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 * *...
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...
