George James

Resources Ready for Veterans and Refugees Amidst Chaos in Afghanistan

The situation in Afghanistan is changing rapidly. The state of Michigan is preparing for the possibility of providing a home for those who have to leave Afghanistan and make a new home somewhere else.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a press release last week, “Michigan’s greatest strength is—and always has been—our people. We have a rich history of multiculturalism—from the Dutch who settled in the West, to the Finns who mined the North, to the Middle-Easterners who made Dearborn a flourishing center for Arab culture, and countless others who make us who we are. People from around the world have come to Michigan over centuries for good-paying jobs, a high-quality education for their kids, and the right to live and worship freely. “

Whitmer is waiting to hear more from the U.S. State Department, but Michigan’s departments and agencies are gearing up to provide support to those Afghans who may be calling Michigan home.

Whitmer also reached out to Michigan’s veterans who may be struggling with the images of chaos in the land in which so many sacrifices were made. Whitmer said, “You answered the call to serve your country and now we have a duty to serve you.” 

A link to resources for veterans:

Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (1-800-MICH-VET) 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Richmond to Dedicate New Football Field to Late Coach John Kocher

Before the first kick-off of the season on Thursday night, Richmond Community Schools will be dedicating their football field to the late Coach John Kocher and rededicating Ben Boldt Stadium. The Richmond community has a tradition of cheering their football teams on to victory, but they proved their support when they passed a $37.1 million bond proposal two years ago that included a state-of-the-art synthetic turf football field.

Chris Rinehart, Athletic Director for Richmond Community Schools, said he got goosebumps just thinking about how incredible the new football field is. Rinehart said every piece of the field is fantastic, from the color scheme to the feel of the turf, and the whole community is using it.

Rinehart said that the dedication of the field to Coach Kocher is important to the community because Coach Kocher, who battled cancer until his passing in March, enjoyed being a part of the success of students. He was passionate about kids and football.  The dedication was proposed by community members Nick Matthes and Pat Akerley and the whole community embraced the idea.

Referring to Coach Kocher, Rinehart said, “Knowing what he meant to this community, and what he did in Richmond, we are all proud to be a part of it.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Whitmer Asks Power Companies to Do a Better Job Handling Outages

Power outages have been a real hardship for many Michigan families this year and the state government is calling on utility companies to come up with a plan to help Michigan families deal with the inconvenience. Over 750,000 households have lost power at some point this summer.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “This summer, Michiganders have been dealing with extreme weather events that led to lengthy power outages and repeated flooding.”

Whitmer said that the outages have caused spoiled food, interfered with life-saving medical equipment, disrupted the workday, and exacerbated the dangers of unmitigated hot weather. The outages occurred on some of the hottest days of the year.

Calling for credits paid to those who lost power, Whitmer said, “We need tangible, immediate action from Michigan’s three largest utility companies to ensure the production and delivery of affordable, reliable energy to every family, community, and small business.” 

Whitmer also wants trees trimmed, power grids made more secure and reliable, and emergency plans tightened up to avoid these long outages in the future. She has made requests to DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and Indiana Michigan Power to take immediate action.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

County Asks for Gypsy Moth Reports in Survey

2021 was the year of the gypsy moth in many parts of St. Clair County as massive numbers of the hungry gypsy moth caterpillars invaded properties in late spring and early summer.

Some property-owners placed blame on local government for getting caught off guard and not taking action, like spraying trees with an insecticide treatment, while neighboring counties had programs in place to combat the destructive pests.

The Board of Commissioners heard the complaints and action is being taken to identify the extent of the problem. Residents can fill out an online survey to report where the gypsy moth caterpillars were found this year and the extent of the damage.

There is a natural treatment of a fungus that is effective in killing the larvae, but it has to be applied at the right time in the right places. Rainfall was sufficient for most trees to recover from the early defoliation this year.

The County has not released any specific plan for treatment; they are just gathering data right now.

A link to the gypsy moth survey can be found below. A representative from the county may contact residents to inspect properties where high numbers of gypsy moths in any life stage have been reported.

http://www.stclaircounty.org/Caterpillars/CaterpillarsSurvey.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0Luhryjy6MsDT2pj54Sswwfh_ImQvr1TZKFC7vSqLb0FXKHBmC0hvd7h4

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Detroit Jazz Festival Moves to Livestream

The Detroit Jazz Festival is a tradition for people from the entire region who look forward to the sweet sounds of live jazz in Hart Plaza in Downtown Detroit. Everything was looking good for the tradition to continue this year, outdoors and in-person, but the Festival has now changed course and moved to virtual.

The Festival will be livestreamed from September 3rd through 6th. The construction of Detroit’s Hart Plaza is not quite done, and keeping large crowds safe amidst a pandemic was getting to be too much for the planners.

Chris Collins, Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation president and artistic director explained the switch, saying, “This is a winning solution that preserves the legacy of the Detroit Jazz Festival while bringing amazing performances into a virtual format.” Collins said the 2022 Detroit Jazz Festival will be “even better” at the revamped Hart Plaza next Labor Day weekend.

The Detroit Jazz Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world. The livestream will have no replays or “on-demand” capabilities. The performances will be held on sound stages in the Renaissance Center with no live audiences.

Jazz enthusiasts will be able to view or listen to performances for free in a number of ways including: The Festival’s social media channels and web page; on public radio and television stations; and on the DetroitJazzFest LIVE! App

https://www.detroitjazzfest.org/

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

DNR Will Pay for Red Pine Cones

Squirrels messing around with your birdfeeder or wreaking havoc on your lawn? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a crafty way to exact revenge on those rodents and make a few bucks to boot.

The DNR will pay $75 for a bushel of red pine cones, to be used for reforestation, and its ok to steal from a squirrel’s cache. Just make sure they are recently gathered pine cones, not last year’s stash. The pine cones can also be taken from standing pines, logging sites, and state forestlands.

Harvesters should make sure they are red pine cones. Red pines have craggy, reddish bark. The needles grow in pairs. Cones are best picked right from the tree, by you or a helpful squirrel. Cones that have been sitting on the ground for long are probably too old or wet. Cone scales should be closed, with a bit of green or purple, not old brown cones.

The DNR will process the pine cones to extract the valuable seeds and use them to replenish the seed supply. Red pines are in high demand.

To make an appointment to drop off the bushel of pine cones, harvesters will need to register as a vendor with the DNR. A link to more information:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/2ec52c8

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland