Blog
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Memories of Woodrow Stanley: student, councilman, mayor, county commissioner, and state representative
By Paul Rozycki Many tributes to Woodrow Stanley have spoken of his dedication to the Flint community, his service on the Flint City Council, mayor of Flint, the Genesee County Commission, and his role in the State House of Representatives. Many have spoken of Woodrow’s comeback from a bitter recall campaign as he refused to…
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Review: World premiere at The Rep of “Wrong River,” captures one Flint family’s near impossible struggle to survive the water crisis
By Patsy Isenberg “Wrong River” is a story about six people in a home in Flint at the start of the water crisis. It’s intense and delves into each character’s personal reaction and how the water crisis intensifies and complicates their lives. It premiered at The Flint Repertory Theater last weekend and runs through Sunday…
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Education Beat: Flint School Board acts on new hires, infrastructure repair, temporary deficit relief, strategic plan
By Harold C. Ford In a five-and-a-half hour meeting ending at midnight Feb. 9, the Flint Board of Education (FBOE) worked its way through a packed agenda and acted on a half-dozen key matters. The board’s actions covered new hires and compensation packages; critical and ongoing infrastructure needs; the intricacies and interplay of the district’s…
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Commentary: Addressing Flint’s racial and economic inequities should be top priority for $94.7 million ARPA funds use
By Linda Pohly On June 1, 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd murder and during the early days of the COVID -19 pandemic, the city council and mayor of Flint adopted a joint resolution declaring that racism is a public health crisis and setting out a plan for addressing the crisis as a…
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Five proposed Flint redistricting maps to be considered by Flint Election Commission at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
By Tom Travis The Flint Election Commission has announced a meeting regarding the redrawing of city ward boundaries (redistricting) for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. The meeting will be held in City Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall, 1101 South Saginaw St. Flint’s Elections Commission is made up of City Clerk Inez…
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City Council Beat: Children’s Museum explores new property despite pot facility near by; Flint Police and Fire employees granted premium pay
By Tom Travis The city council Monday unanimously approved an MOU (memorandum of understanding) allowing the Flint Children’s Museum (FCM) to purchase from the City of Flint the “old Farmer’s Market” property on E. Boulevard Drive. The council also approved a resolution allowing the City’s Police and Fire department essential workers to receive premium pay…
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Vista gallery, drop-in center provide nurturing space for “healing and trust,” access to resources
By Madeleine Graham Nestled into a corner of the J.C. Penney wing of the Genesee Valley Mall is an art gallery that provides a nurturing environment for those with disabilities, including mental health issues. It is called the Vista Visions Art Gallery, also known as the Vista Drop-In Center. The gallery and drop-in center started…
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Commentary: How COVID has changed us, and what it means for East Village Magazine
By Paul Rozycki It’s been two years. March 10, 2020. That was the day when Michigan saw its first two COVID cases. Ironically, it was also an election day, and the beginning of the widespread shutdown of much public activity in the state. Within days, colleges and K-12 schools were closed to in-person learning. Bars,…
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Profile: “What if he had opened his eyes?” Kelsey Ronan on grief, healing, breaking a curse in “Chevy in the Hole”
By Jan Worth-Nelson Twelve years ago, Kelsey Ronan found her longtime partner Bryan dead of a heroin overdose in their Flint apartment. Out of what she describes as an onslaught of grief, anger, loss, and finally, a hard-won, unsentimental hope, the novel Chevy in the Hole was born. For Ronan, the book emerged from one…
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Book review: Flint, perplexing attractions loom large in Kelsey Ronan’s “thoughtful, fascinating” debut novel “Chevy in the Hole”
By Bob Campbell Reading Chevy in the Hole, the debut novel by Flint-native Kelsey Ronan, a question continued to nag me: What did Monae see in August that would allow such a relationship to take root? He’s a nerdy, recovering drug addict who nearly died after overdosing in the bathroom of a Detroit farm-to-table restaurant…
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