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“What’s next? What do we do with all this?” Tracee Glab, new FIA executive director, welcomes new era
By Tom Travis “The arts have meant a lot in terms of transforming my life. I grew up in the southwest Detroit, immigrant neighborhood — mostly Italians, in the shadow of the Ford Rouge Plant. A lot of people that lived in my neighborhood worked at Ford or for Marathon Oil or one of the other industries in the area. So it was a very hard working, working-class, blue collar neighborhood. That significant background is part of what motivates and has prepared Tracee Glab for her job as the newly-selected executive director of the...
read moreTotem Books hosts Carrie Walling’s “Human Rights and Justice for All” book launch
By Paul Rozycki Carrie Booth Walling introduced her new book “Human Rights and Justice for All: Demanding Dignity in the United States and Around the World” at a well-attended kickoff event Thurs. Aug. 11, at Totem Books in Flint. Dawn Jones of ABC 12 TV conducted the interview and was moderator as Walling discussed the book and answered questions from the audience about the importance of human rights in today’s world. Both were introduced by former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling. Carrie Walling said she was inspired to work for the cause of...
read moreEducation Beat: Staff shortages at Flint schools at a “critical” stage
By Harold C. Ford “Teachers are walking away.” — Joyce Ellis McNeal, president, Flint Board of Education The central issue at a four-hour Flint Board of Education (FBOE) Committee of the Whole meeting Aug. 10 was the “critical” shortage of candidates to fill vacant staff positions in the district — primarily teachers. Flint officials said more than 40 positions are currently unfilled by qualified, full-time staff. Joyce Ellis-McNeal, FBOE president, stated 47 positions were vacant. Karen Christian, United Teachers of Flint...
read moreArt Review: “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” explored at latest Mott-Warsh exhibit
By Harold C. Ford “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” is the current exhibit at the Mott-Warsh (MW) Gallery, 815 S. Saginaw St. (corner of Court and Saginaw streets), Flint. The exhibit ends Aug. 20. According to Stephanie James, director and curator of the Mott-Warsh collection, the exhibit is in response to the angst-inducing issues of the current era that impact most of us: the COVID-19 pandemic; racial justice; the Jan. 6 insurrection; tussles over voting rights, reproductive rights, gender equity; and myriad other issues. The current...
read moreCity’s financial peril thwarted with $220 million boost from State coffers
By Tom Travis An infusion of $220 million into the city’s coffers from the State Treasury will give enduring relief to the city’s finances. On July 6, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced the City of Flint will receive $220 million from State budget allocations to fund the city’s pension costs. That allocation is part of the State’s $76 billion budget Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed July 1. In recent budget hearings the City’s CFO Robert Widigan has detailed a desperate picture of the city’s underfunded pension...
read moreCity Council Beat: Lead line replacements and restorations to begin as council approves $17.8-million contract
By Tom Travis City of Flint residents can expect remaining lead line replacements and restorations to sidewalks, curbs and yards to begin in the coming weeks. At its Monday meeting, the city council approved a $17.8 million contract with LGC Global, based in Detroit, to take on the mammoth task of completing more than 400 lead pipe replacements and 8,500 restorations throughout the city. According to Mike Brown, Department of Public Works (DPW) director, the average cost for each restoration is about $1,300. The cost is an...
read moreSports Beat: Flint City Bucks booted from USL2 Semifinal after strong season
By Harold C. Ford The Flint City Bucks soccer club was booted from the United States League Two (USL2) semifinal in Des Moines by Ventura County Fusion FC (football club) July 31. The California club prevailed 2-1 and will host the championship match Aug. 6. Ventura County scored its goal on a magnificent bend-it-like-Beckham goal — the Bucks’ website dubbed it a “wonder goal” — from forward Nathaniel Opoku in the 40th minute. From the right side (facing Flint’s goal) Opoku, using his left foot, perfectly curled the ball in front...
read moreElection Beat: Primary voters choose nominees — Neeley, Weaver, Dixon win, advance to November
By Paul Rozycki The August primary election in Genesee County saw nearly 23 percent of voters cast ballots as they chose the nominees for the November election. That is slightly higher than the average turnout for most August primaries county-wide. However, the Flint turnout was below average at a little more than 14 percent, with 11,000 of the city’s 75,000 voters selecting two of the three mayoral candidates, Mayor Sheldon Neeley and former Mayor Karen Weaver, to proceed to November. With redistricting, voters and candidates...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint Board of Education — Some good news stories and some same old stories
By Harold C. Ford [Editors’ Note: Harold C. Ford, East Village Magazine’s (EVM) education reporter, had intended to write a July piece featuring some good news stories he’d collected about Flint Community Schools (FCS) in the past few months. But, alas, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) meeting he witnessed on July 20 was likely the most chaotic witnessed by him in more than five years of covering Flint’s public schools. Nonetheless, this piece features “good news stories.” For purposes of readability and thematic tidiness, EVM has divided...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – August 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: East Village Magazine – August 2022 View...
read moreVillage Life: At 76, he’s run marathons in all 50 states and the Great Wall of China
By Tom Travis From the Great Wall of China to the Hoover Dam, Ortonville resident Jay Cummings, 76, experiences life 26 miles at a time — again and again. A retired United Church of Christ minister, he’s a devoted marathon runner who finds the discipline of his chosen sport to be good for his body and spirit — and he has no plans to quit. Since 1992, when he took up marathon running to try to quit smoking, he’s averaged two marathons a year. After he succeeded at quitting smoking, he tackled a new goal: running a...
read moreNeeley, Weaver, and Mays respond to voters’ questions at Mott Park forum
By Paul Rozycki With a forum that could have been titled “Two Mayors and Mays,” incumbent Mayor Sheldon Neeley, former Mayor Karen Weaver, and city council member Eric Mays responded to questions from a standing-room-only audience of Mott Park residents for more than an hour and a half on Monday evening. In the park-like setting of the Mott Park Disc Golf Course, each laid out their visions for the city and their accomplishments in city government. The event was sponsored by the Mott Park Neighborhood Association and gave the neighborhood...
read moreSports Beat: Flint City Bucks power into playoffs, Central Conference Championship match vs. Des Moines Menace July 29
By Harold C. Ford * * * * * United States League Two Central Conference Championship Flint City Bucks at Des Moines Menace Friday, July 29, 8:15 p.m. EDT Valley Stadium, 4400 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA 50265 Online video transmission at uslleaguetwo.com * * * * * The Flint City Bucks football club (soccer team) gained momentum in a late-regular season surge to reach the United States Two League (USL2) Central Conference Championship match against the Des Moines Menace on July 29 starting at 8:15 p.m. EDT. The match site...
read moreEducation Beat Flint Board of Education: Some same old stories and some good news stories
By Harold C. Ford [Editors’ Note: The Flint Board of Education (FBOE) meeting witnessed on July 20 was troubling to cover for Harold C. Ford, East Village Magazine’s (EVM) education reporter. For purposes of readability and thematic tidiness, EVM is dividing this month’s Education Beat report into two parts: “same old stories” and “good news stories.” Both pieces are available at the EVM website.] “We have met the enemy and he is us.” –Earth Day poster, 1970 “This is ridiculous.” –Linda Boose, secretary, FBOE, July 20, 2022 Same...
read moreIn praise of (good) politicians
By Paul Rozycki “Politics is more difficult than physics.” -Albert Einstein Last month’s East Village Magazine was devoted to the idea of good governance and the problems with dysfunctional government in Genesee County, as we took a look at the Flint City Council, the Flint Community School Board, and the many problems they have faced. Some of those problems have been blamed on “politics” or “politicians.” Sometimes, it seems that if we could just get rid of politics and politicians our problems would be solved. But maybe the opposite...
read moreSports Beat: Flint City Bucks Power into Playoffs with 6-0 Romp over Midwest United
By Harold C. Ford * * * * * United States League Two Central Conference Quarterfinals Friday, July 22, 2022; 4 and 7 p.m.; Atwood Stadium, Flint Chicago FC United vs. Peoria City, 4 p.m. Flint City Bucks vs. South Bend Lions, 7 p.m. General admission tickets: $10 for children; $15 for adults * * * * * The Flint City Bucks football club (soccer team) powered a path into the United States League Two (USL2) postseason playoffs with a resounding 6-0 win over the Grand Rapids-based Midwest United team July 16 at Flint’s Atwood Stadium. For...
read moreRe-made Sloan Museum of Discovery opens doors to “more voices lifted up,” inspiration for math and science, enriched local history
By Jan Worth-Nelson Three years after a groundbreaking at which a host of dignitaries foresaw local opportunities to champion science and history, the promise has been delivered. The newly renamed Sloan Museum of Discovery opened its doors to the public July 16 after a dramatic $30 million makeover. Funded by a combination of grants, millions in contributions from philanthropic institutions, state funding and individual donations, the renovation almost doubled the size of the space, from 58,000 to 107,000 square feet and added four new...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – July 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreVillage Life: It’s too hot for lies and threats to democracy, even for journalists here at home
By Jan Worth-Nelson Today’s it’s 95 degrees outside and the AC is rumbling like a 19th century train. I’m passing on taking my daily walk, and I hurry outside only briefly to add water to the bird bath, hoping all the creatures will find a cool retreat. I’m recovering from a trip to the dentist, where something came over me. I had a mouth full of the hygienist’s hands as she scraped away, and I got a coughing fit. I grabbed her hand time and again and started to panic until we slowed everything down and I calmed down. She was very kind...
read moreLegendary Golden Leaf club receives new mural as part of Flint City Mural Festival
By Tom Travis Finishing a vividly bright mural at Flint’s famed Golden Leaf Club, Florida visual artist Zulu Painter declared, “Hopefully I can pay homage to all the legendary acts here and the energy itself that’s here that’s gone on for over 100 years. It’s an honor to be one of the artists to get to paint on this building.” “It’s an honor to paint the mural for the festival. And it’s an honor to paint it here on this historic building that’s been around for over one hundred...
read moreCommentary: Good governing betrayed by “knuckleheads”– the public urgently needs better
By Tom Travis This is not the usual city council article. No “news” here, just observations and commentary from a local city government beat community journalist. As editor, and supported by the board of East Village Magazine, this entire issue is dedicated to governance. Specifically, this entire issue of East Village Magazine (EVM) is dedicated to good local governance. Our local city council has at times resorted to name calling, including calling each other “knuckleheads,” endless bickering and excruciatingly...
read moreEducation Beat Analysis/Commentary: Monumental challenges for Flint Schools; progress slowed by instability
By Harold C. Ford [Editor’s note: For this special “good governance” issue of East Village Magazine, we have invited Education Beat writer Harold C. Ford, who’s been covering the Flint Board of Education for more than five years, to submit not just a factual report about the state of the beleaguered district, but an analysis, with recommendations, from his expertise as a lifelong educator — thus combining two roles — reporter and education expert. Ford has spent most of his life in and around education. He...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – June 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreWhat’s on the Aug. 2 primary ballot? Here’s a preview from state to city
By Paul Rozycki The upcoming Aug.2 primary election is only weeks away and, if this year is like most, we will have a light turnout for our summer election as voters are otherwise occupied with travel plans, cookouts, and staying cool. Yet this primary may be more important than most. With the redistricting of the past year completed, many voters may be in new districts, and many candidates will be appealing to a new set of voters. With term limits there will also be a number of new faces on the ballot. As the pandemic eases, we will see...
read moreCommentary: Good government isn’t easy. It’s up to all of us to make it work
By Paul Rozycki When Flint School Board President Danielle Greene [allegedly] assaulted board Treasurer Laura McIntyre during a Flint Community School Board meeting last March, the school board accomplished something that few thought humanly possible. If even for a short time, they replaced the Flint City Council as the most dysfunctional government in the county. That’s no small accomplishment. Not to be outdone in the race for dysfunctional government, Genesee County recently saw County Clerk John Gleason arrested, and Flint Township...
read more“Can You Help Me Tie My Shoes?” Local young author promotes her new book at Flint Farmers Market
By Tom Travis Aspiring eight-year-old author, Taylor Grundy, carefully stacked a dozen or so of her books in a rack that sat on a long white table at the Flint Farmers’ Market. Straightening some matching bookmarks, she sat smiling with her mom, Leslie Grundy. As bustling shoppers filed by, Taylor held up her pen with a bright, pink fuzzy puff ball on top, ready to autograph her new 24-page book, Taylor, Can You Help Me Tie My Shoes? Taylor’s book was published earlier this month, and she explains she has plans for at...
read more“Blight elimination” top priority in Mayor’s plan to allocate $94 million ARPA funds
By Tom Travis Mayor Sheldon Neeley and his administration outlined a proposal to allocate the $94 million American Rescue Plan funds awarded to Flint in April 2021 at a special city council meeting Monday. The proposal calls for $69.5 million of the funds to be used for housing and blight elimination ($33.6 million); economic development ($11.57 million); safety and crime prevention ($10.2 million); infrastructure ($7.475 million) and public health ($6.6 million). The administration is calling that bundle of proposals “New Community...
read moreEducation Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, Part Two — Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, unanimous adoption of Strategic Plan June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface By Harold C. Ford “It’s been going on for years and years – hostile work environment, hostile board environment.” –Joyce Ellis-McNeal, president, Flint Board of Education; June 9, 2022 [Editor’s note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat reporter, Harold C. Ford, attended the Flint Board of Education’s (FBOE) of the Whole (COW) meeting(s) on June 8 and June 9. This month, the FBOE began to divide up and conduct the...
read moreEducation Beat Analysis: A tale of two board meetings, from “uncommon civility” to “familiar tensions” Part One
June 8: Amidst uncommon civility, board unanimously adopts Strategic Plan [Click here for Part Two, June 9: Civility erodes, familiar tensions resurface] By Harold C. Ford “Sometimes, for the sake of the children, we have to put aside our personal philosophies and beliefs and do what’s right for our children.” –Eddie Thomas: principal, Eisenhower Elementary; president, Congress of Flint School Administrators, Inc.; June 8, 2022 [Editor’s note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat reporter, Harold C. Ford, attended the Flint Board of...
read moreCity Council tosses out months’ long investigative hearing on botched waste collection bid
By Tom Travis A botched bid for the city’s waste collection contract in 2021, revealed in a June 2021 city council meeting, launched an investigative hearing that lasted nearly a year and over two different city councils. One year later, in Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting, city council voted 5-2 “to end all legal services and investigative hearing.” How the council got to an investigative hearing In a June 2021 city council meeting then Councilperson Monica Galloway (7th Ward) requested to question the City’s...
read moreReview: Fantastic adaptation of “The Fantasticks” celebrates a new perspective
By Patsy Isenberg and Tom Travis A festive conclusion of The Rep’s final presentation of the season, The Fantasticks, opened to an appreciative full house Friday, June 3. The iconic musical is the longest-running production in the history of the American stage and one of the most frequently produced musicals in the world. The Rep’s production, while respectful of that history, also offers something different. A pre-show reception welcomed everyone with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Afterwards, more treats: champagne and...
read moreFlint City Council passes $64 million “balanced” budget after Winfrey-Carter’s dramatic pause during rollcall vote
By Tom Travis In a dramatic and unprecedented vote, the city council passed a $64 million budget in its Monday meeting. According to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Robert Widigan, the budget allocates $64 million for the city’s expenditures and is based on $50.7 million in revenue. Widigan explains the budget will be balanced with a transfer of $14 million from the general fund balance which stands at $22 million. The resolution to approve the city’s 2022-2023 fiscal year budget passed 5-2. Voting ‘yes’ were...
read moreReview: Connor Coyne’s URBANTASM Book Four: THE SPRING STORM finishes the gripping allegory with a hammer blow
By Robert Thomas The publication of the fourth and final book of Flint author Connor Coyne’s serial novel, URBANTASM, marks the finale of his epic allegory set in the heart of the American Rust Belt in the fictional city of Akawe, Michigan, somewhere north of Detroit. As befits any gripping serial, The Spring Storm delivers a hammer blow with a rollicking readerly ride through a perfect storm of rusty decay and an abundance of evil. Having reviewed the first three books for East Village Magazine*, I approached Book Four with anticipatory...
