George James

Survey Helps Determine Eligibility for Vaccine

The St. Clair County Health Department has published a survey to determine which St. Clair County residents are eligible for the current supply of Covid-19 vaccines. Members of the Phase 1A priority group are currently able to be vaccinated immediately.

The first phase of the process includes health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. Long term care includes nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the Health Department’s survey, Phase 1A eligibility also includes those with direct patient contact while conducting high risk procedures such as dentistry, endoscopy, dialysis, respiratory therapy, as well as those working in public health, pharmacy, and mortuary services.

According to MDHHS, Phase 1B includes frontline essential workers and individuals 75 years of age and older. Phase 1C includes other essential workers, persons 65 to 74 years of age, and individuals 16 to 64 years of age with underlying medical conditions. Phase 2 is a mass vaccination campaign for all persons age 16 years or older.

A link to the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6NGRVPC?fbclid=IwAR07YdsjXey1BjeKELI2MhqEFEJl31hGkiHq4luFM8FCXPx2dASLrWVsldQ

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Holiday Visits Were Complicated Thanks to Closed Border

As the U.S.- Canadian border remains closed to non-essential travel, families with relatives in both countries have to make significant sacrifices to see loved ones. The Canadian regulations require a fourteen-day quarantine for those returning to the country after a trip to the U.S.

Port Huron Township resident Debbie Peloso went to great lengths to work with the Canadian Border Patrol to set up a holiday visit with her daughter, who lives and studies in Ontario. Picking up her daughter and bringing her back to St. Clair County was a carefully orchestrated process with a lot of supervision from authorities.

Peloso said that the Christmas visit was really a sacrifice on her daughter’s part. Once she got back to Ontario, her daughter had to subscribe to the ArriveCAN mobile app, which monitors her quarantine compliance. The rules turned a two week visit into a month-long commitment with the quarantine requirement. Peloso said she understands why the Canadian government is continuing the restrictions and felt it was a fair process.

The border has been closed since March 2020 and the current order extends to January 21, 2021, and is expected to be extended.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Mainstreet Memories Car Show Moving to Waterfront

Port Huron, MI — Mainstreet Memories, an annual car show in Downtown Port Huron, has announced plans for expansion in 2021. The non-profit is rolling out its plans for a bigger and better show this summer.

The group has raised $65,000 to benefit the Council on Aging serving St. Clair County since they started the event. They have had exponential growth in the car show each year since starting in 2015.

Previously held on Huron Avenue, this year’s show will be held at the Acheson Ventures downtown waterfront area. The advantages of the new location are cost savings, greater area for cars to park, and no need to close streets. In a statement on their facebook page, President Ron Steward said, “In discussions with the DDA, both groups feel comfortable with this change, and feel it opens new opportunities to grow and expand the event into a weekend long experience, the opportunities are endless.”

This year’s Mainstreet Memories Car Show is scheduled for July 31, 2021 and will be sponsored by Moran Automotive. More information is at mainstreetmemoriesph.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lansing’s Year Ends with Several Bills Signed and Several Bills Vetoed

‘Tis the season for end of the year bill signing and vetoing in Lansing. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed and vetoed a flurry of bills as 2020 wound down.

The signed bills address a variety of issues. Senate bills 1090 and 1092 adjust the expectations of incarcerated parents regarding child support when the parent has no ability to pay. Several other bills were signed pertaining to veterans’ facilities, one-year tax adjustments in response to the pandemic, as well as bills related to public interests in bridges, tasting rooms, social service complaint notifications, and others.

Several bills were vetoed as well. Those covered a variety of topics, including the use of Executive Powers. A bill sponsored by Senator Dan Lauwers, a St. Clair County Republican, pertaining to defining “authority” in the Small Wireless Communications Act was vetoed. Several bills related to the pandemic were also vetoed, including a bill that would create the Pandemic Health Care Immunity Act, which would provide immunity from liability for health care facilities for any injury, including death, sustained by an individual in relation to the provision of COVID-19-related services. 

A link to more information, including the veto letters, can be found at WGRT.com.

https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90640-548570–,00.html

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland