Choze Powell

VNA & Blue Water Hospice Honors Staff

Port Huron, MI –  Visiting Nurse Association & Blue Water Hospice recognizes staff for going above and beyond through the Shining Star program. Those awarded regularly demonstrate the mission, vision, and focus of the agency while helping patients, clients, and each other. Leadership nominates staff for the award quarterly.

This past quarter, the following individuals were given the Shining Star award:

Heidi Benner, Volunteer Coordinator, Blue Water Hospice Division

Lucie Gillespie, RN, Blue Water Hospice Home

Donna Halpin, RN, Blue Water Hospice Division

Jennifer Rich, CENA, Private Duty Division

Mary Paull, Volunteer, Blue Water Hospice Home

Since 1952, Visiting Nurse Association has provided a continuum of care including home health care, palliative care, private duty, and hospice care to the people of St. Clair, Sanilac, Lapeer, and Macomb counties. Visiting Nurse Association and Blue Water Hospice is a non-profit organization that provides high-quality, cost-effective health care to any patient and family member with short-term, long-term, or end-of-life care. Learn more about the services offered by VNA/BWH by visiting www.vnabwh.com.

Submitted by Visiting Nurse Association & Blue Water Hospice

Search Continues for Nadine Moses

Casco Twp, MI — The search by law enforcement and citizens continues for 84 year old Nadine Moses of Casco Township.

According to family members, Moses went missing from her home in the early morning hours of May 4th.  She was driving a dark blue 2011 Ford Edge SUV with a Michigan handicap plate of C8932. She has not been seen nor heard from since.  Below is a timeline of attempts by local law enforcement to locate the missing woman.

During the early evening hours of May 4th, after Nadine didn’t appear at a family member’s house as expected and calls to her cell phone went to voicemail, the family reported her as missing.

A be on the lookout (BOL) was issued state wide and nationwide.  She was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) as missing.  Databases were checked to see if any law enforcement officers had run her license plate.

Deputies were able to confirm that at the time she went missing, Nadine had a full tank of gas and approximately $50 in cash.  She has not used her debit card or credit card since she went missing.

Cell phone data was retrieved, indicating Nadine may have been driving from about 2:15 a.m. on May 4th until about 9:15 a.m. that same day in the general areas of Ira, Casco, Cottrellville, China and East China Townships and Marine City. According to the gathered information, she was believed to have been in the M-29 area of Marine City at about 5:15 a.m.

By checking surveillance cameras, it is believed that her vehicle was observed on 2 cameras in the early morning hours of May 4th.  The vehicle was northbound on M-29, passing the Marine City Police Department.  The vehicle then turned east on Fairbanks.  It is unknown where the vehicle headed after that.

Since her disappearance, Deputies and local law enforcement agencies have been checking turnouts, state game areas, businesses and other locations where a vehicle might be located, but not noticed.

A check was also made on all open riverbank and open water entry points.  A search of the St. Clair River and Belle River was also made by air and sonar with no sign of the vehicle.

On the afternoon of May 8th, Michigan State Police reviewed Nadine’s cell phone data.  They then conducted a flyover of an extensive area based on pings to her phone or cell tower data provided.

On Wednesday, May 19th, the Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a drone operator regarding what he believed to be a vehicle submerged in the St. Clair River off Algonac State Park.  The Sheriff’s Office Marine Division and Dive Team responded and located the item, which ended up being a pile of logs.  

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office continue to follow up on Crime Stoppers tips and other possible leads.  Deputies continue to search for the vehicle throughout the county.

We are asking that everyone continue to remain on the lookout and check your property, especially if you have a separate lane leading to an isolated area of your land.

“Along with the work we are doing, we continue to hope and pray we receive information on Nadine’s whereabouts,” said Sheriff Mat King.  “If anyone locates Nadine or her vehicle, we ask that you immediately call the Sheriff’s Office at (810) 985-8115, or your local police agency.”

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

 

Driver’s Medical Issue Causes Multiple Crashes

East China Township, MI — Several private property crashes in East China Township last night are believed to have been caused by a medical incident by the driver of the car causing the crashes.

Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office were called to Rivers Edge Mobile Home Park on Hathaway Street in East China Township at about 6:30 PM Wednesday night.  When they arrived, deputies saw that a vehicle driven by a 60 year old East China Township woman had crashed into three parked vehicles in the park, then travelled across South Riverside Avenue, went through a fence, struck a house and two more parked vehicles.

Members of St. Clair Fire and Rescue and Tri-Hospital EMS rendered aid to the woman at the scene of the crashes.  She was transported to Ascension River District Hospital in East China, where she was pronounced dead.

At this time, it is believed the woman died as the result of a medical incident and not from the vehicle crashes.  The incident remains under investigation.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

Lambton Area 12 Year-olds Can Register for Vaccine

Lambton Public Health is now booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for individuals 12 years old and older, or those who will turn 12 in 2021. Appointments for that group are only available at the Point Edward Arena mass vaccination clinic which administers the Pfizer vaccine.

Adults 18 years-old and older can book a vaccine appointment at any available clinic by visiting Lambton Public Health’s online registration site <HERE>.

As of last Friday, May 14th, Lambton County reached a 50% vaccination rate with its eligible population. By the end of May, Lambton Public Health estimates that close to 65% of the eligible population will have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The Provincial Stay-at-Home order is in effect until June 2nd, along with all public health and workplace safety measures under the provincewide emergency brake.

Non-essential travel is discouraged, and travel from Manitoba or Quebec into Ontario is restricted.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Community Remembers Fallen Heroes

Port Huron, MI — Ed Weichsler, a former U.S. Air Force Veteran, worked with a student from Croswell-Lexington High School to find a way to honor local military heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their community. That desire, and a lot of hard work and community support, resulted in the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Banner Project.

The 100% volunteer-led project collected almost 400 stories of military heroes from the area which will be displayed on banners placed throughout the towns in St. Clair County.

The first of the hometown hero banners will be hung in towns and cities throughout St. Clair County starting the week before Memorial Day and remain up until June 4th. The banners include the hero’s photo, name, branch of service, rank, war conflict, age, and their home city, and they be displayed annually.

Weichsler said the community’s response to the project has been absolutely overwhelming. Donations have amounted to over $30,000, and a fund is being held at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The fund will help with current and future costs associated with printing the banners and any reprinting needed in the future to replace worn or damaged banners.

Donations for the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Banner Project can be made by mail or online.  By mail, send a check to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, 500 Water Street, Port Huron, MI 48060 with “Banner Program Fund” noted on the memo line.  Online, visit: www.stclairfoundation.org, select funds and click on the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Community Banner Program link.

For more information or to submit photographs for the Project, contact Ed Weichsler, Program Advisor and U.S. Air Force Veteran by phone at (810) 985-2007 (hotline) or (810) 434-6407 or  e-mail at weichsler10@gmail.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

YMCA Aligns Mask Rules with CDC, State of Michigan

Port Huron, MI — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) added exceptions to their Gatherings and Face Mask Order on Saturday, May 15th, most notably, removing the requirement to wear a face mask for fully vaccinated persons. The YMCA of the Blue Water Area has decided to align its mask rules with the new order.

Josh Chapman, President/CEO of the YMCA of the Blue Water Area, said in a press release that the “YMCA has instituted numerous health and safety measures to best protect everyone who enters the Y, including: daily health screenings for members and staff, rigorous daily cleaning protocols, use of electrostatic spraying equipment nightly, capacity tracking, and social distancing requirements for all activities.”

In light of that, the YMCA is following the new guidelines and will not require fully vaccinated individuals to wear a mask in their facility.

Chapman notes that a fully vaccinated individual is defined as someone who is 2 weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine or 2 weeks past their first dose of a single-dose vaccine.

The YMCA is asking guests and members to their facility to follow their core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility in relation to the face mask guidelines, and will not ask for proof of vaccination.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand