Choze Powell

How “news literate” are you? This week is National News Literacy Week, with the aim of raising awareness of the difference between credible news sources and false journalism, and exposing the increasing amount of fake news that is used to sell, mislead, persuade, or exploit. Fake news can be widely shared almost instantly on social media platforms.

National News Literacy Week is mainly aimed at educators who are teaching the next generation of news consumers and news sharers to think about where news comes from and to discern the validity and reliability of the source.

Beyond students in the classroom, news literacy affects everyone. A Pew Research Study found that 68% of Americans are concerned about the damage that fake stories which are often quickly shared via social media are causing to the nation.

How can you be sure a story is real? Try to find the source of the information. Real news stories reveal their sources.

The News Literacy Project is a non-partisan non-profit that clearly lists all of the donors to the project. It has a webpage that addresses the biggest viral news stories that have been proven false. A link can be found at WGRT.com.  

https://rumors.newslit.org/

https://newslit.org/

WGRT Local News Mission & Standards

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Seven Michigan National Guard soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart on January 24th in a ceremony at the Grand Ledge Army Aviation Support Facility.

Governor Whitmer presented the awards and said, “I am honored to recognize these Soldiers whose dedication and commitment to their mission was clearly demonstrated by their actions while deployed in Iraq. On behalf of the entire state of Michigan, thank you for your service to our state and nation. You are the embodiment of bravery and valor and represent the best of us.”

The soldiers were injured on January 8, 2020 while deployed to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Three soldiers were present to accept the award from the Governor, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Zylstra, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Goebel, and Sgt. Joseph Suchowolec. The four other recipients honored were unable to attend or had been recognized at a prior ceremony. Their names are Sgt. Andrew Burton, Warrant Officer Dalton Hamilton, Sgt. Derrick Bimer, and Sgt. 1st Class Leonard Adams.

The Purple Heart was originally called the Badge of Military Merit and is awarded to those wounded or killed while serving in the United States military.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department:

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer of the St. Clair County Health Department has determined the Public Health Order requiring that masks be worn in K-12 educational settings will not be extended and, therefore, will expire upon the completion of classes on Friday, January 28, 2022.

This decision was made after careful consideration and is based on the following factors.  COVID-19 case counts in the schools have leveled out in such a way that they are manageable by the schools.  Absences in the schools are down and the schools have been able to maintain the staffing levels sufficient to operate. Fortunately, the schools were able to remain open and the mitigation provided by masking met its intended purpose.  Also, although local hospitals are challenged, the number of cases in our local hospitals are decreasing.  All of this supports Dr. Mercatante’s decision to allow the order to expire.  At this point the mitigation measures to be used will be left to the local Schools as they had previously requested.

With the Order expiring, the St. Clair County Health Department strongly recommends masks continue to be worn in K-12 setting as well as all public and crowded spaces until viral transmission rates are below 10%.  Applying preventive measures that include physical distancing, mask wearing, hand hygiene, and cleaning of high-touch surfaces does reduce the spread and impact of COVID-19.

Email COVID-19 questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org or call (810) 966-4163. For more COVID-19 information visit the health department website www.scchealth.co and social media @scchdmi.                                                  

Dr. Annette Barnes is the most recent recipient of the Dr. Bassam Nasr Community Service Leader Award. The award is issued by the St. Clair County Medical Society, a community of Blue Water Area physicians.

Dr. Barnes is a Board-Certified Pediatrician who has been practicing in Por Huron since 1997. Her office is located on Electric Avenue in Port Huron.

The Nasr award is named after the late Dr. Bassam Nasr, a local gastroenterologist, philanthropist, and one of the co-founders of Physician Healthcare Network.

According to a press release from the St. Clair County Medical Society, “Dr. Barnes has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the pediatric population of our  community, both within and beyond the walls of her practice. She has been a mentor to  many area youth and she has provided guidance to several local groups and  organizations.”

Dr. Barnes was also complimented on the way she served her patients during the Covid pandemic by continuing to keep her office open and maintaining a high vaccination rate for her pediatric patients.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

There’s a new plan for trails in the state of Michigan. The Department of Natural Resources has announced the creation of the 2022-2032 Michigan DNR Trails Plan.

The DNR has determined that 79% of Michiganders enjoy some sort of outdoor recreation and that outdoor recreation contributes an estimated $9.5 billion to the state’s economy.

The plan calls for an updated framework implemented over the next decade to manage the state’s 13,400 miles of trails. The trails are used for hiking, horseback riding, biking, snowmobiling, off-roading, and other recreational pursuits year-round.

The motto “explore, connect, sustain” is the foundation of the plan. Key points in the plan include analyzing the connections between existing trails and communities, recognizing funding sources for trails, and creating a strategy for trail use through online resources and other DNR channels.

2022-2032 Michigan DNR Trails Plan

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

For those who have a student loan serviced by Navient, there could be a debt cancellation in the future. Navient has been sued and has settled to the tune of $1.85 billion. Michigan is part of a multi-state settlement.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “The predatory practices used by Navient exploited students who wanted nothing more than an education. The company placed borrowers in risky subprime loans, causing them to incur debts they could never repay. This settlement reflects accountability for affected borrowers across the country.” 

Michigan has 1,576 borrowers eligible for a total $38 million debt cancellation. They will be contacted by Navient by July of this year and could receive refunds on any payments made on canceled loans. The loans were mostly sold to students attending for-profit universities.

No action is required on the part of the borrowers, but they should make sure their studentaid.gov account has accurate contact information and that any addresses have been updated.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland