St. Paul’s Episcopal Sunday concert cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns
The first concert scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27 in St. Paul's Episcopal Church recently resurrected live music series has been called off, Rector Dan Scheid announced today. "I regret to inform East Village Magazine readers that the recital scheduled for this...
Pipeline replacement deadline Sept. 18, FNU reminds residents; census, blight, COVID testing, placemaking also discussed
By Coner Segren Reminders of the Sept. 18 pipeline replacement deadline, COVID-19 testing sites, the census, placemaking projects featuring porches, and ongoing efforts against blight were the main topics of discussion of the Sept. 12 meeting of Flint Neighborhoods...
Neeley offers “Conversations in the Courtyard” for Flint residents
Starting Thursday, Sept. 17, Flint residents are invited to meet with Mayor Sheldon Neeley for what the city has announced will be "Conversations in the Courtyard." Designed as scheduled one-on-one conversations between residents and the mayor, the sessions will take...
GCCARD director Matthew Purcell resigns, Stephanie Howard named interim director
By Madeleine Graham Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD) director Matthew Purcell resigned suddenly effective Aug. 5, 2020. Purcell has been GCCARD director since November 2015. Stephanie Howard will act as the interim director of GCCARD. ...
Review: Flint native filmmaker’s latest production puts pandemic focus on frontline workers
By Harold C. Ford “Private industry really stepped up.” --Erin Brennan, emergency room physician “On the Line” is a refreshing antidote to a steady stream of stories about a chief executive who mishandled a pandemic and lied to the nation about its worst health crisis...
Review: Provocative “Black Matters” exhibit continues at FIA through Oct. 11
By Harold C. Ford “On a daily basis, every moment, black folks are being bombarded with images of our death and after a while that does something to your psyche. It’s literally saying, ‘Black people, you might be next. You will be next.' ” …Matthew Wead, artist The...
Low income and marginalized voters face many challenges, Neighborhoods Without Borders panel warns
By Coner Segren With fewer than three months until election day, and fewer than three weeks until mail-in ballots begin going out, Michigan voters still are facing a high degree of uncertainty around a national election that will be unprecedented in the modern era. In...
City Clerk expands office hours, summarizes deadlines and voters’ rights, leading up to Election Day, Nov. 3
By Tom Travis Extended hours for election-related services and for voters to request an absentee ballot will start Monday, Sept. 14 at the Flint City Clerk's office. According to Michigan election law, county clerks can deliver ballots to local clerks beginning Sept....
Flint muralist creates bus mural celebrating poet Theodore Roethke
By Tom Travis Flint muralist Pauly Everett has been commissioned by the Theodore Roethke Poetry and Arts Festival in Saginaw to paint a mural on the side of a bus. The theme for the mural is Saginaw native poet Theodore Roethke (1908-1963). The bus will be displayed...
Village Life: A reclaimed piano reclaims grace in a time of plague
By Jan Worth-Nelson Some days, no matter how hard you try to stay sane, it’s just too much. Picture me roaming around my house — a sprawling old place with several routes for pacing and hiding — where we’ve been mostly cloistered, like any reasonable oldsters...
New Police Chief Terence Green sworn in
By Tom Travis Flint's new Chief of Police, Terence Green sworn in today on the recessed court yard behind City Hall. Circuit Court Judge David Guinn administered the oath of office. In Mayor Neeley's remarks before the swearing in, he referred to Chief Green as a...
Overview: Fifth Flint Youth Film Festival powered through the pandemic, thanks to teamwork and YouTube
By Patsy Isenberg COVID-19 has thrown a big hit to performance arts and entertainment. Visual arts are coming back, now that the FIA and galleries in the area have reopened. Theatre is the most challenging since audience members could wear masks and social distance...
East Village Magazine – September 2020
The latest edition o The East Village Magazine is available for download here: https://www.eastvillagemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/EVM-09.20_web.pdf
“No longer will the City of Flint be an arms dealer” – Mayor Neeley; 384 guns destroyed today
By Tom Travis A total of 384 guns were destroyed today, the first day on the job for Flint's new Chief of Police Terence Green. In July Mayor Neeley had declared, “We will no longer put these weapons back out on the street. It’s just not worth it." Today that promise...
Community Advisory Task Force to Flint Police Department “to be a bridge between the community and police”
By Tom Travis The City of Flint is creating a task force so that residents can have "a seat at the table" to engage with local law enforcement, according to a press release issued Monday. "This task force will serve as the voice of the people to help bridge any gaps...
Commentary: COVID-19, mail-in voting challenge the USPS, election clerks
By Paul Rozycki What would it take to make 2020 the most disruptive year in decades? How about a global pandemic, where the U.S. has more cases than every other nation on earth? How about an economic collapse, with unemployment worse than anything seen since the Great...
Funding for Flint Registry to expire in 2021 unless Congress acts
By Coner Segren Without action from Congress, funding for the Flint Registry will expire in June of 2021, several top Michigan elected officials and a health expert announced at a press conference Aug. 26. Congressman Dan Kildee, Mayor Sheldon Neeley, Senator Gary...
Flint voters experience troubled waters of democracy leading up to Nov. 3 election
By Tom Travis What is the prospect for accurate and reliable voting for the people of Flint as the Nov. 3 election approaches? Several recent developments focusing on the Flint City Clerk's office are attempting to assure access and trustworthy handling of absentee...
Flint Schools eventfully roll into new school year: lawsuits settled, sports cancelled, student no-shows
By Harold C. Ford Events in August kickstarted the 2020-21 school year for Flint Community Schools in a most newsworthy fashion. The settlement of two longstanding lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union had important ramifications for Flint’s...
Education Beat: Student no-shows spur FCS “Operation Return to Learn”
By Harold C. Ford “All hands on deck.” -- Kevelin Jones, assistant superintendent, Flint Community Schools More than 50 percent of students expected to attend Flint Community Schools (FCS) during the 2020-21 school year were no-shows through the first week and a half...
Flint Unity Coalition of Pastors call out John Gleason; “Today we stand in solidarity and support of Ms. Brown”
By Tom Travis Pastor Chris Martin spoke on behalf of the Flint Unity Coalition of Pastors at a press conference on the northeast lawn of the Genesee County Court House Tuesday to show support for City Clerk Inez Brown and to call out County Clerk John Gleason for a...
“Music in the Heart of the City” returns to St. Paul’s starting Sept. 27
By Jan Worth-Nelson After months of COVID-dominated musical silence in the sanctuary of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, live concerts in the "Music in the Heart of the City" series are returning. Holly Richardson, the music series organizer, announced a five-concert...
Top eight ways to spend $1 million in Flint announced by Mott Foundation
Demolishing vacant houses, setting up youth jobs for neighborhood cleanup, assistance for home repairs, and beautification efforts topped the tally of how to spend $1 million the C.S. Mott Foundation money has set aside to strengthen neighborhoods, according to a...
$2.7 million on its way for early childhood ed, child care in Genesee County, Kildee announces
A $2.7 million federal grant to Genesee Intermediate School District to fund Early Head Start education and child care programs for children in mid-Michigan was announced today by Congressman Dan Kildee (M-05). According to a press release issued by Kildee's...
Genesee County Elections Supervisor calls out city clerk on election “deficiencies” and “failures”
By Tom Travis Election procedures in the Aug. 4 primary were compromised by multiple "deficiencies" and "failures," in the Flint City Clerk's office, Genesee County Election Supervisor Doreen Fulcher alleged in a scathing Aug. 19 letter to City Clerk Inez Brown. Many...
