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Public update on environmental remediation work at Buick City to be held Nov. 21
By EVM Staff A public meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, to provide an update on continuing environmental remediation work at the former Buick City property in Flint. The meeting will be helmed by Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust (RACER), and it will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Flint City Hall’s Dome Auditorium. The discussion will be led by Patricia Spitzley, RACER Director of Government Relations/Deputy Redevelopment Manager; Grant Trigger, RACER Cleanup Manager; and Brendan Mullen,...
read moreVillage Life: Can there be a happy darkness?
By Jan Worth-Nelson Lately, I’ve been renegotiating with the dark. Darkness gets a bad rap, including in my own mind. Each year I dread the coming on of longer nights, culminating in the anachronistic switch from Daylight Savings Time. By then, it’s dark when I leave for work in the morning and dark when I get home. This long winter darkness is so claustrophobic for me, so depressing, that anticipating it is almost as bad as actually putting up with it. The literal darkness of winter merges with metaphorical darkness – that “dark night...
read moreEducation Beat: Boose Back on Flint School Board
By Harold C. Ford Linda Boose, a former Flint Board of Education (FBOE) member, will be returning to the board in January 2025. She defeated Chad Schlosser in the November 2024 election by a count of 16,950, 68.96 percent of the vote, to 7,306, 29.73 percent, according to the Election Division of the Genesee County Clerk’s Office. Boose will take the seat currently occupied by the outgoing FBOE Vice President Michael Clack, and she is slated to serve a six-year term. Boose, 68, was formerly appointed in March 2022 to a to fill a seat on the...
read moreReminders from the Flint City Clerk ahead of Election Day 2024
By EVM Staff Just ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, Flint City Clerk Davina Donahue issued a few reminders to the city’s voters. “If you have lost or have not yet received your absent voter ballot, please consider either coming to the City Clerk’s Office to spoil your absentee ballot and receive a new ballot, OR, consider coming to the Early Voting Site to vote in-person prior to Election Day,” a press release from Donahue’s office states. Additionally, it says, precincts within the City of Flint were...
read moreFree rides available to Flint’s early voting sites
By EVM Staff Need a ride to the your early polling location this week? Genesee County has you covered. County Clerk/Registrar Domonique Clemons shared that free rides are available starting at 10 a.m. to early voting sites across Flint on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 by filling out this form or calling 810-257-3283. Pickup locations include Hasselbring Senior Center, the Flint Development Center, and Berston Field House as well as the Eastside Senior Center, Latinx Community and Technology Center, and Brennan Senior Center. More information is...
read moreFlint Rep’s ‘Godspell’ extended to Nov. 3
By EVM Staff There’s more “Godspell” at the FIM Flint Repertory Theatre this month. The Rep’s expected four-week run of its very unexpected take on the musical has been been extended through November 3, 2024. According to Ashley Poirior, FIM Manager of Patron Communications and Content Strategy, every performance across Godspell’s four-week run has sold out. “That’s never happened since Flint Rep was created in 2018,” she shared in an email. “Not to mention that the show has gone viral,...
read moreVillage Life: Meeting SARAH
By Christina Collie SARAH and I met in 2020. She’s not so much a “who” but a “what,” and her name comes from a sci-fi tv show called “Eureka” that ran from 2006-2012. In the show, SARAH stands for “Self-Actuated Residential Automated Habitat,” a house-of-the-future outfitted with an AI consciousness that controls everything from food service to security communications. In my life, though, SARAH is the lovingly ironic name for my 100-year-old Flint home – which I can assure you has no AI frills. But the real story here isn’t...
read moreEducation Beat: Klee leads Beecher bid for students on Flint’s north side
By Harold C. Ford The Beecher Community School District (BCSD) on Flint’s near north side has shared more information on the $20 million renovation of its mostly-abandoned Beecher High School campus at the corner of Saginaw Street and Coldwater Road. The district’s superintendent, Richard Klee, provided details on the project in a presentation to BCSD retirees in Frankenmuth on Sept. 25, 2024. “The big news is facilities” “The big news is facilities,” Klee told the retirees. He said most of the $20 million budget would be used to upgrade...
read moreMeet the candidates for Genesee County Sheriff
By Madeleine Graham With the November 5 election fast approaching, East Village Magazine sat down with the two candidates running for Genesee County Sheriff, Democratic incumbent Chris Swanson and Republican candidate Jeff Salzeider, to learn more about each man and their platform. Salzeider resides in Montrose and is a former United States Marine Corps officer who served 30 years on both active and reserve duty from 1984 to 2014. During that time, he explained, he was stationed in Michigan, Italy, and Germany, as well as spent two years at...
read moreThe 2024 election: What’s on the ballot and what’s at stake?
By Paul Rozycki In a year when we’ve seen a sitting president step aside from his certain nomination, a former president facing criminal convictions over payments to a porn star and two assassination attempts, the nomination of the first African-American/Asian woman to be president, and unfounded claims about pet dogs and cats being eaten by Haitian immigrants, no one can say we’re witnessing a typical presidential election. But with less than a month remaining before the November 2024 election, we should focus not only on the national...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – October 2024
The October issue of #EastVillageMagazine is hitting newsstands soon! Can’t wait for your issue? Click below for a digital copy now. Happy reading! View...
read moreFlint Repertory Theatre dives into a new season with a big splash in ‘Godspell’
by Patsy Isenberg The Flint Repertory Theatre’s new season opened last Saturday with a delightful interpretation of “Godspell” – originally a rock musical about the Gospel of St. Matthew adapted to 1970s New York City – now set in a swimming pool. But more on that later. “Godspell” has been performed many times through the years since it came on the scene as playwright and director John-Michael Tebelak’s master’s thesis at Carnegie Mellon University in 1971. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, it was picked up rather quickly and...
read moreFlint organizations to host city, state candidate forums
By EVM Staff Communities First, Inc. (CFI), in partnership with Flint Beat and the League of Women Voters of the Flint Area, will host candidate forums for offices in the City of Flint, Genesee County, and the Michigan State House of Representatives in the coming days. According to press release from CFI on Oct. 2, 2024, the forums will be posted on the nonprofit’s Facebook and YouTube pages from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8. “We believe that it is critical that our community has a chance to hear from candidates for state and local offices, and we...
read moreCity of Flint announces the death of Councilman Quincy Murphy
By EVM Staff The flag at Flint City Hall will be lowered to half-staff today to honor the passing of Third Ward Flint City Councilman Quincy Murphy. In a press release sent in the evening of Sept. 29, 2024, city officials said “we are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Flint City Councilman Quincy Murphy. The beloved community activist and Third Ward councilman was a tireless advocate for the residents he served. We offer our deepest condolences to his family.” Mayor Sheldon Neeley added: “My prayers are with Councilman...
read moreGloria Coles Flint Public Library, Comma Bookstore to host ‘2024 Banned Book Week Read-In’ event
By EVM Staff This week, September 22 to 28, is national Banned Books Week, which launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. According to a press release from the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library, among the books sought to be banned are Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, The Bluest Eye, and the Harry Potter series. “According to the American Library Association in 2023 a record 4,240 individual book titles were challenged in the United...
read moreEducation Beat: Charter schools, an advocate and a critic
By Harold C. Ford Chris Matheson and Vincent Price are both veteran Flint educators that are passionate about providing an excellent education for Michigan’s school-age children, but they disagree on whether charter schools can offer that education as they are currently constructed. “Charter schools have leveled the playing field and provided an opportunity to those without the ability to purchase the opportunity,” said Matheson, CEO of Charter School Partners (CS Partners), the second-largest charter school management company in Michigan. ...
read moreA 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 complain about the weather?” he laughed. The mood was surprisingly light for a man with such a serious task ahead of...
read moreProject 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 Foundation as the former president prepared to run in 2024. At a 2022 Heritage Foundation dinner, Trump...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – September 2024
The September issue of #EastVillageMagazine is hitting newsstands soon! Can’t wait for your issue? Click below for a digital copy now. Happy reading! Sept_2024
read moreAccessible voting event looks to support equal access for every Flint, Genesee County voter at upcoming info session
By EVM Staff In recognition of Disability Voters Rights Week, The Disability Network (TDN) will be hosting an accessible voting information session on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. According to a TDN press release, the session will be an “informative and interactive event meant to empower and educate people on their rights and the accessible voting options available to them.” The informational portion of the afternoon will run from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. after an...
read moreAn update on construction at Court Street and Dort Highway intersection
By Christina Collie Despite what may look like major road construction, the Court Street and Dort Highway project, underway since April of this year, comes down to maintaining the infrastructure for the culvert below the two roads. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the agency leading the project, an entirely new culvert — basically a tunnel that redirects water — is being fabricated as part of the months-long construction. “This culvert is not a typical box culvert, which usually run perpendicular to the...
read moreEducation Beat: Proposed transparency legislation targets Michigan’s charter schools
By Harold C. Ford New legislation proposed in the Michigan Senate aims for greater transparency in public charter schools’ operations and financial reporting. The package of bills comes at a time when such schools’ enrollment is high and options for the state’s school-age students are vast, but the legislation’s sponsor, Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) says she’s “optimistic.” Expanding options Modern public-school systems, including Flint Community Schools (FCS), now compete with multiple school enrollment options that were not...
