Choze Powell

Marysville High School parents received a letter from Superintendent Shawn Wightman today after students were released early due to a drawing of a gun on a bathroom wall. The drawing had “2:45” written above it, and it was found by students and immediately reported to building-level administration.

The school contacted law enforcement who arrived on the scene to investigate and decided to release students early out of an abundance of caution.

In the letter to parents, Wightman said, “As a community, keeping our children safe is something we must do together. Communication, education, and training are part of this process. Consequently, I encourage you to share your concerns and ideas with us so that we can continue to make certain that our schools are the safest place for our children.”

Wightman also said the “incident will be investigated further and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Submitted by Rep. Beeler’s Office:

As rising fuel prices continue to increase costs on Michigan families, state Rep. Andrew Beeler, who serves on the House Tax Policy Committee, and the Michigan House of Representatives today approved a plan to repeal the state gas tax for six months.

House Bill 5570 would suspend the state motor fuel tax beginning April 1. By pausing the tax of 27.2 cents per gallon, the plan is estimated to save Michigan drivers about $750 million over the six-month period.

“Inflation and federal restrictions on American oil are driving the price of gas to staggering heights,” said Beeler, R-Port Huron. “To help offset these price increases, our plan will give Michigan families a break from the state gas tax.”

House passage of the plan comes despite a recent statement by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who yesterday urged Congress to suspend the federal gas tax temporarily. The federal tax is only 18.4 cents per gallon, and the Legislature’s plan would enable greater savings on each gallon of gas.

“Gov. Whitmer is perhaps most famous for begging the Legislature to raise the Michigan gas tax by 45 cents a gallon,” Beeler said. “Lawmakers had the foresight to steer away from the wreck that would cause. I am hopeful that Gov. Whitmer will work with Republicans and Democrats here in Michigan to provide substantive relief for the citizens of our state paying high gas prices.”

Beeler and the House also approved House Resolution 250, calling for Gov. Whitmer and the federal government to support policies to enable energy independence in the United States. In addition to calling for more oil production in the United States, the measure also urges the governor and Attorney General Dana Nessel to end their partisan attempts to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which transports oil and natural gas through Canada, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The House approved HB 5570 with bipartisan support, and it now proceeds to the Senate, which is expected to approve the plan next week.

The International Symphony Orchestra is preparing for its first live concert in front of a live audience since pre-covid.

The concert, Music Without Borders – Live in Michigan, will take place on Friday, March 18, 2022 at McMorran Theatre.  Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students, and children 14 and under are $2.

Maestro Douglas Bianchi, a Canadian-born Michigan conductor, remarked about the first post-pandemic concert in a press release, saying,  “We made it through, but we wanted to return early for the Michigan friends of the ISO, who have been steadfast in their support for a regional orchestra in their community in its seventh decade. We all look forward to getting together in person at last, while making sure to stream it for those who can’t join us.”

Music selections include works by Mozart, Schubert, Grandval, and Mendelssohn along with a featured performance of Vitula, a new, original piece composed by Dinah Bianchi.

Music Without Borders II – Live in Ontario is being planned for later this spring.

Get tickets here:

https://theiso.ticketspice.com/michigan-music-without-borders

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer is a local nonprofit that provides support services to St. Clair County residents facing a breast cancer diagnosis. They have several fundraisers throughout the year, and they just donated $10,000 to McLaren Port Huron Hospital patients being treated for lymphedema.

Lymphedema is a painful chronic condition that can happen after lymph nodes are removed in breast cancer surgery. Patients with lymphedema must receive costly, ongoing treatment to prevent the condition or to relieve the symptoms.

The donation from Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer will provide bandaging and compression materials that aren’t typically covered by a patient’s medical insurance.

Patients with lymphedema can be treated by physical therapists certified in this type of care at McLaren Port Huron Hospital and McLaren’s Port Huron Outpatient Physical Therapy center.

To learn more about the treatment for lymphedema, visit McLaren’s website here: https://www.mclaren.org/main/lymphedema-treatment

Learn more about Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer here:

https://www.takingashotatbreastcancer.org

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Blue Water Woman Magazine, a quarterly print magazine for women in the Thumb area of Michigan, hosts an annual awards ceremony to celebrate the Women of the Year. The 10th annual ceremony was supposed to take place in January 2022, but high rates of COVID-19 caused organizer Patti Samar to reschedule.

The new date for the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards is Wednesday, May 4, 2002 at 7 PM. The ceremony is at McMorran Place and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $75 per person or $45 for students under 21.

This year’s ceremony will celebrate six local women. Patti Samar, editor and publisher of Blue Water Woman magazine, said, “I am so very pleased that such exceptionally accomplished and talented women have been selected for recognition. Due to the pandemic, there was no ceremony in 2021, so the three 2021 award recipients will be honored at the 2022 ceremony along with the newly named 2022 award recipients.”

The 2021 award recipients are Denise Brooks, Woman of the Year; Anita Ashford, Civic Leader of the Year; and Carolyn Crowe, Volunteer of the Year.  The 2022 award recipients are Melinda Scheible, Coach of the Year; Marguerite and Haran Stanley, Historians of the Year, and Dr. Annette Mercatante, Blue Water Woman of the Decade.

Tickets are available for the event <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

St. Clair County Community College is hosting the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship March 15-19 at the SC4 Fieldhouse. The championship tournament will bring the best 16 teams from across America to the Blue Water Area to compete for a national title.

During the fall of 2018, SC4 was identified as a site finalist by the NJCAA, competing with two other venues from Arkansas and Iowa. The process included a visit by NJCAA officials to evaluate the SC4 Fieldhouse and surrounding community, which resulted in SC4 being selected as the winning bid.

“The NJCAA is very excited to award SC4 with the Division II Women’s Basketball Championship in the coming years,” said Dr. Christopher J. Parker, NJCAA executive director. “We know SC4 will provide the highest quality tournament for all of our participating student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans.”

Both the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were impacted by the pandemic, so the campus and community are excited and ready to host the 2022 event.

“We are thrilled to welcome the NJCAA championship to our campus and look forward to showcasing the SC4 Fieldhouse as well as our many great restaurants, hotels, businesses and activities,” said Dale Vos, SC4 director of athletics. “We look forward to some exciting games throughout the week and to crowning a National Champion on Saturday night.”

The teams and tournament seeding will be announced by the NJCAA on Tuesday, March 8. The double–elimination tourney begins at the SC4 Fieldhouse on Tuesday, March 15, with the first game tipping off at 9 a.m. The championship game will be held on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. Visit sc4skippers.com/fanzone/ticketing for tickets. A complete game schedule will be available on the NJCAA website njcaa.org/championships/sports/wbkb/div2.

The event will make a substantial positive impact to the local community, bringing in approximately $250,000 each year. “This is a big deal to host 16 teams and their fans in St. Clair County for a week in March,” said Marci Fogal, president of the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are excited to partner with SC4 and the NJCAA to host this great event. As the spring weather arrives, it will be wonderful to have people here from throughout the U.S. enjoying our downtown and beautiful waterfront.”

Submitted by St. Clair County Community College