George James

A piece of pumpkin pie has about 350 calories and a three-and-a-half-mile walk can burn just about that many calories. You could burn those calories walking around the mall, or you could spend them outdoors for free. While “Black Friday” draws shoppers to the stores and online, to the tune of over $435 billion last year, some people have a different idea as to how to spend the day. 

The State of Michigan has waived the Recreation Passport entrance fee for all the State Parks in Michigan on Friday, November 29. So, you can have that extra piece of pie and burn it off while hiking or snowshoeing in a state park. St. Clair County is home to two State Parks: Algonac and Lakeport. Algonac State Park has numerous trails, and for the adventurous, winter camping is also an option. 

Just north of Algonac, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Parks Department, Friends of the St. Clair River will be leading a “Woodsy and Wild” Nature Hike from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Black Friday at Columbus County Park. The walk is free and will happen rain or shine. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites you to use the hashtag #optoutside when posting your outdoor Black Friday pictures on social media. The #optoutside movement was started in 2015 by outdoor outfitter REI, which closes its stores on Black Friday.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

The Transportation Security Administration is expecting a record breaking number of flyers this Thanksgiving and holiday travel period. More than 26.8 million passengers will be traveling through security screening checkpoints nationwide Nov. 22 through Dec. 2. TSA officials are prepared to process the volume of passengers at airport security checkpoints, working closely with airports and airlines to project numbers and peak periods, but travellers should still be ready.

The busiest travel days leading up to Thanksgiving will be tomorrow, November 27, the day before the holiday, with 2.7 million passengers and crew expected. December 1, the Sunday after Thanksgiving could be equally as busy when more than 2.8 million travelers are expected to be flying home. On a typical weekday, TSA screens about 2.1 million passengers.

TSA says the best way to ensure a quick trip through the security screening process is to arrive early and be prepared. Passenger preparedness can have a significant impact on wait times at security checkpoints nationwide. Travelers are encouraged to allow time to park their cars or return rental cars, check their bags with their airline, and get their boarding passes, all before heading to the security checkpoint. TSA recommends getting to the terminal at least two hours early for domestic travel and at least three hours for international travel.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office received several calls last week regarding a suspicious black BMW vehicle and two suspicious people from that vehicle walking on residents’ property. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office investigated and made contact with the pair Thursday afternoon in Port Huron Township. What appeared to be suspicious, ended up being miscommunication at DTE.

The people who had contacted DTE about meter readers had contacted the electrical portion of DTE, who told callers they had no meter readers in the area. It turns out that the pair work for the engineering portion of the electric company. 

Contact was made with two separate supervisors in the engineering department of DTE. They confirmed the men are currently working on obtaining serial numbers from the smart meters at homes in the area. That information will be used to determine which electrical grid is feeding the residences. Sheriff Donnellon said, while this instance has been found to simply be some miscommunication on DTE’s part, they appreciate being called. 

The DTE employees have been advised to make sure their credentials are worn on the outside of their clothing, so residents will be readily able to identify them as DTE workers.

The Blue Water Area has a lot for which to be thankful. This year, area churches will be collaborating to hold a Community Thanksgiving Service at the newly renovated St. Clair Inn on Riverside Drive in St. Clair. 

The service is free and the public is welcome. The one-hour long service begins at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26. The format of the service is worship, reflection, and praise. The community service will include participation from eight area churches 

This service is a product of the work done by Blue Water Area Churches, which is a group of over 50 churches in the area whose purpose, they say, is to “connect, serve, and collaborate in the name of Christ.” If you need more information about the Community Thanksgiving Service, visit optrans.org for more information.

Donovan McDonald, a freshman at Croswell-Lexington High School, has been selected to represent the USA in the United World Games 2020 in Italy, Austria and Germany. At just 14 years old, McDonald will be one of the first in the area to compete at this event. The international sporting competition is set to be held in Austria in June of 2020. 

McDonald, a basketball player, will prepare for the competition by playing Junior Varsity (JV) basketball at Cros-Lex this season. He also plays year-round through different AAU programs. Donovan has aspirations of playing at the college level and is currently listed as the only Michigan player on the roster at this time.  

Student-athletes are chosen for the team based on a combination of their athletic ability as well as their academics, leadership ability, and character. The trip includes not only the international sport competition but also sightseeing and opportunities for personal growth and leadership development through international travel.

As the US ramps up its domestic manufacturing operations, a skilled labor force is in demand. That holds true for an Algonac manufacturer who will soon be holding two job fairs in hopes of filling many open positions. Eckhart is looking for more workers to join their team that manufactures products to assist other manufacturers with their assembly lines and also provides engineering services for a variety of industries,

Eckhart is holding job fairs on December 2nd at the Underground Business Incubator in the lower level of Port Huron’s Sperry’s building as well as December 7th at the Eckhart-Algonac location. Eckhart is looking for fixture builders, CNC machinists and programmers, welders, operators, machinists, and workers for the shipping and receiving department. Eckhart says they are on the cutting edge of manufacturing technology using automation, robotics, 3D printing, and engineering for companies like Stryker Medical, Tesla, John Deere and Boeing. 

The educational requirements range from a high school or associates degree and some vocational training to a four-year degree and technical training, with starting bonuses offered for some positions.