George James

Local Students Delegates at Girls in Science Forum

Two area high-school students will be Michigan delegates at the fifth Annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

The Girls in Science International Platform aims to open dialogue with a variety of individuals on issues relevant to science, technology, and innovation while engaging a global audience in a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the world.

Lauren Clemens, a 12th-grade student at Armada High School in Armada and Naomi Elliot, a tenth-grade student at Merritt Academy in New Haven were accepted to attend the 3rd Annual Girls in Science Panel, held at the UN Headquarters during the forum. The pair will have an opportunity to share their vision on how to achieve Sustainable Development Goals using science, technology, and innovation, and discuss issues pertaining to renewable energy, science education, and agri-tech.

Elliot, who is also an alumnus of local non-profit A Beautiful Me’s self-esteem workshops feels the organization, which she was first introduced to in elementary school, is a contributing factor to the opportunity. In middle school, Naomi became active in FIRST Robotics and was driven to build more girls’ self-esteem while she observed gender imparity in the sciences. Elliot said “It’s important for girls to have confidence and make decisions to follow their passion. She also said, “Healthy self-worth allows women to follow their interests, be it science, technology, engineering, arts, or mathematics.”

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

911 Outages

St. Clair County Central Dispatch along with several agencies across the state of Michigan experienced intermittent 911 outages early Friday morning. Problems began to occur shortly before 6:00 a.m. and lasted about two hours, with service being restored around 8:00 a.m. 

According to a press release from St. Clair County administration, it was determined the outage was a result of an update to a fiber network that resulted in technical difficulties. While the shortage only lasted a few hours, it raises an important question, what can you do if a call to 911 is not going through? First, did you know that you can text 911? Officials say to include a description of the emergency and be sure to include an address. There are also local dispatch centers that can be contacted directly. The number for St. Clair County Central Dispatch is (810) 985-8115.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Fogcutter Tenants Avoid Eviction

Tenants located in the building at 511 Fort Street in Port Huron, know to many as the former Fogcutter, have avoided eviction, but officials say “other issues could arise in the near future.” 

According to a letter tenants received from the City’s fire marshall, it was confirmed that the fire alarm, primary fire suppression system and fire pump are all in operable condition at this time, but “deficiencies” are still present that will require attention to bring operations to “satisfy adopted fire code.” A full building inspection is scheduled for February 18, according to the letter. 

The building was in danger of being shuttered by the City of Port Huron. The building was deemed unsafe to occupy due to fire alarms being nonoperational. Fire suppression systems found to be uncertifiable and unable to be verified, according to City Manager, James Freed. The owner of the building had until January 31 to address and correct the problems or the building would have been considered uninhabitable due to the safety concerns. There are currently 12 tenants in the building.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Marine City Chamber Names Director

The Marine City Chamber of Commerce has named Marine City native Kyla Hatcher as the new Executive Director. Hatcher, who graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Sales from Central Michigan University, has grown up in Marine City and worked at The Sweet Tooth for seven years, giving her first-hand knowledge of business in the area. Last fall, The Sweet Tooth owner and Chamber board member, Todd May involved Kyla in the city’s signature “Merrytime Christmas” festivities where Hatcher got a taste of working with downtown businesses through the Chamber on events.

In her new role, Kyla said she is “excited to make changes and have a say in events while representing the ‘younger generation.’” She said the big focus now, though, is the Chamber’s “Llama Races” in partnership with the Washington Life Center and a golf outing in May. With that, she said she wants to “talk to the community and understand what they would like to see next.”

Former Executive Director Erika DeLange announced her resignation in mid-January after four years in the position. Kyla said following DeLange that she “has big shoes to fill. She has done wonderful things for the city and area. She really rebranded the Chamber as a whole and increased the value of membership substantially.”

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Earned Tax Credit Eligibility

Tax season is upon us, and the Michigan Department of Treasury reminds Michigan taxpayers that they may be able to receive the Earned Tax Credit or EITC. Thousands of eligible families missed out on this money last year because they didn’t file federal taxes or they didn’t know about the option. The average credit is around $150. 

Eligibility for the credit depends on the number of dependents and income. State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said, “All eligible Michiganders should seek out this important tax credit.” 

Across the state, taxpayers saved about $110 million spread across nearly 730,000 filers. It is important to know that to get the Michigan credit, taxpayers must file a federal tax return, even if they don’t owe any taxes. If the federal EITC is granted, Michigan provides a 6% supplemental EITC. More information can be found at www.irs.gov/eitc or www.michigan.gov/incometax.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.