George James

No More Rapid COVID Tests for Travelers to Canada at SCC Health Department

The St. Clair County Health Department has announced that Canadian and other travelers will need to look elsewhere for COVID-19 Rapid PCR testing. Canada requires all travelers 5 years and older to provide proof of a COVID-19 test result to enter the country. Antigen tests are not accepted.

Those driving into Canada must be tested within 72 hours of planned entry into Canada even if vaccinated and need to have the proof of testing available for 14 days after entry.

The St. Clair County Health Department is short on testing supplies and is giving testing priority to individuals who are exhibiting symptoms, those who live in congregate settings like nursing homes, and those in  high-risk situations.

Previously scheduled appointments will be honored, but no new appointments are being made for travelers.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health officer for the St. Clair County Health Department said, “We encourage all residents and visitors to plan ahead before crossing the border or traveling. Explore your testing options well before you leave. Individuals can find a list of COVID-19 testing locations on our website www.scchealth.co.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

HURON Lightship Back Open for Visitors

The HURON Lightship is back in business after the unplanned shutdown due to a rare weather-related issue. The damage from last summer’s rapid rise in water levels on the St. Clair River has been repaired and Port Huron’s crown jewel, the museum in a boat, is ready to greet guests.

The location at Pine Grove Park in Port Huron near the Thomas Edison parkway makes the HURON one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city.

The HURON Lightship was the last operating lightship and along with many maritime artifacts also displays live footage from a camera located on the river bottom.

Port Huron Museums’ Andrew Kercher told us that the Museum is very excited to have the HURON Lightship reopened to the public. Kercher said, “The HURON Lightship is marking its centennial this year, and we are very grateful to our partners at the City of Port Huron that we can help share this National Historic Landmark with thousands of visitors each year.”

From now until September 19th, the HURON is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. After that, it will be open on a weekend schedule. Ticket information can be found at phmuseum.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Range Road Overpass Closing for Construction

Range Road from Griswold to Lapeer Roads in Port Huron Township is scheduled for reconstruction. The project will close Range Road temporarily.

The work is scheduled to begin on September 8th and is planned to wrap up by October 22nd if the weather cooperates. The work is being done by M.L. Chartier Excavating, Inc. The project has a $939,000 price tag, paid for by the St. Clair County Road Commission, the State of Michigan, and the Federal Highway Administration.

The reconstruction of Range Road includes crushing and shaping the existing asphalt, paving a portion of the road shoulder, cleaning up the ditches and replacing culverts, as well as making new pavement markings, and restoring the site.

About two weeks after the start of the project, the Range Road overpass at I-69 will close to traffic. The closure is allowed for up to 35 days. The detour involves Griswold, Michigan, and Lapeer Roads.

Local traffic access to homes and businesses will be allowed, along with access for emergency vehicles, but local residents should plan for delays during construction.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Bond Sales Help MDOT “Fix the Damn Roads”

Last week, the Michigan Department of Transportation signed off an $800 million bond issue. This is part two of the $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan program aimed at rehabbing crumbling freeways in the state.

The Michigan State Transportation Commission authorized the department to issue and sell $3.5 billion in bonds backed by state trunkline revenues in January of 2020.

The bond sale has been successful and both the Governor’s Office and MDOT leadership are proud of the payoff. MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba said, “The latest bond sales and favorable market reaction underscores the wisdom of the bond sales.” 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer revisited her campaign promises saying, “Investments in infrastructure are a priority for my administration, and I am proud that we are fixing the damn roads without an increase at the gas pump.”  

The bond sales will help pay for the rebuilding or rehabbing of 122 major highways statewide. The rebuilding of I-69 is the only work in St. Clair County included in the Rebuilding Michigan Program.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 Publishes Fine Arts Magazine

St. Clair County Community College has announced the publication of this year’s edition of Patterns magazine. The magazine is the oldest publication of its kind in Michigan and is entirely student-published. 

The magazine’s publication was delayed for the 2020-21 academic year due to the COVID-19 restrictions. But it is here now, and it is something to be celebrated by those who appreciate student writing and art.

Sarah Flatter, professor of fine arts at the college said, “Patterns is an opportunity to celebrate being creative and to recognize the unique talents of our next generation of artists. We’re excited to honor students and their success while at SC4.”

This year’s Patterns is published in memory of David Korff and Alfred Gay, both of whom left lasting legacies with SC4’s Fine Arts programs.

Each year, winners are named in the various categories and this year’s Eleanor Mathews Award winner is Makenna Joppich. The Patrick Bourke Award winner is Brandi Schmitz.

A link to Patterns:

https://sc4.edu/support-services/honors-and-awards/patterns/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MSU Study Shows that Short Naps Don’t Help Much with Sleep Deprivation

Sometimes naps are the only things that help us get through the day. A new study from the Michigan State University Sleep and Learning Lab says that short naps are not a remedy for sleepless nights, and long naps have limited restorative power.

Kimberly Fenn, associate professor at MSU, study author, and director of MSU’s Sleep and Learning Lab said, “We are interested in understanding cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. In this study, we wanted to know if a short nap during the deprivation period would mitigate these deficits. We found that short naps of 30 or 60 minutes did not show any measurable effects.”

The study found that getting into a deep sleep pattern, or slow-wave sleep, during a longer nap does help to slightly reduce cognitive problems due to sleep deprivation, but it doesn’t even come close to the restoration one gets from a good night’s sleep.

Fenn explained that people who got more slow-wave sleep during a nap tended to show reduced errors on cognitive tasks. However, they still showed worse performance than those who got a full night’s sleep, according to the study.

So, the longer the nap, the better, but naps don’t really make up for missing a full night of sleep.

A link to the full study:

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsab152/6307588)

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland