Education Beat: Flint School Board acts on new hires, infrastructure repair, temporary deficit relief, strategic plan
By Harold C. Ford In a five-and-a-half hour meeting ending at midnight Feb. 9, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) worked its way through a packed agenda and acted on a half-dozen key matters. The board's actions covered new hires and compensation packages; critical...
Commentary: Addressing Flint’s racial and economic inequities should be top priority for $94.7 million ARPA funds use
By Linda Pohly On June 1, 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd murder and during the early days of the COVID -19 pandemic, the city council and mayor of Flint adopted a joint resolution declaring that racism is a public health crisis and setting out a plan for...
Five proposed Flint redistricting maps to be considered by Flint Election Commission at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
By Tom Travis The Flint Election Commission has announced a meeting regarding the redrawing of city ward boundaries (redistricting) for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. The meeting will be held in City Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 1101 South Saginaw...
City Council Beat: Children’s Museum explores new property despite pot facility near by; Flint Police and Fire employees granted premium pay
By Tom Travis The city council Monday unanimously approved an MOU (memorandum of understanding) allowing the Flint Children's Museum (FCM) to purchase from the City of Flint the "old Farmer's Market" property on E. Boulevard Drive. The council also approved a...
Vista gallery, drop-in center provide nurturing space for “healing and trust,” access to resources
By Madeleine Graham Nestled into a corner of the J.C. Penney wing of the Genesee Valley Mall is an art gallery that provides a nurturing environment for those with disabilities, including mental health issues. It is called the Vista Visions Art Gallery, also known as...
Commentary: How COVID has changed us, and what it means for East Village Magazine
By Paul Rozycki It’s been two years. March 10, 2020. That was the day when Michigan saw its first two COVID cases. Ironically, it was also an election day, and the beginning of the widespread shutdown of much public activity in the state. Within days, colleges and...
Profile: “What if he had opened his eyes?” Kelsey Ronan on grief, healing, breaking a curse in “Chevy in the Hole”
By Jan Worth-Nelson Twelve years ago, Kelsey Ronan found her longtime partner Bryan dead of a heroin overdose in their Flint apartment. Out of what she describes as an onslaught of grief, anger, loss, and finally, a hard-won, unsentimental hope, the novel Chevy in...
Book review: Flint, perplexing attractions loom large in Kelsey Ronan’s “thoughtful, fascinating” debut novel “Chevy in the Hole”
By Bob Campbell Reading Chevy in the Hole, the debut novel by Flint-native Kelsey Ronan, a question continued to nag me: What did Monae see in August that would allow such a relationship to take root? He’s a nerdy, recovering drug addict who nearly died after...
The East Village Magazine – February 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/EVM_Feb2022.pdf" attachment_id="26479" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=true...
Flint Registry reports 16,000 people enrolled in first four years
By Tom Travis As of July 31, 2021, just over 16,000 people have enrolled in the Flint Registry. Nearly 70 percent of those are adults, according numbers just released in a report documenting The Registry's first four years of service. The oldest participant is 104...
American democracy is facing serious threats. Let’s make sure it survives.
By Paul Rozycki “The ship of democracy, which has weathered all storms, may sink through the mutiny of those on board.” -Grover Cleveland “While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile”....
Despite public opposition, plans for Ajax Asphalt plant move forward
By Harold C. Ford Public opposition and appeals to state and Federal regulatory agencies have thus far failed to derail plans for an asphalt plant in Genesee Township very near northeast Flint. An air permit was approved by the Michigan Department of Environment,...
“Sons: Seeing the Modern African American Male” exhibition opens at the Flint Institute of Arts
By Tom Travis Aiming to go beyond a photographic study, photographer Jerry Taliaferro hopes his exhibit will help the community explore "perceptions and biases" towards Black men. "Recent events point to the urgent need for conversations about the contemporary Black...
Education Beat: Audits point to short-term relief, long-term challenges for Flint Community Schools
By Harold C. Ford ‘You’re definitely not going to be in excellent financial shape for a long time.” – Holly Stefanski, assurance manager, Plante Moran Flint Community Schools (FCS) can expect a rosier financial picture in the short-term due to an infusion of Federal...
“Knuckleheads” comment sparks rancor, debate among city council
By Tom Travis No action was taken by design at Wednesday's five-hour plus meeting of the Flint City Council . But the night was filled with verbal sparks flying and contentious moments as many council members sparred and jabbed each other with "point of order" and...
The East Village Magazine – December 2021 and January 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EVM_Dec_21_Jan22_web.pdf" attachment_id="26202" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true...
Family Flu and COVID Vaccination Day, Saturday, Jan. 22 – hosted by Hamilton Community Health Network
By Tom Travis On Saturday, Jan. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hamilton Community Health Network will host a free COVID and flu vaccine event for families. The Family Vaccination Day will be held at 2900 N. Saginaw St. in Flint. No appointment is necessary, however,...
Education Beat: Leadership teams reshaped at Flint Community Schools — McIntosh out, Green in as board president, Jones proposes new look for central administration team
By Harold C. Ford The frequent makeover of board and administrative leadership teams at Flint Community Schools (FCS) was front and center at the board’s annual organization meeting Jan. 12. Danielle Green replaced Carol McIntosh as the school board’s president. Joyce...
Writer Gary Gildner looks back on a Flint that “gave joy to my youth”
By Jan Worth-Nelson To understand how writer Gary Gildner feels about his Flint childhood in the 1950s, some Latin is in order. Flint -- specifically Flint's legendary Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and school and its devoted diaspora -- is at the heart of the second...
Flint Water Warriors remember Tony Palladeno, silenced by COVID
By Ben Pauli Contributing Flint Water Warriors include Joelena Freeman, Rhonda Kelso, Gina Luster, Vicki Marx, Melissa Mays, Colette Metcalf, Trina Redner, Christina Sayyae, Dan Scheid, Bruce Stiers, Andrea Watson, Tonya Williams, Deb Conrad and Maegan Wilson. On...
City Council approves one year contract for ARPA compliance firm
By Tom Travis In an 8-0 vote the City Council Monday approved a one-year contract for $1,150,650 with compliance firm Ernst & Young for the disbursement of the $94 million American Rescue Plan (ARP) stimulus money. Councilperson Dennis Pfeiffer had left after the...
Remembering and Honoring Oaklin Mixon
By Jan Worth-Nelson Editor's note: East Village Magazine (EVM), along with the Flint community, mourn the loss of Oaklin Mixon due to COVID. Oaklin was an entrepreneurial force and friend to all. To honor Oaklin EVM offers this brief narrative written in 2017 by Jan...
Guest Commentary: Thanks for the early Christmas gift – air pollutants and toxins
By Ted Zahrfeld Thank you for the early Christmas “gift,” Governor, Michigan “EGLE” Director, Genesee Township Zoning, and Ajax CEO, of allowing a polluting asphalt plant in our poorest Flint neighborhood. This “gift” will bring and keep on giving air pollutants,...
Re-greening Flint: New city trees coming next spring via Mott Foundation grant
By Jan Worth-Nelson Last year, in light of threats from an aging tree canopy in the city, the C.S. Mott Foundation contributed $208,000 to the Genesee Conservation District (GCD) to remove more than 330 dangerously cracked and dead trees in the traffic islands,...
Behind the Walls: Inside the criminal justice system to hold town hall meeting
By Tom Travis The Behind the Walls: Inside the Criminal Justice System organization will be hosting a town hall zoom meeting from 12 noon to 1 p.m. (EST) Saturday, Dec. 18. The town hall will be hosted by Michael Anderson, founder and executive director of Behind the...
