Choze Powell

When Does a Student Have to Stay Home if Exposed to COVID?

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued updated quarantine guidance for students in schools. Guidance differs for students depending on vaccine status, mask wearing, or whether or not they are showing symptoms.

Students who are showing symptoms after exposure to COVID-19 must be tested and isolate themselves from family members and other students. This pertains to both vaccinated and unvaccinated students who are showing symptoms.

Under the new guidance issued by MDHHS, students who have been exposed to COVID-19 and are not showing symptoms of illness, a.k.a. asymptomatic individuals, do not have to quarantine and can remain in school while monitoring symptoms if the following is true:

  • They are fully vaccinated
  • They are unvaccinated but were wearing a mask and were physically distanced (3-6 ft. apart) from the COVID-19 positive student who was also wearing a mask

It gets a little more complicated for unvaccinated students who wore masks and were less than 3 feet apart from a masked, COVID-19 positive student. In that case, the student has the option of staying in school and being tested every day, staying home for 7 days and returning with a negative test, or simply staying home for 10 days.

If students are unvaccinated or the COVID-19 positive student was unmasked, the exposed student has to stay home for 7 days and can only return to school with a negative test. If they are not tested, they can return after 10 days.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Support Wigs 4 Kids at Annual Gala

Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan provides holistic support services and wigs for children facing certain health problems or drug therapies. Their 18th Annual Virtual Gala is coming up on September 17th from 6 – 8 PM, and it is their largest fundraiser of the year.

Children with hair loss due to a medical condition or drug therapy face many adjustments. Wigs cost between $2500 – $3000 and are not covered by medical insurance. Maggie’s Wigs for Kids provides free wigs to kids and has a variety of other support programs such as support groups, art and garden therapy, exercise & nutrition programs, and more.

The wig program is also supported by hair donations. Donated hair should be clean and dry, not dyed or chemically treated within the last 2 years, and a minimum of 10″ in length. Curly hair can be pulled straight before measuring, and hair must be cut within the last 2 years. People of all ages can donate hair.

Local hair salons that support Maggie’s Wigs for Kids by following their guidelines for hair donations are: DeMarc Hair Studio, Great Clips in Ft,. Gratiot and Richmond, Karas & Co. LLC and Salon Pizazz. In Sanilac County, Grondins of Imlay City is a supporter.

Those who wish to donate hair are still responsible to print and complete a donation form and mail or deliver their donations to the St. Clair Shores Wellness Center.

Tickets to the virtual gala are $100, and they support Maggie’s Wigs for Kids in many ways.

To learn more, visit their website here:

https://www.wigs4kids.org/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Ends as Business Owners Struggle to Fill Open Positions

Last week marked the end of federal programs that increased the time period and amount of money Michiganders could earn on unemployment assistance. Programs such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) , Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) expired on September 4, 2021.

According to the Biden administration, states that want to continue adding to their regular unemployment benefits can continue to do so with COVID relief funds, but Michigan House and Senate lawmakers have said they will not support it.

Michigan has %6.5 billion in federal COVID relief funds designated through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), but lawmakers like Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey have made statements opposing extra unemployment benefits.

Shirkey said, “It’s past time to get back to work, as there is an abundance of jobs available. Meaningful work is a key factor in an individual’s mental and physical health. This supplemental increase needs to end as planned.”

The National Federation of Independent Business is in favor of ending benefits and getting people back to work. The organizations August 2021 Jobs Report showed that “fifty percent of all small business owners reported job openings they could not fill.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

9/11 Remembrance Ceremony Planned for Saturday

It’s been almost 20 years since Americans were frozen in front of their television screens watching terrorist attacks unfold in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. This Saturday, the community will remember the lives lost with a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the International Flag Plaza.

The ceremony will begin at 9 AM on September 11, 2021 at the Plaza located on Thomas Edison Parkway just north of the Blue Water Bridges, and it features law enforcement officers, firefighters, E.M.T.s, and community leaders who wish to memorialize those who gave their lives to help others.

In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place in the public meeting room of the Municipal Office Center in Port Huron.

In order to educate the next generation of Americans about the events of 9/11, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City in partnership with New York Life Foundation is offering access to a free webinar for students on their website.

Educators and community organizations can register for the on-demand webinar which will include first-person accounts of the attacks and their aftermath along with a live-chat with Museum staff – many of whom are survivors.

To register for the webinar, visit the museum’s website here:

https://www.911memorial.org/learn/students-and-teachers/anniversary-schools-webinar

Photo by Jessie Wiegand: National 9/11 Museum and Memorial - New York City
Photo by Jessie Wiegand: National 9/11 Museum and Memorial – New York City

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Gov. Whitmer Calls on Legislature to Protect the Constitutional Right to Choice

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on the state legislature to pass legislation repealing Michigan’s 1930s law criminalizing abortion, which is currently not in effect because of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Repealing the law would ensure that the right to choose, which is supported by a significant majority of Michiganders, remains a right in Michigan, even in the face of continued, relentless attacks on Roe v. Wade.

“Recently, Texas passed a new, extreme anti-choice law that puts people’s lives at risk, and threatens healthcare workers. The insidious law essentially bans abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, and allows strangers to sue medical professionals or anyone who helps women get the comprehensive healthcare they need. It is a gross violation of the constitutional right to choose, and the Court’s decision to allow it to stay in place sets the United States on a dangerous path towards overturning Roe v. Wade.

“Unfortunately, there are more cases based on equally extreme state laws awaiting action in the Supreme Court that would completely overturn Roe v. Wade. If the court’s decision in the Texas case is any indication, a majority of justices are willing to throw out the constitutional right to choose that has been in place for 48 years and repeatedly upheld for decades.

“In Michigan today, abortion is safe and legal, but we have an arcane law on the books from the 1930s banning abortion and criminalizing healthcare providers who offer comprehensive care and essential reproductive services. Thankfully, that dangerous, outdated law is superseded by Roe v. Wade, but, if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe, that Michigan law and others like it may go back into effect in dozens of states, disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities.

“I call on the legislature to send Senator Erika Geiss’ bill that repeals our nearly-century-old ban on abortion to my desk. I have always stood with those fighting for their right to choose, and I will not stop now. I will stand in the way of any bills that seek to strip away fundamental rights from women or get in the way of doctors’ ability to do their jobs.”

Submitted by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Office

Signup is Open for Fall Port Huron Rec Programs

Who’s ready for fall? The Port Huron Recreation Department is. Registration is underway for fall programs.

Nobody makes the most of partnerships like the Rec Department and this fall is no exception. They are partnering with the Friends of the St. Clair River to bring a Tree Trackers class to Sanborn Woods. The free class is for all ages.

They are also partnering with the St. Clair County Genealogy and History Society to host a guided tour of Lakeside Cemetery to hear the stories of prominent citizens who are buried there.

The Athletic Factory is partnering for a Bitty Basketball series for 1st and 2nd graders to be held at their gym on 10th Street in Port Huron, and the YMCA is partnering for the “Y on the Fly” programs.

Old favorites like Little Ninjas Karate, Fencing, Yoga, Dance and many others are also on the schedule. There is a full roster of art classes for a variety of ages and special events like the Halloween Stroll and the 5K Law Enforcement Torch Run.

https://d721f890-20f6-4799-98ef-6e373ba52f19.filesusr.com/ugd/fc6623_11761f0eaf5d4dc690e2fbce5caeb3e2.pdf

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland