George James

The Village of Deckerville in Sanilac County’s Marion Township is one of those towns where it sometimes feels like time stands still. Not so this week. It’s out with the old and in with the new as the town upgrades its water service with a brand-new water tower. 

Village Supervisor Tracy Hoff told us that the village put the new tower into service around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday and water from the new tower is now flowing to the village’s 830 or so residents. 

In the meantime, crews were disassembling one of the old towers and will be working on the other one as soon as it is drained. The two old towers are over seventy years old and the repair bills looked to be over $700,000 to keep them up and running. The township applied for a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and was awarded a $1.4 million grant in October of 2017. The money was used to build a new tower with a 300,000-gallon capacity that should meet the needs of the village.  The village had to match the grant with $140,000, which was a tremendous savings compared to the anticipated repairs needed for the antiquated towers.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

A big topic of discussion across the state for quite some time now has been recreational marijuana, which was legalized in 2018. The legalization has opened the door for potential revenue for entrepreneurs as well as municipalities who have these ventures as part of their tax base. Along with that potential revenue comes questions about the safety and environment associated with recreational pot shops. 

What’s changing now, is that the Marijuana Regulatory Agency has started accepting applications for recreational marijuana businesses. This means you can expect to see legal marijuana shops popping up any day now in cities that allow them. 

Locally, the cities of Port Huron and Marysville have banned recreational marijuana shops, with Marysville having a permanent ban and Port Huron having a temporary ban that expires next summer. While possessing and using marijuana is no longer illegal, it’s not a free-for-all for pot smokers.  It is illegal to consume marijuana in a car, even as a passenger. Buyers can’t take it out of state. While it is possible to see marijuana smoking areas at public venues, places that receive federal funding, like college campuses, will not allow marijuana, and workers can still get fired if they test positive for marijuana use. There are still a lot of unknowns for the state and the Blue Water area as the practical details of legal pot play out.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Firearm deer season begins today. As hunters head to the blinds this weekend, it’s more than just outdoorsman that need to be on the alert. For motorists, this time of year is when deer are most active as mating season is in full-swing between October and December. Deer are usually most active at dawn or dusk, so be extra aware on your daily work commute. 

For the hunters, St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon has some safety tips to make sure this hunting season is safe and successful. The biggest reminders- hunting hours begin approximately one-half hour before sunrise and last until approximately one-half hour after sunset. While it can be tempting to wear all-camo, hunters are required by law to wear an outer-item of clothing in “hunter orange” and it must be visible from all sides. Sheriff Donnellon also wants hunters to take the following precautions to prevent injury or death while hunting this season:

• Familiarize yourself with the area where you will be hunting
• Never assume you are alone in the woods
• Never assume other hunters are acting responsibly.
• If sitting against a rock or tree, make sure it is wider than your shoulders so you are not mistaken for a target.
• Be 100 percent sure of your target before shooting.

An Emmett Township family got an early morning wakeup from an unlikely houseguest. Brent and Stephanie Arnold were sound asleep at 2:00 a.m. when they heard the sound of shattering glass. 

When they got up to search the house, they found a gaping hole in an eight by five foot double-paned glass picture window in their living room. Initially, the pair thought a tree had fallen through the window, but were shocked to find an adult Great Horned Owl perched on the back of their couch. The large adult owl flew right through the window and landed on the couch, just a few feet from where someone was sleeping.

The Arnolds can only guess why the owl may have decided to pay them a visit.  The family has a kitten that may have been sleeping on the windowsill, but no one knows for sure. Brent Arnold, an avid outdoorsman and animal lover, used fishing netting to cover the owl and bravely carried it outside. 

Great Horned Owls have claws that they use to crush the spines of their prey and it takes around 28 pounds of pressure to loosen their grip. Once outside, the owl flew onto the roof of the house and then flew away. Mrs. Arnold told us that she will be cleaning up glass for a while, and though homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover glass breakage, they will be getting a new window soon. Thankfully no humans or animals were hurt during this nighttime break-in, and the Arnolds have a once in a lifetime experience to remember.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

More than 900 fifth grade students from across St. Clair County attended a special performance by the International Symphony at McMorran Auditorium last week. Organized by St. Clair County RESA, the event was meant to be a cultural experience for students of seven county school districts. 

Through the special concert, students learned about the orchestra’s instruments through mainly classical music that was chosen specifically to be accessible to a fifth grade audience, many of whom may not otherwise be exposed to a live symphony concert. 

Many students came dressed for the occasion, wearing a suit, vest and tie, dresses and more formal outerwear, and during the performance, four students were even invited to the podium to “lead” the orchestra. Lori Driscoll, of St. Clair County RESA, organized the experience and said, “The orchestra has been providing the musical performance for more than 20 years and plays a performance that is suitable for 10 to 12-year-olds.” According to Driscoll, it’s an appropriate time as those students will soon have the opportunity to join band in middle school.

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.

Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) is a free high-school personal finance curriculum and professional development partner helping teachers, like Laurie Gardner, deliver essential money understanding in an easy-to-grasp, engaging way. Gardner, a Marine City High School teacher who uses the NGPF curriculum, was recently recognized on a national level by the educational entity as she was awarded the Neil Milner New Ideas Award to attend the JumpStart National Educator Conference. 

The Conference was conceived and launched under Milner’s leadership, with a good deal of his personal involvement. The Neil Milner Scholarship is awarded to a teacher who thinks outside the box and will never be satisfied in doing things the way they’ve always been done.

The Marine City High School teacher said she was honored to receive the award by explaining that, “This is the first set of awards Jump$tart has given out to honor the past Chairman of the Board.” The award is a scholarship to attend next year’s conference in Atlanta which she believes will be a “ stellar professional development opportunity for personal finance teachers.”

Reporting for WGRT, ebw.tv.