read moreVillage Life: A nutritious conversation
By Canisha Bell Sitting at our monthly writer’s meeting for the magazine — where we pitch story ideas and talk about life, politics, and everything in between — I felt settled. I hadn’t brought a story to pitch, as it’s not a requirement. There are always story ideas though, so if you come to our gathering without a story, most likely you’ll still leave with one. “I thought of you for this one,” my editor said, smiling at me. I smiled back. She was right. The story was definitely something I would’ve pitched had I heard about it: a community...
read moreCity of Flint continues to recover from internal network and internet outage
By EVM Staff After a disruption to the City of Flint’s internal network and internet last week, the City’s IT Department continues to work closely with cybersecurity incident response experts and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to a press release on an Aug. 20, 2024, the disruption to the City’s network that began last Wednesday, August 14. The ongoing disruption has led Flint City Council committee meetings to be cancelled for Aug. 21 due to technological and staffing issues, though the recent press release...
read moreVillage Life: A feast of inspiration
By Kate Stockrahm There are certain things that can only happen in shared spaces of apartment complexes — some good, some less good. The less good things include a mess left behind when someone’s trash bag breaks in the stairwell, the smells of uncertain origin as you walk down the hallway to your unit, or when the elevator is out (again). But the good things have always outweighed the bad for me. In shared spaces, like the yard near my complex’s parking structure, neighbors coordinate impromptu potlucks on Saturday afternoons. When 50 folks...
read moreThis year’s Supreme Court rulings: Presidential immunity, Chevron and beyond
By Paul Rozycki After the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, the Republican National Convention, and the turmoil over President Biden remaining on the Democratic ticket and subsequently leaving the race, it’s been difficult to focus on any other political topic but the presidential election this summer. But as the Supreme Court entered recess in late June, it left us with a legacy of major rulings that may be just as significant as those recent events. The presidential immunity ruling (Trump v. United States) The case...
read moreEast Village Magazine – August 2024
The August issue of #EastVillageMagazine is on it’s way to newsstands now! Can’t wait for your issue? Click below for a digital copy now. Happy reading! View...
read moreGaming the system: Flint native captures the reality of the Sit-Down Strike in a new board game that mirrors today’s struggles
By Gordon Young Flint isn’t exactly associated with fun and games. So it’s fitting that a new board game centered on Vehicle City tackles a seminal event in its history that was defined by violence, corporate greed, and worker revolt. Striking Flint is the creation of Flint native John du Bois and immerses players in the drama of the 1936-1937 Sit-Down Strike, a confrontation that established the United Auto Workers union as a force that would reshape American life. “We’re still fighting this idea that unions are just...
read moreFlint Farmers’ Market celebrates 10 years downtown
by Christopher Reynolds The Flint Farmers Market is celebrating a decade at its downtown facility this summer. The market moved to 300 E. First St. from its former space along the riverfront at 420 E. Boulevard Drive a little over 10 years ago. Since then, it has become a central place of commerce and gathering in downtown Flint’s skyline. The market moved to its current location, the former Flint Journal building, in 2014, after over 70 years on Flint’s near north side. Uptown Reinvestment Corporation, the market’s owner...
read more‘Be a Tourist in Your Hometown’ for 810 Day
By EVM Staff Following a five-year hiatus, Explore Flint & Genesee is bringing back its “Be a Tourist in Your Hometown” event today, Aug. 10, 2024, Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the day-long celebration offers locals a tour of multiple area attractions, including museums, bookshops, and businesses, for just $1. Participants can purchase tickets and pick up their event passports from one of two locations: Brush Park, at First and Harrison Streets in downtown Flint, or at the FIM Whiting Auditorium in the city’s Central...
read moreBook Review: Another Perspective on Phil’s Siren Song
Following East Village Magazine contributing writer Jan Worth-Nelson’s review of Phil’s Siren Song by local author Tim Lane, writer Bob Campbell shares a personal perspective on the novel set in 1980s Flint. By Bob Campbell The wonderful thing about reading fiction, in this case literary realism, is the door it opens to a different world – one that allows you to immerse yourself in the lives of the story’s characters. The experience is an opportunity to learn something new. Flint is often framed as a “Black city,” and usually derisively...
read moreReally Cool Comic Con is back in Flint this weekend
By EVM Staff Really Cool Comic Con is back in Flint this weekend, with the family-friendly convention ready to welcome thousands of fans to the Dort Financial Center. According to the convention’s press release, the weekend-long event will feature a star-studded lineup of anime voice actors, including talents from hit series like My Hero Academia, One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Black Clover, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and many more. “The community has created a truly remarkable event which is now a staple in Flint,”...
