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City 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...
read moreCommentary: A primer for the August primary
By Paul Rozycki While so much attention has been on the November election between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Michigan’s August primary may be just as critical to determining who will govern us in the next few years. Because our primary takes place in August — when many are thinking of SPF rather than GDP — the turnout for primary elections is usually much lower than for fall’s general election. That’s unfortunate because in many areas of the state where one party is dominant, the winners of the primary election...
read moreFlint Public Art Project is ready to put paint to paper with new mural book series
By Madeleine Graham The Flint Public Art Project (FPAP) is launching a book series to showcase the hundreds of murals artists have painted on structures across the city since its founding over a decade ago. “People have been requesting books of the murals,” Joe Schipani, former FPAP executive director, told East Village Magazine of why the nonprofit is pursuing the series. While Schipani stepped down from his executive director role last year, he continues to be active on the FPAP board and works on some special projects, like the upcoming...
read moreVillage Life: It’s Hard to be Blue at Bluebell
By Kate Stockrahm With construction happening nearly everywhere one can walk downtown this summer, I decided to spend a recent afternoon break at a place that always feels light-years away from the noise and dust of the city: Bluebell Beach. Google describes Bluebell as a “lakeside park along the Flint River Bike Path featuring a sandy beach, a splash pad & shade kites,” but as I was walking past a couple on the way from the park’s mostly-empty car lot, the gentleman turned to his companion and said “I bet there’s a ton of seagull shit in...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – June 2024
The June issue of #EastVillageMagazine is hitting newsstands soon! Can’t wait for your issue? Click below for a digital copy now. Happy reading! View...
read moreCity of Flint to update Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan, asks for resident feedback
EVM Staff During the month of June, the City of Flint Department of Business and Community Services will host community meetings in each ward to kick off the Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan Update. The plan, formerly known as the “Imagine Flint Master Plan,” helps determine land use and other planning policy throughout the city, and the goal is adoption of an updated plan by December 2025. The City of Flint’s former plan was adopted more than 10 years ago, before the Flint Water Crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the end of...
read morePetitions for Flint Board of Education seat now open
By EVM Staff Petitions to become a member of Flint’s Board of Education are now available through the Flint City Clerk’s Office. According to a Clerk’s Office press release on May 31, 2024, one seat will be open for the upcoming Nov. 5 election: that of current Flint Community Schools Board of Education President Michael Clack. Clack’s term term expires on Dec. 31 of this year, and he is currently competing against incumbent Representative Cynthia R. Neeley for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 70th...
read moreHere’s where you can celebrate Juneteenth 2024 in Flint
By Canisha Bell The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863 with the intent to free enslaved African Americans. However, not all enslaved African Americans were freed, nor even informed of their freedom, that day. In fact, over two years later on June 19, 1865 — when 2,000 Union troops arrived announcing the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas — there were still over 250,000 enslaved African Americans in the state. Freedom for those still enslaved came by executive decree delivered by general order No. 3: “The people are...
read moreState Senator Cherry to host next ‘Community Conversation’ event in Flint
Michigan State Senator John Cherry will host a “Community Conversation” event in Flint from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 3, 2024. According to a press release sent by the senator’s office on May 24, Cherry plans to host the June conversation at The New McCree Theatre, located at 4601 Clio Road, where guests will have “an opportunity to ask questions and hear updates from Lansing.” Cherry’s district director, Qiana Towns Williams, encouraged interested Flint residents to call her office at 810-233-9788...
read moreMott Community College calls for interim president applications
By EVM Staff Mott Community College (MCC) has opened the application for its Interim President position. In a press release on May 22, 2024, the college states that “the person selected for this position will serve as the Interim President of Mott Community College until the position of the President is filled as otherwise determined by the Board of Trustees.” The release also notes that the college’s search for a permanent president will likely begin “in the summer of 2024.” As East Village Magazine previously...
read moreMichigan Dental Association Foundation to offer free dental services in Flint over 2-day event
By Canisha Bell The Michigan Dental Association Foundation (MDA) plans to bring hundreds of dentists and dental staff volunteers together on June 14 and 15 to provide free services to thousands of patients at Flint’s Dort Financial Center. The program, known as Mission of Mercy, is a collaborative effort to offer free dental care to all, regardless of income or residency status, and organizers are expecting to provide an estimated $1.8 million in services to as many as 2,000 people at the coming event. Dr. Denise Polk, the local chair...
read moreCommittee to bring recommended timeline, process for selecting MCC’s next president before Board
By Kate Stockrahm Mott Community College’s presidential search is on, with an ad hoc committee set to make timeline and process recommendations to the college’s full Board of Trustees this week. Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, who has helmed the college for a decade, is stepping down on May 24, 2024, and the race has begun to find both an interim president as well as her permanent replacement. During an ad hoc committee meeting to discuss that process on May 16, 2024, MCC Board president Andy Everman, Treasurer Jeffrey Swanson, and Trustee John...
read moreEducation Beat: Could-be Flint students take $100+ million in state aid to other school options each year
By Harold C. Ford Flint Community Schools (FCS) enrolls just 20 percent of the school-age students that reside within the district’s boundaries, resulting in a loss of $100 million annually as the other 80 percent of its possible students take state funding elsewhere. Other educational options for those students include: Schools of Choice, wherein public-school students can attend other public schools outside of the district they live in; nonprofit and for-profit charter schools; private schools, such as those offered by the Roman Catholic...
read moreAn update on downtown Flint’s ‘LiveWell’ development
By Kate Stockrahm At the one year mark since its groundbreaking, “LiveWell on Harrison,” a mixed-use development that will relocate the YMCA and Crim Fitness Foundation and boast 50 new apartments, is taking shape amid the downtown Flint skyline. The development is helmed by HWD Harrison, Inc. which Joe Martin, Director of Development at Uptown Reinvestment Corporation (URC), described as “an affiliate” of URC that “also includes membership from the YMCA.” The housing component of the building is five stories tall and includes studio,...
read moreFlint Book Review: Phil’s Siren Song
By Jan Worth-Nelson Just to get it on the table right up front, I’m pretty crazy about Flint native Tim Lane’s new novel, “Phil’s Siren Song.” I know, I know: another book about a tribe of 20-something blue-collar Flint underachievers — this time in the 80s — straggling from one beloved downtown hangout to another, coming and going from attempted romances and the halls of academe, getting drunk and sometimes drugged up on Flint’s east side? No thanks. Regardless of what resistance you might have toward another Flint quasi-memoir, you...
read moreFlint City Bucks receive warm welcome from organization, community at downtown reception
By Kate Stockrahm Though the Flint City Bucks’ season opener isn’t until May 25, the semi-professional soccer team’s founder, Dan Duggan, is already predicting a winning season ahead. “Moving this team to Flint was an absolute home run,” Duggan said from the podium at a Bucks welcome reception on May 13, 2024. “We’ll have our own conversations about what we’re going to do on the field, [but] I can tell you one thing ladies and gentlemen: we’re going to win.” The Bucks have been around for nearly 30 years, starting out in...
read moreWill third parties and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. decide the 2024 election?
By Paul Rozycki Unhappy with the Republican and Democratic candidates for president this year? You have many third party options, but making those choices could have consequences you don’t like. Third parties have never elected a president of the United States. We’ve had Democrats, Republicans, Whigs, and Federalists as presidents, but we’ve never elected a Libertarian, Socialist, Green Party, Prohibitionist, or Communist party member to the White House. But that doesn’t mean that third parties haven’t played a major role in who gets elected...
read moreThe East Village Magazine – May, 2024
The latest edition of The East Village Magazine is available for download and viewing here: View...
read moreFlint Farmers’ Market pavilion to open this Saturday
By EVM Staff The Flint Farmers’ Market is ready to celebrate spring with the opening of its outdoor pavilion this weekend. Market Manager Karianne Martus said the pavilion’s opening day on Saturday, May 11, promises over a dozen vendors offering flowers, vintage clothing, baked goods, and produce, with additional vendors joining the outdoor ranks as spring turns to summer. “More will be coming by mid-June,” she explained, citing growing seasons and vendor availability for the pavilion’s ramp-up period. Martus added that the pavilion will be...
read moreFlint’s 9th Ward residents elect Jonathan Jarrett to City Council
By Kate Stockrahm Jonathan Jarrett will soon take his seat as the new 9th Ward Flint City Councilperson, according to early election results from the Genesee County Clerk’s Office. Jarrett received 247 votes, nearly 52% of votes cast, in a recall election on May 7, 2024. His opponents, Page Brousseau and Kathryn Irwin, received roughly 30% and 18% of the remaining votes, respectively. “I’m certainly thankful to God and to all of those that supported me — family, friends, voters alike — particularly the voters that have...
read moreThe New McCree Theatre does doo-wop for its May musical
By Kate Stockrahm The New McCree Theatre is reprising its signature musical, “Sincerely: the Musical Odyssey of an Original Moonglow,” from May 9 to May 25, 2024. The show originally opened to sell-out audiences nearly two decades ago in 2006, which its writer, the theatre’s executive director Charles Winfrey, told East Village Magazine he hopes to see again. “Actually, it was one of our most well received productions,” Winfrey said. “In our 20 year history, we haven’t done anything yet to surpass the audience response to ‘Sincerely.’”...
read moreJames Avery named new executive director of Berston Field House
By EVM Staff James Avery, a Flint native and current Genesee County Commissioner, has been selected as the new executive director of Berston Field House. He will start on May 13, 2024. Avery will be succeeding Valorie Horton, who has served as Berston’s interim executive director since the unexpected passing of Bryant “BB” Nolden in December 2022. He is joining Berston after six years with the Flint and Genesee Group, most recently as Director of Education and Talent. According to a May 1 press release from Berston, Avery “brings...
read moreCity of Flint Service Center to host free estate planning event
By EVM Staff The City of Flint will host a free informational presentation for residents on estate planning, wills, and end-of-life planning at the city’s new service center at 2 p.m. on May 1, 2024. The free three-hour presentation, happening in partnership with the Mallory, VanDyne & Scott (MVS) Bar Association, will cover topics such as selecting beneficiaries and a personal representative, powers of attorney, selecting guardians for minors, important documents to keep safe, burial wishes, and the differences between a will and a...
read moreUM-Flint welcomes new tenure-track faculty union
By Paul Rozycki It was a cool, breezy day for an outdoor rally, but the gathered University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) faculty had the wind at their backs as they welcomed a new tenure-track faculty union on April 23, 2024. The faculty had gathered at McKinnon Plaza to announce the University of Michigan-Flint American Federation of Teachers-American Association of University Professors Local 5671, their newly formed union. The union is made up of over 150 tenure-track faculty at UM-Flint, and many organizers, other union leaders and...
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