$170 million water infrastructure aid act clears Senate, awaits President’s signature
The following press release, announcing approval of The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, was provided jointly by the offices of Senator Debbie Stabenow, Sen. Gary Peters and Congressman Dan Kildee. It was issued early this afternoon after...
Judge Beagle, Pastor Sherm McCathern named Sybyl Award winners
By Jan Worth-Nelson Judge Duncan Beagle of the Seventh Judicial Circuit and Probate Courts, and Pastor Robert "Sherm" McCathern, pastor of the Joy Tabernacle and a Civic Park Community activist, were named the 2016 Sybyl Award winners tonight at the Genesys Conference...
East Village Magazine – December 2016
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
Flint aid package headed to Senate after House passage
By Jan Worth-Nelson A $170 million aid package bill for Flint passed the U.S. House Thursday and headed for the Senate where local authorities hope it will be given the same approval. In a prepared statement, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver stated, “Today the U.S. House did...
Pierce Park, millage details, Crim school plans topics at CCNA
By Nic Custer A proposal has emerged for reuse of the long-vacant Pierce Golf Course, City Administrator Sylvester Jones told the College Cultural Neighborhood Association at its November meeting. Jones also addressed Kearsley Manor residents’ concerns about a rental...
Flint residents report increased behavioral, physical woes since water crisis, CASPER survey confirms
By Megan Ockert People in many Flint households have been experiencing worsening of their behavioral health, including trouble concentrating, signs of depression and increased anxiety or stress since the Flint water crisis began, according to a recent survey of 182...
Montessori classroom offers new learning options for Flint public schools
By Jan Worth-Nelson Can a classroom that allows students to learn at their own pace, help one another, and follow their natural curiosities actually work in a public school system? And could such a teaching approach enrich options for Flint students and help convince...
MADD “Vigil of Remembrance and Hope” set for Dec. 10
By Megan Ockert MADD Genesee County will host its annual “Candlelight Vigil of Remembrance and Hope” at 7 p.m. Saturday Dec. 10. The event will be held at the First Baptist Church of Grand Blanc on Saginaw Road in Grand Blanc Township. Family members and others...
Village Life: Buckle up for the pursuit of truth
Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a...
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...
