George James

Boy Scouts Start Salvation Army Food Bag Drop-Off This Weekend

Port Huron, MI — Don’t be surprised if you find a grocery bag on your front porch this weekend. Local Boy Scouts and their families are going door to door throughout the Blue Water Area, dropping off bags and hoping residents will fill them up with food donations.

The bags will be delivered tomorrow, Saturday, December 5th and will be picked up next Saturday, December 12th. This is an annual outreach activity for the Boy Scouts that is held in partnership with The Salvation Army.

Donations of canned goods and other non-perishable items will be put to use feeding families in the community.

Dawn Hedberg, of the Port Huron Salvation Army Citadel, said, “Donors are asked to fill the food bag for donations for The Salvation Army Christmas food drive. All food collected will be donated here to the local Salvation Army for use during our Christmas Assistance for needy families in St. Clair County.”

Sorting the donated food is a major task, made more cumbersome with COVID precautions. Sorting will be done at the Salvation Army Citadel at 2000 Court Street in Port Huron.

Those interested in helping can call the Port Huron Citadel for dates and times to help with the sorting.

Port Huron Salvation Army Citadel: (810) 984-2679

http://www.porthuronsa.org/ 

 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Elizabeth Sawielski to Lead Blue Water Safe Horizons

Port Huron, MI — Blue Water Safe Horizons has announced the hiring of a new Executive Director. Elizabeth Sawielski will be starting her new job this week.

Sawielski has held several leadership roles with non-profits. She has worked as the Vice President of Social Responsibility at the YMCA of the Blue Water Area. She also has experience with the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

James A. Jones, Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Blue Water Safe Horizons, said, “Elizabeth can be described as enthusiastic, creative, and motivated with a passion for training, inspiring, and empowering others.”

Blue Water Safe Horizons works to “increase awareness of intimate-partner and sexual violence and its effect on the community, to empower those victimized by providing advocacy and safe effective services, and to work for social change through education and community collaboration.”

Jones said that Sawielski will be leading the staff, which is already well-experienced, in reaching their current goals and furthering the efforts in the community.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Sheriff’s Deputies Commended for Life-Saving Actions

Port Huron, MI — A tragedy was averted at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center in Port Huron Township this fall. Two deputies have been recognized for saving the life of an inmate who was attempting to take his own life.

St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Deputies Richard Rodriguez and Kent Porter were recently recognized for their heroic actions. The pair were on duty at the county facility on October 29th when they noticed an inmate taking actions to hang himself. The deputies rushed up the stairs and performed a dramatic rescue to save the troubled individual before he could harm himself.

The inmate was given medical attention and suicide prevention protocols were put in place. The jail provides mental health screening and treatment, as well as addiction and behavioral intervention programming to inmates in need of help.

St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King said, “I am proud of the work all of our corrections deputies perform every day. I am especially proud of the way Rich and Kent went above and beyond to rush to the inmate and save his life.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Snow Ordinances In Effect

Port Huron, MI — It’s time to make room in the driveway for all the vehicles as municipal snow ordinances have gone into effect. Tickets and fines await those who disregard the ordinance and park on the street.

In order to make room for snow plows, Port Huron prohibits parking of vehicles on the street during overnight hours. Cars must be off the street between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. A $20 fine can be issued to violators for each night on the street. A five-day warning period is underway this week, but fines will be levied after that. The snow ordinance lasts from December 1st until March 31st.  Marysville has a similar ordinance.

The City of Yale has a $50 ticket waiting for those who forget about their overnight snow ordinance for the months of December through March.

Other municipalities, such as the cities of St. Clair and Marine City offer more flexibility and want the cars off the streets when there is actual snow present or predicted.

All drivers should be aware that getting cars off the street during any hours when there could be snow plowing can save a lot of hassle for both the snow plow drivers and themselves.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Settlement Reached in “Progress Michigan” Lawsuit

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit regarding a Freedom of Information Act request from Progress Michigan. The lawsuit dates back to 2016, when Bill Shuette was Attorney General.

Current Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “The Freedom of Information Act protects the people’s right to inspect and receive public records, including concerning official business that may have been sent or received on personal email accounts. I appreciate Progress Michigan bringing attention to this important issue, and, as a result of its lawsuit, the State revised its FOIA procedures to reflect best practices. The State serves the people of Michigan, and they deserve to know what we are doing and how we are doing it.”

Progress Michigan describes itself as seeking “to provide a strong, credible voice that holds public officials and government accountable for their actions impacting working Michiganders”.

The Attorney General’s office no longer uses personal email accounts to conduct official business.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan Drivers To Get Further Insurance Rate Reduction

Michigan drivers should be seeing another reduction in insurance costs. The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association has announced a reduction in its annual assessment charged on auto insurance policies. The savings are estimated to be around 14% per vehicle.

Giving credit to a bipartisan effort that she signed into law in 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “It is clear that the new auto insurance law is putting more money in the pockets of Michiganders. The reduction in the MCCA annual assessment is another example of how the reform is helping to reduce costs and provide savings for Michigan families. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever that Michiganders see rate relief. I’m pleased that these reforms are continuing to result in greater savings than required in the law.” 

Michigan drivers no longer need to purchase separate Personal Injury Protection medical coverage. The removal of that requirement reduces the assessment to $86 per vehicle, taking effect on July 1, 2021. The assessment dropped $100 last July from the original $220.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland