George James

Toll Rates Remain the Same for Those Who Can Travel to Canada

If you download the app, get the shot, get a test, and have a good reason, you can cross the border into Canada for the same toll rate as last year. The Michigan Department of Transportation reports that Canadian currency rates will not change for traffic heading into Canada via the Blue Water Bridge. The decision was made following the latest currency parity review and remains in effect until the end of September.

Passenger vehicle rates remain at $3.75 per trip with another $3.75 Canadian for each extra axle. Trucks and busses can enter Canada at a rate of $4 Canadian. There is a discount program through the Edge Commuter Pass.

ArriveCAN is a mandatory app that is used to track Covid testing and vaccination compliance. It records proof of vaccination, test results, quarantine plans, and other personal information as part of Canada’s required border crossing procedure.

There are some exceptions to the requirements, but they need to be addressed prior to reaching the border. More information can be found at the Canada Border Services Agency website.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/menu-eng.html

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Yes, You CAN Recycle Your Boat’s Winter Shrink Wrap

It’s not quite boat season, but it is time to plan on what to do with that shrink-wrap from winterizing the boat. There’s a way to keep that plastic out of landfills, but it takes some planning.

There is a program being sponsored by several state agencies and charities where boat owners can recycle all that shrink-wrap. All they have to do is purchase a special bag and register for the program.

The bags cost $7 from the vendor, Dr. Shrink. The price includes collection, transportation, baling, and recycling the shrink-wrap material. The recycled shrink-wrap can be made into things like composite decking, instead of staying in a landfill for 450 years.

Once boat owners or marinas get the bags, they can remove the wrap and place it in the bags and deliver it to a registered drop-off location.

Purchase your recycling bag(s) for $7 at Dr. Shrink. This is a one-time fee that includes the cost to collect, transport, bale and recycle. 

Register for the program. The form for both individuals and businesses.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Kenockee Farms Looking Forward to Expanded 2022 CSA Season

Always wanted to own a farm? Well, now you can, sort of. Kenockee Farms offers Community Supported Agriculture Shares, or CSA shares, in their Kenockee Township organic farm.

Owner Ruth Field said that this is their third year of operating the CSA program. Shareowners buy the level of share that meets their family’s needs and in return, they get a weekly basket of food throughout the growing season.

Field said that her farm has expanded to offer fresh eggs, Amish-made birch and maple syrups, and is looking forward to extending the growing season with a possible hoop house on the farm.

Field said that they are also operating a farm stand on Lapeer Road, not far from Goodells park, and will be branching out with microgreens with possible sales to the restaurant industry.

Last year, there were 23 CSA shares, and there is room for more this year. Baskets include a wide variety of organic vegetables, with some of them being rare heirloom varieties, along with seasonal fruits and herbs.

More information can be found at kenockeefarms.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

It’s Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and a Good Time to Help The Arc of St. Clair County

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The Arc of St. Clair County is making a difference for those living with developmental and intellectual differences one person at a time.

The Arc’s Executive Director, Valorie Hudgens, told us that recently the Arc staff worked with an individual who was experiencing homelessness. He was moving around the community from shelter to living on the streets. 

Hudgens said that the Arc staff, along with other community agencies, assisted him in obtaining secure housing, social security income, food assistance, and health care. The man said that he appreciated being treated like a human being again.

The Arc also advocates for families who are navigating the educational system with Individual Education Plans and behavior plans, as well as for people trying to gain independence through employment.

The non-profit is asking the community to help them to continue their work with this year’s silent auction. There are only a few more days to bid on the variety of interesting prizes.

https://zoomgive.com/2383/c/achieve

It’s Reading Month!

For decades, March has been known as Reading Month, with schools and libraries offering incentives for kids to delve into books and develop a lifelong love of reading.

The need for emphasizing the joy of reading is greater than ever, with reading for fun declining in popularity for nine- and thirteen-year-olds, according to a Pew Research study. Less than half of the kids surveyed said they actually read for fun.

Michigan Teacher of the Year, Leah Porter, said, “Reading is a gift that opens the doors of possibility. It allows every single person the opportunity to grow, reflect, question, and empathize with situations that are both lived and unfamiliar.”

Young readers in St. Clair County are likely celebrating March is Reading Month at School, but they can also get involved and maybe even win some prizes at all branches of the St. Clair County Library System.

The Library is offering March is Reading Month Bingo, where kids get a Bingo sheet, fill in the challenges, and turn it in to get entered into a prize drawing. Go to stclairlibrary.org for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

County to Pay for and Coordinate Spraying for Spongy (Gypsy) Moths

Those pesky gypsy moths, now renamed spongy moths, won’t know what hit them if St. Clair County’s mitigation strategy works. After county residents reported the infestation of the little caterpillars with the huge appetites, the county adopted a plan to provide aerial spraying in areas identified as spongy moth hot spots.

County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin said, “Through a partnership with multiple county departments, St. Clair County MSU Extension and the Friends of the St. Clair River, an annual Spongy Moth Mitigation Program and 2022 aerial spray both have been successfully designed and implemented.”

Baldwin said that there will be no cost to residents or municipalities for the 2022 aerial spray, which could cost up to $550,000.  The county is picking up the tab this year.

Over 5500 acres of land have been identified as needing treatment. Spraying will begin in May and should be completed no later than the first of June. Affected property owners will be contacted and have the option to decline.

More information will soon be available at stclaircouty.org.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland