George James

Museums for All Offers Reduced Admission Fees to Port Huron Museums

The Port Huron Museums are part of the Museums for All program. The program supports lowered admission rates for low-income families.

What does Museums for All mean? The initiative “encourages individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.” All kinds of cultural institutions are included in Museums for All, including the Thomas Edison Museum, Carnegie Center, and the Huron Lightship.

Admission to the Port Huron Museums is generally $10 per person per site or $28 for a multi-site pass. With Museums for All, tickets are just $3 per person for those who present a Bridge Card or prove eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Museums for All allows for free or reduced admission to over 700 museums nationwide. Over 3 million visits have been facilitated by Museums for All since 2014. Museums for All was started by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency based in Washington, DC. It is administered by the Association of Children’s Museums through a cooperative agreement with IMLS.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lake Bonisteel Music Association Fest at Pine Grove Park August 7th

A popular summer tradition in the Blue Water Area, the BlueChiliGrass Festival, is off the calendar for another year, but a new tradition is getting started. The Lake Bonisteel Music Association, which put on BlueChiliGrass, is hosting a music festival this weekend, Saturday, August 7th, from noon to 8:00 p.m. at Pine Grove Park.

LBMA Fest is family-friendly and will feature live music. Right now, there are nine musical acts on the playlist. There will also be arts and craft vendors.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage vendors will be on site. All that guests need to bring is a lawn chair. Entrance to the music festival is free.

In addition to hearing a variety of music in one of the most beautiful settings in Port Huron, Pine Grove Park, there will be an instrument “petting zoo” where kids can try out different musical instruments.

The Lake Bonisteel Music Association promotes cultural activities in the Blue Water Area with a focus on arts and music. The association has been hosting family-friendly cultural events since 2011. A link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LakeBonisteelMusic/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

McLain and Huizenga Demand Answers from DOJ on Nursing Home COVID Deaths

Two Michigan Representatives in Congress, Lisa McLain and Bill Huizenga, both Republicans, sent a letter to the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz demanding answers to several questions.

McLain and Huizenga are requesting a formal investigation and want to know who made the final decision to forgo investigation, what data exonerated Governor Gretchen Whitmer of any wrongdoing, if there was any contact with the Whitmer Administration and the Department of Justice, and whether anyone from the Office of President Biden was in contact with the DOJ regarding the Michigan inquiry.

The questions all have to do with the decision to place COVID-19 patients into long-term care facilities, and the subsequent infection and death of thousands of nursing home patients.

Congresswoman Lisa McLain said, “Thousands of Michigan families deserve to know why the State of Michigan and Governor Whitmer chose to put their loved ones’ lives at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. She continued, “We are demanding answers because no one seems to want to investigate Governor Whitmer’s mishandlings of this crisis.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Anxious Teens Can Sign Up for Free Virtual Support Group

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is offering free group counseling to teens who may be feeling anxious about going back to school. The sessions are online virtual support groups.

The pandemic has been especially hard for teenagers and the thought of going back to in-person school and all the social interactions that go with it can be very stressful for teens. It is a common worry.

The group counseling sessions are for teens aged 14-17. They can share their feelings and concerns with other teens and listen to their experiences. A trained “Stay Well” counselor will moderate the sessions and facilitate the meetings.

The emotional support groups are not meant to take the place of mental health treatment. No personal information will be retained.

Teens can sign up for one of four sessions that are held on every Wednesday in August at 4:00 p.m. 

MDHHS also has a 24/7 counseling telephone line that is staffed by a Michigan “Stay Well” counselor.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpcu6rqDooGdJDuHvQba3_y1TJc0BH3XU2?fbclid=IwAR1ZE5vak0jztfkMfdRV5wGXHSgWCmSEo2qdjQFh-YZDNSnoJp2OsB9oS1s

Dial 1-888-535-6136 and press “8”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Laws Extend License and Registration Expiration Dates

Driver’s license expired, but no appointment scheduled at the Secretary of State? Don’t worry; new laws have been signed to expand the validation of licenses and state IDs.

Expirations on vehicle registrations, driver licenses, and state IDs have been extended by 120 days after an original expiration date between March 31 and August 1st of this year. Late fees are waived and will be refunded if needed.

Senate Bill 507 extends the validity of an operator’s or chauffeur’s license. Senate Bill 508 extends the validity of enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs, and Senate Bill 509 extends the expiration dates on ID cards.

After signing the bills last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the laws “put Michigan drivers first”.

With a backlog of people waiting for appointments, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, “We are glad to be entering a new era of services at our offices that are more efficient and convenient than ever before.”

Benson said all SOS offices are open to any residents, which they can access by “walking up or scheduling their visits online or by phone.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

New Law Removes Requirement to Provide Phone Books

Say goodbye to telephone directories, or “phone books”. If you remember the days of getting wound up in a ten-foot-long phone cord and understand terms like “busy signal” and “collect calling”, you probably remember the days of easily looking up a phone number in a phone book. You probably also know the words to all the New Kids on the Block songs and have a set of encyclopedias on your bookshelf.

Michigan Senate Bill 372 has sent telephone directory publishing the way of party lines and rotary dials, by removing the requirement to provide a phone book from the Michigan Telecommunications Act.

The Bill was introduced by State Senators Horn, Hollier, and Schmidt, as well as local State Senator Dan Lauwers. The bill was supported by AT & T, Frontier Communications, and Telecommunications Associations of Michigan.

The bill also addresses something from a bygone era, 1-900 numbers, saying that telephone service providers must provide “the option of having access to 900 prefix services blocked”.  Once popular in the 1980s and 90s, 1-900 numbers are functionally obsolete with the development of the internet, but there are still a few “premium numbers” in use.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland