George James

Travis Pastrana will make his way to St. Clair this summer as the Miss GEICO Offshore Racing Team has welcomed Pastrana to the crew. He is best known for his appearance in Nitro Circus, his thrilling tricks in the X Games, supercross, and NASCAR and his record-breaking stunts. Pastrana will share the cockpit with Sir Steve Curtis and together they will seek to clinch a world championship title during the 2020 World Offshore Championship Series which includes a stop in St. Clair, Michigan. Other stops for Class ONE include four locations in Florida and one in Michigan City, Indiana. 

Curtis said of Pastrana that, “As an expert in off-road motorcycle racing, Travis’ ability to adjust to changes in the terrain will translate perfectly as the driver for the Miss GEICO Offshore Racing Team.” The 2020 Offshore races in St. Clair are set to take place July 24-26.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, getting your hunting and fishing licenses, as well as Off-Road vehicle and snowmobile permits, is about to be more streamlined and technologically advanced, but not before there will be a shutdown of the system. From February 15-18, the statewide licensing system will be offline. For those planning a trip up north to go snowmobiling, it’s suggested residents obtain permits and licenses now.

Starting on February 18, users can expect the upgraded service. Changes are, in part, due to a new vendor who will utilize a bar code system, QR security codes, and more user-friendly features than the previous system which was operated by the same vendor 26 years. According to DNR Director, Dan Eichinger, the change has taken more “than two years of planning and developing a modern license sales system that offers up-to-date, convenient and cost-effective services for customers and retail partners.” The new system is expected to be operational by noon on February 18. The DNR generates around $77 million with the issuance of over 4 million licenses and permits each year.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

St. Clair County is setting plans into motion for the formation of a Public Defender Office to provide services to defendants who can’t afford legal counsel on their own (also known as indigent defendants).

According to St. Clair County Administrator/Controller Karry Hepting, work has begun on the offices that will house 18 total employees, 12 being public defenders, at  302 Michigan Street in Port Huron. The office will be a new department for the county and operate under the direction of the St. Clair County Administration Department. The new department will replace the current structure of contracting 23 court-appointed attorneys assigned to cases on a part-time basis. 

Based on statewide numbers available through the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, the County estimates that approximately 75% of criminal cases in its court system are partially or completely indigent, meaning defendants are considered unable to pay the fees required to hire a defense lawyer.

Hepting said the hope is that the offices will be occupied by late spring.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Monday night’s Port Huron City Council Meeting included approvals of some big expenditures for the city. The City accepted bids for nearly $300,000 worth of equipment from TNT Equipment for use by the Utilities Division. The equipment includes a tractor with a price tag around $200,000 and a vacuum/slurry tank for holding biosolids which are a byproduct of the Wastewater Treatment Plant that will cost approximately $100,000. Currently, the biosolids are treated and available for farmers to use to fertilize their fields.  

Councilmember Ken Harris broached the subject of sending the biosolids to the Smiths Creek landfill for use as power generation through their septage bioreactor process. City Manager James Freed explained that it would be cost-prohibitive to do so. 

The council also approved bids for pavement striping, maintenance equipment, and dredging of the canal near Lakeside Beach. Some of the excess sand will be deposited to help with erosion at residential lakefront properties. The dredging is contingent upon weather conditions. 

The council approved a recommendation from MDOT to put Hancock Street on a “road diet” and change it from four lanes to three lanes at the intersection between I94/I69 and Pine Grove Avenue. This change came from safety concerns and citizen complaints and is intended to make driving safer in that area.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County held its annual meeting Tuesday afternoon. The meeting updated stakeholders, economic partners and community leaders on the current economic climate of the county as well as reported results for 2019 and the five-year plan from 2014-2019. 

Donna Russell-Kuhr, Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for the EDA, shared the five-year plan results, which were overall, positive. Indicators in the specified time period included the first time for population growth in the county since 2005. In those five years, more than $1.7 billion was invested into St. Clair County, creating more than 3,000 new jobs with the unemployment rate dropping from 9.3% to 3.9%.

In 2019, the EDA reported investments of nearly $1.5 billion, mainly with the announcement of the DTE Blue Water Energy Center set to open in 2023, growth of 526 new jobs, 282 housing starts, and average unemployment at 4.8% for the year. 

Going forward, Dan Casey, CEO of the EDA, said the focus for the organization in the next two years will center around talent, developing attractive places and supporting next-generation businesses.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

After four-and-a-half years in business, Great Lakes Italian Restaurant has announced plans to close. The Fort Gratiot eatery is located in the former Pizza Hut building near the Pine Grove and 24th Avenue intersection. In a letter to the public, the owners said that they will be closing permanently on Saturday, February 15 at 10 p.m. 

The restaurant started as a pizzeria and eventually grew into a full-service Italian restaurant with a popular Sunday Brunch and catering options. In a statement to the public, the owners said they, “are deeply humbled by the loyalty of the guests who now feel like family,” and have “agonized over how to say goodbye” to customers.

 The building, equipment, and liquor license are being offered for sale or lease to prospective entrepreneurs. In keeping with Great Lakes Italian’s tradition of community engagement, leftover food is intended to be donated to local charities. Great Lakes Italian has also offered to buy back any unused gift cards until the end of February.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.