George James

St. Clair County Community College will soon welcome a national event to be played at the college’s Fieldhouse. SC4 will host top collegiate level volleyball players from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Volleyball Tournament. The games will be played from November 7th through the 9th and will include the Skippers volleyball team as well. Game times will be in the evening on Thursday and Friday and most of the day on Saturday. 

SC4 athletic Director Dale Vos said the college is “thrilled to host the first round of the national tournament.” He added, “The teams represent some of the best teams in the Midwest [and] SC4 welcomes supporters and collegiate sports fans in general to come check out some exciting games at the Fieldhouse and explore the vibrant downtown community.” The Skippers team will begin play on November 7th against Macomb Community College. Tournament champions earn district titles and qualify for the national championship. The tournament’s next round will be in Charleston, West Virginia.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

The Clay Township Board of Trustees held their regular meeting on Monday and one of the items discussed at the meeting was high water levels. Emergency Management Director, Justin Westmiller spoke at the meeting and gave a preview of what residents should expect in the winter months. He began by praising the efforts of Clay Township officials in their dealing with high water levels this past spring and summer. Westmiller spoke of potential impacts, though, for the upcoming winter. According to Westmiller, water levels are six and 10 inches higher than last year.  

With ice flowing down river in the winter months, Westmiller said water could come up two to three feet in places and ice could be pushed over roadways toward the southend of the county. He cautioned that he wants people to be prepared and not scared. Westmiller said he and his staff will keep close tabs on water levels at all times, as they always have.  The Coast Guard will get involved whenever residents have first-floor flooding. Otherwise, Westmiller said the Coast Guard could be clearing ice in the northern reaches of the lake assisting maritime commerce. Westmiller also said that the national flood insurance program is very important. Since there is a 30-day waiting period, Westmiller is encouraging Clay Township residents to purchase it now. A board member also reminded residents that contents of a home are not included with flood insurance and should be raised up off the ground.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

According to the American Journal of Pediatrics, the most dangerous thing that U.S. children do as part of daily life is ride in a car. Reducing that danger can be as simple as proper installation of your child’s car seat. Blue Water Community Action, along with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Michigan State Police (MSP), and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office wants to help. The organizations are sponsoring a car seat safety check at the Fort Gratiot Fire Department on Wednesday, November 6th from 2-7 p.m.

The group says that 95 percent of parents use their child’s car seat incorrectly. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand to look at seat selection which will determine if a child has the correct seat. Technicians will also review seat installation and seat use determining if the child is buckled in properly. Finally, next steps will be offered for when a child grows and what can be expected. The event is free and open to the public. Appointments to attend the event should be made in advance by calling 810-966-3542.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed has announced the creation of the City of Port Huron’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The new office was created to focus on more diversity in hiring, and equitable disbursements of city resources. According to Freed, the move comes after a lot of discussions with community leaders and a review of what other communities and companies were doing to address challenges. NAACP President Kevin Watkins believes that the action that has been brought forth through previous discussions is the key.

According to Freed, the initiative has several goals, one of them being to promote and increase access for minority and disadvantaged populations to city job opportunities while also educating the community on equal opportunity hiring practices. Freed said the office will directly interface with communities, churches, and civic groups to promote the goals and objectives of the office. Funding for this position will come from the city’s Community Development Funds and  support from the Community Foundation of St Clair County.

Reporting for WGRT, I’m Karly Hurley.

After years of anticipation, the St. Clair Inn will finally open its doors for the public to see this weekend. The first event will take place Friday evening with an exclusive charity preview of the renovated space to benefit local veterans and children. Then on Saturday, it’s the general public’s turn as the Inn plans to host public walkthroughs. The St. Clair Inn was closed in 2014 and has undergone a four-year restoration and expansion since the purchase of the property in late 2015. According to developers, “since starting the renovation, $40 million has been invested in the restoration of the Inn ensuring that the historic portion closely reflects the Inn as it appeared at the time of its original opening in 1926.” Anyone interested in touring the Inn this weekend can visit the St. Clair Inn Facebook and sign up for a time to walk-through.

Reporting for WGRT, I’m Karly Hurley.

If you look out onto Lake Huron or the deep blue waters of the St. Clair River this time of year, it may seem strange to think the waters are a superhighway for a sizable amount of the world’s goods and raw materials. With colder weather settling in, though, many ships are making headway before the roadway freezes up. President of the Great Lakes Pilots Dan Gallagher said, “Freighter traffic on the Great Lakes is still going strong this time of year.” Normally the freighter season begins around the third week in March and ends the first week in January. Gallagher, who is also the Vice-President of the American Pilots Association, said his office is busy this time of year with outbound vessels carrying grain harvested around the region. 

According to Captain Gallagher, not as much steel came through the area this year, but there was a rise in the amount of petroleum that was transported. His office is contacted to guide any foreign vessel that plans to make port in a U.S. location in the Great Lakes region. He said it was an unusual season due to the higher than normal number of cruise ships that passed through the area. Looking forward, Gallagher said some of the cruise companies have spoken of plans for expansion in the Great Lakes Region, though he couldn’t relay specifics.

Reporting for WGRT, I’m Karly Hurley.