George James

After 114 years, St. Mary School in St. Clair is closing at the end of this school year. The school will not be enrolling students for the 2020-2021 school year, but current students will finish out the year. 

The Archdiocese of Detroit announced the closing this week and said St. Mary church members were told of the closing in late February and Father Michael Zuelch called it a “deeply difficult decision” that was made in consultation with many stakeholders, including both local and regional leadership. 

According to the  Archdiocese, the reason for the closing was a combination of rising costs and declining enrollment. The school currently has 48 students. In recent years, the school has changed from a traditional preschool through eighth-grade school to a Montessori-style school with grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. St. Mary Catholic Parish in St. Clair has had a school on its grounds since 1906. Other Catholic elementary and middle schools in the geographic region, the Blue Water Vicariate, are enrolling for the 2020-2021 school year. Those include St. Edward in Lakeport, St. Mary/McCormick in Port Huron, Holy Cross in Marine City, Immaculate Conception in Ira Township, and St. Augustine in Richmond. Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

State Representative Gary Eisen, who represents the 81st District covering much of St. Clair County, introduced a bill in January that would allow the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or county sheriff to set temporary motorboat speed limits during high water conditions and to establish fines for violations. Currently under existing legislation, the DNR establishes boating speed limits for Michigan waters. Any area of water that does not have a speed limit established by the DNR has a default speed limit of 55 miles per hour. 

The bill has been moving through approvals and is being supported heavily by Clay Township Supervisor Artie Bryson who sees the direct impact of the rising water levels on St. Clair County’s southern end. Bryson, now, is asking for the community to speak up to make the bill pass in an effective manner. In a recent public post on Facebook, Bryson said he is “Calling on no-wake warriors.” 

The most recent changes that happened to House Bill 5401 after leaving the House Ways and Means Committee, Bryson feels, need to be changed to be effective, before it is voted on next week.

In the current form, Bryson points out that the bill has date restrictions, renewal restrictions and more that could prevent real changes for St. Clair County residents. The bill can be read at legislature.mi.gov by searching Bill 5401. Bryson is encouraging residents to contact representatives on the Senate Committee on Natural Resources to express concerns about the current format.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Cecelia Shuler, a licensed massage therapist in St. Clair County, is raising funds and community support to represent the USA in world massage competitions this upcoming spring. Schuler graduated as a therapist from Lakewood School of Therapeutic Massage in 2017, and then in the spring of 2019, finished a degree at St. Clair County Community College on a full scholarship through the Complete Your Degree program from the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

In June 2020, Schuler plans to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark to compete at the International Massage Association’s fourth official World Championship. She will represent not only the community of Port Huron, but also the state of Michigan and the USA. While there are a couple of other participants from the United States traveling to compete, Schuler believes she is the only one from the state of Michigan to ever compete at this level. 

Schuler is hoping to raise the needed funds to travel and compete through a raffle that grants the winner with a years worth of free massages (One hour massage a month equaling an $850 value). She is also raising money through a GoFundMe page. You can find more on her Facebook page at Cecilia_LMT.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed has announced the city has sold $53 million in pension obligation bonds for a historic low rate. Freed said that the sale results in a nearly $2 million savings in debt service on an annual basis. He said, “In connection with the Comprehensive Financial Plan approved by the State, [the city] used an all-inclusive cost estimate of 3.52%.” Freed said the City is 65 basis points below that. Therefore, savings will be much greater than originally projected.

Freed also said, “This sale was a robust vote of confidence in the well-developed financial plan and the future outlook of the City.” According to the Government Finance Officers Association, “Pension obligation bonds (POBs) are taxable bonds that some state and local governments have issued as part of an overall strategy to fund the unfunded portion of their pension liabilities by creating debt.” There is some risk in the issuance of pension obligation bonds. The risk can be mitigated with higher yields that achieve a rate of return that exceeds the interest rate owed and the debt service. Taking advantage of the historically low interest rates is a step toward reducing the risk of the bonds.

The Marine City Police Department is asking for help in locating two subjects wanted for questioning in a larceny in a building/credit card fraud/unlawful use of a financial transaction device case with the department. In photos posted on the department’s Facebook page, police are asking if you know who these individuals are, to contact the police department.

Police say, if you are one of these individuals involved, they urge you to contact the department as soon as possible. The Marine City police say they “take pride in protecting the citizens and business owners of Marine City and larceny and credit card fraud are not things” they will tolerate. The Marine City Police Department’s phone number is 810-765-4040.

Three local first responders and Port Huron resident Kyle Bailey, participated in events surrounding the Fight for Air Climb in Detroit last weekend. The three Kimball firefighters, wearing full turnout gear and SCBA that weighs 70+ pounds, climbed up and down 55 floors totaling 1,108 stairs! The Firefighter and other Responder participants event was hosted at One Woodward in Detroit. One Woodward was designed by an architect, who went on to design the World Trade Center in New York.  Together, the three firefighters raised over $850 for the American Lung Association.

Bailey, a quadruple organ transplant recipient  completed the challenge at the Ally Detroit Center. Ally Detroit Center is the 2nd tallest building in Michigan, and Kyle along with other participants, went up 42 flights & down 41 floors for a total of 83 floors and 1,768 steps. Bailey regularly has outreach events to help raise organ donation awareness and families with medical expenses through the Kyle Bailey Foundation. Bailey said the goal in 2020 is to raise $50,000 for families in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

The event is hosted through the American Lung Association to promote a healthier lifestyle and to honor those who are affected by lung disease.