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City council approves Phase 2 of the Buick City Redevelopment Plan – using a complex financing model
By Tom Travis The Flint City Council has approved an embattled resolution for the city to release the 350-acre former Buick City brownfield to developer Ashley Capital. Ashley Capital is under contract to purchase the site from Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust. Ashley officials plan to develop a state-of-the-art industrial park expected to bring about 3,000 jobs to the City of Flint — jobs paying upwards of $17 per hour. The company plans to invest about $300 million in the site, pending a period of due...
read more“Mr. American Pie” Don McLean to perform at Capitol Aug. 31: after 50 years, he “still likes the song”
By Tom Travis Fifty-two years after his song “American Pie” became a surprise hit and thrust him him into sudden fame, singer/songwriter Don McLean, 77, says he’s still not tired of it. “I’m not tired of the song because it makes people so happy,” he said in a phone interview with East Village Magazine. “My job is to sing the songs that I want to sing and I have enthusiasm about them and I’m able to give people enjoyment. “That damn song makes people so happy it’s unbelievable to...
read moreFour indictments for “45.” What will it mean for 2024?
By Paul Rozycki Donald Trump is running for president next year. He’s also facing 91 felony charges in both federal and state jurisdictions. With the first Republican debate last month behind us, we are about to begin the 2024 presidential election campaign. It may be the most unusual and challenging election we have ever seen. With over a dozen potential Republican candidates vying for the nomination only one name had been dominating the headlines—Donald Trump, who is currently facing 91 criminal charges in four different...
read moreEducation Beat: New school year starts with $156 million ESSER funding moves; new backpack policy in place, administrative changes announced; Washington demo delayed; MSU partnership renewed
By Harold C. Ford A new academic year at Flint Community Schools (FCS) began Aug. 9, as students reported back to school under a newly-adopted backpack policy. The day before, on Aug. 8, several changes in administration positions were announced by FCS Superintendent Kevelin Jones in a press statement. And at its Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, also on Aug. 9, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE): gained clarity on the status of $156 million in ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding and expenditures. delayed the...
read moreNew library director, Taliah Abdullah, at welcome reception says, “I would just like for us to get to know each other and to explore ways to enhance the wellbeing of our community”
By Canisha Bell and Jan Worth-Nelson “We are in such good hands. I would just like for us to get to know each other and to explore ways to enhance the wellbeing of our community,” Taliah Abdullah, new executive director of the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library (GCFPL) said to a crowd of about 50 community leaders, library staff, and library patrons at a welcome reception Aug. 2. After thanking the assembled crowd, the library board, the FPL staff, and the Flint community in general — for what she said was an unfailingly warm...
read moreEvery Flint pregnant mom to receive $1,500, no strings attached, plus $500 per month in “first of its kind” program
By Canisha Bell and Tom Travis Pregnant women in Flint will receive $1,500 each, no strings attached, through a new program called Rx Kids announced by the State of Michigan and other partners this week. The program aims to provide every pregnant person and infant in the city of Flint, no income requirements attached, for food, prenatal care, rent, or whatever they need most. After giving birth, moms also will receive $500 per month for their baby’s first year to cover formula, diapers, childcare and other expenses. The Rx Kids...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – August 2023
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreCommentary: Indictments, recalls, demolitions, resignations, and more — 10 things to watch for in the dog days of summer
By Paul Rozycki We may be in the midst of record-breaking heat during these dog days of August, and the political future may be as hazy as the Michigan horizon on a humid summer evening, enveloped in Canadian forest fire smoke. But with all the risks, and in no particular order, here are a few things we should be watching as we move into the cooler winds of autumn this year. They all deserve our attention, and any of these may deserve a full column in the future. More criminal indictments of former President Trump. It seems likely that Trump...
read moreCandice Mushatt elected to serve as Seventh Ward councilperson in a 5 to 2 vote
By Tom Travis City Council elected Candice Mushatt to represent Flint’s Seventh Ward Wednesday night. According to the city’s charter , the council had until July 30 to choose a successor for former Seventh Ward Councilperson Allie Herkenroder who resigned as of July 1. Mushatt has recently worked as a Community Education Advocate for the City of Flint teaching fire safety throughout the city. Mushatt brings previous work experience from working in former Mayor Karen Weaver’s administration as communications director. From...
read moreCommentary: “The work of higher ed must continue” — Emeritus faculty voice concern, yet again, about UM – Flint upheaval
By Theodosia Robertson Theodosia Robertson is an associate professor emerita of history and an occasional columnist for East Village Magazine. She can be reached at teddyrob@umich.edu. In November, 2022, I composed a letter of concern addressed to President Santa J. Ono of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The letter was signed by 20 retired (emeritus) faculty of the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the original and core unit of the UM – Flint. As the letter shows, we retired faculty were deeply concerned about several...
read moreEducation Beat Analysis: Upgrades proceed on Flint Schools’ same lineup of 11 buildings; fewer than 3,000 students to report back on Aug. 9; no decisions on building closures
By Harold C. Ford Fewer than 3,000 Flint Community Schools (FCS) students – based on last year’s enrollment data – are scheduled to start the 2023-2024 school year Aug. 9. The district moves into its fifth year on a “balanced calendar” schedule in which students and staff report back earlier in the calendar year. A shortened summer vacation will be followed by additional scheduled breaks – Sept. 5-8, Oct. 23-27, Feb. 20-23, and Apr. 2-5 – called intercessions. The school year calendar can be accessed at the district’s website. The last...
read moreUM President Ono: Departing UM – Flint Chancellor Dutta “a strong advocate” for transformation at downtown campus
The following letter was posted earlier today by University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono about the departure of UM – Flint Chancellor Debasish Dutta — Ed. July 18, 2023 To the U-M community: Great universities need great leaders to evolve and thrive. So, it is never easy when we lose people from our three-campus community of scholars who are so essential to our collective success. Today, I write to share the news that UM-Flint Chancellor Deba Dutta will leave this fall to pursue his career aspirations at the University of...
read moreDutta out at UM – Flint as UMF fall enrollment numbers disappoint; “Strategic Transformation” put on hold
By Jan Worth-Nelson Debasish Dutta, chancellor of the University of Michigan – Flint since 2019, is leaving for the University of Illinois as special assistant to the president beginning Sept. 16 for a salary of $425,000. University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono formally announced the departure July 18 in an open letter to the campus. Perhaps the biggest news about the resignation, which seemed to take most UM – Flint faculty by surprise, is that Ono announced the campus’s almost year-long “Strategic...
read more“Mindful and Motivated Youth Health Summit” Aug. 19 to offer “A pipeline and pathway for students to go into healthcare”
By Canisha Bell “I have really big plans to build the pipeline and pathway for students to go into healthcare. I’m not just looking for people to go into being a doctor or a nurse, but the hope is that people see all of the different options that exist.” To help facilitate those aims, local physician, Dr. Aisha Harris of Harris Family Health is offering The Mindful and Motivated Youth Health Summit to provide students with a variety of conferences. The summit will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Michigan State...
read moreThe ARPA meeting that wasn’t: City Deputy Chief of Staff shuts down council meeting, police help clear the room
By Tom Travis Editor’s note: This article has been updated on Thursday, June 29, with a statement from the City’s communication director concerning the ARPA Community Advisory Committee members. Flint’s Deputy Chief of Staff bolted into a city council meeting Wednesday evening, arms raised, and yelling from the back of the auditorium announcing the meeting was not an “official meeting” and everyone had to leave by 7 p.m. He said, after that, the doors would be locked. This slideshow requires JavaScript. As Taylor...
read moreMott Community College: Celebrating 100 years of change and challenge
By Paul Rozycki In 1923, Calvin Coolidge became president after Harding’s death, Hitler was arrested in Germany for an attempted coup, Hemingway returned from Paris, publishing his first short stories including “Up in Michigan”, the first issue of Time magazine was published, and Yankee Stadium hosted its first ballgame. In Flint, Michigan the city had grown from 38,000 in 1910 to over 90,000 residents in 1920 and General Motors was growing to become the largest corporation in the world. In response to the rapid growth, Flint’s Central High...
read moreCommentary: Allie Herkenroder’s words speak to all of us
By Paul Rozycki “I consider the abuse from council directly (related) to my mental and physical concerns.” Seventh Ward Councilwoman Allie Herkenroder, on her reasons for resigning from the Flint City Council Can the experience of one individual be a mirror and a metaphor for a whole city or even a nation? Allie Herkenroder’s resignation and her reaction to the pressures and turmoil of the Flint City Council are a reflection of what many of us have felt as we watched the events of the last year unfold in Flint and beyond. In her comments to...
read moreJuneteenth organizers reflect on the national holiday and local effects in Beecher and Flint
By Canisha Bell As local Juneteenth events wrapped up, two community leaders actively involved in area celebrations reflected in interviews with East Village Magazine on what it all means. Community organizer April Cook-Hawkins said she believes that Juneteenth events can bring healing to a racially divided city. “I’m a woman of God, and outside of prayer, we must continue to fight the good fight and have community conversation so that all voices are heard and we can help each other,” said Cook-Hawkins, leader of Beecher’s first...
read moreSports Beat: Flint City Bucks – men and women – undefeated, in first place at midseason
By Harold C. Ford An unprecedented winning season is unfolding for the Flint City Bucks franchise and its two entries in the United States League (USL): the Flint City Bucks (men’s entry in USL2 or United States League Two) and Flint City AFC (women’s entry in USL W or United States League Women). Midway through the 2023 season both the men and the women are undefeated and in first place in the Great Lakes Divisions of their respective leagues. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Flint City Bucks (Men’s team) The Flint City Bucks have...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint Schools — too many buildings, not enough students to fill them
By Harold C. Ford “It’s April; school closings should be announced today, May at the latest … I’m begging you to get focused.” – Bruce Jordan, teachers union official, Michigan Education Association; April 2023 “You only need half of the [existing] buildings.” — Nicole Blocker, senior vice president, Plante Moran Cresa, May 25, 2023 “The idea is to get your [Flint Board of Education members’] thoughts. It’s not for us to make a decision.” – Kevelin Jones, superintendent, Flint Community Schools, May 25, 2023 [Editor’s Note: The...
read moreReview: “Call Them by Their True Names” by Rebecca Solnit
By Robert Thomas Subtitled American Crises (and Essays), Call Them by Their True Names is Rebecca Solnit’s powerful 2018 collection of timely essays. The book’s forward, “Politics and the American Language,” sets the author’s course in sifting the wheat from the chaff that is the contemporary Babel of linguistic chicanery. “Calling things by their true names is the work I have tried to do in the essays here,” she asserts. Solnit’s methodology in the 18 essays is a righteous calling-out, based on...
read moreReview: Ragtime paints a picture of racial-tensions with tragic and hopeful ends
By Tom Travis Before a sold out opening night crowd, FIM The Flint Rep Friday night staged the last production of the season, with a rousing and relevant version of the musical Ragtime. The play, which runs through June 25, centers around the dilemmas of several characters mired in their struggles for justice and understanding of life. In the opening number the cast of characters is introduced to the audience through song. The plots of each of the characters swirl and intersect with each of the other characters throughout the musical. This...
read moreFlint Council President Herkenroder resigns as of July 1, citing anxiety, depression, and thoughts of self-harm following “abuse,” “vindictiveness and hatred”
By Tom Travis In the last moments of a contentious council meeting where the council passed a city budget one week after the deadline, Council President Allie Herkenroder (Ward 7) announced she was resigning as the Seventh Ward council person as of July 1. This slideshow requires JavaScript. In a phone interview Friday with East Village Magazine (EVM), Herkenroder said she had experienced “mental and physical concerns” that led to her decision. “I consider the abuse from council directly [related]to my mental and physical...
read moreParking meters are obvious but revenue is not
By Elizabeth Ireland-Curtis Parking in downtown Flint is contentious and confusing. City council regularly hears complaints about the meters, how to use them and the many unwarranted tickets residents receive. East Village Magazine (EVM) reached out multiple times to the City of Flint Communications Department, Municipal Parking System (MPS) and Flint Downtown Development Authority (DDA). None have responded with information to the questions we asked. The questions raised by EVM and yet to be answered include: Number of tickets issued in a...
read moreWhat is a story worth? Gift from an only son brings back rich family history
By Teddy Robertson The elders in my young life were storytellers. The dinner table, an oval oak dropleaf large enough for candlesticks and a centerpiece, was the usual setting for their mealtime yarns. But I was never shunted away during parties when adult conversation was going on. I was an only child and most of my parents’ friends were childless, so evidently my presence was overlooked. In any case, eternal values were drilled into me elsewhere; twelve years of Catholic education saw to that. Looking back now, the classroom and the clergy...
read more“Social class, freedom, prejudice, hope and despair” come to life in the Flint Rep’s production of Ragtime opening June 9
By Tom Travis Ragtime, the musical, produced by FIM Flint Rep and appearing at Elgood Theatre from June 9 through 25, is set at the dawn of a new century. Everything is changing and anything is possible. Ragtime is an intimate, chamber-style telling of a 1998 Tony Award-winning musical for best book and best original score. Adapted from E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name and a musical score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the musical brings the tension-filled streets of early 20th century New York to life through the timeless...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – June 2023
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreMy bug splattered windshield was a metaphor for life that can be tough
By Tom Travis It was one of the first warm summer weekends. The bugs were all abuzz as I zoomed down I-69 on my 500-mile trip to southern Indiana for my youngest son’s high school graduation. Along the way, my car window got splattered with bugs. I’m usually kind of nuts about having a clean windshield. During the summer I grab the squeegee every time I stop for gas and give my front window a once over. I don’t know why I’m so enthusiastic about keeping my windshield clean and not so much about the dust that accumulates in my house. But this...
read moreIt’s the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library now: local leaders praise Coles’ legacy of “inclusivity” and “a bold, dynamic vision” at naming ceremony
By Jan Worth-Nelson Under a tent on the lawn on a steamy afternoon, more than 100 of Flint’s leadership aristocracy gave Gloria Coles a standing ovation as the library she served as director for 20 years was officially named in her honor. It is now the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Executive Director Kay Schwartz, herself retiring in July, emceed the event, which included remarks of acclaim, admiration, and appreciation by FPL board president Reta Stanley; Mayor Sheldon Neeley; local...
read moreGuest Commentary: Flint’s unique opportunity for better, safer streets should design for more than cars
Guest commentary by Joel Arnold, Planning and Advocacy Manager at Communities First, Inc. If there’s one thing we hear regularly in our city and region, it’s that people drive far too fast and far too dangerously. In the Flint area, we’ve seen business after business — whether a fast-food restaurant on Dort Highway, Mega Coney Island in Flint Township, or even Dawn Donuts on Clio Road — get hit by vehicles. A consistent theme in all these incidents is that they take place on roads designed for one thing: moving cars as fast as...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint Community Schools challenged by its aging lineup of buildings; Washington demo approved
By Harold C. Ford In May, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE): approved the spending of tens of millions of ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) dollars for infrastructure upgrades; turned down a substantial offer to sell the Zimmerman property on Corunna Road; approved the demolition of Washington Elementary on Flint’s east side which burned down in October 2021. This slideshow requires JavaScript. Infrastructure upgrades approved Tens of millions of ESSER funds for infrastructure upgrades in Flint’s aging school...
read moreIs it time to park the meters?
By Paul Rozycki As the bricks on Saginaw Street are being redone to give us a smoother ride downtown, perhaps it is time to reconsider what happens when that ride is done. Where to park the car? For almost the last four years, Municipal Parking Services has been running the Flint parking system. It is a private firm that shares the parking revenue with the Downtown Development Authority. It has installed meters with remote sensors and pay stations that were designed to make parking, and paying for parking, more efficient in our computer age....
read moreSports Beat: Home openers Saturday at Atwood for Flint City Bucks (men) Friday for Flint City AFC (women)
By Harold C. Ford The Flint City Bucks men’s soccer club hosts its first match of the 2023 season at Atwood Stadium in downtown Flint on Saturday, May 27 starting at 7:30 p.m. Flint will take on Grand Rapids-based Midwest United FC (football club). A fireworks display will follow the match. The Bucks opened the season on the road with a 2-0 win over Kalamazoo FC May 19 with goals from Josemir Gomez and Palmer Ault. The goals were assisted, respectively, by Malik Henry and Wylie Trujillo. Flint’s Dominic Nascimben earned the shutout in goal....
read moreCouncil considers an update to the city’s employee compensation schedule; and a $474,000 invoice from MDOT
By Tom Travis Council considered 12 resolutions in the finance committee at last night’s meeting. Including a resolution for the payment of a $474,000 invoice from MDOT for damage caused by a former city of Flint employee to an overpass in Flint Township and another resolution that seeks an updated city employee compensation schedule that hasn’t been revised since 1999. Quorum was lost around 9 p.m. after meeting for four hours as council members began to exit beginning with Dennis Pfeiffer (Ward 8), then Quincy Murphy (Ward 3)...
read moreEducation Beat: UM – Flint Critical Issues Conference Friday and Saturday highlights teaching and learning in the era of COVID
By Harold C. Ford The University of Michigan-Flint (UM-F) is hosting a critical issues conference starting at 6 p.m. Friday May 19 and continuing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 20. at its downtown Flint campus. The conference will focus on the state of affairs in education during the time of a pandemic. Conference overview FRIDAY Friday’s events begin with dinner at 6 p.m. in the UCEN Michigan Rooms followed by a keynote address from Alicia Meriweather, deputy superintendent for Detroit Public Schools. A panel discussion at 7:15 p.m....
read moreBudget hearings conclude; council chaos continues with loud racial accusations
By Tom Travis This article has been updated with information of a budget hearing call back set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18. The Water Pollution Control department and the Purchasing/Finance department budget hearing will be held in the Genesee County Administration building on the third floor. The city council concluded the final scheduled budget hearing on Monday night after a month of four different hearings that covered all of the city departments’ budgets. Monday’s meeting was not without dramatic moments that have become...
read moreLocal group, The Soggy Bottom Band featuring singer Danielle Bollinger, to perform at Flint’s Capitol Theatre May 17
By Tom Travis The Soggy Bottom Band featuring singer Danielle Bollinger will perform a free concert, “Flint Under the Stars” at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 17 in Flint’s Capitol Theatre. “Flint Under the Stars” aims to become a regular event where local talent is featured at Flint’s Capitol Theatre every third Wednesday of the month. “We hope it will grow and become bigger, ” Flint Institute of Music (FIM)’s President and CEO Rodney Lontine told EVM. The Soggy Bottom Big Band, under the...
read moreCommunity Foundation leader Isaiah Oliver departing for new job in Florida, asserts “Love is never lost”
By Canisha Bell Isaiah M. Oliver, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint (CFGF) has announced his resignation effective July 28, 2023. Oliver, his wife Shay and the couple’s four children Zaiah, Carrington, Chelyn and Isaiah II are moving to Jacksonville, Florida where he has accepted the position of president of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, according to a press release from the CFGF. A Flint native and 1999 graduate of Flint Northwestern High School, Oliver, the youngest and first African-American...
read more“We have chaos in the chamber” – Council Vice-President Ladel Lewis struggles to keep order in Monday’s boisterous meeting
By Tom Travis The City Council meeting spiraled into a chaotic abyss on Monday night. The special affairs committee began at 4:30 p.m. and ended at 9:30 p.m. after five hours of mostly arguing and bickering amongst the council. Additionally, there was a group of vocal members of the public that spoke during public speaking and shouted out at other times during the meeting. The council is temporarily meeting in the Genesee County Commissioners board room, across the street from City Hall, during council chamber renovations. The renovations are...
read moreEmily Doerr named City of Flint Planning & Development Director
By Tom Travis Flint native and resident Emily Doerr will become the new Director of Planning and Development for the City of Flint beginning June 12, 2023, according to a press release from Mayor Sheldon Neeley. Doerr will replace retiring Suzanne Wilcox who has served in the the position for the last six and a half years. Doerr currently leads the Michigan State Land Bank Authority. She previously served as Community Economic Development Program Manager for the City of Flint’s HOME, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Community Development...
read moreEducation Beat : Two days, two memos, two views of Flint school district: Superintendent elevates “positive stories”; teachers’ union cites “grave concerns”
By Harold C. Ford Within two days, two memos with two different views were issued by the superintendent and teachers’ union leaders at Flint Community Schools (FCS). FCS Superintendent Jones On May 5, FCS Superintendent Kevelin Jones issued a statement that attempted to elevate the “positive stories happening in our district every single day.” An excerpt from that memo: “We know there is an influx of negativity surrounding the district, whether that is out in the community on social media or in the news. We are working with the Board of...
read moreImmigration Advanced as a Strategy for Stabilizing, Growing Flint
By Harold C. Ford “This is the ultimate win-win.” –John Austin, Michigan Economic Center, March 29, 2023 The International Center of Greater Flint (ICGF) recently assembled about 40 people representing nearly 20 organizations at the Flint Public Library March 29 to promote immigration as an approach to growing the population and economy of the greater Flint community. Phyllis Sykes and Adil Mohammed, co-founders of ICGF were organizers of the event, co-hosted by Greater Flint Health Coalition. Sykes was moderator. “The increase in...
read moreActress brings iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “cranky” and very human, to life in “All Things Equal” Thursday May 4 at The Whiting
By Tom Travis “How do we fill in the gaps of her very public persona?” Actress Michelle Azar said that question propelled her as she relied on books and movies to tell the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RPG) in a new play by playwright Rupert Holmes. The play depicts “human” moments showing RBG to be cranky, not getting enough sleep and even sexual. “What are those human moments like? How human can we make her? What kind of license do we have to portray these moments from her life?” Azar said. The answers to...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – May 2023
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreEducation Beat Flint Community Schools: Assistant Superintendent Keiona Murphy Resigns; Terae King Removed as Flint Board Vice-President; Charges of Racism Block Bid to Make MacIntyre Treasurer
By Harold C. Ford “We have met the enemy and he is us.” –Cartoonist Walt Kelly’s Earth Day 1970 parody of a similar statement by Master Commandant Oliver Perry in the War of 1812 The resignation of Keiona Murphy, assistant superintendent for Flint Community Schools (FCS), was announced by Superintendent Kevelin Jones in a statement made available to the public April 25. Later the same day, four members of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) Trustees Laura MacIntyre, Joyce Ellis-McNeal, Melody Relerford, and Claudia Perkins, board secretary –...
read moreUM – Flint tenured faculty begin unionization efforts, propelled by governance, pay, work life, university climate concerns
By Jan Worth-Nelson The tenured and tenure-track faculty at the University of Michigan – Flint (UMF) have begun efforts to unionize. A group of about 16 organizers have been meeting, circulating information and membership cards, and consulting with eligible colleagues. The union would be called UMF AFT-AAUP Local 5671 [American Federation of Teachers — American Association of University Professors, affiliating with a labor union representing more than 270,000 higher education workers nationwide. They say they are propelled by...
read moreIs it time to unelect the electors?
By Paul Rozycki In the United States we elect over 500,000 individuals to office. Every election year, the voters choose who will be their governors, senators, state representatives, mayors, city council members, judges, county commissioners, school board members, township clerks, drain commissioners, and perhaps an occasional dog-catcher here and there. And all of those individuals are chosen based on one cardinal rule. Whoever gets the most votes wins. With one exception. The President of the United States. We elect the president by way of...
read moreIconic Saginaw Street brick replacement underway; $5 million project to continue through 2024
By Elizabeth Ireland-Curtis The iconic bricks on Saginaw Street, along with the Weather Ball are part of Flint’s identity and history. The bricks on Saginaw are being replaced in a two-year project that began Monday, April 10. Mayor Sheldon Neeley presented plans for the historic restoration at a press conference that same day. A website, FixTheBricksFlint.com, can be accessed by residents for street closings and updates. City Engineer Mark Adas said he hopes to make the project “as painless as possible” which, when completed by the end...
read moreEducation Beat: Turmoil at the top continues at Flint Community Schools
By Harold C. Ford Editor’s note – This article has been updated naming the former FCS employee who received the $61,000 retirement payout. The tumult that has plagued the leadership team(s) at Flint Community Schools (FCS) in recent years was fully on display in and around the April 12 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE). Michael Clack, board president, announced an investigation by the Michigan State Police (MSP) into an alleged excessive retirement payout of $61,000 to Monaca Elston,...
read moreVillage Life: Flint’s “coney culture” fed us, brought us together, inspired art, music, literature, poetry — and even some brawls, presenters declare
By Jan Worth-Nelson One thing was clear as a sell-out crowd lined up for their food Saturday in a big meeting room at — where else — Koegel Meats, the origin and home of the legendary frankfurter. The coney is more than a hot dog. The “Salute to Flint’s Coney Culture” sponsored by the Genesee County Historical Society, started with a simple formula: volunteers doling out a well-grilled dog slipped into a bun, sauce from the Starlight Diner, buns from Mr. Bread, plenty of mustard and chopped onions. Little bags...
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