New state park will bring “stability” and “open up the river to the community,” Michigan DNR Director says
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council approved a resolution Monday night to allow the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to invest $30.2 million in establishing a state park along much of the Flint River. The park is envisioned to encompass 230...
Flint Council approves $8.6 million from ARPA funds to provide a $300 credit to every Flint water customer
By Tom Travis This article has been updated to include new developments in a press release from the Mayor's office on Friday afternoon, 9/30/22 - EVM Editors City council has passed an $8.6 million resolution, funded out of the $94 million ARPA (American Rescue Plan...
Village Life: Romance of city life sometimes falls short, but neighborly life can be full of grace
By Jan Worth-Nelson When I’m dying, will I be able to mutter to my grieving loved ones, hey! I’m glad I lived in Flint? I know, I know, macabre thought…but as fall crisps in with its inevitable melancholy reminders of the cycle of life and death, I find myself...
Flint Repertory Theatre kicks off 2022-23 season with Death of a Salesman
By Patsy Isenberg Arthur Miller’s 1949 Death of a Salesman opened Sept. 23 to a full house of enraptured theatergoers at Flint's Repertory Theatre (The Rep). For this opening night of the new season, food and drinks were served before the play began and a champagne...
Education Beat: Chaotic Ed Board meetings in September draw ire from Flint Schools staff
By Harold C. Ford “The whole is less than the sum of its parts.” –from Edgar Morin’s La Methode La Nature de la Nature, 2017 Only 55 seconds into the Flint Board of Education’s (FBOE) first of three September meetings – a Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Sept....
“Game changers” for City of Flint: Mayor touts blight, ARPA funds, proposed water credit, infrastructure
By Tom Travis This article has been updated to include the correct amount of the C.S. Mott Foundation grant towards the Hasselbring and the Brennan Community Centers from $300,000 to $750,000. The Hasselbring Center will receive $450,000 and the Brennan Center will...
Commentary: What’s at stake on the Nov. 8 ballot? Here’s a preview
By Paul Rozycki It’s common to refer to every upcoming election as “the most important election” of our times. Most of the time that’s just political rhetoric to get people out to vote. Yet, this Nov. 8 mid-term election may be the exception to that old rubric. Yes,...
The East Village Magazine – September 2022
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/2022/08/EVM_Sept_22.pdf" attachment_id="31338" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true...
“Their swift action and smooth response ensured the safety and availability of Flint’s drinking water was undisturbed” – EPA Region 5 Director Debra Shore
By Tom Travis On the heels of a major GLWA water line break in mid-August, a federal representative, EPA Region-5 Administrator, Debra Shore, toured the Flint Water Plant and praised the Flint Water Department staff. The EPA's Region 5 is the largest of its 10...
“I was tired of seeing the same thing – This is why I buy cars like this” 18th Back to the Bricks is in the books
By Tom Travis [This article has been updated to include new statistics about the 2022 Back to the Bricks event from Executive Director, Amber Taylor. Also, more photos have been added.] Five years ago James and Pam Bogart of Flushing were riding their Harleys near...
Commentary: The Tom Sumner Program leaves a history of civil conversation in an uncivil time
By Paul Rozycki After a decade and a half of giving Flint area listeners hours of civil and wide-ranging conversations in politics, music, science, writing, and the arts, Tom Sumner has decided to end his radio program. It has run on WFOV 92.1 FM in Flint. In his...
Education Beat : Tumult continues on Flint ed board as president, treasurer tossed
By Harold C. Ford “Here we go again.” – Joyce Ellis-McNeal after being removed as Flint Board of Education president, Aug. 17 The tumultuous nature of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) was, once again, on full display at the panel’s 3.5-hour Aug. 17 meeting as Joyce...
“What’s next? What do we do with all this?” Tracee Glab, new FIA executive director, welcomes new era
By Tom Travis "The arts have meant a lot in terms of transforming my life. I grew up in the southwest Detroit, immigrant neighborhood -- mostly Italians, in the shadow of the Ford Rouge Plant. A lot of people that lived in my neighborhood worked at Ford or for...
