Last piece of Flint River-Genesee Valley trail acquired; links Flint to statewide Iron Belle trail
A new three-mile-long paved trail in the City of Flint is one step closer to completion, thanks to an upcoming property acquisition by the City of Flint announced Thursday. Called the Grand Traverse Greenway, it will complete an 18-mile path connecting the Flint River and Genesee Valley trails. And it is the final piece to complete Flint’s portion of the Iron Belle Trail, which will extend from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the...
City Council considers contracts, appointments, Juneteenth, property purchase, and $800K in water treatment chemicals
By Tom Travis At the June 22 City Council meeting, disputes between council members resulted in two councilpersons being ejected and three councilpersons voluntarily leaving the meeting in protest. With five of the nine council members gone from the meeting quorum was lost. The often contentious panel re-convened two days later, June 24, and this time they successfully worked through a 210-page agenda. Council approves three-year...
Undeterred by COVID, Flint Youth Film Festival goes on; will “make magic” online
By Patsy Isenberg Faced with an unexpected pandemic shutdown and COVID-19 restrictions, those in charge of planning the 2020 Flint Youth Film Festival found a logical solution to getting the films out to the public: they’ll be shown on the festival’s YouTube channel. Films from the 5th annual festival, for Michigan young people 13-25, will be screened on YouTube July 1-18 at youtube.com/flintyouthfilmfestival. The awards...
Education Beat: Northwestern needs $4 million in upgrades; where will junior high students go?
By Harold C. Ford “We should’ve never moved in that [Northwestern] building.” …Vera Perry, trustee, Flint Board of Education “We create the instability that we face.” …Diana Wright, vice-president, Flint Board of Education At its meeting June 9, the board of education of Flint Community Schools (FCS) was informed that it would cost the school district an estimated $4 million to bring the Northwestern campus up to speed in terms of...
Education Beat: FCS moves on $95 million budget; grapples with pandemic, closures, contracts
By Harold C. Ford As an eventful 2019-2020 educational year came to an official close June 18 for Flint Community School (FCS) students, the district’s board of education met a total of 10 times in the months of May and June. On June 17, Casey Lester, FCS board president, figuratively and remotely banged the final gavel on a tumultuous year marked by: a global pandemic that shut brick-and-mortar schools; dramatic and sudden changes...
The Latest Edition of East Village Magazine Is Available For Download Here (pdf)
