council elections. Flint City Clerk Davina Donahue confirmed today that two candidates will be vying for the 7th Ward seat, and three candidates are in the race for the...
“Building the Dream”: Mayor Neeley partners with Financial Plus to help Flint kids access bank accounts
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is launching a new partnership with Financial Plus Credit Union to expand a youth financial literacy program for Flint kids. The "Building the Dream" program began with Mayor Neeley challenging Flint schoolchildren to fill up piggy banks,...
MTA offers free fare MONDAY Jan. 15 in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
By Miriam Zayadi The Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) in Flint is providing free fare for local Fixed Route and Your Ride services Monday, tomorrow, Jan.15, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to a press release from the MTA. The Free Fare Day offer...
Commentary: 2024 ushers in “interesting” times — will it also bring a curse?
By Paul Rozycki As the 2024 election year begins it reminds one of the ancient curse, often attributed to the Chinese, which says “May you live in interesting times”, suggesting that those interesting times will arise from much conflict and turmoil. There is little...
Education Beat: Flint Schools start 2024 with new board president, two new rules for students, remodeled website
By Harold C. Ford Flint Community Schools (FCS) moved into 2024 with a new Flint Board of Education (FBOE) president, two new rules for students that ban possession of cellphones and hoodies, and a newly-remodeled website. President, vice president switch chairs;...
“Shadows of the 60s Motown Holiday Tribute”: Motown Magic coming to Flint
By Linkin Carlson and Miriam Zayadi The "Shadows of the 60s Motown Holiday Tribute," led by Motown legacy and visionary Dave Revels, is poised to ignite the spirit of holiday cheer in Flint on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. at the Flint Institute of Music Capitol...
Commentary: You can’t “right size” a district by only closing buildings
Guest commentary by Paul Jordan To survive in the long term, the Flint district must provide every neighborhood with a local elementary school. Children can be well-educated in buildings that consist of only a few classrooms. (My parents, and perhaps yours, were...
Downtown parking update: 4,200 tickets issued per month, 22 per cent disputed; cost/benefits to the city unclear
By Liz Ireland-Curtis Continuing downtown metered parking, despite being extremely unpopular with the public, appears to be supported by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). But the cost-benefit to the city is unclear, an ongoing investigation by East Village...
$324,000 grant allows for open enrollment for health care through Genesee Health Plan
By Miriam Zayadi GHP offers aid to community with CMS grant Genesee Health Plan (GHP) is set to aid residents of Genesee, Saginaw, and Bay County with their 2024 open enrollment from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, 2024. Funded by a $324,365 grant from the Centers for Medicare and...
Education Beat Analysis: Flint School panel counters “we are the best board” after state superintendent warns there are too many buildings, financial crisis on horizon
By Harold C. Ford A takeaway that emerged from the Nov. 8 (Committee of the Whole or COW) and Nov. 15 (regular board meeting) meetings of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE): Link to Nov. 8 meeting Link to Nov. 15 meeting Michigan Superintendent of Instruction Michael...
The East Village Magazine – November / December 2023
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for downloading and viewing here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/EVM-Nov_Dec-23.pdf" attachment_id="40745" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px...
Review: “That’s My Moon Over Court Street — Dispatches from a Life in Flint” resonates with “improbable happiness” and moving beyond ghosts
By Robert Thomas That’s My Moon Over Court Street: Dispatches from a life in Flint is an intimate time capsule of a life in Flint composed of Jan Worth-Nelson’s collected columns from East Village Magazine, 2007- 2022. “My adult life in Flint,” she writes in her...
Commentary: The Flint water crisis criminal prosecution ends — landing another blow to the public trust
By Paul Rozycki What if the next winner of the Super Bowl was determined, not by players scoring touchdowns or field goals, but one team winning because of a referee’s ruling over someone being offside or taking too much time in the huddle? There would be an outcry...
