Kids swarm City Hall to read books with Weaver and Howard University spring break students
By Patsy Isenberg Twenty third grade through fifth grade students from Freeman Elementary School in Flint swarmed City Hall Wednesday to read with college students from Howard University, solve a problem about shoe laces, and consider what makes people feel happy and...
“Neighbors Changing Flint” third session explores reuses of vacant lots
By Luther Houle Ashley Everhart, agency director of the Neighborhood Engagement Hub, began the third meeting of the series "Neighbors Changing Flint" with an eye-opening statistic. “Within the city's boundaries, we have almost 60,000 vacant lots,” she said, citing...
“America: The Farewell Tour” by Chris Hedges: a review
Reviewed by Robert R. Thomas An unsettling childhood memory is that things were not as they seemed, and nobody was talking about it. My brother Alan succinctly described our childhood milieu as a “culture of silence.” While reading America: The Farewell Tour, by Chris...
News Brief: Tendaji Talks on white power and privilege kick off March 19
The Tendaji Talks, sponsored by Flint’s Neighborhoods Without Borders, kicks off its spring series 6 p.m. March 19 at the Flint Public Library, 1026 E. Kearsley St. Named for long-time community leader Tendaji W. Ganges, the series comprises discussions on systemic...
Science and distrust highlight PFAS town hall meeting
By Paul Rozycki A planned two-hour town hall that ran almost three hours revealed both the hard and complex science behind the PFAS problem, as well as the anger, frustration and distrust over water issues in the Flint area. The town hall meeting, held at the Mott...
Flint Cultural Center Academy details highlight Flint Neighborhoods United meeting
By Luther Houle Highlights of the March Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU) meeting included a presentation by Eric Lieske of the Flint Cultural Center Academy (FCCA) a $500 contest from the Traffic Taming Taskforce, and various upcoming events for the month of March....
East Village Magazine – March 2019
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
“Neighbors Changing Flint” tasks cover leadership, surveys, blight, as workshops proceed
By Meghan Christian and Patsy Isenberg To suggest how neighborhood leaders might figure out which problems to focus on, Carma Lewis of Flint Neighborhoods United offers a practical lead. "I start with what I can see outside my window, because that's my domain that I...
Flint City Council February Roundup: Despite mutual distrust, actions inch forward
By Meghan Christian The second month of 2019 brought yet more conflict and distrust to the Flint City Council (FCC) members and residents who attended the month’s three regular meetings. Regardless of the conflicts, however, the council continued dialogue on the state...
This Month in the Village: March features Celtic music, Girls Rock, Science on Tap
“This Month” highlights a selection of events available to our readers. It is not an exhaustive list, rather a sampling of opportunities in the city. To submit events for April email your event to Managing Editor Meghan Christian at meghan.christian22@gmail.com by...
Stonemason, artist, champion of peace David Smallidge dead at 83
By Jan Worth-Nelson David Smallidge was a stone mason who helped lay bricks for the downtown campus of UM - Flint and constructed the stone frame for the original Flint Farmers' Market mosaic. He also created exquisitely detailed black and white porcelain plates and...
In Ann Arbor, Yo-Yo Ma brought star magic, stories in sound
By Darlene C. Carey On the night of cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s recent appearance in Ann Arbor, the crescent moon and Jupiter had their closest pass of the year, with Saturn and Venus also visible in the night sky. Ma’s performance before a packed house at Hill Auditorium...
Yo-Yo Ma celebration unites, electrifies a crowd with music and love at Berston Field House
By Jan Worth-Nelson Steel drummers, a mariachi band, twirling dancers, spoken word, African drum and dance, a string quartet -- and in the midst of it, a little bit of Bach by a world-renowned cellist and a joyous atmosphere -- that was Thursday's "Flint Voices:...
Review: “A $500 House in Detroit” a familiar, complex story for Flint readers
By Harold C. Ford “You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.”- Eldridge Cleaver “What I learned…was that my goal wasn’t to build a house. It was to transform myself by building a house.”- author Drew Philp, A $500 House in Detroit, Rebuilding...
Review: Katie Stanley Band interlaces themes of love and loss in polished “Lake Superior”
By Jeffery L. Carey Jr. Very few local bands are as polished and professional sounding as the Flint-based Katie Stanley Band. With the recent release of Katie Stanley’s third EP titled, Lake Superior, it would seem the band is progressing in the right direction. As a...
Free Berston concert Thursday to feature Flint voices, Yo-Yo Ma, Olaniran
By Jan Worth-Nelson Ed note: This has been updated to correct the address of Berston Field House. It is 3300 Saginaw St. A free "cultural community showcase" featuring Flint performers along with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma is set for 4-6 p.m. Thursday at Berston Field...
A number of numbers to watch in 2019
By Paul Rozycki I once knew a math professor who argued that everything in the universe could be explained by numbers and mathematics---from the creation of the most basic atoms, to the formation of the stars and galaxies, to the most complex life forms, to all types...
Kildee promotes legislation to increase, strengthen Social Security in local roundtable
By Jan Worth-Nelson Nobody should live in poverty because they're old, Congressman Dan Kildee declared to a group of about 35 community leaders today in Flint, and no one around the table disagreed. But pension systems and Social Security as they function today for...
Calling for “full public release” of Mueller report, Kildee says GOP leaders need to “stand up”
By Jan Worth-Nelson Calling for "full public release" of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report, Congressman Dan Kildee said today regardless of what happens he hopes Republican leaders "stand with the American people" and hold the president accountable, instead of...
News Brief: Registration open for Spring Break Theatre Camp for kids grades 3-6
Registration is underway and tuition assistance is available for spring classes and acting camp at Flint Repertory Theatre, 1220 East Kearsley St. Spring Break Theatre Camp, March 25-29, is a week of daily acting workshops for grades 3-6, with a final stage...
Black Panther founder Bobby Seale highlights UM – Flint’s Black History Month
By Paul Rozycki As part of Black History Month, the U of M-Flint invited Black Panther Party founder Bobby Seale to address students, faculty, and the public on Monday night. The 1960s activist spoke to a full house at the UM-Flint Theater in a presentation that...
Yo-Yo Ma combining Bach, culture, and a Flint “Day of Action,” climaxing at Berston Fieldhouse
By Jan Worth-Nelson A two-day visit Feb. 27-28 by internationally-acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma began with Johann Sebastian Bach, but has expanded to focus on Flint and culminate in a "Day of Action" and performance at Berston Fieldhouse, the University Musical Society...
News Brief: “Neighbors Changing Flint” workshops begin Feb. 20
The Neighborhood Engagement Hub announces February and March workshops in its “Neighbors Changing Flint” series, with topics including neighborhood leaders, blight elimination, vacant lot reuse, health, funding and long-term change. Workshops are 5 p.m. – 8 p.m....
I love Flint: Baker’s dozen reasons why my town is NOT the 11th “Worst City to Live In”
By Harold C. Ford I’m an unabashed, unashamed, scream-it-from-the-rooftops supporter/defender of Flint. And yet once again, my hometown was put on another “worst” list. This time it was a publication called 24/7 Wall St. Using “an index of over two dozen measures...
Flint Repertory Theatre presents “The Wolves,” for teens and adults, through Feb.17
By Patsy Isenberg On Feb.8, a Pulitzer Prize drama finalist for 2017, “The Wolves,” opened at The Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep) in the 100-seat Bower Theater. Its all-female cast gives the audience a fly-on-the-wall observation of a nine-girl high school soccer...
