George James

Port Huron Parks and Recreation does not take the winter off. Director Nancy Winzer is sharing details on the projects that are underway or being planned right now. 

Knox Field on the south side of Port Huron is getting a brand-new playground. Winzer said that construction has been accelerated due to the mild winter so far and she expects that the park will be ready for kids by May. The department is waiting on the installation of mulch and safety inspections. Visitors to Knox Field can enjoy the new playground, which includes a zipline, along with the existing splash pad. Grills and chess boards will be installed soon. 

Gratiot Park, near the Blue Water Bridge, is next on the list for improvements and the city is working with Michigan Rehab Services to make it an inclusive park for kids of all abilities. 

The Optimist Skate Park, off of 10th Street on the city’s north side, is expected to break ground in the fall and renovations to the McMorran Plaza downtown are being proposed at the moment. Winzer said that her department is trying to make each park in the city a little bit different and have each one be a destination. Winzer said that community input as to what works and what doesn’t is crucial to the success of the park renovations. The goal is to have each park be “an innovative play experience within the next five to six years.”

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Planning efforts are ramping up for the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial that is planned for the Blue Water Flag Plaza in Port Huron. The project is in partnership with “Diving with a Purpose” which uses scuba diving to locate and preserve submerged artifacts that pertain to the African Diaspora. They use maritime archaeology to locate sunken slave ships and other artifacts that are a part of not just Black History, but the history of the human experience.

Lake Huron holds the wreckage of the plane that was piloted by Lt. Frank Moody, a Tuskegee Airman. It was discovered by accident in 2014, 70 years after the crash. The Tuskegee Airmen are credited with both helping to win World War II with their aviation skills and breaking down racial barriers that were common in the 1940s.

Kevin Totty, of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, said, “The excitement of having this local history in our backyard is awesome. This is a historical community event that will produce a global impact.” The memorial is intended to be dedicated in August of 2020. Organizers are hoping to have Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, a 97-year-old Purple Heart-awarded Tuskegee Airman with local ties, present at the dedication. The project is a collaborative effort between Port Huron Schools, Port Huron Museum, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, the NAACP, and DTE Energy.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The Michigan Department of Treasury is asking residents to be aware of a scam that is targeting people who owe back taxes to the State of Michigan. The potential victims receive letters by mail that look official but are in fact, fake. The letters instruct taxpayers to call a toll-free number to resolve the debt and aggressively threaten to seize assets if the debt is not paid. 

Deputy State Treasurer Ann Good asks taxpayers to contact the state directly to discuss options and to be aware of their rights. Information about unpaid taxes is available to the public, so it is not difficult for scammers to obtain accurate information. The criminal intent is to get people to pay the scammers instead of the state. If they do so, the taxes will still be owed to the state. If you do owe back taxes or another tax debt to the state, officials will contact you through the mail with options to resolve the debt as well as informing you of your rights as a taxpayer. A red flag for the fake letters is a threat to seize your property or garnish your Social Security benefits. If you suspect a fake letter, the real number to the Michigan Department of Treasury Collections Service Center is 517-636-5265.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Need some space? Maybe you should work for NASA. As the National Space Aeronautics and Space Association prepares to launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil to the International Space Station – with an eye toward the Moon and Mars – the agency has announced it will accept applications March 2 to 31 for the next class of Artemis Generation astronauts.

Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 350 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions to explore space. With 48 astronauts in the active astronaut corps, more will be needed to crew spacecraft bound for multiple destinations and propel exploration forward as part of Artemis missions and beyond.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “We’re celebrating our 20th year of continuous presence aboard the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit this year, and we’re on the verge of sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024. For the handful of highly talented women and men we will hire to join our diverse astronaut corps, it’s an incredible time in human spaceflight to be an astronaut. We’re asking all eligible Americans if they have what it to takes to apply beginning March 2.”

The basic requirements to apply include United States citizenship and a master’s degree in a STEM field. The requirement for the master’s degree can also be met in other ways. 

Candidates also must have at least two years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Astronaut candidates must pass the NASA long-duration spaceflight physical.

Americans may apply at www.usajobs.gov

Middle and high school can be difficult when students are having trouble with their self-esteem. To give kids a boost, St. Clair Middle School has adopted a nationwide program called the Positivity Project to help form the whole student including social and emotional needs.

St. Clair Middle School Principal, Mike Domagalski, discovered the program roughly two years ago and the entire school has been on board since then. Each week, teachers at the school share the Positivity Project lessons with a focus on one of 24 different character strengths. During this week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, the characteristic was love. The lessons are interactive with questions and videos to help students of all learning types.

Within this program, the school also features Talk To Me Tuesday, where during lunch, students put away electronics and talk with each other about the week’s topic. Assemblies and special events are also held throughout the year that focus on positivity and related topics. 

Laura McDonell, a Teacher at St. Clair Middle School, says that her 8th graders have embraced the Positivity Project and are even eager to help lead the daily lessons. 

To learn more about the Positivity Project and its impact on students, go to ebw.tv.

A lawsuit involving, now, former investors, Steve Fernandez and Michele Jones, and the current owner of Fuel Woodfire Grill, Tio Gordos Cantina and Lake FX restaurants, Mike Taylor, has been settled and dismissed.

In a statement from Jones and Fernandez through attorney Timothy J. Lozen, the pair announced the termination of ownership interests as investors in the three Port Huron restaurants. The couple began investing in Fuel Woodfire Grill in January 2013 followed by Tio Gordos Cantina in 2015 and eventually Lake FX Grill in 2017. The decision came after gross mismanagement was discovered “upon filing a lawsuit against the Restaurants’ manager to obtain company records.” The mismanagement included not paying federal payroll taxes and Michigan unemployment compensation taxes for years in addition to untimely payments for business expenses. Michael Taylor is the named defendant in the settlement which cites “Taylor was at all times…manager of the companies and was solely responsible for the operations and financial affairs of the Companies.”

In the Settlement Agreement and dismissal order entered in St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 2019-002876-CB, Fernandez/ Jones transferred 100% of their interests in the companies to Taylor. The agreement also states that “Taylor and the Companies agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless Fernandez/Jones from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, claims, actions, judgments, court costs and legal or other expenses” that presently exist or may occur in the future.

According to the Settlement and Release Agreement that was dated effective February 10, 2020, “As a result of Taylor’s mismanagement, the Companies are in serious financial trouble,” and “Until recently, Fernandez/Jones had no knowledge of Taylor’s mismanagement, the excessive liabilities, the hundreds of thousands of dollars of outstanding taxes and loans, or the precarious financial condition of the Companies.” As of Thursday afternoon, the restaurants were still in operation.