Category: Analysis
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Undeterred by COVID, Flint Youth Film Festival goes on; will “make magic” online
By Patsy Isenberg Faced with an unexpected pandemic shutdown and COVID-19 restrictions, those in charge of planning the 2020 Flint Youth Film Festival found a logical solution to getting the films out to the public: they’ll be shown on the festival’s YouTube channel. Films from the 5th annual festival, for Michigan young people 13-25,…
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Education Beat: Northwestern needs $4 million in upgrades; where will junior high students go?
By Harold C. Ford “We should’ve never moved in that [Northwestern] building.” …Vera Perry, trustee, Flint Board of Education “We create the instability that we face.” …Diana Wright, vice-president, Flint Board of Education At its meeting June 9, the board of education of Flint Community Schools (FCS) was informed that it would cost the school…
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Education Beat: FCS moves on $95 million budget; grapples with pandemic, closures, contracts
By Harold C. Ford As an eventful 2019-2020 educational year came to an official close June 18 for Flint Community School (FCS) students, the district’s board of education met a total of 10 times in the months of May and June. On June 17, Casey Lester, FCS board president, figuratively and remotely banged the final…
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Police Oversight Commission a key step for those seeking change, Black Lives Matter leader, DeWaun Robinson says
By Tom Travis “We have an opportunity to change the course of history. This is for everyone that believes in the heart of humanity that wants to see change,” Black Lives Matter Flint leader DeWaun Robinson told East Village Magazine (EVM) in a recent phone interview. “We’re not talking about changes just for appeal change…
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Progressive get-out-the-vote teams to visit Flint Democrats soon
By Tammy Beckett Field representatives from the Progressive Turnout Project, a national grassroots get-out-the-vote organization, are expected to appear on many Democratic voters’ doorsteps in Flint in the next few weeks–and the organization is looking for local residents to be trained for those jobs. Sylvia Brown, one of the organization’s Michigan district operations directors, joined…
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Children’s Poetry Show goes ZOOM to feature Poet Laureate Semaj Brown June 29
By Jan Worth-Nelson “Dreaming, Imagining Good Happenings” is the theme of a children’s poetry show featuring Flint’s poet laureate Semaj Brown via Zoom/Facebook Live at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 29. “All children everywhere, inside and outside of Flint,” are invited to join in, Brown said. The event also is a celebration of a donation of…
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City Council Beat: No action taken at four-hour electronic meeting following ejections, lost quorum, public complaints
By Tom Travis Monday night the city council took no action during a four-hour meeting on a 199-page agenda. The meeting ended with quorum being broken on the nine-member panel when two councilpersons were ejected and three others voluntarily left. Nonetheless, Council President Monica Galloway (7th Ward) kept discussion going another hour despite the city…
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Black Lives leader to Juneteenth crowd: “You’re part of a movement today, you’re gonna be a part of the progress tomorrow”
By Tom Travis “We are celebrating our history. This is for our tradition. This is for our heritage,” DeWaun Robinson, leader of Black Lives Matter Flint said to a crowd of about 200 today observing Juneteenth in Max Brandon Park at the corner of Pasadena and Dupont streets in the north end of Flint. The…
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Police Chief Hart “outraged” at senior White House official’s comments about Flint Police Department
By Tom Travis Flint Chief of Police, Phil Hart said in an email released by The City of Flint Wednesday afternoon that, “On behalf of all the hardworking men and women in the Flint Police Department, I am outraged at this callous and unnecessary attack on our department.” Hart was responding to comments made about…
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Devoted environmentalist Sara McDonnell remembered with tree plantings in Flint
By Jan Worth-Nelson Many trees will grow in and around Flint because of Sara McDonnell’s tragic and unexpected death. McDonnell. 38, a program manager in the office of University Outreach at the University of Michigan – Flint, died suddenly in her home April 17, a death not believed to be related to COVID-19, according to…
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