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...
COVID, public safety, finances highlight Mayor Neeley’s State of the City Address
By Paul Rozycki Beginning by saying that he was “a simple guy born and raised in Flint” and concluding by urging city residents to “keep building a stronger Flint together” to fight blight, crime, improve infrastructure and public services, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley...
Opinion: A new offense – water settlement objections denied by federal judge
By Rev. Deborah D Conrad A new offense has insulted Flint this week, in the form of a court ruling -- this time from District Judge Judith Levy. At issue was the Flint Water Settlement, the financial compensation for the residents of this city of 90,000 poisoned by...
“Please don’t divide our neighborhood up,” residents plead in discussion about redrawn Flint city ward boundary map
By Tom Travis "Please don't divide our neighborhood up. We are a strong neighborhood. Please don't do it," pleaded Seventh Ward and College-Cultural Neighborhood resident Chris Gardner. She was one of about 10 residents, mostly from the Seventh Ward College Cultural...
Caring for some of the world’s finest art at the Flint Institute of Arts: magnifying glass, flashlight and tablet are tools of the trade
By Tom Travis In the deafening silence of the dimly lit Johnson Gallery at the Flint Institute of Arts, Heather Jackson bends over a late-19th century painting, Albert-Emile Artigue's Spring Flowers. She holds a magnifying glass in one hand and a flashlight in the...
Public meeting on city ward redistricting set for 1 p.m. Wed Dec. 8 by Flint Election Commission
By Tom Travis The Flint Election Commission will hold a public meeting regarding the redrawing/redistricting of Flint's nine wards at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8 in the City Council Committee room on the third floor of City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw St. according to a...
Commentary: Looking back and looking ahead — Will 2022 be better than 2021?
By Paul Rozycki Looking back This past year was supposed to be the year when we put the COVID pandemic, the 2020 election, and the turmoil in the Flint city council behind us. So far only one of those three things might be true, and even that remains to be seen. The...
Pierce Park restoration underway with community collaboration
By Jan Worth-Nelson An 80-acre park in Flint which had been overrun by neglect, arson and invasive species is getting a big dose of love and hoped-for restoration from a partnership between the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA), the Genesee...
Genesee Health Plan receives grant for $219,492 to help people enroll in health care
By Tom Travis Genesee Health Plan (GHP) has received a three-year federal Navigator Cooperative Agreement Award of $219,492 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The grant will fund what are called Support Navigators in Federally-facilitated...
Council aims to hold “community listening meetings” for ARP funds, as rules for use emerge
By Tom Travis In a 5-0 vote Wednesday city council voted to hold four community listening meetings throughout the city for residents to say how they think the $94 million federal stimulus American Rescue Plan allocated to the city should be spent. The first half of...
Education Beat: Pontiac School District officials share their fiscal recovery story with Flint Board of Education
“It doesn’t look good when you’re divided … it makes you look dysfunctional.” --Shaquana Davis-Smith, treasurer, Pontiac Board of Education “We’re not going to present a united front as if everything is OK, because it’s not OK.” –Laura MacIntyre, treasurer, Flint...
Council votes to establish a Revenue Estimation Commission
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council passed a resolution, on a 8-0 vote Monday night to establish a Revenue Estimation Commission (REC). The REC is required by the city's charter (Section 7-104). The REC's responsibilities include, "reporting to the public, the Mayor...
