George James

The wheels of justice are still turning, but they are doing so behind closed doors and with safety precautions in place. Both St. Clair and Sanilac County Courts have issued press releases stating their amended operations to comply with COVID-19 community spread mitigation orders. 

St. Clair County courts were still open as of Tuesday afternoon, but have encouraged adjournments for vulnerable persons. They are also limiting person to person contact and encouraging people to use phone, fax, and email as much as possible. Many adjournments are expected, and notices have been mailed out. 

The courts do still need to be contacted for adjournment requests. Those with a St. Clair County court date between now and April 6 should note that they are not off the hook for court appearances. They need to contact the court, or risk default in a civil trial or a bench warrant in a criminal trial. 

In Sanilac County, the courthouse is completely closed to the public through April 6. Jury trials in Sanilac County have been adjourned. The Sanilac County Jail is allowing on-line video visitation, but no personal visits. Residents will also need to put off getting fingerprinted, purchasing permits, or any other business until after April 6, or further notice.

Unemployment benefits in the State of Michigan have been expanded under an Executive Order that is now in effect. These benefits now apply to:

• Workers who have an unanticipated family care responsibility, including those who have childcare responsibilities due to school closures, or those who are forced to care for loved ones who become ill. 
• Workers who are sick, quarantined, or immunocompromised and who do not have access to paid family and medical leave or are laid off. 
• First responders in the public health community who become ill or are quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19.

Governor Whitmer said, “This executive order will provide immediate relief to those who can’t go to work, and who rely on their paycheck to put food on the table for themselves and their families.” The Governor is urging “everyone to make smart choices at this time, and to do everything in their power to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.” 

The State is also seeking solutions for self-employed workers and independent contractors who traditionally do not have access to unemployment insurance. Access to benefits for unemployed workers will also be extended with benefits increasing from 20 to 26 weeks, the application eligibility period increasing from 14 to 28 days,  and the normal in-person registration and work search requirements suspended.  

Eligible employees should apply for unemployment benefits online at Michigan.gov/UIA or 1-866-500-0017.

Amid continued uncertainty for the country, many big name businesses are stepping up services or suspending shutoffs for the near future. Among the latest announcements include DTE Energy and Comcast.

DTE announced that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they “are suspending shutoffs for non-payment for those customers who are low income eligible, effective immediately through April 5. This timing could be extended depending on the impact that the virus has on communities.” DTE also said that, “Those customers enrolled in the Senior Winter Protection Program have had their end dates automatically extended through May 3 without additional actions required on their part.”

Customers who are impacted by COVID-19 — those with a sudden loss of income or medical condition — as well as vulnerable senior citizens, are encouraged to contact DTE to determine eligibility for the payment assistance program.

Comcast has also announced several initiatives aimed at helping Americans in this unprecedented time. Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. The internet provider has also promised not to disconnect a customer’s internet service or assess late fees if they contact the company to notify Comcast that they can’t pay their bills during this period.

St. Clair County Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mona Armstrong became 72nd District Court Judge Mona Armstrong on Friday morning. She was sworn in by St. Clair County Chief Judge Pro-Tem John Monaghan. Tradition holds that judges host formal community-based investitures, but traditions have been set aside in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

Judge Armstrong’s husband, Todd, was there for the scaled-back ceremony. Judge Monaghan said, “The timing was based upon the fact our Courts have been down two judges.” Monaghan said that he requested Judge Armstrong get to work right away, and also said, “Fortunately Mona and her long-time boss, Prosecutor Mike Wendling, agreed.” 

Armstrong was appointed to the bench by Governor Whitmer. She is filling the seat that was vacated by the early retirement of Judge Cynthia Platzer after 17 years of holding the seat. The 72nd District Court judge position will be on the November ballot and Armstrong plans to run to keep the seat.

With your help, The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island could become a LEGO set. LEGO Ideas is a website where inventors and LEGO enthusiasts can submit proposals for new LEGO sets and vote for “awesome models dreamed up by your fellow fan designers”, according to its website.

David Lorch, an engineer and LEGO enthusiast, first built a nine-foot replica of the Grand Hotel with LEGOS, then worked on a scaled down version that would be a more practical scale. The Grand Hotel LEGO set prototype has 710 pieces and would definitely keep a kid busy for a while. The LEGO Ideas contest accepts votes for the concepts and the more votes a project gets, the longer it stays in the contest. As of Monday, the Grand Hotel prototype had almost 4,000 supporters and 64 days left in the contest. You can find out more at ideas.lego.com. 

With kids off of school for an extended period of time, Legos are a popular toy to pass the time and build those STEM skills. Maybe a local LEGO crafter will submit a proposal for the Blue Water Bridge?

With Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order to shutdown all schools in the state of Michigan beginning Monday, many local districts have sprung into action to provide meals for students and families during the closure.

Port Huron schools has set up food distribution at eight locations throughout the district offering meals for the student population within the district boundaries, regardless of what school they are currently enrolled in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. until school resumes. Breakfast and lunch meals will be provided for each day of the week in take-home bags. 

East China School District is also offering meals during the closure with specific dates and distribution locations. The meals are being provided for any student/child under the age of 18 years old starting today. The distribution will be pick-up and go meal service with both breakfast and lunch items for the week.

For Cros-Lex families, the district will provide cold breakfasts and sack lunches at no charge for all students. Food pickup will take place at various locations throughout the closures. 

To find specific details on locations for the distributions, visit the schools’ website or social media pages where all information is listed.