read more“At the Intersection” 182-year-old Flint congregation considers their place in the community
By Tom Travis As the congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church celebrates the 150th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone in 1872, they also are considering what it means to be “at the intersection” and what kinds of impact the church will and should have in the community. The Episcopal congregation began worshiping in Flint 182 years ago. The present building, at the corner of Third and Saginaw Streets, is their fourth location. It was constructed 150 years ago. The anniversary has stimulated the congregation to...
read moreCommentary: The legal road to Roe v. Wade and back: It’s more than just a court case
By Paul Rozycki Perhaps nothing illustrates both the legal and personal sides of the abortion issue better than two unrelated recent events. A few weeks ago, we learned that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to overturn a half century of protection for abortion rights, and, in the same week, we learned that the lack of baby formula is reaching a crisis level. Based upon a leaked court opinion, (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 2022) it appears that the U.S. Supreme Court is on track to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that...
read moreEducation Beat : At May Flint School Board meetings, EDEP dismissed; no school closings or staff layoffs; infrastructure woes continue; intra-board tensions ongoing
By Harold C. Ford The May 11 and 18 meetings of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) – together lasting nearly 12 hours – began with purported good news that Flint Community Schools (FCS) had been released from the imposition of an enhanced deficit elimination plan (EDEP) by the Michigan Department of Treasury. Any euphoria elicited by the EDEP-dismissal announcement soon evolved into a parade of FCS constituents anxiously and unanimously urging the district not to close schools – specifically Pierce Elementary and the Accelerated Learning...
read moreFPL architect says “Libraries are the greatest act of love you can give your community” as area residents pour in
By Jan Worth-Nelson When Kay Schwartz and her crew of 31 staff and the library’s board of trustees began the planning process seven years ago for the Flint Public Library’s major renovation which culminated with a three-day opening celebration May 19-21, one value emerged over all others. “We wanted it to be a welcoming community space above everything else,” Schwartz said, walking around the capacious new layout the day before the public opening of the dramatically made-over 60-year-old Kearsley Street structure....
read more“A community jewel,” “Magnificent legacy, ” — Community leaders celebrate Flint Public Library reopening after $30 million renovation
By Jan Worth-Nelson “Wow!” “Awesome!” “Spectacular!” “A polished community jewel” “Wonderful” “A magnificent legacy” Speakers at the re-opening ceremony and ribbon cutting Thursday of the renovated Flint Public Library outdid each other with superlatives in the bright sun of a day characterized by cheers, gratitude, and hope. The $30 million project, created through a broad-based combination of public, philanthropic, and private funds, has been in the works...
read moreFlint Schools Superintendent considers library opening: “We got next”
By Jan Worth-Nelson After the joyful ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Flint Public Library Thursday, Flint Community Schools Superintendent Kevelin Jones slipped away alone across the parking lot from the glossy new building to the empty wreck that is the former Flint Central High School, closed in 2009 and now crumbling, tagged, vandalized and boarded up just a few dozen yards away. The contrast could not have been more pointed. “Today was emotional,” Jones said. “As I walked through the library and I looked over at Flint...
read moreLibrary reopens after $30 million renovation with three-day celebration
By Jan Worth-Nelson A two-year-long, $30 million renovation of the Flint Public Library culminates with a three-day celebration beginning Thursday, reopening the 90,000-square-foot facility to the public after a long wait made even longer by the COVID pandemic. A ribbon cutting begins the festivities at 10 a.m. Thursday on the lawn, followed by self-guided tours until 4 p.m. Library services will not yet be available. The first day of service will be Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jazz on Wheels are scheduled to perform on an outside terrace...
read moreEducation Beat: Schools board postpones closures after 30 speakers plead to keep Pierce, ALA open; district released from State-imposed Emergency Finance Plan
By Harold C. Ford A six-hour meeting of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) on May 11 began with purported good news that Flint Community Schools (FCS) had been released from the imposition of an enhanced deficit elimination plan (EDEP) by the Michigan Department of Treasury. But any euphoria elicited by the EDEP-dismissal announcement quickly evolved into a parade of FCS constituents anxiously and unanimously urging the district not to close schools – specifically Pierce Elementary and the Accelerated Learning Academy. The long meeting...
