A passion for ice hockey lands Rico Phillips in local sports hall of fame
By Harold C. Ford While many of Flint’s most notable athletes found success in basketball, football, baseball, and track and field, Rico Phillips found it in ice hockey. The son of an African American father and a German immigrant mother, Phillips grew up in Flint and graduated from Flint Southwestern High School in 1987. In March, he was inducted into the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame (GFAASHOF), making him one...
Opinion: Mott Community College Board should back up to go forward
By Paul Jordan Mott Community College (MCC) was very fortunate to enjoy two decades of relatively harmonious leadership from its two most recent presidents, Dr. Richard Shaink and Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffia. Unfortunately, we are now in a period of drama and intrigue. In my opinion, the majority of trustees on Mott’s current Board have failed in their duty to conduct the public’s business in a transparent, ethical, and...
Sports Beat: Flint Central’s ‘Lightning’ Ervin Leavy Jr. finds rewarding career at UM-Flint
By Harold C. Ford Ervin Leavy Jr. was motivated to improve his basketball game after being bested again and again by his older brother at the playground behind Flint’s Gundry School on Flint’s north side. “He would beat up on me every day until I finally beat him when I was about 13-years-old,” Leavy Jr. recollected in a December 2024 interview with East Village Magazine (EVM). “That meant a lot to me,” said Leavy Jr. “That was the...
A conversation with Laurence Alexander, new chancellor of University of Michigan-Flint
By Jan Worth-Nelson In the conference room of his second floor suite in UM-Flint’s University Pavilion building, Laurence Alexander was ecstatic about Michigan’s weather. The new chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint sat down with EVM on a brilliant August day of 72 degrees and low humidity – quite the contrast from his former city of Pine Bluff, Ark., which stood at 88 degrees that same afternoon. “Who could possibly...
Project 2025: A possible glimpse into a second Trump administration
By Paul Rozycki Want to know what a second Trump administration might look like? An overview of “Project 2025” might give you a good idea. The 900-page plan, fully titled “Mandate for Leadership, The Conservative Promise, Project 2025,” would dramatically change the federal government and shift it to the right. It was put together by nearly 200 Trump officials and supporters in conjunction with the right-leaning Heritage...
Guest Commentary: Thanks for the early Christmas gift – air pollutants and toxins
By Ted Zahrfeld Thank you for the early Christmas “gift,” Governor, Michigan “EGLE” Director, Genesee Township Zoning, and Ajax CEO, of allowing a polluting asphalt plant in our poorest Flint neighborhood. This “gift” will bring and keep on giving air pollutants, toxins, and odors to the surrounding low-income predominately Black community as it operates in years to come. Yes, Flint, there are indeed four Grinch Santa Clauses:...
The Latest Edition of East Village Magazine Is Available For Download Here (pdf)
You must be logged in to post a comment.