City Council Beat: Last council meeting of 2019 a panoply of democracy
By Tom Travis It was a jam-packed evening of activity at city hall on a chilly and snowy December Monday night, the last city council meeting of a tumultuous year for the city’s legislative body. The council meetings this year have been five, six, seven, eight and...
Fifteen small businesses receive grants from MovingFlintForward program
By Jan Worth-Nelson From an espresso machine to snow plows, from drywall to parking lots, from a kayak launch to a flat top grill, from beauty supplies to fabrics, from TV marketing to landscaping, from outdoor lighting to pizza stones. All these are...
LGBTQ Choir honors John Bradford Bohl with Carriage Town caroling
By Tom Travis Celebrating one year of performances, rehearsals and making music in Flint, the John Bradford Bohl LGBTQ Choir met at Good Beans Cafe on a chilly gray December Saturday. They proceeded to observe the anniversary by doing what they do best: singing,...
Downtown Flint “Impeach Trump” rally draws spirited protesters on cold night before the vote
By Jan Worth-Nelson Though Flint is 600 miles and a ten-hour drive from Washington, D.C., about a hundred supporters of impeaching President Donald J. Trump congregated in front of City Hall on a the cold Tuesday night to shout out their arguments on the eve of the...
Russ Dotson turns abandoned wood into Flint’s “found beauty”
By Jan Worth-Nelson After 22 years in the Navy, including tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and finally, Ethiopia, in 2015 Flint native Russ Dotson came home. Casting about for things to do, he found himself watching a YouTube series called "Strangely Satisfying...
Local lawyers to serve more than 1,000 at free turkey dinner Thursday at Masonic Temple
By Jan Worth-Nelson The Genesee County Bar Association and the Genesee Bar Foundation are offering their 29th annual free turkey dinner with all the trimmings from 4-7 p.m. Thursday Dec. 19 at the Flint Masonic Temple, 755 S. Saginaw St. If the Community Holiday...
Review: Local actor, director, poet, activist reflects on recent “Passing Strange”
By Patsy Isenberg Her name’s Harvey. Just Harvey. She’s been in numerous Flint area theatre productions. She was in “The Wolves” at Flint Repertory Theatre last season and played The Orator in their recent “The Chairs” show. And she’s been studying theater arts since...
Mayor Neeley visits Flint Neighborhoods United; Mott CC presents strategic plan
By Luther Houle New Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley told residents face-to-face at this month’s Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) meeting that he will not tolerate those who see Flint as "a garbage can" and that he is sending out a team of blight restriction enforcers to...
City Council beat: Hurley bonds, Gleason subpoena, drama and more
By Luther Houle Highlights from the Dec. 9 Flint City Council meeting included endorsement of up to $55 million in bonds for Hurley Medical Center, a vote to subpoena County Clerk John Gleason, and a response to - and a defense of - the drama witnessed at last week’s...
“SMILE” mobile dentists putting smiles on faces of Flint students and improving dental health
By Harold C. Ford A lot of kids don’t like going to the dentist. Not surprisingly, a 2013 report found that up to 20 percent of kids around the world experience dental fear and anxiety. Further, researchers report that 35 percent of school absences are dental-related...
Buckham Gallery hosts first artists member show Dec. 13 in accessible new location
By Jeffery L. Carey Jr. The first Artist Member Show opening Friday in Buckham Gallery's new locale "will cap off a milestone year,” artist member John Dempsey said about the coming event. “Our new street-level location has made the gallery accessible to everyone.”...
Review: One more weekend to see “outstanding” Flint Rep’s “Into the Woods”
By Patsy Isenberg “Into the Woods” is an outstanding blend of talents that came together just right. The musical opened at Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep) Friday, Dec. 6 to a sold out audience. Rumor had it the rest of that weekend’s performances were also sold out....
Mayor to residents: help test water quality before crucial deadline
Flint residents, who once turned themselves into chemists by the thousands at the height of the water crisis, are being asked by Mayor Sheldon Neeley to urgently once again become scientists and test their water quality. In a press release issued this morning, City of...
This Month in the Village: December Features
East Village Magazine – December 2019
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
City Council Beat: Hurley bond refinancing resolution described, council drama erupts again
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council, meeting as the Finance Committee Wednesday night, moved a proposed resolution of support for a refinancing and additional $20 million to a Hurley Medical Center bond to the full council for consideration. Several members of the...
Review: “Hatred, Inc.” and “Why We Hate” cast light on today’s quagmires
By Robert Thomas Matt Taibbi’s book Hate Inc. and the Discovery Channel’s six-episode series Why We Hate makes for an informative multi-media journey along the trail of human hatred. Hate Inc. examines why today’s media makes us despise one another. Why We Hate...
Neurodevelopmental Center for Excellence marks first year of helping Flint kids
By Teddy Robertson January 2020 marks the first year of operation for Flint’s Neurodevelopmental Center for Excellence (NCE), a service of Genesee Health System (GHS) for neuropsychological assessment of children impacted by Flint’s water crisis. But while the Center...
Village Life: Every day, I dream of Down Time
By Jan Worth-Nelson Every day I keep dreaming of Down Time. I used to crave adventure, no day complete without a conscious tablespoon at least of risky business, a routine to kickstart adrenaline, an agenda to keep me in the loop – the loop of life, baby. I aimed to...
Sally Shaheen Joseph named Sybyl Award winner; ELGA’s Karen Church also honored
By Jan Worth-Nelson Sally Shaheen Joseph, a trustee of Mott Community College cited as a "tireless" volunteer whose work has touched almost every corner of Genesee County, was named the 2019 Sybyl Award winner Tuesday night in a celebration at Factory One. Karen...
Flint Registry paying $50 for completed water crisis surveys
The Flint Registry is increasing "thank you checks" for completing surveys about individual exposure to Flint water during the crisis from $25 to $50 in December and January 2020. “We want everyone in Flint to benefit from the awesomeness of the Flint Registry....
Customers at two area KFCs may have been exposed to Hepatitis A in November
Anyone who consumed food or drink from the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 6021 Dort Hwy in Grand Blanc or 9230 Birch Run Road in Birch Run during two time frames in November may have been exposed to Hepatitis A from a foodservice worker employed at both places. Dates of...
“Loads of Luv” laundry program helps kids have clean clothes; benefactor honored
Children needing access to laundry facilities and clean clothes are better off because of the contributions of a Flint businessman, Sheldon T. Banks of the Sheldton T. Banks Funeral Chapel. Banks was honored Tuesday by the Genesee Health Plan (GHP) for contributions...
Commentary: Three budgets, three deficits, three crises?
By Paul Rozycki “Flint’s ‘comeback story’ at odds with its bleak fiscal outlook” Chad Livengood, Crain’s Detroit Business, Nov. 10, 2019 “Dismal finances place future of Flint Community Schools in doubt” Mark Bullion, WJRT, Nov. 5, 2019 “With budget issues looming,...
“We knew about it,” former Mayor Weaver says of $20 million water fund balance
By Jan Worth-Nelson Former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said today that the $20 million "found" in the city's water fund in a preliminary audit report from incoming Mayor Sheldon Neeley was well known to her administration. Though she has been largely silent as the Neeley...