read moreElection Commission approves recall language for three MCC trustees
By Kate Stockrahm The Genesee County Election Commission voted 2-0 to approve recall language filed against Mott Community College (MCC) Trustees Janet Couch, John Daly III, and Wendy Wolcott on Aug. 1, 2024. The language, filed by Flint resident and MCC adjunct instructor Patrick Hayes in mid-July, cites the trustees’ July 15 vote “to approve a contract for interim president of Mott Community College with Shaunda Richardson-Snell.” At the time of filing, Hayes told East Village Magazine that the three trustees’ vote in favor of...
read moreFlint celebrates Disability Pride Month, the Americans with Disabilities Act
By Madeleine Graham July is Disability Pride Month, and The Disability Network (TDN) and Genesee Health System (GHS) teamed up to celebrate with Flint-area individuals with disabilities. The event was hosted on July 26, 2024 — the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) — at Powers High School in Flint. Music by Jason Whiting set the tone for the festivities, with roughly 150 attendees dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the Macarena, and more. July 26 was chosen for the celebration as its the date...
read moreEarly, in-person voting begins in Flint
By EVM Staff Early voting hours in the City of Flint began on Saturday, July 27, 2024, and will continue for nine consecutive days through Sunday, August 4. According to a press release from the Flint City Clerk’s Office on July 26, early voting hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, with the exception of Aug. 4, when hours will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city’s early voting site is located in City Council Chambers, on the third floor of Flint City Hall, which is located at 1101 S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint. The right to...
read moreBiden passes the torch to Harris, what now?
By Paul Rozycki You thought this was going to be a dull election year with a Biden/Trump rematch? It sure doesn’t look like it. In just the last month we’ve seen: A fumbling debate by the president of the United States; A Supreme Court ruling that limits the prosecution of the previous president and grants immunity from criminal prosecution to a president performing “official duties;” A federal judge dismissing charges against Trump for mishandling classified documents; An assassination attempt against a presidential candidate, generating an...
read moreDowntown Flint’s Saginaw Street reopens this week
By EVM Staff Flint’s Saginaw Street will reopen to vehicle traffic this week after over a year of construction work along the downtown thoroughfare. The City of Flint announced the reopening will happen ahead of schedule, originally assumed to be early August, in time for upcoming summer events like the Crim Festival of Races, Back to the Bricks, and Bikes on the Bricks. “The infrastructure improvements we’ve made to Saginaw Street will ensure that downtown Flint is a thriving business district for generations to come, attracting...
read moreFlint City Bucks power into USL2 playoffs, host Fort Wayne in Central Conference semi tonight
By Harold C. Ford The Flint City Bucks will host Fort Wayne FC in the United States League Two (USL2) Central Conference semi-final match tonight at Atwood Stadium. The Bucks have had a memorable 2024 showing thus far, powering into the first round of USL2 playoffs with a 10-0 win over Michiana FC from South Bend, Ind. on July 13, 2024, to end their regular season with a record of 10 wins, three draws, and one loss. Flint then hosted a quarterfinal match against the Cleveland Force at 7:30 p.m. on July 19. After a scoreless first half, the...
read moreMCC announces interim president Shaunda Richardson-Snell amid vocal opposition from faculty, community
In an East Village Magazine exclusive interview, incoming Mott Community College (MCC) Interim President Shaunda Richardson-Snell responds to early criticism of her recent appointment by the college’s Board of Trustees. By Kate Stockrahm Mott Community College announced the appointment of interim president Shaunda Richardson-Snell this week amid vocal opposition from faculty and community members. Richardson-Snell is currently the principal for Aquila Advisors in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. and holds a Master of Business Administration from...
read moreRecall language filed against three Mott Community College trustees
By Kate Stockrahm Flint resident Patrick Hayes filed recall language against three members of the Mott Community College (MCC) Board of Trustees today. Hayes, who has served as an adjunct instructor at the college and whose step-daughter will be starting at MCC in the fall, filed the language against Board Vice Chair Janet Couch, Trustee John Daly III, and Board Secretary Wendy Wolcott on July 16, 2024. The petition language cites the three trustees’ July 15 vote “to approve a contract for interim president of Mott Community College with...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – July 2024
The July issue of #EastVillageMagazine hits newsstands this weekend! If you can’t wait to get reading, click below for a digital copy now. View...
read more‘Imagine Flint’ Comprehensive Plan update is underway
By Kate Stockrahm With one month down in a roughly 18-month engagement timeline, an update to the City of Flint’s “Imagine Flint” Comprehensive Plan is now underway. The plan, which acts as a guideline for Flint’s land use and future development, was originally adopted in October 2013 following a visioning process that spanned nearly two years and included over 200 community meetings across Flint’s nine wards. And now, a little over 11 years later, the city’s Planning Commission and Business and Community Services Department says it’s time to...
read moreRegistration opens for week-long job skills training for Genesee County teens
By EVM Staff Registration is now open for TeenQuest’s summer session, which will be held from July 22 to July 25, 2024. The free pre-employment and leadership program teaches Genesee County teens the skills needed to get and keep a job. It also earns them an invite to the 2025 Summer Youth Initiative Job Fair, during which local employers will interview students for job openings next summer. “We often say that students who go through our program have the ‘TeenQuest advantage,’” said Brianna Mosier, executive director of Flint & Genesee...
read moreRiley McLincha, local ‘drubbler,’ ‘runyaker,’ dead at 73
In honor of local runner, kayaker, musician, and friend Riley McLincha’s passing, we’re republishing one of our favorite stories of his unique, adventurous spirit: “I drank water from the Flint River today” by Jan Worth-Nelson — originally published in August 2008. McLincha died in a “runyaking” (a hybrid of kayaking and running) accident on June 18, 2024. He was 73. “I drank water from the Flint River today.” When Riley McLincha of Clio wrote those words in April 2005, he was on the first leg of a kayaking saga...
read moreCity of Flint issues update on latest spill in Flint River
By EVM Staff The City of Flint has shared updated information regarding a recently reported spill of an “oily substance” in the Flint River. According to a press release on July 2, 2024, the spill was reported on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from an outfall near the 1400 block of James P. Cole Boulevard, between Merrill Street and East Wood Street on the west side of the river. “The City of Flint Sewer Department and Michigan Spill immediately responded and contained the spill with absorbent booms,” the release notes....
read moreFlint MTA unveils two new hydrogen buses, six electric vehicles
By Madeleine Graham The Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) announced an eco-friendly expansion to its fleet this week. On Thursday, June 27, 2024, CEO Ed Benning unveiled two hydrogen fuel cell buses and six electric vehicles (EVs) at the MTA’s fueling station at 5051 S. Dort Highway in Grand Blanc, Mich. The hydrogen buses were acquired through a roughly $4.335 million Federal Transit Administration grant, announced in August 2022, to support Flint MTA’s goal of emissions reduction. In addition to the two hydrogen fuel cell buses,...
read moreEducation Beat: Closing out Flint Community Schools’ 2023-2024 year by the numbers
By Harold C. Ford The final weeks of Flint Community Schools’ (FCS) 2023-2024 school year might be best understood by parsing the district’s numbers. The most important number may be five – the length, in years, of a new contract awarded to Superintendent Kevelin Jones on June 12. The agreement was called “unprecedented” by Flint Board of Education (FBOE) President Joyce Ellis-McNeal and represents a milestone for a district that has seen six superintendents in the last 10 years. Other recent and relevant FCS numbers include: Nine...
read moreAt 136 years, Garland Street Literary Club returns to its origins
By Jan Worth-Nelson In 1888, seven upper-class women, all neighbors in what was then considered one of Flint’s most elegant neighborhoods, walked along leafy streets to an early afternoon gathering at 718 Garland. It was the home of Mrs. Sarah Durand, wife of a prominent local judge, George Durand. The meeting was not just tea and crumpets. The women were intent on forming a club, and they got right down to business. That day, November 14, they handwrote a constitution. Article I read, “The organization shall be called The Garland Street...
read moreFive years later, Flint’s Every Nation Church remains committed to ‘racial reconciliation’
By Harold C. Ford Five years after the merger of two Flint congregations – one predominantly white and located in the center of Flint, the other a Black congregation that left its church home near Flint’s north side – the co-pastors of Every Nation Assembly of God Church remain committed to the union. “We never look back,” said Every Nation Co-Pastor Michael Stone, who led his congregation’s departure from its former Beecher, Mich. house of worship, Power of God Ministries, to their new home at Every Nation. “Racial reconciliation has been...
read moreNominating petitions for Flint’s Third Ward City Councilmember now open
By EVM Staff Nominating petitions for the 3rd Ward Flint City Council Member Recall Election are now available in the Flint City Clerk’s Office. According to a press release June 13, 2o24, the deadline for filing nominating petitions with the Clerk’s Office will be Saturday, June 22, by 4 p.m. and the subsequent recall election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The recall election was announced on Wednesday, when Genesee County Clerk-Register Domonique Clemons confirmed that his office had validated 533 signatures for Third Ward...
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