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The East Village Magazine – January 2025
The East Village Magazine will arrive at newsstands and homes soon, but you can get an early sneak peak below: View...
read moreEducation Beat: Flint Schools: Academic improvement clouded by financial challenges
By Harold C. Ford During his recent visit to Flint Community Schools (FCS), Michigan Superintendent of Instruction Michael Rice both lauded the district’s recent academic achievements and tempered that praise with concerns around the district’s budget. “I want to commend the district for progress under the partnership agreement,” Rice said during an appearance before the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) on Dec. 18, 2024. Initially, FCS found itself in an expanded partnership with the Michigan Department of Education in July 2018 after being...
read moreDeadlock and Dysfunction: Flint City Council and beyond
By Paul Rozycki I don’t know if the Guinness Book of World Records awards the longest series of votes by a government body that resolved nothing, but, if it does, Flint City Council should be in the running. Within the last few months the council voted 449 times in an attempt to select a presiding officer and failed to do so, as reported by Mid-Michigan Now. It also failed to fill the vacant seat of Councilman Quincy Murphy, who passed away in late September, after 131 rounds of voting, according to Mlive. After all those votes, the council...
read moreParks & Rec in Flint and Beyond: Kearsley Park
By Christina Collie This is the second in a series about parks and recreational areas to explore in Flint and surrounding areas within 20 miles, presented in no particular order. Kearsley Park 1830 Kearsley Park Blvd Flint, MI 48504 Hours: Dawn – Dusk With snow on its way, my editor asked if I could write about a park with a sledding option this month. I’ve had others mention to me that they remember sledding at Kearsley Park as a kid, so I thought this would be a good time to write about this gem. (Oh, and the sledding hill is...
read moreWith City Council at odds, City of Flint to select a ‘Third Ward Ambassador’
By EVM Staff Since the late Councilman Quincy Murphy’s passing in September 2024, Flint’s Third Ward has been without representation on Flint City Council. While Murphy’s seat is meant to be filled through Council action, there has been no final vote on the matter despite charter mandates, and the City has decided to step in and take action. In a Dec. 27, 2024 press release, the City stated: Flint City Officials understand the importance of all residents being represented and having a voice. The third ward of Flint has been...
read moreFlint City Bucks add three University of Wisconsin standouts to 2025 roster
By Kate Stockrahm The Flint City Bucks have signed three University of Wisconsin players for the upcoming USL League Two (USL2) season, pending league and federation approval. If all is okayed, Ellis Jones, Thomas Raimbault, and Matthew Zachemski will join the Bucks after helping the University of Wisconsin Badgers to a 7-5-3 record, just one goal shy of Big Ten Tournament qualification. According to a Bucks press release just before the new year, Ellis Jones is sophomore defender who started 13 matches this past fall, scoring once. He is a...
read moreCommentary: How to explain the cult-like appeal of Trump
By Paul Rozycki For the last decade, since he rode down the escalator in Trump Tower in 2015, Donald Trump has been a dominant factor in American politics. He lost the popular vote but won an Electoral College victory in 2016. He lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College in 2020. Then, he won both in 2024. Above and beyond the specific factors that won Trump the victory this year, he has a unique cult-like following that perhaps no other president or candidate has ever had. In the years to come many books and articles will be...
read moreParks & Rec: Exploring Flint and beyond, one park at a time
By Christina Collie As 2024 comes to a close and we strap in for months’ more gray skies and snow, East Village Magazine’s Christina Collie has been on the hunt for the best places nearby to enjoy exploring nature in the colder weather. This is the first in a series she’s produced on parks and recreational areas to explore in Flint and its surrounding cities. While many are dog friendly, please be aware that stray dogs are a common occurrence, so stay mindful of your surroundings at all times, regardless of where you decide to explore....
read moreEducation Beat: Renovated Brownell-Holmes campus reopens to students
By Harold C. Ford After nearly a calendar year, the dramatically upgraded Brownell and Holmes school buildings along Oxley Drive on the city’s north side have reopened to Flint students from pre-K to eighth grade. Holmes STEM Middle School Academy marked the reopening with a “homecoming celebration” on Nov. 22, 2024, and Brownell STEM Academy hosted a similar celebration on Nov. 25 at which East Village Magazine (EVM) was present. Financial support totaling $40 million was provided for the project between $26 million in Elementary and...
