Review: Buckham show shines light on primal obsessions of love and death
By Jeffery L Carey, Jr. “Besides Eros, then, there was a death drive.” ––Sigmund Freud Within humanity there seems to be an obsession with the concepts of love and death. This obsession worms its way into our stories, poems, and art, and has been doing so for over...
City Council Beat: Council acts on 11 resolutions, Mays ejected again
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley was not present Monday night at a special city council meeting that he had called. All nine councilpersons were present for the meeting, along with nearly 70 audience members, several media outlets, members of the city administration...
Options exist as deadlines approach for saving homes from tax foreclosures, county treasurer explains
By Tammy Beckett Relief is available for residents of the city in danger of losing their homes because of tax nonpayments, Deb Cherry, Genesee County Treasurer, explained in a presentation at the February meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU). Cherry described...
League of Women Voters gala celebrates 100 years with history, speeches, unveilings
By Jan Worth-Nelson The League of Women Voters of the Flint Area celebrated its 100th birthday at Factory One Friday night, Valentine's Day, with a gala that offered a lot of love to democracy, to the vote, and to multiple accomplishments of women, including progress...
Mayor Neeley makes a move, calling Flint City Council into session for unfinished business
By Tom Travis In an unusual move, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is hauling the Flint City Council into session at a special council meeting set for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb 17. In a press release issued by city administration, Neeley said, “It is critically important that city...
Female pianist, women composers featured Sunday, Feb 23, at Court Street United Methodist Church
An afternoon of music by all women composers performed by pianist Sandra Mogensen will be presented at Court Street United Methodist Church at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb 23. This event, titled en pleine lumiere, is sponsored by an endowment of the Elton and Elsie West fund....
PFAS actions, concerns aired in Kildee-sponsored phone town hall
By Jeffery L. Carey, Jr. Recently, Congress has taken action designed to protect Flint and the rest of Michigan’s drinking water from PFAS chemicals. House Democrat Dan Kildee of Michigan's 5th Congressional district is leading that effort and cosponsored legislation...
City Council Beat: Police Chief Hart hired through August; residents air pot ordinance concerns, complain about parking meters, Mays tells his side
By Tom Travis Flint’s legislative body, the Flint City Council, struggled to maintain democracy and a quorum Monday, even with new leadership in place, at a council meeting that lasted seven and a half hours. Two of the nine council members, Eva Worthing (9th Ward)...
Village Life: New life as community journalist opens up hard realities about Flint
By Tom Travis I have attempted to dissect the reasons why I chose to leave my job at 50 years old after more than 10 years. I think I’ve figured out the reasoning but it is deeply personal. And I’m more likely to tell you over a cup of coffee at...
New Meter – New Start program to give residents fresh start on water bills with new meters
By Tom Travis Flint residents are being given a fresh start on their water bill amounts as a $9.2 million program to replace and install new water meters continues city-wide, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced at a press conference Friday. Joined by Flint City Council...
East Village Magazine – February 2020
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
City Council Beat: Mays again makes dramatic exit from Council meeting, as the rest settle on leadership roles
By Tom Travis Eric Mays made a dramatic exit from the City Council again Wednesday night. This time he left on his own accord in a storm of yelling at the entire council. Business did return to normal with the departure of the First Ward councilperson, as the council...
Flint native Ninah Sasy to advise City of Flint as clean water public advocate
By Darlene C. Carey “Let’s get to work. Let’s move some dirt,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer encouraged at the 2020 State of the State address, urging transitional change throughout the State of Michigan. Whitmer discussed the need for outreach for new moms and families,...
This Month in the Village: February Features
“Resilience” a pivotal story of Flint, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist says in City Hall visit
By Jan Worth-Nelson State of Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist said today under the dome in City Hall he has learned that "resilience is a matter of pride" in the city of Flint, and that is one of its messages to the rest of the country. Hosted by Mayor Sheldon...
Review: Semaj Brown at the FIA a poet, a priestess, a force of nature borne of anger and love
By Jan Worth-Nelson In the opening of Semaj Brown's Jan. 26 performance at the Flint Institute of Arts, FIA director John Henry described Brown, Flint's first poet laureate, as a "science-driven author, dramatist, playwright, and educator who builds...
“Now is the time to stand for the earth,” award winner tells FRWC audience at “Voice of the River” celebration
By Jan Worth-Nelson On a gloomy late January evening when the national airwaves were flooded with endless reasons to despair, one of the award winners at the annual celebration of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) stood up and offered a startlingly different...
Dangers of children using social media focus of Public Affairs Forum panel
By Jeffery L Carey Jr. The panelists were unanimous in their views Tuesday night as Flint educators discussed social media related to children and their education: even though it creates complications, can be dangerous and needs careful monitoring, it's going to be...
Registry extends $50 bonus through February for filling out surveys
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Flint Registry is extending a "thank you" offer to pay Flint residents $50 each to fill out a survey detailing their experiences during the Flint water crisis. The deadline for receiving the bonus is now Feb. 29, extended from the end of...
It’s beginning — Flint Public Library schedules renovation kickoff party Feb. 29
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Flint Public Library has scheduled a celebration of its last day before a major renovation, a kickoff party from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. After 60 years at its Kearsley Street location, the library will be undergoing a $27.6 million...
Education Beat: Flint’s public schools face existential challenges
By Harold C. Ford “Education is the great equalizer…You can never bring families to Flint unless we improve the schools.” …Dana Dyson, Flint resident, Flint Board of Education meeting, Jan. 23, 2020 After seven meetings of its board of education in the first three...
Analysis: Bipartisanship the driving force in Michigan’s newly reformed no-fault auto insurance
By Jeffery L Carey, Jr. If you own and drive a vehicle in the Flint community, then you have likely grown accustomed to hefty insurance rates. This is because Michigan is the most expensive state for car insurance in all of the United States for the sixth consecutive...
Mays ejected from Flint City Council meeting, stripped of leadership roles
By Tom Travis Eric Mays, the subject of ongoing controversy on the Flint City Council including a recent brouhaha when he made a Nazi salute and compared Council President Monica Galloway to Hitler, was ejected from the council meeting Monday night and then stripped...
CCNA hears about leaf pickup options, city audit, Mott CC millage
By Tammy Beckett Neither bagging or raking leaves into the street are ideal solutions for one of autumn's onerous chores, two representatives from the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) told residents of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA) at...
Review: MCC’s Fine Arts Gallery presents “Japan Rediscovered: Photographs by Hideki Kihata.
By Paul Rozycki This past month the Mott Community College Fine Arts Gallery presented an exhibition of photographs, titled “Japan Rediscovered: Photographs by Hideki Kihata.” Japanese-born photographer Hideki Kihata wrapped up the event Jan. 27 with a gallery talk...
