George James

Knowlton Ice Museum Now Officially Owned by Community Foundation

Port Huron, MI — The Knowlton Ice Museum in Downtown Port Huron has officially entered a new phase. It’s operations and ownership have been handed over to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, along with an ample endowment. The Community Foundation currently owns a growing portfolio of properties in the region.

Jackie Hanton, Vice President of the Community Foundation, said, “We’re really excited about the Knowlton Museum being neighbors with the future ‘Wrigley Center’ development in downtown Port Huron and the opportunities that may present. We look forward to exploring options to allow families and tourists to interact with the collection in new and exciting ways. But for the time being the regular seasonal schedule will continue.”

The collection was curated by Mickey and Agnes Knowlton, the founders of Party Time Ice. It is thought to be the largest known collection of ice harvesting and processing historical items, with many items dating back to the days when ice was harvested off of the St. Clair River.

Winter hours at the Museum are 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan Food Security Council Addresses Food Insecurity

The Michigan Food Security Council has made recommendations to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to maintain food security during the ongoing pandemic. The Council’s goal is to help struggling Michiganders, both those who face food insecurity on a regular basis and those who are experiencing it for the first time, to be able to feed nutritious food to their families.

The recommendations include addressing food needs by pursuing existing federal food program services and seeking flexible service options such as home delivery and incentives for retailers to accept food assistance benefits. Over 1.2 million Michigan residents get food benefits. Collaboration with partners to improve the infrastructure for food and nutrition programs is also proposed, along with helping communities to develop local community response programs. 

Michigan’s food supply has remained sufficient throughout the pandemic, but the Council recommended developing strategies to address panic buying, prioritizing food workers for PPE, and engaging restaurants to deliver prepared meals to vulnerable populations. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Radon Testing Urged as Families Spend More Time at Home

January is Radon Action Month. Radon is a radioactive gas and is produced through natural decomposition in soil. The gas can migrate from the ground and into basements and entire buildings.

Radon is second only to smoking as a leading cause of lung cancer and is considered to be a leading environmental culprit for cancer deaths in the nation. With many people setting up home offices in the basement or elsewhere throughout their homes during the pandemic, as well as being home more than ever before, it is important to know the risk in every home.

There is no way to know if there is radon in a home without testing. Radon testing should be done every two to five years. Test kits are available at hardware and home improvement stores. If radon is detected, mitigation systems, which circulate the contaminated air out of the house quickly, can be installed. At least one quarter of all homes in Michigan are estimated to have radon levels above the acceptable limit.

More information and a link to obtain a test kit can be found at Michigan.gov/radon.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

State-Ordered Review of EGLE is Complete

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, or “EGLE”, has been under scrutiny since the handling of the environmental disaster that led to hazardous material leaking onto I-696 in Madison Heights. A review of compliance monitoring and enforcement procedures was ordered after the debacle in December 2019.

The review came up with eleven high-level recommendations to improve procedures but also noted that EGLE had strong internal policies, education, outreach and compliance assistance to regulated businesses.

The deficits noted include internal structures, staffing, and governance, management of cases, communication and collaboration, and use of data.  

EGLE Director Liesl Clark said, “The changes suggested in this report will help EGLE more quickly identify and address violations that can cause public health and environmental risks. It is important that EGLE accomplishes this critical role in a timely, transparent and consistent manner. The public and those we regulate should expect EGLE to make reasonable decisions that restore compliance with the law as quickly as possible.” 

A link to the full report can be found at:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/egle/EGLE_Compliance_and_Enforcement_Report_2020_712405_7.pdf 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

DNR Looking for Camp Hosts for State Campgrounds

Even in January, families who camp are looking ahead to summer and thinking about reserving their camping sites in Michigan State Parks. Those site fees can be waived for a special group of campers: Camp Hosts.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which manages the vast campground and park system, is looking for Camp Hosts to help with activities, programming, office work, and light maintenance. Thirty hours of service per week, including weekends and holidays, are required of camp hosts. In exchange, the site fees are waived.

There are also host openings at East Tawas and Presque Isle and Straits State Harbors where boat slip fees are waived for hosts.

According to the DNR, camp host applicants are screened and interviewed by park managers and selected on availability, familiarity of camping and state parks, special skills and knowledge of the area. Individuals and couples may apply. Applications are accepted year-round. Some campgrounds have already hired their hosts, but there are still many vacancies. A link to the page with vacancies and application instructions can be found at:

https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79137_79767_79866_96973_96975—,00.html

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland