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“When we have a healthier population we have a healthier economy,” Gov. Whitmer said in Flint today
By Tom Travis Visiting the Hamilton Community Health Clinic on Flint’s north side today, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “When we have a healthier population we have a healthier economy.” To that end, Whitmer was at the Hamilton Clinic to announce her initiative called Healthy Moms Healthy Babies. She first announced the initiative in her State of the State address last month. The governor shared some troubling statistics. “We know that black women have a three times greater possibility of death by giving birth–A routine thing...
read moreWhen legends come to life: from zombies to vampires with the Goblin King Players
By Jerry Bradshaw A taste for zombies and a love of amusingly scaring people nurtured in a Flint coffee shop have hatched into a performing troupe that after just four years is selling out multiple shows in historic theaters around Michigan and even touring out of state. Kristina Lakey, a resident Flint artist and founder of the Flint Zombie Walk, formed her Flint-based company, the Goblin King Players, in 2016. “The impetus started at the Good Beans Café with the ‘Labyrinth’ burlesque show,” Lakey, 35, recalls. “We had three shows...
read moreConcerns about Michigan’s new auto insurance law to be aired at March 3 town hall
A public town hall on Michigan’s new auto insurance law has been scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint, 2474 S. Ballenger Hwy. Hosted by Lansing-based non-profit CPAN, until recently known as The Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault, along with the Flint chapter of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, the forum will present options the public may face when renewing auto insurance policies this July and how those decisions might impact a family and its financial future, planners said....
read moreReview: Buckham show shines light on primal obsessions of love and death
By Jeffery L Carey, Jr. “Besides Eros, then, there was a death drive.” ––Sigmund Freud Within humanity there seems to be an obsession with the concepts of love and death. This obsession worms its way into our stories, poems, and art, and has been doing so for over 35,000 years when a cave dweller carved the Venus of Hohle Fels out of the bone of a wooly mammoth. Buckham Gallery’s newest exhibit, Eros and Thanatos, shines a new light on this ancient obsession by featuring 62 themed pieces from around the United States. According to Buckham...
read moreCity Council Beat: Council acts on 11 resolutions, Mays ejected again
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley was not present Monday night at a special city council meeting that he had called. All nine councilpersons were present for the meeting, along with nearly 70 audience members, several media outlets, members of the city administration and even a U.S. presidential candidate. Neeley had called the special council meeting in a press release last week. (See EVM’s article about the press release and call for the meeting here. Neeley’s main reason for calling the meeting was his suggestion the council...
read moreOptions exist as deadlines approach for saving homes from tax foreclosures, county treasurer explains
By Tammy Beckett Relief is available for residents of the city in danger of losing their homes because of tax nonpayments, Deb Cherry, Genesee County Treasurer, explained in a presentation at the February meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU). Cherry described several programs available for homeowners in trouble and detailed requirements and upcoming deadlines. Applications for assistance are due by March 31. Delinquent taxes can create major problems, she noted. As of Feb. 28, any unpaid city taxes will be referred to the County...
read moreLeague of Women Voters gala celebrates 100 years with history, speeches, unveilings
By Jan Worth-Nelson The League of Women Voters of the Flint Area celebrated its 100th birthday at Factory One Friday night, Valentine’s Day, with a gala that offered a lot of love to democracy, to the vote, and to multiple accomplishments of women, including progress in reaching elected office at all levels. The theme of the celebration, “Empowering Voters: Defending Democracy,” drew support in remarks from a half-dozen speakers, including U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, Mayor Sheldon Neeley, County Commissioner Bryant Nolden, and...
read moreMayor Neeley makes a move, calling Flint City Council into session for unfinished business
By Tom Travis In an unusual move, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is hauling the Flint City Council into session at a special council meeting set for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb 17. In a press release issued by city administration, Neeley said, “It is critically important that city business be completed in a timely manner. This meeting is an opportunity for City Council to catch up and finish the work of the previous meeting so that city business does not fall further behind.” The most recent City Council meeting on Monday Feb. 10 lasted more than seven...
read moreFemale pianist, women composers featured Sunday, Feb 23, at Court Street United Methodist Church
An afternoon of music by all women composers performed by pianist Sandra Mogensen will be presented at Court Street United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb 23. This event, titled en pleine lumiere, is sponsored by an endowment of the Elton and Elsie West fund. The Wests are long time members of the church. For more information about the pianist visit sandramogensen.com.- EVM staff
read morePFAS actions, concerns aired in Kildee-sponsored phone town hall
By Jeffery L. Carey, Jr. Recently, Congress has taken action designed to protect Flint and the rest of Michigan’s drinking water from PFAS chemicals. House Democrat Dan Kildee of Michigan’s 5th Congressional district is leading that effort and cosponsored legislation called The PFAS Action Act. In a conference call town hall this week, Kildee described the bill he co-sponsored, along with efforts in general to stem PFAS pollution. Participants from Flint and around the state weighed in with numerous questions and concerns. According...
read moreCity Council Beat: Police Chief Hart hired through August; residents air pot ordinance concerns, complain about parking meters, Mays tells his side
By Tom Travis Flint’s legislative body, the Flint City Council, struggled to maintain democracy and a quorum Monday, even with new leadership in place, at a council meeting that lasted seven and a half hours. Two of the nine council members, Eva Worthing (9th Ward) and Herb Winfrey (6th Ward, were absent; Santino Guerra (3rd Ward) left midway through, and Eric Mays (1st Ward) repeatedly left his seat, walking around the council chamber or sitting with the audience. Maurice Davis (2nd Ward), special affairs committee chair and new vice...
read moreVillage Life: New life as community journalist opens up hard realities about Flint
By Tom Travis I have attempted to dissect the reasons why I chose to leave my job at 50 years old after more than 10 years. I think I’ve figured out the reasoning but it is deeply personal. And I’m more likely to tell you over a cup of coffee at Good Beans Cafe than in a published article. So let’s have coffee. In the meantime, I’m taking on a new adventure, as a community journalist here at East Village Magazine. In my career of being a journalist, now at seven months, I’ve learned so much. My journalistic mentor, the...
read moreNew Meter – New Start program to give residents fresh start on water bills with new meters
By Tom Travis Flint residents are being given a fresh start on their water bill amounts as a $9.2 million program to replace and install new water meters continues city-wide, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced at a press conference Friday. Joined by Flint City Council Vice President Maurice Davis (2nd Ward) and Councilperson Eva Worthing (9th Ward), Neeley announced an executive order to immediately offer adjustment to residents’ water bills in the transition to what he called the “New Meter – New Start” program. Under...
read moreEast Village Magazine – February 2020
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here: EVM_Feb_.2020
read moreCity Council Beat: Mays again makes dramatic exit from Council meeting, as the rest settle on leadership roles
By Tom Travis Eric Mays made a dramatic exit from the City Council again Wednesday night. This time he left on his own accord in a storm of yelling at the entire council. Business did return to normal with the departure of the First Ward councilperson, as the council voted on several ordinances to be moved to Monday’s council agenda. And new critical council leadership was voted on, nearly unanimously. A larger than usual crowd showed up for the bi-monthly Flint City Council Committee meetings. A crowd of about 50 residents, several media...
read moreFlint native Ninah Sasy to advise City of Flint as clean water public advocate
By Darlene C. Carey “Let’s get to work. Let’s move some dirt,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer encouraged at the 2020 State of the State address, urging transitional change throughout the State of Michigan. Whitmer discussed the need for outreach for new moms and families, especially in unrepresented and marginalized areas stating, “This year, my budget will include extension of health coverage for a full year for low income women who have had babies.” One action related to those goals is the appointment of Flint native Ninah Sasy, the state’s...
read more“Resilience” a pivotal story of Flint, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist says in City Hall visit
By Jan Worth-Nelson State of Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist said today under the dome in City Hall he has learned that “resilience is a matter of pride” in the city of Flint, and that is one of its messages to the rest of the country. Hosted by Mayor Sheldon Neeley for part of his daylong visit, Gilchrist came to City Hall as a kickoff of Black History Month and to learn about the city’s history from Neeley, a lifelong Flint resident. Meanwhile, the visit gave city officials and some in the community a chance to get...
read moreReview: Semaj Brown at the FIA a poet, a priestess, a force of nature borne of anger and love
By Jan Worth-Nelson In the opening of Semaj Brown’s Jan. 26 performance at the Flint Institute of Arts, FIA director John Henry described Brown, Flint’s first poet laureate, as a “science-driven author, dramatist, playwright, and educator who builds inter-disciplinary curriculum.” And since Brown’s appointment as poet laureate by former Mayor Karen Weaver last year, she has plunged with high-octane commitment, launching literacy programs throughout the city, corralling four Flint churches and a number of schools...
read more“Now is the time to stand for the earth,” award winner tells FRWC audience at “Voice of the River” celebration
By Jan Worth-Nelson On a gloomy late January evening when the national airwaves were flooded with endless reasons to despair, one of the award winners at the annual celebration of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) stood up and offered a startlingly different view. “I promise you, I have never been as hopeful as I am right now, right here,” said Linda Berker, a Davison attorney and mediator, named board member “emeritus” Thursday in honor of her 23 years of FRWC service. Active in the environmental movement...
read moreDangers of children using social media focus of Public Affairs Forum panel
By Jeffery L Carey Jr. The panelists were unanimous in their views Tuesday night as Flint educators discussed social media related to children and their education: even though it creates complications, can be dangerous and needs careful monitoring, it’s going to be there “until the power goes out.” Hosted by Flint Area Public Affairs Forum (FAPAF), the discussion at the Flint Public Library was sponsored by Baker College, Kettering University, Mott Community College, University of Michigan-Flint, Genesee Intermediate...
read moreRegistry extends $50 bonus through February for filling out surveys
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Flint Registry is extending a “thank you” offer to pay Flint residents $50 each to fill out a survey detailing their experiences during the Flint water crisis. The deadline for receiving the bonus is now Feb. 29, extended from the end of January. To enroll or learn more, information is available at flintregistry.org, by emailing CHM.Flint.Registry@msu.edu, or by calling (833) GO-FLINT. The Registry is a public health registry for anyone exposed to Flint water because they lived, worked, or attended school...
read moreIt’s beginning — Flint Public Library schedules renovation kickoff party Feb. 29
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Flint Public Library has scheduled a celebration of its last day before a major renovation, a kickoff party from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. After 60 years at its Kearsley Street location, the library will be undergoing a $27.6 million upgrade, facilitated by $16 million from major donors and by a bond approved by 68 percent of voters in November that will raise an additional $12.6 million. The building’s deterioration, along with a desire to bring it up to 21st century standards, is what propelled the successful...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint’s public schools face existential challenges
By Harold C. Ford “Education is the great equalizer…You can never bring families to Flint unless we improve the schools.” …Dana Dyson, Flint resident, Flint Board of Education meeting, Jan. 23, 2020 After seven meetings of its board of education in the first three weeks of calendar year 2020, Flint Community Schools (FCS) face an existential challenge probably unlike anything since the opening of Flint High School at S. Saginaw and Third Street in September of 1875, 145 years ago. At its most recent meeting on Jan. 23, the Flint school board...
read moreAnalysis: Bipartisanship the driving force in Michigan’s newly reformed no-fault auto insurance
By Jeffery L Carey, Jr. If you own and drive a vehicle in the Flint community, then you have likely grown accustomed to hefty insurance rates. This is because Michigan is the most expensive state for car insurance in all of the United States for the sixth consecutive year. “The Wolverine State,” described in Insure.com’s 2019 edition of, car insurance rates by state, “is in a league of its own when it comes to car insurance, with an average annual premium that is $313 higher than that of Louisiana, which ranked second. A Michigan car...
read moreMays ejected from Flint City Council meeting, stripped of leadership roles
By Tom Travis Eric Mays, the subject of ongoing controversy on the Flint City Council including a recent brouhaha when he made a Nazi salute and compared Council President Monica Galloway to Hitler, was ejected from the council meeting Monday night and then stripped of all leadership roles by unanimous vote of the remaining council members. The Special Affairs Committee and Flint City Council meeting lasted nearly six hours, and included the usual flared tempers and contentious behavior between council members. Galloway (7th Ward) had had...
read moreCCNA hears about leaf pickup options, city audit, Mott CC millage
By Tammy Beckett Neither bagging or raking leaves into the street are ideal solutions for one of autumn’s onerous chores, two representatives from the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) told residents of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA) at their regular meeting in January. In the past Flint has allowed people to rake leaves into the street, but that is no longer the policy. Instead, leaves must be bagged and picked up once per week in the fall. Some citizens have been advocating for the return to street...
read moreReview: MCC’s Fine Arts Gallery presents “Japan Rediscovered: Photographs by Hideki Kihata.
By Paul Rozycki This past month the Mott Community College Fine Arts Gallery presented an exhibition of photographs, titled “Japan Rediscovered: Photographs by Hideki Kihata.” Japanese-born photographer Hideki Kihata wrapped up the event Jan. 27 with a gallery talk to a room full of students, faculty and the public. Kihata, a Saginaw area photographer, is Art Department Chair and Professor of Art at Saginaw Valley State University. Though born in Japan, he has lived in the U.S. since he was 18. He initially was trained in painting, but...
read moreCommentary: Mott Park dog rescue puts focus on animal welfare needs
By Jessie Wilkie As a Flint resident, full-time employee, homeowner, taxpayer and animal lover, I am compelled to write about a recent event in the Mott Park neighborhood which relates back to the greater state of animal welfare in the city. On Sunday, Jan. 5, at around 7 p.m. I was contacted by a local animal rescue organization that I have donated to, fostered for and volunteered with in the past. The rescue needed help capturing a stray dog that had been hiding out in the gated maintenance area of the Mott Park Recreation Area. There had...
read moreAnalysis: Anti-Defamation League spokeswoman responds to “Nazi salute” flap
By Tom Travis Two weeks after Flint City Councilperson Eric Mays (1st Ward) gave a Nazi salute, clicked his heels in Nazi soldier style and called Council President Monica Galloway (7th Ward) Hitler, the community continues to try to make sense of what happened in that moment. Social media lit up with comments both in outrage and in support of the incident. Galloway was chided for what to some seemed her lack of response. A member of the community notified both the Jewish Federation of Flint and the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan...
read moreCensus “Mayoral Complete Count” effort kicks off — with $1,800 per person per year at stake
By Jan Worth-Nelson $1,800 per person per year. That is the key number in why the upcoming national census matters. As Flint city officials explained in a kickoff press conference Friday at City Hall, the census determines how $675 billion in federal dollars is distributed nationwide every year for the next 10 years. That means $1,800 per person per year. “Those are dollars that fund Head Start, road repairs, Medicaid, healthy school lunches and so much more. We need the whole community to come together to make sure we get our fair...
read moreHearing difficulties give young Flint artist a vision of inclusion
By Paul Rozycki Art historians say that Pablo Picasso began drawing at age seven, and produced his first painting at age nine. But Picasso may have nothing on Flint’s Karina Brown. The energetic, self-taught, fifteen- year-old artist who displayed her work at the Flint Public Library Jan. 25, started to draw at age three, and also did her first painting by age nine. Brown, a student at Mott Middle College, exhibited more than 20 of her works at a well-attended reception Saturday afternoon. Brown’s inspiration arose from major challenges she...
read moreCity Council beat: Mays offers “Nazi salute” statement after Davis calls him out; pot ordinance moving into hearings
By Tom Travis Five hours into a six-and-a-half-hour Flint City Council Committee meeting Jan. 22, Councilperson Eric Mays (1st Ward) made a statement to the community. It came following a week of upheaval over a Nazi salute he made in a public council meeting directed towards Council President Monica Galloway (7th Ward). It also came four and a half hours after Councilperson Maurice Davis (2nd Ward) publicly declared offensive statements by an elected official are “very concerning,” adding that anybody in a similar situation...
read more“Voice of the River” celebration Jan. 30 to honor Ridgway White, volunteers
The annual “Voice of the River” celebration of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) will this year honor Ridgway White, president and CEO of the C. S. Mott Foundation, “for his personal and professional dedication to ensuring safe, easy, and ample access to the Flint River.” The event, which also includes an overview of the Flint River and its watershed, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30 at Factory One, 303 W. Water St. Other features are a raffle, auction, and food provided by Redwood Steakhouse....
read more“Social media and children” topic of Flint Area Public Affairs Forum Tuesday Jan. 28
A panel of local experts on news, social media, psychology and children convene at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 28 at the Flint Public Library for a discussion titled “I Saw It On Snapchat: Social Media and Children.” The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Flint Area Public Affairs Forum, a community collaboration among local schools, colleges, universities, media, and the library to promote discourse on topics of local interest and concern. Moderator will be reporter Zahra Ahmad of The Flint Journal/M-Live....
read moreReview: Third “New Works Festival” offers variety, magic, music and stripped-down drama at The Rep
By Patsy Isenberg Bowhunting, autism, the Flint water crisis, and a love story triggered by a celestial event all made dramatic appearances in four plays-in-process offered to Flint theatre goers Jan. 17-19 when for the third year in a row. the Flint Repertory Theatre presented its New Works Festival. The event showcases new plays still in development. The playwrights, song writers and directors come from around the country, and work with local professional actors who read the plays sitting on folding chairs on a bare stage in the Elgood...
read moreCommentary: An open letter to my Republican friends
By Paul Rozycki To my Republican friends: While we may disagree on many things, there is no doubt that the Republican Party has a long and honorable history. It led the nation through a brutal civil war, ending slavery. It was an early advocate for civil rights and racial equality, in the years following that war. It has been a strong supporter of fiscal and personal responsibility, both within the government, and in personal lives. It has been the voice of those who wished to spread the American ideals of democracy and freedom around the...
read moreGalloway issues statement on Eric Mays’ behavior: “unacceptable”
By Jan Worth-Nelson In the wake of an uproar created by Flint City Councilman Eric Mays repeatedly displaying the Nazi salute at two council meetings this week and allusions to Council President Monica Galloway as Hitler, Galloway (Ward 7) released the following statement: “As the Flint City Council President, I want to say that, as a council, we do not condone nor support the inappropriate and insensitive remarks and behavior displayed by 1st Ward Councilman Eric Mays. It is my position that any statement or gesture that...
read moreReview: “Power, Participation, and Protest in Flint, Michigan” probed in Ashley Nickels’ enlightening new book
By Robert Thomas An abiding iconic Flint visual for me is the news photo of a child holding a protest sign stating the case for what happened in Flint: “I’ve been POISONED by Policy.” The photo quickly leads to the question: “How does that happen?” Ashley E. Nickels, a professor of political science at Kent State University, offers cogent insights in her book Power, Participation, and Protest in FLINT, MICHIGAN. The subtitle, Unpacking the Policy Paradox of Municipal Takeovers, reminded me of that child’s sign. I thought about how a...
read moreFlint councilperson Eric Mays repeatedly makes Nazi salutes at consecutive meetings; Jewish Federation responds
By Tom Travis and Melodee Mabbitt Flint City Councilperson Eric Mays repeatedly made Nazi salutes towards Council President Monica Galloway during and after two recent council meetings. The Jan. 15 special meeting of Flint City Council began with calls for apologies after Mays made Nazi salutes on the dais at the regular council meeting two days prior. During the Jan. 13 regular council meeting, Mays made a Nazi salute in response to Council President Monica Galloway’s ruling on an procedural issue. The councilperson sat up in his chair,...
read moreFlint City Council meeting marked by failed attempt to remove Mays, postponed business, racial accusations
By Melodee Mabbitt and Tom Travis Rather than working on agenda items, Flint’s City Council instead fought amongst themselves at all of the committee meetings leading up to Monday’s regular council meeting. What resulted was a seven-hour long city council meeting marked by a failed attempt to remove Councilperson Eric Mays, council members being removed and leaving before the end of the meeting, resolutions being voted on after 10 p.m., and appointments, ordinances, and resolutions being moved back to committee where they’d previously...
read moreFlint City Council kicks off 2020 with chaos, yelling, members stalking out early, no work done
By Tom Travis and Melodee Mabbitt Returning from the season of “Peace On Earth and Good Will To All” the City of Flint’s legislative body disintegrated into chaos and utter dysfunction at its first meeting of 2020. The City Council’s meeting Wednesday was a finance committee meeting with a 16-page agenda. The committee room was overflowing with community members, a full team of City attorneys, and nearly a dozen members of the mayor’s administration and other City staffers. Over the next four and a half hours, procedural arguments and...
read moreEducation Beat: New president Casey Lester to FCS board: “I’m going to need your help”
By Harold C. Ford The newest member of the Flint Board of Education, Casey Lester, will preside over the board in 2020. At its annual organizational meeting Jan. 8, Lester was the unanimous and uncontested choice of all seven members of the board, which governs the Flint Community Schools (FCS), to serve as president for a one-year term. Diana Wright, the board’s immediate past president who said in December that she would step down, was chosen vice president. Incumbents Betty Ramsdell and Danielle Green, will serve as secretary and...
read moreCynthia Neeley wins nomination over nine Dems in 34th District primary; turnout 6.7 percent
By Paul Rozycki The last two months have been very good for the Neeley family. In November Sheldon Neeley was elected mayor of Flint. And in a short campaign, conducted during the holiday season, Cynthia Neeley outpolled nine other candidates in the primary election Tuesday to win the Democratic nomination for the 34th state House district. Neeley is the wife of Sheldon Neeley, who defeated Karen Weaver to win the mayor’s office two months ago. His election as mayor, and subsequent resignation from the state House, set the stage for Tuesday’s...
read morePsychological effects of water crisis, blight, meter replacement among FNU January topics
By Tammy Beckett Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) kicked off the new year at their monthly meeting Jan. 4 with a presentation about the psychological effects of the Flint water crisis, admonitions to get water meters replaced, and facilitated discussion from FNU President Carma Lewis about what the gathering of mostly civic leaders should pursue in the coming months. They also heard from the city’s new ombudsperson and elected two new officers. Study suggests Flint residents have more emotional distress UM – Flint Professor...
read moreEight of ten Democrats in 34th district primary race face off in forum
By Paul Rozycki Eight of the ten Democrats competing to fill Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s seat in the State House for the 34th district faced each other in a forum at Joy Tabernacle Church in Civic Park on Jan. 3, only four days before the Democratic primary. On the panel were 3rd Ward Councilman Santino Guerra, Flint City Council President Monica Galloway, Candice Mushatt, Michael Clack, Charis Lee, Claudia Perkins-Milton, Sherwood Pea and Sean Croudy. Two remaining candidates, Cynthia Neeley and Vincent Lang did not attend. Facing an...
read moreEast Village Magazine – January 2020
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here: EVM_Jan_2020
read moreFlint city government year ends noisily amidst council v. mayoral counterattacks as audit rolls in on time
By Tom Travis The last week of the year in Flint city government, normally a quiet time at City Hall, included a flurry of contentious events, including a special city council meeting called two days after Christmas, a statement from the Mayor Sheldon Neeley’s administration blasting the council, a sudden press conference by city council members, and more statements from the city as the administration completed its required audit to the State on time. The news coming out of all of it was that, according to both the council and city...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint schools to put up millage request, proposed closures considered
Highlights: Flint Schools bringing millage to voters Paraprofessionals ink new contract, attrition slows Wright to step down as board president Distraught stakeholders plead with board District to decide on proposed closures By Harold C. Ford Following four meetings of its board of education in December, Flint Community Schools (FCS) will ask Flint voters to approve a March 2020 millage proposal designed to eliminate the district’s massive deficit within seven years and...
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