read moreVillage Life: A new perspective at the Mott-Warsh Gallery
By Canisha Bell Have you ever walked or driven past a place numerous times only to discover it’s actually an amazing venue that you should’ve paid a visit to a long time ago? For me that place, until recently, was the Mott-Warsh (MW) Gallery – despite my going by countless times with the fleeting thought of “I wonder what it’s like inside there.” Opening its doors in 2016, the gallery in a former Internal Revenue Office on the corner of Court and Saginaw streets now hosts the Mott-Warsh Collection, “a private collection of fine art created by...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – December 2024
The December issue of #EastVillageMagazine is on newsstands now! Click below for a digital copy now. Happy reading! View...
read moreFarewell to Michael Lluberes, the founding producing artistic director of FIM Flint Repertory Theatre
By Kate Stockrahm Michael Lluberes, the founding producing artistic director of FIM Flint Repertory Theatre, is leaving the theatre after more than six years of service. In an interview just days ahead of his departure from the non-profit stage on Kearsley Street, Lluberes told East Village Magazine (EVM) that he had too many fond memories of his experience to count. “The Flint Mural Plays – a community project where we commissioned and produced 25 world premiere audio plays during the pandemic,” Lluberes offered as one example, “that’s...
read moreAnother Special Flint City Council meeting called to consider leadership
By EVM Staff After failing to elect a president and vice president at a Special Flint City Council Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, another special meeting has been called for tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 9. Aside from determining its leadership, the body is also slated to consider applicants to the 3rd Ward council seat, which was left vacant after the late Quincy Murphy’s passing in September. Resolutions on the meeting’s agenda include consideration of the City’s contribution to a road improvement plan for Fiscal Year (FY)...
read moreFlint City Council to consider leadership, ARPA funding at special meeting
By EVM Staff A special Flint City Council meeting has been called for Dec. 4, 2024. According to a public notice issued on Dec. 3, the Council will consider its organization, including a selection of president and vice president, as well as several resolutions, including two resolutions for a total of $66,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding; the sale of decommissioned City-owned land to Flint Commerce Center, LLC; the acceptance of $472,000 from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) for accessibility...
read moreCity of Flint holiday tree lighting to take place Dec. 4
By EVM Staff Though Thanksgiving leftovers may still be in the fridge, December is here already, and with it, so too is the City of Flint’s annual tree lighting event. In a press release, Mayor Sheldon Neeley announced the city’s 2024 “City of Flint Tree Lighting” will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. “The public is invited to join city leaders for the lighting of a large tree in front of Flint City Hall along with two smaller trees. One of the smaller trees will be covered in blue lights in honor of fallen...
read moreCatholic Charities breaks ground on transitional housing development for veterans experiencing homelessness
By Madeleine Graham Veterans and Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties (CCSGC) celebrated the long-awaited groundbreaking of Sacred Heart Veteran Village at 719 E. Moore Street in Flint on Nov. 19, 2024. Thomas Haeussler, Development Director for CCSGC, introduced the speakers for the event, among whom were Bishop Earl Boyea of the Diocese of Lansing who led the invocation, and Katie Baxter, CEO of Catholic Charities, who offered a moment of silence for Quincy Murphy, the late Third Ward councilman who had been instrumental...
read moreFlint City Hall will closed Nov. 28, Nov. 29 for Thanksgiving
By EVM Staff In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Flint City Hall will be closed to the public Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. The building will reopen to the public Monday, December 2, with normal business hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The city’s Customer Service Center on Clio Road will be closed on Thanksgiving Day but will reopen to customers Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30. The red drop box in front of City Hall will be available for water payments, property taxes, and any other correspondence. Police,...
read moreHow Trump won: 10 takeaways from the 2024 election
By Paul Rozycki In the November 2024 election, former President Donald Trump won a second term, taking both the Electoral College and the popular vote. It was only the second time that Republicans have won the popular vote since 1988. What does it mean when a nation elects a convicted felon who promises to be a dictator and arrest his enemies; claims Haitians are eating pet cats and dogs and wind farms cause cancer; and says he will “protect women whether they like it or not”? I can’t say for certain. But I can break down 10 reasons Trump’s...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – November 2024
The November 2024 edition of The East Village Magazine is available for viewing and download below: #EastVillageMagazine View...
read morePublic 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...
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