Education Beat Flint Board of Education: Some same old stories and some good news stories
By Harold C. Ford [Editors’ Note: The Flint Board of Education (FBOE) meeting witnessed on July 20 was troubling to cover for Harold C. Ford, East Village Magazine’s (EVM) education reporter. For purposes of readability and thematic tidiness, EVM is dividing this...
In praise of (good) politicians
By Paul Rozycki “Politics is more difficult than physics.” -Albert Einstein Last month’s East Village Magazine was devoted to the idea of good governance and the problems with dysfunctional government in Genesee County, as we took a look at the Flint City Council, the...
Sports Beat: Flint City Bucks Power into Playoffs with 6-0 Romp over Midwest United
By Harold C. Ford * * * * * United States League Two Central Conference Quarterfinals Friday, July 22, 2022; 4 and 7 p.m.; Atwood Stadium, Flint Chicago FC United vs. Peoria City, 4 p.m. Flint City Bucks vs. South Bend Lions, 7 p.m. General admission tickets: $10 for...
Re-made Sloan Museum of Discovery opens doors to “more voices lifted up,” inspiration for math and science, enriched local history
By Jan Worth-Nelson Three years after a groundbreaking at which a host of dignitaries foresaw local opportunities to champion science and history, the promise has been delivered. The newly renamed Sloan Museum of Discovery opened its doors to the public July 16 after...
The East Village Magazine – July 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/2022/07/EVM-July-22.pdf" attachment_id="29938" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true...
Village Life: It’s too hot for lies and threats to democracy, even for journalists here at home
By Jan Worth-Nelson Today’s it’s 95 degrees outside and the AC is rumbling like a 19th century train. I’m passing on taking my daily walk, and I hurry outside only briefly to add water to the bird bath, hoping all the creatures will find a cool retreat. I’m...
Legendary Golden Leaf club receives new mural as part of Flint City Mural Festival
By Tom Travis Finishing a vividly bright mural at Flint's famed Golden Leaf Club, Florida visual artist Zulu Painter declared, "Hopefully I can pay homage to all the legendary acts here and the energy itself that's here that's gone on for over 100 years. It's an honor...
Commentary: Good governing betrayed by “knuckleheads”– the public urgently needs better
By Tom Travis This is not the usual city council article. No "news" here, just observations and commentary from a local city government beat community journalist. As editor, and supported by the board of East Village Magazine, this entire issue is dedicated to...
Education Beat Analysis/Commentary: Monumental challenges for Flint Schools; progress slowed by instability
By Harold C. Ford [Editor’s note: For this special "good governance" issue of East Village Magazine, we have invited Education Beat writer Harold C. Ford, who's been covering the Flint Board of Education for more than five years, to submit not just a factual report...
The East Village Magazine – June 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/2022/06/EVM_June_22.pdf" attachment_id="29677" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px...
What’s on the Aug. 2 primary ballot? Here’s a preview from state to city
By Paul Rozycki The upcoming Aug.2 primary election is only weeks away and, if this year is like most, we will have a light turnout for our summer election as voters are otherwise occupied with travel plans, cookouts, and staying cool. Yet this primary may be more...
Commentary: Good government isn’t easy. It’s up to all of us to make it work
By Paul Rozycki When Flint School Board President Danielle Greene [allegedly] assaulted board Treasurer Laura McIntyre during a Flint Community School Board meeting last March, the school board accomplished something that few thought humanly possible. If even for a...
“Can You Help Me Tie My Shoes?” Local young author promotes her new book at Flint Farmers Market
By Tom Travis Aspiring eight-year-old author, Taylor Grundy, carefully stacked a dozen or so of her books in a rack that sat on a long white table at the Flint Farmers' Market. Straightening some matching bookmarks, she sat smiling with her mom, Leslie Grundy. As...
“Blight elimination” top priority in Mayor’s plan to allocate $94 million ARPA funds
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his administration outlined a proposal to allocate the $94 million American Rescue Plan funds awarded to Flint in April 2021 at a special city council meeting Monday. The proposal calls for $69.5 million of the funds to be used...
Education Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, Part Two — Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, unanimous adoption of Strategic Plan June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface By Harold C. Ford “It’s been going on for years and years – hostile work environment, hostile board environment.” –Joyce Ellis-McNeal,...
Education Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, from “uncommon civility” to “familiar tensions” Part One
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, board unanimously adopts Strategic Plan [Click here for Part Two, June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface] By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes, for the sake of the children, we have to put aside our personal philosophies and...
City Council tosses out months’ long investigative hearing on botched waste collection bid
By Tom Travis A botched bid for the city's waste collection contract in 2021, revealed in a June 2021 city council meeting, launched an investigative hearing that lasted nearly a year and over two different city councils. One year later, in Wednesday's Finance...
Review: Fantastic adaptation of “The Fantasticks” celebrates a new perspective
By Patsy Isenberg and Tom Travis A festive conclusion of The Rep’s final presentation of the season, The Fantasticks, opened to an appreciative full house Friday, June 3. The iconic musical is the longest-running production in the history of the American stage and...
Flint City Council passes $64 million “balanced” budget after Winfrey-Carter’s dramatic pause during rollcall vote
By Tom Travis In a dramatic and unprecedented vote, the city council passed a $64 million budget in its Monday meeting. According to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Robert Widigan, the budget allocates $64 million for the city's expenditures and is based on $50.7...
Review: Connor Coyne’s URBANTASM Book Four: THE SPRING STORM finishes the gripping allegory with a hammer blow
By Robert Thomas The publication of the fourth and final book of Flint author Connor Coyne’s serial novel, URBANTASM, marks the finale of his epic allegory set in the heart of the American Rust Belt in the fictional city of Akawe, Michigan, somewhere north of Detroit....
“At the Intersection” 182-year-old Flint congregation considers their place in the community
By Tom Travis As the congregation of St. Paul's Episcopal Church celebrates the 150th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone in 1872, they also are considering what it means to be "at the intersection" and what kinds of impact the church will and should have in...
Commentary: The legal road to Roe v. Wade and back: It’s more than just a court case
By Paul Rozycki Perhaps nothing illustrates both the legal and personal sides of the abortion issue better than two unrelated recent events. A few weeks ago, we learned that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to overturn a half century of protection for abortion rights,...
Education Beat : At May Flint School Board meetings, EDEP dismissed; no school closings or staff layoffs; infrastructure woes continue; intra-board tensions ongoing
By Harold C. Ford The May 11 and 18 meetings of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) – together lasting nearly 12 hours – began with purported good news that Flint Community Schools (FCS) had been released from the imposition of an enhanced deficit elimination plan...
FPL architect says “Libraries are the greatest act of love you can give your community” as area residents pour in
By Jan Worth-Nelson When Kay Schwartz and her crew of 31 staff and the library's board of trustees began the planning process seven years ago for the Flint Public Library's major renovation which culminated with a three-day opening celebration May 19-21, one value...
“A community jewel,” “Magnificent legacy, ” — Community leaders celebrate Flint Public Library reopening after $30 million renovation
By Jan Worth-Nelson "Wow!" "Awesome!" "Spectacular!" "A polished community jewel" "Wonderful" "A magnificent legacy" Speakers at the re-opening ceremony and ribbon cutting Thursday of the renovated Flint Public Library outdid each other with superlatives in...
