George James

August 2nd Election is Near: Still Time to Register, But Too Late to Mail Absentee Ballots

It’s really too late to mail in an absentee ballot. With the August 2nd election less than two weeks away, it is best to hand deliver absentee ballots to the local clerk’s office or to put them in a local drop box.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, “Drop boxes continue to be among the safe options that voters have to return their ballot securely this year, in addition to hand-delivering their ballot to their clerk’s office, voting early at their clerk’s office, or voting at their polling place on Election Day.”

While it’s too late to mail in a ballot, it’s not too late to register to vote. Registering needs to take place in person at the local clerk’s office and can happen right up until the end of election day. Online and mail registration is not permitted within 14 days of an election.

You can check the status of your ballot or absentee application online at Michigan.gov/Vote or by calling your local clerk.

The Michigan primary election requires voters to vote for only one party’s candidates. Voting for candidates in multiple parties on the same ballot will cause the ballot not to be counted.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Don’t Fall for the Latest Text and Call Scam

There’s another scam to look out for. This time it involves imposters who pretend to be representing banks or utilities. They fraudulently request personal information or payments.

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox said, “Even if your phone’s caller ID displays a legitimate business’s name, you should be wary of anyone calling you asking for payment or personal information of any kind. If you think the call might be legitimate, hang up and call the number on your billing statement or other documentation from the company before giving out any information or making a payment.”

A recent version of the scam had criminals saying they work for DTE and contacting victims via text and then with a phone call. The scammers ask customers to make missed payments through a website and use a cash transfer app like Zelle. The real DTE doesn’t contact customers like that.

Don’t give personal account information to anyone who initiates a call, even for “verification purposes”. If the caller says an issue must be resolved immediately, its probably a scam. Never reply to an unsolicited text message.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Giant Wind Turbines Could Be on Their Way to Southern Sanilac County

Fifty wind turbines could be coming to southern Sanilac County, and residents have mixed feelings about the potential drastic change to the landscape.

Riverbend Wind Energy, LLC, also known as Liberty Power and Algonquin Power and Utilities Corporation, of Canada, is in the process of acquiring land for 50 wind turbines in Buel, Elk, Fremont, and Speaker Townships.

Some residents who will be living near the turbines have formed a grassroots effort to impose a moratorium on moving forward with the project. They are considering legal action, citing concerns about conflict of interest with local government zoning boards and about the effect on the quiet, peaceful country landscape in which they live. Turbines could be as high as 700 feet, and are lit up at night.

According to Fremont Township Supervisor Jeff Furness, who owns property where turbines could be placed, the project could have “good economic value to the townships, schools, and county”. Furness said there have been test towers up for the past twelve months, but he did not yet know the results of the study.

Furness said that at this point the project is moving forward.

Furness said that wind zoning has been in place since 2016 when Nexterra, an energy company, was showing interest in the area for wind energy. There are currently power transmission lines owned by ITC that can handle the power generated by the wind turbines, according to Furness.

Residents of Speaker and Fremont Townships have voiced strong concerns about the effects on their property values, along with health and safety concerns for humans, livestock, and wildlife, and the safety of the turbines near their property.

Those opposed to the Riverbend Wind Energy project have also cited concerns regarding conflict of interest among the planning commissions that would permit construction of the supersized windmills. Many of those decision-makers stand to profit from allowing the turbines on their property.

When asked about the potential for conflict of interest, Furness pointed out that due process has been followed all along and it has been proven that there is no conflict of interest. He said that “everything that was supposed to have happened, has happened.”

Furness said that when there is a direct conflict of interest, such as voting on one’s own parcel, that Planning Commission member abstains from the vote. The Planning Commission voting is done on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Liberty/Algonquin has a target date for starting the construction of the turbines in 2023 and is targeting generating electricity in 2024.

To see the map of the location of the proposed Riverbend Wind Energy project, go to https://riverbendwind.com/?page_id=36.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

65th Robinson Tennis Tournament Features Clinics with Pro Murphy Jensen

The summer’s best week of tennis is almost here. The Francis J. Robinson Memorial International Tennis Tournament kicks off on July 31st with special guest Murphy Jensen. Jenson is a former professional tennis player who will run Kick-Off Clinics and an Exhibition Match.

With matches running from August 3rd to 7th, this year’s Robinson is its 65th year of being a hometown tradition that brings players of all ages to the courts for competition, comradery, and fun. The tournament is usually attended by 200 to 400 players, with divisions for ages 10 and under to 60 and over. It is one of the longest-running community tournaments in the nation.

The tournaments are round-robin, with flights made up of players of compatible age and ability. Players at all levels will have the opportunity to play several matches against fellow tennis players with similar skills. Players need to be registered by July 28th.

A link to all the details about the tournament and the special clinics with Murphy Jensen can be found below.

http://www.phtennishouse.com/2022-robinson/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

New 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is Now Active

By now, we should be used to dialing the area code before a phone call. The change in dialing procedures was introduced in preparation for the launch of the new 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

The line is up and running and is now available to everyone across the entire United States.

The line can be used to call, text, or chat. Those who connect in any way will be connected to a trained counselor with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline network. The counselors are trained to listen, understand, provide support, and connect to resources if necessary.

There are over 200 crisis centers that have been answering calls since 2005 and have proven to be effective. Callers feel less overwhelmed and more hopeful after talking to a counselor.

While 988 is easier to remember and is now live, the old number of 1-800-273-8255 is still active and can be used to connect with the lifeline.

There are two crisis centers in Southeastern Michigan. They always need donations and volunteers.

Our Crisis Centers

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland