George James

Spadafore Named St. Clair County Undersheriff

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office has announced some personnel changes. Matt Paulus has retired as Undersheriff and Jim Spadafore has been promoted to the job. Matt Pohl has been promoted to Captain of the Road Patrol.

Undersheriff Jim Spadafore has a Criminal Justice degree from Ferris State and started working for the Sheriff’s Office in 2001. He has served as Lieutenant in the Drug Task Force and Captain of the Road Patrol.

Sheriff Mat King said, “I am excited to name Jim as our new Undersheriff. With his knowledge and skill set, I know he will do a tremendous job in serving the citizens of St. Clair County.”

Reflecting on Matt Paulus’ retirement, Sheriff King said, “Matt has worn many hats throughout his career at the Sheriff’s Office. I was pleased when he agreed to stay in a transitional capacity after I was elected Sheriff. He has been a great help in making the transition from Sheriff Donnellon to myself seamless.”

Matt Paulus’ retirement as Undersheriff comes after 35 years of service. After a brief retirement in 2017, Paulus was called back to serve as Undersheriff with former Sheriff Donnellon after the retirement of Tom Buckley.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Landmark’s Wilton Selected as MAPSA Administrator of the Year Finalist

Kimball, MI — Landmark Academy in Kimball has something to celebrate. Landmark’s Superintendent Debby Wilton has been nominated as a finalist as the 2021 Michigan Charter School Administrator of the Year.

Wilton was a semi-finalist and one of only ten administrators chosen from among over 1500 charter school administrators across Michigan. According to MAPSA, the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, they received over 700 nominations from parents, teachers, school leaders, and students from urban, suburban, and rural areas statewide.

It was announced last week that Superintendent Wilton made it to the finalist round of just five administrators statewide.

Wilton has been Superintendent at Landmark since 2014. Landmark has around 800 students in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Last year, Landmark Academy Teacher Bonnie Camm was a finalist for the 2020 MAPSA Teacher of the Year.

The winning MAPSA Administrator of the Year will be announced during Charter Schools Week on May 14th.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Don’t Get “Smished”

Phishing, brushing, now “smishing”. These are all different types of scams that try to get personal and financial information for identity theft or other fraudulent activity. “Smishing” refers to using text messages to commit fraud.

The latest scam involves text messaging and fake COVID-19 vaccine surveys. The texts ask people to complete limited-time surveys and then offers rewards. To get the rewards, shipping has to be paid with a credit card. For the people who fall for the scam, there is no reward and the scammers then have their credit card numbers.

Responding to a Federal Trade Commission report, Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office issued a consumer alert.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “Scammers are continuing to prey on our fears and concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic. As a result, they are attempting to use the vaccine rollout to bamboozle people out of their personal information. Do not fall for these tactics.”

Smishing texts should be reported by texting 7726 for investigation. Unwanted messages can be filtered through wireless providers or with a call-blocking app.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

SC4 Students Could be Eligible for SNAP Benefits

Port Huron, MI — St. Clair County Community College is raising awareness of resources available to students who may be needing food assistance. Federally funded SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits are available to qualified students.

The December Covid Relief Package passed by Congress made more people eligible for food benefits. Being enrolled in only six credit hours at SC4 is enough for some people to qualify for SNAP.

Students who are eligible to participate in federal or state work-study programs or students with an Expected Family Contribution of $0 are likely qualified for SNAP for the duration of the public health emergency. Whether or not a student actually holds a work-study job does not matter for eligibility.

Qualifying for eligibility is determined by the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It’s not too late to fill out the FAFSA for this school year. Applicants need to be sure to check the box that asks if students are enrolled in school at least half time. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services may follow up to prove eligibility.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Hospital Visiting Restrictions Tighten Up as COVID Infections Surge

Visiting hospitalized loved ones is restricted as the pandemic goes into its second year with a local surge in infections.

Visitors with a positive COVID test or who are waiting on the results of a test need to stay home. Hospitals generally screen all entrants for COVID symptoms and require masks to be worn at all times.

McLaren Port Huron allows one visitor per patient per day with visiting hours restricted to noon to 6 p.m. Check with the hospital before visiting as policies could change at any time.

Lake Huron Medical Center is no longer allowing visitors or nonessential traffic into the hospital. They are asking loved one to use FaceTime or Zoom. In-person visiting is only allowed if arranged ahead of time for extenuating circumstances.

Beaumont Hospital in Detroit is allowing fully vaccinated individuals, 14 days post final dose, to visit non-COVID patients. Proof of vaccination needs to be provided.

Exceptions to visitation policies are generally allowed for situations like patients needing a support person after anesthesia, mothers giving birth, and end-of-life or hospice situations.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Spero Pregnancy Center Updates Boutique

Port Huron, MI — The Spero Pregnancy Center in Port Huron has done some Spring Cleaning and is revamping its Baby Boutique. The Boutique provides free items to clients who use the services at Spero.

If you are doing some spring cleaning yourself, you may come across some items to donate to Spero.

Most of the items in the Boutique are donated by community members who either buy new items or donate gently used items. Donations are accepted from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays.

Spero gladly accepts diapers, wipes, and baby toiletries. New cribs, along with new small toys and small stuffed animals with tags are accepted, as are infant car seats if they are new and in the original box.

Used items that are accepted include maternity and nursing clothes, parenting books, and children’s books for kids up to age five. Used strollers, high chairs, and other equipment are accepted if the serial number is visible and all parts are included with the donation.

Spero can not accept items for a child over 24 months, knitted or crocheted items, used baby clothes, used bottles, used breast pumps, or adult clothing. They also no longer accept used toys, baby walkers or saucers, or furniture.

For the full updated list of accepted and unaccepted donations:

https://bluewaterbabies.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/S-Material-Donation-Items-Accepted-2.pdf

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland