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...
$600 Million Flint Water Crisis settlement announced: AG Nessel calls it “a step forward in healing for one of Michigan’s most resilient cities”
A $600 million settlement agreement has been reached in the Flint Water Crisis class action lawsuit, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on a YouTube statement this week. Flint water pipe replacement crews at work. (Photo by Ed Custer) If the $600 million...
Education Beat: 3 FCS board incumbents choose not to run; 12 line up to replace them
By Harold C. Ford At a critical moment in the history of Flint Community Schools (FCS), three incumbent members of the district’s board of education have decided not to run for reelection in the Nov. 3 election. Casey Lester, board president (with nearly two years on...
Review: Caste is “the bones,” race “the skin” in America’s body of discontents
By Robert Thomas Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson offers a deep, scholarly dive into the foundations of human hierarchical organization. “A caste system,” she defines “is an artificial construction, a fixed and embedded ranking of human...
Street sweeping is back, Mayor announces
The following press release came from the City of Flint today: " For the first time in at least seven years, the City of Flint is deploying its street sweepers into residential areas. Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced today that a caravan cleanup crew has worked its way...
“Examining Identity Construction” exhibit at Mott-Warsh Gallery open, extended to Jan. 23
By Harold C. Ford “Your perception of me doesn’t affect me on an abstract level. It poses a real danger.” Inscription imbedded in What You Lookin At, Pat Ward Williams, contemporary photographer In the cataclysmic global response to the murder of George Floyd by...
City of Flint customer service office to reopen Wednesday, Aug. 19
The following announcement was released by the city today:"Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced today that Flint City Hall will partially reopen to the public starting Wednesday [Aug. 19], as part of a planned, phased-in reopening. "The Customer Service department and...
Council votes down hiring elections monitor for November election
By Tom Travis Reeling from a primary election fraught with problems and lawsuits, the Flint City Council this week considered a motion to assist the City Clerk Inez Brown and the Clerk's office as they prepare for the critical November 2020 election. The stakes are...
Veteran Officer Terence Green appointed by Neeley as new Flint Police Chief
By Tom Travis Terence Green being introduced by Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley (Photo by Tom Travis) Veteran police officer Terence Green will be Flint's new Chief of Police, pending the consent of the Flint City Council. Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced the appointment...
East Village Magazine – August 2020
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
Incumbents Swanson, Neeley and Gleason defeat challengers in competitive primary
By Paul Rozycki THIS STORY WAS UPDATED at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday Aug. 5 In an election where mail-in votes were dominant, Genesee County voters turned out in larger than expected numbers and set the stage for the November election. With all the votes counted more than 29...
City of Flint and Crime Stoppers Offer $1,000 for information leading to arrests of illegal dumpers
By Tom Travis A reward of up to a $1,000 is being offered to those who provide information that helps lead to the arrest of anyone illegally dumping in the City of Flint, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced today, He made the announcement side by side with director of...
A comet, a COVID pandemic, and a summer of crisis. Is there any good news?
By Paul Rozycki This summer, astronomers have discovered a new presence among the stars, the Neowise comet, in the northern sky. It’s not a large comet, just visible under the Big Dipper. It has come closest to the earth in the middle of July, and has been...
Review: McCree Theatre vocal contest highlights local talent even in the pandemic
By Patsy Isenberg Through the magic of technology The New McCree Theatre continues, despite the chaos the world is experiencing, to inspire local talent and offer entertainment to the public. Not in shows--yet. But two talented singers won McCree’s recent singing...
Flint Poet Laureate Semaj Brown bringing “Word Power” online Aug. 13
How do words define and confine our reality? Flint’s first poet laureate, Semaj Brown, will explore that question in "Word Power: How words define and confine our reality" in a virtual performance and interactive discussion at 7 pm. Thursday, Aug. 13. The event,...
“We will no longer auction off guns,” Mayor Neeley announces. “It’s just not worth it.” Chief Hart says
By Tom Travis The City of Flint will no longer auction off confiscated guns, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced at a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday. Since 2017, when the City began that practice, 4,539 guns have been auctioned generating...
