Arbor Day means “Tree City USA” again for Flint, many new trees for Pierce Park
By Jan Worth-Nelson A dozen retirees from the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA) worked alongside a half dozen professional tree lovers more than half their age to celebrate Arbor Day in Pierce Park Friday. The day also marked the City of Flint's 22nd...
Flint honors “Heroines and Humanitarians” in sculptures at City Hall
By Paul Rozycki It’s been a long and winding road, but the sculptured busts of the six women honored as “Heroines and Humanitarians” have now found their way to a permanent home in the Flint City Hall. [gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full"...
Flint’s 200th anniversary of founding honored with premier of new musical work at May 1, 3 p.m. concert
By Tom Travis Michigan composer and Saginaw resident, Catherine McMichael was commissioned by the Flint Symphonic Wind Ensemble (FSWE) to compose a work commemorating the 200th anniversary of Flint's founding in 1819. The work was intended to be performed in the 2020...
Public speakers plead with council to approve updated zoning ordinance
By Tom Travis A passel of young people from across Flint attended the last city council committee meeting to show their support and rally the council to approve the new proposed zoning ordinance. The new ordinance is expected to be on the council's agenda the first...
Commentary: A critical look for critics of the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory
By Paul Rozycki If there is any doubt that race plays a powerful role in American history, one only needs to examine the response to the 1619 Project from around the nation. Pulitzer Prize winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, which...
Flint Repertory Theatre makes history with an LGBTQIA+ take on the world’s longest-running musical
By Tom Travis The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical, is being produced by Flint Repertory Theatre this summer, June 3 to 19. But there is an unusual plot twist in the Rep’s production that will make theatre history: A fresh new rewrite with an LGBTQIA+...
Education Beat: Critical deadline approaches for Flint Schools; board triad hints Northwestern to be Flint’s high school campus; no criminal charges for Green
By Harold C. Ford In its recent meetings, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) faced looming critical deadlines about staffing decisions and building closures, suggested Northwestern might become Flint's one high school, and heard that former president Danielle Green,...
Fire Chief Ray Barton and Flint Fire Department grieve the loss of fellow firefighter John Stenger
By Tom Travis This story has been updated to include John Stenger's obituary. - Editor In a somber and poignant moment during last week's city council meeting, Flint Fire Chief Ray Barton shared, at the request of council, news of a recent untimely death of one of...
AFSCME contract with seven to eight percent raise a “step forward and not a step backward” Mayor Neeley declares
By Tom Travis "This contract is a step forward and not a step backward," Mayor Sheldon Neeley said today, announcing a new negotiated contract between Local 1600 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the City of Flint....
Tendaji Talk tackles critical race theory; 1619 Project creator to appear in Flint April 13
By Harold C. Ford “Any anti-racist effort is being labeled as critical race theory.” –Jonathan Chism, assistant professor of history, University of Houston-Downtown, co-editor of Critical Race Studies Across Disciplines, 2021, Lexington Books The most recent Tendaji...
The East Village Magazine – April 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/2022/04/EVM_April_2022.pdf" attachment_id="27862" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px...
Fundraiser for Ukraine shows “Americans will always come through,” organizers say
By Jan Worth-Nelson A little more than halfway through a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Ukraine at the Dom Polski Hall Wednesday night, the kitchen ran out of food. Almost everyone added extra cash to the donations box, and blue and yellow "Support Ukraine" and...
Flint yard waste collection begins April 4, 2022
By Tom Travis Yard waste collection in the City of Flint will start up again the week of April 4. Yard waste is picked up weekly on residents’ normal trash collection days through December 2, 2022. In Sept. 2021 the city council passed a new waste service provider...
EAB sends a letter accusing city council of “violating responsibilities”, demands response by April 11
By Tom Travis [This article has been updated to reflect that the council did take action on 15 out of the 19 resolutions. EVM Editorial Staff.] The Flint City council met for an eight-hour meeting Monday night, with two hours spent discussing the council's behavior...
Legislation aims to redevelop Buick City in Flint for investment and environmental renewal
By Tom Travis New legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week aims to help bring new economic development opportunities to Flint's Buick City and generate economic revitalization in Flint, according to a Monday press release from U.S....
Education Beat: Flint School Board President Green removed after alleged assault on Board Treasurer MacIntyre
By Harold C. Ford “This is a painful day today … In order for us to move forward we’ve got to learn how to forgive.” Joyce Ellis-McNeal, installed as Flint Community Schools board president after an alleged assault by Danielle Green. “Today’s incident was a slap in...
Commentary: Flint’s I-475 freeway and race: A concrete barrier, or a road to reconciliation?
By Paul Rozycki A therapist trying to analyze Flint’s attitude towards race might use the term bipolar. On one hand, Flint was the first major city to choose an African-American mayor, Floyd McCree. It passed one of the first open housing ordinances in the late...
Sports Beat: Beecher and Grand Blanc on path to repeat as state champions
By Harold C. Ford Genesee County comprises about four percent of the state’s population (roughly 400,000 of 10 million people), but two local school districts – Beecher on the north side of Flint, Grand Blanc on the south side – currently claim half/50 percent of the...
Education Beat: Linda Boose to fill vacant Flint Community Schools Board seat
By Harold C. Ford Linda Boose was selected Tuesday by the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) to fill a seat vacated a month ago by Adrian Walker. The decision came after two rounds of interviews lasting nearly 2.5 hours, with five members of the board – Danielle...
11-hour city council session disintegrates into a lecture from the public and EAB president
By Tom Travis Beleaguered for 11 hours, the city council verbally wrestled with each other in Monday night's meeting discussing the topics: "respect, decorum, and censure." Members of the public, council members and the chair of the Ethics and Accountability Board...
“It only takes one person”: historic Mott Park Neighborhood residents come together to rejuvenate abandoned club house and grounds
By Tom Travis "It just takes one person to have that vision or to have that love for their community. And that one person must be brave to step out and take the bull by the horns. It just takes one person and then they'll gravitate and get other people involved. Even...
$9.6 million in federal spending coming to Flint-area organizations, Kildee announces
By Tom Travis Support for a North Flint food cooperative, assistance for affordable housing and blighted property demolition, training for school nurses, criminal justice reform, funding for more critical care hospital beds, and creation of a science and technology...
Laborious eight-hour city council committee meeting tackles council rules, North Flint food market
By Tom Travis It took the city council finance committee eight hours Wednesday evening to tussle their way through a contentious meeting. The agenda contained 10 resolutions to be discussed, but the council spent most of the eight hours discussing, arguing and...
I-475 corridor community input meeting set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 at FIM
By Tom Travis (This article has been updated to reflect a change of venue for the March 22 meeting.) The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced another in a series of public meetings for public input on the I-475 corridor for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday,...
The East Village Magazine – March, 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EVM-March-2022_web.pdf" attachment_id="27134" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true...
