Choze Powell

Additional COVID-19 Variants Identified in St. Clair County

St. Clair County, MI — The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom was first identified in St. Clair County in February, and the Health Department has just reported three more cases in the county.

Even though the B.1.1.7 variant has been shown to be more contagious, currently, it doesn’t seem to cause more severe illness or affect clinical outcomes.

Dr. Annette Mercatante Medical Health Officer of the St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) said, “We (SCCHD) are doubling down with variant case investigations. Suspect cases will be contacted more often and required to quarantine for 14 days vs. 10. Since the variant can be more contagious, the virus could potentially infect more people with less exposure.

The recommendations for protecting oneself against the new variant remain the same as the COVID-19 prevention practices health organizations have been encouraging for the last year. Wear a mask, observe physical distancing, wash your hands, avoid crowds, and follow isolation and quarantine guidance. The Health Department also recommends getting vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to you.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio Marysville

Ceramics Studio Provides Creative Outlet for Kids & Adults

Marysville, MI — Kristie Evans-Hutchinson has been interested in ceramics for a long time, and when the First Congregational Church in Port Huron sold their building and offered to gift her the materials in their studio, she became a business owner.

Kristie is now the owner of A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio located in Market Square Plaza in Marysville, and it caters to both walk-in patrons and those who want scheduled classes.

Kristie’s husband, Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson, went from no knowledge of the intricacies of working with clay, slip, and molds, to keeping himself busy creating new pieces for clients to paint and glaze along with running the studio’s kiln.

Hutch said ceramics is a perfect way to unwind and take care of yourself. When he’s working in the studio, he said, “I’m focusing on this, not what I’m going to make for dinner or what I’m going to do this afternoon, or how to get peace and quiet. My brain is already at rest because I’m focusing on one thing.” He also said, “I take the moment to myself because if I’m not good mentally or physically, I cant help anybody else.”

The Hutchinson family has spent months building and organizing the studio and creating a bright and inviting space for their customers. Pieces available for painting and glazing include lighthouses, animal statues, toad and bunny houses, and even a complete set of chess pieces.

New classes begin the first week of each month, and there is an ongoing fundraiser on their website to help offset the cost of their After School Program (ASP). The ASP provides a safe, creative outlet for kids in grades 4-12 and offers them 4 classes each month.

To learn more about A Little Hobby visit ALittleHobby.com

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Benson Wants to Take Michigan From Worst to First in Transparency

Michigan — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently announced a new item on her agenda: increasing government transparency in the state.

Benson is responding to a study published in 2015 by The Center for Public Integrity which assesses the accountability and transparency of state governments. Overall, Michigan ranked 50th in the U.S. and was given an “F”. However, the state ranked 5th and was given a “B-” in the area of Electoral Oversight and also scored well in its handling of State Budget Processes.

Benson considers herself a longtime advocate for government transparency and said her new agenda “would take Michigan from worst to first in government transparency, shine the light on dark money in politics and stop public corruption.” She also said, “These are things lawmakers must do if they are serious about rebuilding public trust in our elected government.”

Benson’s new legislative agenda is titled “From Worst to First”, and it includes items such as extending the Freedom of Information Act to the governor and state legislature, tightening LLC reporting requirements to ensure certain monies do not corrupt elections, and enforcing the Conflict of Interest Act to identify legislative conflicts of interest. The entire agenda can be found <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Families Receive Food Benefits for Kids in Virtual School

Michigan — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) began automatically issuing food assistance benefits to more than 800,000 Michigan children through the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, which is similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Families who are eligible for the benefits don’t need to apply and should receive the added benefits automatically to their Bridge cards if they are already enrolled in the SNAP program or through the mail in the form of a Pandemic-EBT card.

The benefits are around $127.53 monthly for each child who is enrolled in a school that is fully virtual, and $77.06 for kids in schools that are functioning on a hybrid model.

The benefits are available to families with students ages 5-18 enrolled in the Michigan Department of Education program for students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and the goal is to ensure that no child in the state goes hungry during the pandemic.

Governor Whitmer said, “[K]ids who don’t go to school five days a week have a harder time accessing the free and reduced-price meals available to them at school. Pandemic-EBT closes this gap, giving our children another option for accessing nutritious food.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Ford Field Becoming Mass Vaccination Site

Michigan — On March 12th, Governor Whitmer announced that Ford Field will be converted to a mass vaccination site that will open on March 24th. The Biden Administration is partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create an eight-week long push to administer 6,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per day.

The facility will operate from 8 AM to 8:30 PM seven days a week, and it’s part of the federal government’s vaccination pilot program targeted at the population’s most vulnerable.

Governor Whitmer said, “The safe and effective vaccine is the best way to protect Michiganders and their families, and it is essential to getting our country back to normal, so that we can all hug our loved ones, get back to work, and send our kids to school safely. I want to thank President Biden and FEMA for the opportunity to build one of the nation’s first community vaccination sites to service the entire Southeast Michigan region.”

Whitmer noted that over one million Michiganders have already been vaccinated and the new mass vaccination site at Ford Field will help the state reach its goal of equitably vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 16 years or older.

When the site opens at the end of March, they will be offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the first three weeks followed by second doses for those recipients the following three weeks. There will be no cost to patients , and information about registering at the Ford Field Mass Vaccination Site is forthcoming.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Volunteer Training Starts April 1st at Spero Center

Port Huron, MI — Spero Pregnancy Center wants to remind you that volunteering is good for your health, and they have a volunteer training session beginning April 1st that will help you plug in to their nonprofit medical clinic.

Spero Center has a holistic approach to working with women and men experiencing unexpected pregnancies. They provide support through client advocates, mentors, medical staff, and many other staff members and volunteers.

They provide a five-week training program that equips volunteers with the skills they need to serve their clients well. There are opportunities to work with the center’s clients along with providing volunteer IT support, graphic design, cleaning, community outreach, and office support.

Volunteering is rewarding in many ways, and it’s proven to increase over-all well-being in the areas of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Spero Pregnancy Center  by visiting their website at BlueWaterBabies.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand