Judge orders city council, mayor to confab on trash; Republic still on, Weaver speaks out
By Jan Worth-Nelson Mayor Karen Weaver and her top staff, along with City Council President Kerry Nelson and Councilman Scott Kincaid, will be reporting for trash negotiation boot camp this morning (Wednesday, Sept. 28), muscled into the courtroom of Circuit Court...
The hurts remain fresh: water protestors back at City Hall demand U.S. action
By Jan Worth-Nelson The "2 Years 2 Long Coalition" lined up in front of Flint City Hall on a sunny, September Monday with the American flag furling in the background. Their demand: That the U.S. Senate and House act now to bring relief to the Flint water crisis. In a...
If it’s Monday, there must be trash: dual pickups possible as council/mayoral dispute continues
By Jan Worth-Nelson 11 a.m. update: Kristin Moore, Mayor Karen Weaver's public relations director, has just released the following statement: "Mayor Weaver is waiting on a decision from the appeals court regarding the waste collection situation. She did send a...
Flint trash decision kicked to curb again in council/mayoral fight
By Jan Worth-Nelson Flint's trash pickup is once again in limbo due to ongoing disagreement between the City Council and Mayor Karen Weaver. The focus of disagreement is which of two competing potential contractors, the current contractor, Republic Services, Inc. and...
Dismantling “structural racism” not easy but necessary, Tendaji Talk speaker asserts
By Robert R. Thomas Carlton Evans opened his presentation as the featured speaker for the recent Tendaji Talk at the Flint Public Library by posing two questions: How do we dismantle structural racism? How do we eliminate white supremacy? “The short answer is I don't...
East Village Magazine’s 40th birthday celebration a success: THANK YOU
A crowd of 120 helped East Village Magazine celebrate its 40th anniversary with a party and fundraiser from 4-9 p.m. last Saturday in the Ramsdell Room of the Flint Farmers' Market. The Greg Ellis Blues Band performed, and, according to EVM Editor Jan Worth-Nelson,...
Community Commentary: Why I quit singing the Star Spangled Banner
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt of a column reprinted with permission from Woodside World, a newsletter issued to the congregation of Woodside Church of Flint, where Rev. Conrad is senior pastor. She wrote it partly in response to NFL star Colin Kaepernick's...
“Tendaji Talk” turns to women of color remembering “what my mother told me”
By Robert R. Thomas Four women of color engaged an audience of 20 at the Flint Public Library recently in a Tendaji Talk titled “What my Mother Told Me; What I Told My Daughters.” Co-hosts Alexis Murphy-Morris and Trina Sanders, both African American, were joined on...
MCC hosts “minor party presidential candidate” forum
By Paul Rozycki Can’t deal with Trump? Not sure if you can trust Hillary? Well, there are lots of other choices out there. That was the point of the “Off the Beaten Path to the White House Presidential Candidate Forum” held at Mott Community College Sept. 15. The...
East Village Magazine – September 2016
The latest issue of the East Village Magazine is available for download here:
State’s “Step Forward” program reinvigorates help for Flint homeowners
By Jan Worth-Nelson A six-year-old program of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority called “Step Forward” to help prevent foreclosures in Michigan is stepping up approaches to Flint residents affected by the water crisis or other financial troubles. Troy...
Water crisis writer Anna Clark takes EVM into national spotlight, probes many Flint stories
By Jan Worth-Nelson In a surprise outcome related to the Flint water crisis, East Village Magazine has been featured in a standard-bearing national journal, The Columbia Journalism Review. In an article titled “In Flint, a new era for one of the oldest community...
Village Life: scratch a Flintoid these days, you’ll find a chemist
By Jan Worth-Nelson One Thursday in August, as Virginia Tech researcher Marc Edwards was presenting his most recent findings to the cameras and lights nearby, another less glamorous group of us -- me a lone reporter in the third row -- were sitting restlessly in a...
City infrastructure replacement plan takes “holistic” approach, could cost $2 billion
By Nic Custer Rebuild Flint the Right Way, an ambitious plan released in August to repair, replace and upgrade the city’s infrastructure, outlines Mayor Karen Weaver’s vision for fixing the city in the wake of the water crisis. Implementing the plan might cost as much...
Straight talk on the “straight ticket”
By Paul Rozycki There are at least two ways to win an election. Obviously, the best is to have a great candidate, put on the strongest campaign, sell your ideas to the voters and hope they support your views. At least that’s the classical democratic view of winning an...
“The new Jim Crow is the old Jim Crow,” FPL speaker asserts
By Robert R. Thomas With an engaged group of 25 in the basement of Flint Public Library recently, Hubert Roberts led a conversation about "The New Jim Crow,” both Michelle Alexander’s eponymous book and the reality. The conversation was part of the Tendaji...
Essay: For-Mar treehouse a childhood fantasy brought to life–by TV masters
By Robert R. Thomas Camping out is an honorable Michigan tradition. I have a photo of me at three years old in the wilds of West Branch holding a hatchet while standing in front of my father’s Marine Corps pup tent that always smelled of tropical mold, which made it...
Free lead testing for dogs offered by Humane Society
The Genesee County Humane Society, partnering with the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, will be offering lead testing for dogs residing in the city of Flint, according to a press release and flyer from Dr. John Snell The testing will take...
East Village Magazine – August 2016
The latest issue of East Village Magazine is available for download here:
News Briefs Aug. 10-20: Hazardous materials recycling, lead-fighting nutrients
By Anne Trelfa Hazardous Waste, Electronics & Appliance Recycle Day Aug. 20 Saturday August 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is recycling day for hazardous waste, electronics and appliances in Genesee County. The collection will take place at two locations this year:...
New MCC statue offers tribute to legacy of C.S. Mott
By Lori Nelson Savage Almost 60 years after C.S. Mott gave additional property and money for the construction of the three-story library shared by Flint Junior College and the University of Michigan, a bronze, life-size statue in his likeness has been mounted at its...
Village Life: It’s been a little hard to write about nuthatches
By Jan Worth-Nelson I'd really like to go back to writing about nuthatches. A buddy of mine recently gently noted that my Village Life columns seem to have strayed from the easy-going neighborly flavor of my early years on the back page (or tucked into some weekend...
Flint’s woes “not just about water,” Rep. Kildee tells water recovery group
By Jan Worth-Nelson Even before the water crisis hit, U.S Representative Dan Kildee reminded about 100 members of the Flint Recovery Group Aug. 4 under the dome at City Hall, Flint was already “one mistake from a crisis.” And in the devastating wake of a whole series...
Flint can be lead-free and a national model of renewal, Flint Mayor Weaver says
By Jan Worth-Nelson While acknowledging that Flint has many hurdles to overcome in recovering from its water crisis, Mayor Karen Weaver said in her first State of the City address Aug. 4 that progress is real and that Flint can become a national model of renewal. And...
Access to lead-fighting food expanded in Double-Up Bucks program
By Stacie Scherman Many low-income Flint residents now have greater access to lead-fighting fruits, vegetables, and milk, thanks to a recent Double Up Food Bucks expansion in Flint. According to a press release, Fair Food Network (FFN), the nonprofit organization...
