Opposing “the language of hate,” requires listening, attention to history, Tendaji Talk speakers suggest
By Robert R. Thomas Language is very intentional and entails active listening, according to Dr. Traci Currie, a UM-Flint lecturer in communications, who also labels herself “an artist/activist.” And those elements are relevant to understanding and replacing "the...
With PepsiCo Foundation grant, community groups launch two water crisis “help centers”
By Jan Worth-Nelson A $570,000 grant from the PepsiCo Foundation was put to work this week with the launch of two Food Bank-managed community "help centers" aimed at continuing recovery efforts from the Flint water crisis. In a chilly parking lot under sunny skies at...
Shigella update: bacteria not spread through Flint-area drinking water, CDC officials suggest
By Jan Worth-Nelson An outbreak of shigella bacteria in Genesee and Saginaw counties over the past eight months does not appear to have been caused by Flint's drinking water system, a team of researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the...
Longtime architectural and community landmark, Woodside Church up for sale
By Jan Worth-Nelson Woodside Church, designed by internationally-known Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and built by his brother-in-law Robert F. Swanson in 1952, has been put up for sale by the congregation, who voted on it at an Oct. 30 congregational meeting. A...
East Village Magazine – November 2016
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
Racism’s roots in capitalism, education as cultural imperialism topics of latest Tendaji Talk
By Robert R. Thomas The effects of capitalism and how racism is perpetuated in schools were topics explored in a recent Tendaji Talk at the Flint Public Library by Dorinda Carter Andrews, an associate professor from the Michigan State University Department of Teacher...
Village Life: Getting on the bus might help alleviate community’s “toxic stress”
By Jan Worth-Nelson The water crisis has taken its toll on more than our pipes. As Elizabeth Burtch, a supervisor at Genesee Health System puts it, “There is a lot of anxiety out there, a lot.” And there’s what she calls “toxic stress,” leading to understandable but...
Aging parkway maples challenge city services, neighborhood character
By Kayla Chappell Editor's note: This story has been revised on 11/16/16 to clarify that residents needing help with a downed or dangerous tree should call City of Flint Street Maintenance at (810)-766-7343. That number is available 24/7, according to Angela Warren,...
Video extraction program helping neighborhoods catch bad guys
By Nic Custer Michigan State Police are making it easier for Flint business owners and residents to use their security footage to help prosecute criminals. The program, part of an interagency Secure Cities Partnership, allows trained officers to extract video evidence...
Park millage renewal will help sustain Flint’s acres of green spaces, playlots, trails
By Megan Ockert Support for a park system of 70 facilities, one of Flint's design achievements going back to the 1920s, is the object of a Nov. 8 city-wide vote. Next Tuesday Flint’s Park and Recreation millage is up for renewal after 10 years. As a .50 millage...
Book review: Flint represents “domestic terrorism,” “state-sponsored violence” in America at War with Itself
By Robert R. Thomas In his penetrating new book, America at War with Itself (City Lights Books, 2017), Henry A. Giroux devotes an early chapter to the Flint water crisis, asserting that it epitomizes a menacing "new authoritarianism" and contends that what happened...
“”Time to move on — no more vetoes,” Weaver declares in trash contract resolution
By Jan Worth-Nelson The state-appointed Receivership Transition Advisory Board today gave their blessing to an agreement between Mayor Karen Weaver and the Flint City Council that promises to end, after months of wrangling and dueling trash trucks, the dispute over...
Michigan political system topic of Wednesday, Thursday Flint Area Public Affairs forums
By Megan Ockert Michigan’s emergency manager law, education, management of the public purse, and oversight of Michigan’s political system are featured topics of two free public forums this week. They are scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26. at the Happenings...
Free squash, carrots available for the taking at Woodside Church
Just in time for the stews of cool autumn days, free carrots and butternut and spaghetti squash are available for the taking in the parking lot of Woodside Church, 1509 E. Court St., today. Rev. Deb Conrad said the produce came from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan...
Shigella outbreak subsiding, but answering the “why” continues
By Jan Worth-Nelson Incidence of the latest health threat to hit Flint and Genesee County, the diarrhea-causing bacterium shigella, appears to have subsided, at least for now, representatives from the Centers for Disease Control told the Flint Water Recovery Group...
Community Read aims to foster dialogue on lives of African-American youth, community response
By Jan Worth-Nelson A “Community Read” series focused on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ bestselling book Between the World and Me is underway in Flint, with the second of nine discussions scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at Flint Central Church of the Nazarene, 1261 W...
Get rid of hazardous waste this Saturday, Oct. 22
By Jan Worth-Nelson More than 80 dangerous household chemical and electronic items from acids to batteries to bleach to fluorescent lightbulbs to insecticides to paint thinners to tires to weed killers can be disposed of from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 22...
East Village Magazine – October 2016
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
Flint Local 432’s “Mixdown” bringing culinary talent for Friday celebration
By Jan Worth-Nelson "Mixdown," a culinary event celebrating the nonprofit Flint Local 432, a longtime downtown music and arts venue, is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Friday Oct. 7 at the Flint Farmers' Market, 300 E. First St. The event will feature walk-around tasting, chef...
Concerned Pastors deliver blistering salvo at Councilman Scott Kincaid, City Council
By Jan Worth-Nelson A powerful consortium of Flint clergy, the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, a group which has consistently weighed in in support of Mayor Karen Weaver, today stood in the lobby of Flint City Hall and delivered a blistering salvo at the Flint...
Two bottles instead of one: home water testing enters new phase, MDEQ rep explains
By Jan Worth-Nelson This article was updated at 1 p.m. Monday Oct. 3. A year after Flint residents first started testing their water, making Flint into what experts now describe as "the most monitored city in America," residents are being asked not just to continue...
House painting, bike share system proceeding in Central Park
By Nic Custer The Central Park Neighborhood Association discussed the success of a home painting pilot project in the neighborhood at its September meeting. The group also heard about blight and beautification efforts and installation of a bike share program, and sent...
Book Review: NOBODY: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond
By Robert R. Thomas In the January 2016 issue of EVM, I wrote a book review of Demolition Means Progress (2015) by Andrew Highsmith, a definitive account of the reality of Flint’s last 80 years. The book arrived in my life at a time when I desperately needed to...
Village Life: City Council meeting a mess of bedlam: is this how Flint reclaims self-rule?
By Jan Worth-Nelson This week I lost my city council virginity. It wasn’t pretty. Like most losses of virginity, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable and I’m not sure I want a repeat experience. Some things get better with practice – and are especially improved by having...
Trash dispute, trailer parks demolition, Pierce Park prospects featured at CCNA
By Kayla Chappell The September meeting of the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA) primarily focused on city issues, presented by Monica Galloway, Seventh Ward City Council member, and Kate Fields, Fourth Ward City Council member. Other topics raised at...