Totem Books hosts Carrie Walling’s “Human Rights and Justice for All” book launch
By Paul Rozycki Carrie Booth Walling introduced her new book “Human Rights and Justice for All: Demanding Dignity in the United States and Around the World” at a well-attended kickoff event Thurs. Aug. 11, at Totem Books in Flint. Dawn Jones of ABC 12 TV conducted...
Education Beat: Staff shortages at Flint schools at a “critical” stage
By Harold C. Ford “Teachers are walking away.” -- Joyce Ellis McNeal, president, Flint Board of Education The central issue at a four-hour Flint Board of Education (FBOE) Committee of the Whole meeting Aug. 10 was the “critical” shortage of candidates to fill vacant...
Art Review: “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” explored at latest Mott-Warsh exhibit
By Harold C. Ford “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” is the current exhibit at the Mott-Warsh (MW) Gallery, 815 S. Saginaw St. (corner of Court and Saginaw streets), Flint. The exhibit ends Aug. 20. According to Stephanie James, director and curator of the...
City’s financial peril thwarted with $220 million boost from State coffers
By Tom Travis An infusion of $220 million into the city's coffers from the State Treasury will give enduring relief to the city's finances. On July 6, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced the City of Flint will receive $220 million from State budget allocations to fund the...
City Council Beat: Lead line replacements and restorations to begin as council approves $17.8-million contract
By Tom Travis City of Flint residents can expect remaining lead line replacements and restorations to sidewalks, curbs and yards to begin in the coming weeks. At its Monday meeting, the city council approved a $17.8 million contract with LGC Global, based in Detroit,...
Sports Beat: Flint City Bucks booted from USL2 Semifinal after strong season
By Harold C. Ford The Flint City Bucks soccer club was booted from the United States League Two (USL2) semifinal in Des Moines by Ventura County Fusion FC (football club) July 31. The California club prevailed 2-1 and will host the championship match Aug. 6. Ventura...
Election Beat: Primary voters choose nominees — Neeley, Weaver, Dixon win, advance to November
By Paul Rozycki The August primary election in Genesee County saw nearly 23 percent of voters cast ballots as they chose the nominees for the November election. That is slightly higher than the average turnout for most August primaries county-wide. However, the Flint...
Education Beat: Flint Board of Education — Some good news stories and some same old stories
By Harold C. Ford [Editors’ Note: Harold C. Ford, East Village Magazine’s (EVM) education reporter, had intended to write a July piece featuring some good news stories he’d collected about Flint Community Schools (FCS) in the past few months. But, alas, the Flint...
The East Village Magazine – August 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: East Village Magazine - August 2022 [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/EVM-Aug-22.pdf" attachment_id="30600"...
Village Life: At 76, he’s run marathons in all 50 states and the Great Wall of China
By Tom Travis From the Great Wall of China to the Hoover Dam, Ortonville resident Jay Cummings, 76, experiences life 26 miles at a time -- again and again. A retired United Church of Christ minister, he's a devoted marathon runner who finds the discipline of his...
Neeley, Weaver, and Mays respond to voters’ questions at Mott Park forum
By Paul Rozycki With a forum that could have been titled “Two Mayors and Mays,” incumbent Mayor Sheldon Neeley, former Mayor Karen Weaver, and city council member Eric Mays responded to questions from a standing-room-only audience of Mott Park residents for more than...
Sports Beat: Flint City Bucks power into playoffs, Central Conference Championship match vs. Des Moines Menace July 29
By Harold C. Ford * * * * * United States League Two Central Conference Championship Flint City Bucks at Des Moines Menace Friday, July 29, 8:15 p.m. EDT Valley Stadium, 4400 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA 50265 Online video transmission at uslleaguetwo.com * *...
