Education Beat: Mott Foundation CEO White pauses, then restores, grants to Flint Schools; 200 at packed Ed Board meeting signal community divides
By Harold C. Ford The dramatic twists and turns reflected by and from the leadership teams—elected and appointed—at Flint Community Schools (FCS) deepened when Ridgway White, CEO of the Flint-based C. S. Mott Foundation, announced a pause of FCS grant funding on July...
Flint Home Improvement Fund offers low- and no-interest loans up to $20,000 to homeowners of all income levels
The Flint HIF (Home Improvement Fund) has released updated information on the progress of the program. Home renovation projects underway through the Flint Home Improvement Fund The Flint Home Improvement Fund, launched in February 2021, generated a lot of interest...
Commentary: After the water crisis and the pandemic, what’s next?
By Paul Rozycki It looked like the Flint water crisis was over…and it wasn’t. It looked like the pandemic was over...and it wasn’t. The water crisis In Flint, as July ended, nearly all of the lead pipes in the city had been replaced, a court settlement was on track,...
From San Francisco to Chevy-in-the-hole – the Chevy Coupe helped to move America
By Teddy Robertson “Je-zus Christ!” Stress on the first syllable and heavy elongation of the “z” sound. I blurted out one of my father’s favored expletives. My mother had slammed on the brakes and I tumbled off the bench seat of our old Chevy coupe and hit the floor...
At five-year milestone Flint water tests at 3 ppb for lead – the lowest yet: EGLE says, “We know that trust was broken”
By Tom Travis "From EGLE's perspective and my own perspective, we know that trust was broken. We know that what we need to do is to deliver results to the people of the City of Flint," said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes...
Sports Beat: Bucks booted From USL2 postseason playoffs by 1-0 loss to Des Moines
By Harold C. Ford “The reigning champions Flint City Bucks have been eliminated out of this year’s United States League Two.” —Ami Rabiai, game announcer, CISN (Central Iowa Sports Network) The hometown team was booted from the USL2 postseason playoffs by Des Moines...
Metro Community Development combats homelessness and housing affordability crises
By Madeleine Graham Metro Community Development (MCD) kicks off its monthly business workshops this week, hosting the first event at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 21. According to Facebook, Metro Community Development will be partnering with John L Financial Services...
Sports Beat: Flint City Bucks secure playoff spot with 4-0 victory over Oakland County
By Harold Ford The Flint City Bucks rallied in the last one-third of the regular season with four straight wins to earn a spot in the United States League Two (USL2) post-season playoffs. The Bucks downed Oakland County FC (Football Club) 4-0 on Saturday, July 10 to...
Nine foot sink hole catapults simple road project to fourteenth burst water main break
By Tom Travis Monday morning, residents of Flint's College Cultural neighborhood along Court Street were left shaking their heads and bemoaning the city's infrastructure problems after a 13th water main break in 17 months early Sunday burst open a nine-foot sink hole...
Flint’s Housing Crisis predates recent crises, according to report by UM – Flint professor
By Madeleine Graham The Flint water crisis had no discernable effect on Flint’s housing market, according to a recent report released by the University of Michigan - Flint's Victoria Morckel and Bernadette Hanlon in the academic journal Housing and Society. According...
Village Life: Viral time revisited, 2021 — personal panic, wine, and the witching hour
By Teddy Robertson We were all so new at balancing mortal threat and daily life. Inept, but resourceful. That’s how it felt a year ago this May when East Village Magazine staff shared their first experiences of the COVID pandemic. That’s odder than you might...
Berston Bicycle Club gears up to engage, challenge Flint teens
By Tom Travis The Berston Bicycle Club is gearing up for another summer of activity around Flint. The next session begins July 12 and runs through Sept. 10. The nine-week course includes classroom clinic sessions on biking safety and maintenance as well as daily bike...
Sports Beat : Last-minute win over South Bend may propel Bucks into playoffs
By Harold C. Ford The Flint City Bucks snatched an important 2-1 last-minute win over the South Bend (IN) Lions Football Club at Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium on Tuesday evening, a win that might propel the club through and into the post-regular season...
The East Village Magazine – July 2021
The East Village Magazine for July 2021 is available here:
Education Beat: Superintendent Steward reflects on relationship with Flint Community Schools board
By Harold C. Ford “It is my hope that, from this point on, the board and I will be able to work collaboratively to move the district forward.” — Anita Steward, superintendent, Flint Community Schools [Editor's Note: Anita Steward, superintendent of Flint Community...
Education Beat: Mott CEO Ridgway White appeals to Flint Board of Ed to support district rescue plan
By Harold C. Ford Appearing before the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) at its first post-pandemic face-to-face meeting Monday, C. S. Mott Foundation President and CEO Ridgway White pleaded with the FBOE to support a massive recovery plan for Flint schools titled Flint...
Education Beat: Documents detail rapidly deteriorating relationship between Flint school board and superintendent
By Harold C Ford East Village Magazine (EVM) has received information from a source who chooses to remain anonymous that documents a rapidly deteriorating relationship between the Flint Community Schools (FCS) Board of Education and FCS Superintendent Anita J....
“Freedom” “Visibility” “To be my authentic self” – Flint’s LGBTQIA+ community express what Pride means to them
By Tom Travis As Pride month comes to a close and Flint prepares for its own Pride Fest EVM spoke with seven members of Flint's LGBTQIA+ community to find out what pride means to them and how they celebrate pride month. Flint Pride will have a cookout from 2 to 6 p.m....
Flint Neighborhoods United meeting hears about high-speed internet, lifting of pandemic restrictions and rodent control
By Coner Segren At the most recent Flint Neighborhoods United monthly meeting, residents heard from Gary Jones, Flint community liaison for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Office of Community Outreach, about the state's lifting of pandemic restrictions. They also heard about...
Education Beat: District Superintendent Steward reprimanded by Flint School Board; she responds
By Harold C. Ford “I’m just so happy we got the homegrown girl. I think this is going to be beneficial for our district.” -- Carol McIntosh, Flint school board trustee, June 25, 2020, upon the appointment of Anita Steward to the Flint Schools superintendent position...
The East Village Magazine – June 2021
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download here: [pdfjs-viewer url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eastvillagemagazine.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F06%2FEVMJune2021-1.pdf" viewer_width=100% viewer_height=800px fullscreen=true download=true...
Commentary: For the Aug, 3 city council primary, take the time to learn about your candidates, and vote!
By Paul Rozycki They typically have eight- or ten-hour meetings that often last until dawn. They spend hours bickering and attacking each other personally. They failed to approve the current city budget on time, a violation of the city charter. Only after the city...
Flint’s Poet Laureate, Semaj Brown, receives $50,000 award from the American Academy of Poets for civic project
By Tom Travis The American Academy of Poets has chosen Flint's Poet Laureate, Semaj Brown, as one of 2021 Poet Laureate Fellows. Brown was chosen along with 22 other Poets Laureate from across the country. Each of the winners will receive $50,000 for their literary...
Profile: 30 years later, Ben Hamper remembers Rivethead, his legacy of “that one story, that one guy”
By Jan Worth-Nelson At a back corner table at Churchhill’s, escaping to AC on a muggy Tuesday afternoon in Flint, Ben Hamper takes a swig of his signature Jim Beam and Diet Coke and reflects on the 30 years since the country came to know him as an exuberantly profane,...
Flint City Council fails to adopt budget second time: City’s ability to spend money ends June 30.
By Tom Travis This article has been updated to include a press release from Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley warning of a potential city government shutdown due to the city council's failure to pass a budget. - EVM Editor For a second time in one week the city council...