read more“Phenomenal” threat to abortion rights a “major wakeup call,” longtime pro-choice advocate asserts
By Jan Worth-Nelson In the wake of the leak of a draft opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court is about to overturn Roe v. Wade, some have suggested men should, as the memes go, “STFU,” or “Shut the F–k up.” But if any area man has a voice worth hearing on the matter, it is Jim Richardson. Richardson is a life-long community activist who was director of Planned Parenthood of East Central Michigan for 22 years, from 1987 to 2009. In a recent interview, he called the likelihood that the end of Roe v. Wade...
read more“Heinous,” “scary,” “devastating”– Area women react to possible end of Roe v. Wade
By Jan Worth-Nelson I set out to try to find out how some area women view the possibility that Roe v. Wade might be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The 1973 decision gave women the right to decide whether they wanted to continue a pregnancy; at long last, first trimester abortions were made legal. Some forget that that decision struck down a Texas ban on abortion, establishing that it was unconstitutional. The majority opinion was based on the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, marked by its “right to privacy”...
read more“Defend Roe Rally” draws 250 to downtown protest: “It’s not just about protests — VOTE!” speakers say
By Jan Worth-Nelson, Tom Travis and Paul Rozycki Chanting “We are not your incubator,” “No uterus, no opinion,” “Keep your laws off my body,” “My body, my choice,” “Abortion is health care,” “We want Roe,” and “We’re not going back” among others, about 250 Flint-area citizens marched from the Flat Lot in downtown Flint Saturday to the Genesee County Courthouse, where they heard speeches from a half dozen area activists on reproductive rights. It was...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – May 8, 2022
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreEducation Beat: Keiona Murphy settles in as Flint School’s assistant superintendent; aims to help district “move forward”
By Harold C. Ford Keiona Murphy has settled in to her new position as assistant superintendent of Flint Community Schools. Murphy was elevated from her interim status as assistant superintendent. Her salary of $114,954 is augmented by an additional $4,200 stipend. Her appointment on Feb. 9, along with other central administrators, was approved by a unanimous vote, 7-0, of the Flint Board of Education (FBOE). Murphy’s responsibilities include: state and federal programs; technology; directing student and family services (enrollment); pupil...
read moreArbor Day means “Tree City USA” again for Flint, many new trees for Pierce Park
By Jan Worth-Nelson A dozen retirees from the College Cultural Neighborhood Association (CCNA) worked alongside a half dozen professional tree lovers more than half their age to celebrate Arbor Day in Pierce Park Friday. The day also marked the City of Flint’s 22nd year as a “Tree City USA,” a national designation of the Arbor Day Foundation recognizing efforts to keep the community tree-filled and green, according to Angela Warren, administrator of the Genesee Conservation District (GCD). Her crew of young...
read moreFlint honors “Heroines and Humanitarians” in sculptures at City Hall
By Paul Rozycki It’s been a long and winding road, but the sculptured busts of the six women honored as “Heroines and Humanitarians” have now found their way to a permanent home in the Flint City Hall. This slideshow requires JavaScript. In a well-attended ceremony at Flint City Hall April 28, the statues of Claressa Shields, Edith Prunty Spencer, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Sybyl McPeake Atwood, Frances Willson Thompson and Olive Beasley were formally installed as a central part of the front lobby. The project began more than three years ago,...
read moreFlint’s 200th anniversary of founding honored with premier of new musical work at May 1, 3 p.m. concert
By Tom Travis Michigan composer and Saginaw resident, Catherine McMichael was commissioned by the Flint Symphonic Wind Ensemble (FSWE) to compose a work commemorating the 200th anniversary of Flint’s founding in 1819. The work was intended to be performed in the 2020 season but due to the COVID shutdown the FSWE did not perform a concert in 2020. Now, at last, the 14-minute long commissioned work, titled “Legacy,” will be performed at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1 at the Flushing Mayfair Bible Church (5339 West Pierson Road) with...
read morePublic speakers plead with council to approve updated zoning ordinance
By Tom Travis A passel of young people from across Flint attended the last city council committee meeting to show their support and rally the council to approve the new proposed zoning ordinance. The new ordinance is expected to be on the council’s agenda the first week of May. In a nearly unanimous council response each council member chimed in agreeing that the city needs updated zoning codes. One of the many public speakers, Travis Gilbert declared, “One of the most effective ways we can move our city forward would be to pass...
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