George James

November 5th will mark election day for several communities around the area. Residents in St. Clair and Fort Gratiot will have items to vote on in the upcoming Tuesday election. In St. Clair, voters are being asked to increase their millage by one mill to provide funds to defray the cost of retirement and pension programs for city employees.  The ballot says that it is a renewal of the millage previously approved for that purpose. 

A millage vote will also take place in Fort Gratiot. Voters will be asked for funding to continue to provide police protection for residents. The 2.5 mill increase will raise approximately one-million dollars in its first year. Those monies will be exclusively earmarked to police protection within the township. The increase would be for a five-year period ending in 2023, and would replace a 2.0 millage that voters had previously approved. That millage expired in 2018.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

As the weather is getting colder, and snow is in the forecast, there are individuals in the area that need help to dress warm this winter.  Linda Acton, Store Manager for Kids in Distress in St. Clair, sees the need firsthand. She said the organization, in a regular day, sees between 60 and 80 kids who need clothing.  With winter coming, she said that number climbed to 114 on just one day. 

Kids in Distress is a non-profit organization based in St. Clair that has a mission to help children and teens. The organization provides clothing and hygiene items free of charge if an adolescent is unexpectedly removed from home.  The child or teen may be entering foster care, shelter, or might be left homeless by a fire among other possibilities. Children and teens can get a referral for the free clothing from several local agencies. 

Currently, Kids in Distress says they are in desperate need of boys and girls clothes sizes 5 through 12. They also need coats that will fit boys, girls, men, and women through 3x. The organization is also accepting boots sizes 1 through men’s size 13 and girls size 1 through 12.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

The Marysville A&W on Gratiot Boulevard in Marysville will soon be having their grand opening celebration. Renovations have been ongoing, and Assistant General Manager of the A & W, Isaac Graham, said the restaurant has been in the soft opening phase over the past few months. Graham said now “everything is up and running, providing the best service possible.” The celebration begins on Thursday, November 7th with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. with the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce. The event will continue until Sunday, November 10th. 

During the grand opening celebrations, patrons are invited to bring canned goods to support the Marysville Food Pantry and Marysville Elementary Schools. Anyone who brings in canned goods and makes a purchase will get a free, small root beer float. On Saturday and Sunday, it will be a kid’s weekend as the A&W Mascot, “Rooty,” will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for pictures. There will also be prizes and giveaways while supplies last. Those who donate canned goods over the weekend will also be entered to win a custom Yeti cooler, Visa gift cards, and more.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has changed the traffic light in downtown Lexington. In the past, the light was a flashing yellow light for the north south route on M-25 after 11 PM which resulted in slowed north-south traffic. Recently, MDOT changed the light to a flashing red that will make a 4-way stop at the intersection after 11 pm at night. Lexington Village Manager Holly Tatman said MDOT stopped by the village offices and let officials know the light had been changed by the state agency. Tatman said she “believes it may make the intersection safer in the evening hours.” Officials from the Village want residents to know that the decision to change the light was an MDOT determination and not a decision made by officials at the Village of Lexington.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

The Port Huron City Council met on Monday night for their regular meeting. One of the items discussed was funding to reinforce  a steel seawall around the Huron Lightship. Recently, high water levels have crested the seawall that is already in place. Officials from the city and Port Huron Museum want to mitigate damage to the ship because the Lightship, with its historical significance, is a showpiece for the Port Huron Museum and the city. The ship, according to City Manager James Freed is also a city asset. 

The council voted unanimously to approve funding of just over $11,000 for the seawall. Freed said those funds will come out of the city’s Land Purchase Fund. The city’s contribution will be added to a $20,000 dollar grant from the Acheson Foundation. Freed thanked the Port Huron Museum’s Director Veronica Campbell and Community Engagement Director Andrew Kercher along with the entire museum staff for their help in securing the donation from the foundation. Freed said work on the project would begin soon before the ice starts to flow down the river.

Reporting for WGRT, Mike Smith.

This Sunday, Daylight Saving Time (DST)  ends in most areas of the United States and time will “fall back” to Standard time. When this time rolls around, many question where the idea came from in the first place. 

The idea was first proposed by New Zealand entomologist and astronomer, George Vernon Hudson. The “why” was simply to make better use of daylight.  Daylight Saving time has been used in the United States and several European countries since World War I. It was formally adopted in the United States in 1918, and repealed in 1919 because it was so unpopular. It was then again resurrected again during WWII by FDR as “War Time”, but was not federal law, so states and localities were free to choose to opt in or out, and confusion ensued.    

In 1966, President Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act into law. It was then in 1986 that Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. began at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April and ended at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time in the U.S., and now we  begin DST the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. Long story short, remember to set your clocks back this Sunday, and you will garner some extra sleep.

Reporting for WGRT, EBW.tv