FLINT, MI — A federal judge has refused to throw out a lawsuit filed against the Environmental Protection Agency by three Flint children who claim they were damaged by contaminated drinking water and the lax response of federal regulators.

General view of the Flint River as it passes through downtown on March 17, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. Flint continues to work through the effects of water contamination. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** The funding was intended to ...

claressa shields speaks on flint water crisis & what this fight means for flint michigan Interview by Ron Goodall Twitter - @RonGFiQ / @FighteriQMedia please SUPPORT!!! SUBSCRIBE, share & like Please check out our facebook page and hit the like button.

Flint residents with both property and injury claims tied to the city’s water crisis are next in line to receive payments from a $626.25 million settlement fund, with those notification letters expected to arrive within the next two weeks.

Declaring the crisis “over,” Republicans cut funding for Flint as part of a larger round of budget cuts hitting the state. Cutting services for children in Flint Republicans in the Michigan House voted to block about $8.3 million in funding allocated to addressing the long-term impact of the water crisis that began in Flint in 2014.

Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) spoke on the Senate floor on Thursday about the Flint community’s struggles in the wake of the Flint water crisis. Slotkin said the community’s still in pain, and in the process of seeking accountability and justice for a ...