Meet Cassandra Washington, Flint Schools’ HR director, who settled contracts with all three employee unions in first year on job
By Harold Ford Editor’s Note: East Village Magazine’s Education Beat writer, Harold C. Ford, submitted a list of 20 questions to Cassandra Washington, Flint Community Schools’ executive director of human relations. Washington responded to about half of the questions in her online reply. Her responses are provided below in a Q & A format. Cassandra Washington, a resident of Detroit, was hired as the Flint Community Schools’ (FCS)...
Land Bank reprioritizing demolitions as federal funds dry up, FNU members told
By Coner Segren Federal “Hardest Hit Fund” dollars appropriated to Flint expired this year, leaving the Genesee County Land Bank without a large source of funds. These funds were key to demolitions in Flint, the Land Bank’s Christina Kelly told participants in a November Zoom meeting of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU). Kelly, the Land Bank’s director of planning and neighborhood revitalization, reported that...
After $36.5 million renovation of century-old downtown landmark, Hilton Garden Inn opens with two new restaurants, COVID-19 protocols
By Tom Travis The first guests have checked into their rooms and reservations have been made for the weeks and months to come, according to the new Hilton Garden Inn staff. A historic century-old building that sat vacant for two decades has been renovated into a new 101-guest room hotel in the heart of Flint’s downtown and is launching with several levels of COVID-19 protections. Towering over downtown Flint, the 11-story...
City Council Beat: Leadership change brings on Fields, Davis: no city business voted on during five-hour meeting
By Tom Travis After a contentious five-hour meeting and acting only on two pieces of city business, the Flint City Council voted to recess until Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The meeting did result in an upending of council leadership, with Kate Fields (4th Ward) elected president of the council by a 5-4 vote, replacing Monica Galloway (7th Ward). Voting for Fields were councilpersons Maurice Davis (2nd Ward), Santino Guerra (3rd Ward),...
Commentary: Biden wins — What does it all mean? Ten takeaways from the 2020 election
By Paul Rozycki In a year of pandemics, racial division, economic crisis, and the most divisive election in the last century, it’s a challenge to uncover the things that really matter in this year’s presidential election. In the last weeks, we’ve all had wall-to-wall coverage and analysis of this year’s presidential contest. It may be months, or years, before we fully unravel the full impact and the meaning of the Trump presidency and...
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