George James

The City of Algonac is warning residents of higher water levels that are expected for the coming year based on predictions from the Army Corp of Engineers. In a letter to residents, the city is urging Algonac property owners to prepare now to protect homes and take measures to prevent water from their property adversely affecting neighbors or public streets.

Along with the warning, comes a few reminders. The City says excess water cannot be discharged into the sanitary sewer system as the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Algonac is designed to handle the disposal of waster water and not drain property due to flooding. It is also illegal to: connect a sump pump or any other pump to drain water into the sanitary sewer; use open cleanouts to drain yards into the sanitary sewer; lifting manhole covers to allow surface water entry into the sanitary sewer.

Failure to follow these guidelines and increased flows into the sanitary sewer can cause sewer backups in homes and pollution into the St. Clair River. The city of Algonac declared a local flood emergency in June 2019 that is still in effect. Future information will be posted via the city’s website and Facebook page to inform the community of conditions as necessary.

Woman’s Life Insurance Society, a nationwide business with headquarters in Port Huron has been honored with a governor’s proclamation. 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed February 13 as Woman’s Life Insurance Society Member and Volunteer Appreciation Day. The proclamation recognizes the active chapters in the organization. In addition to providing financial planning and insurance products, the company sponsors Chapters that carry out charity work. The proclamation recognizes the $12 million paid out in benefits in 2019 as well as the $700,000 in donations to individuals in need, community programs, and non-profits. The chapters were recognized in the proclamation for their tens of thousands of hours of community service in both direct service and hosting fundraisers. The Governor’s proclamation says, “We pause to recognize, celebrate, and give thanks for their outreach activities that positively impact the lives of others.” 

Upcoming local efforts by Woman’s Life Chapters include a Chili Cookoff on February 27 to benefit the local Humane Society and a partnership with the Lake Huron Foundation’s Vineyards of the World fundraiser on February 28.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has created a bipartisan task force that will focus on lowering the cost of prescription drug prices. The Prescription Drug Task Force will consist of leaders from government agencies including the departments of Health and Human Services, and Michigan Legislators among others.

The initiative was first announced at the State of the State Address and made official in an Executive Order (2020-01) signed on Friday. Prices for the most commonly prescribed drugs for older patients have increased at more than 10 times the rate of inflation within five years according to supporting documents from the state, and the average cost of prescription drugs increased nearly 60 percent between 2012 and 2017, while income increased only 11 percent.

In an attempt to lower prices, the Prescription Drug Task Force will recommend legislative and administrative actions that can be taken to increase transparency in the pricing of prescription drugs to lower costs for Michigan families. The Prescription Drug Task Force will be housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The St. Clair and Sanilac County Humane Societies have been awarded 2020 Animal Welfare Grants from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The grants are funded by taxpayers who check the donation box for the Animal Welfare Fund on Form 4642, the Voluntary Contributions Schedule, when filing their state taxes. 

The state agency has distributed over $1.3 million since the option was rolled out in 2010. This year’s distribution was over $127,000 spread out amongst 23 registered animal shelters. The grants are meant to be used to support spaying and neutering of shelter dogs and cats and to increase the likelihood of the animals being adopted. The funds can also be used to reimburse the costs associated with legal investigations, such as animal hoarding cases or animal abuse. 

Humane Societies across the state had to request grants for specific purposes with about half of the applicants receiving funding this year. The Sanilac County Humane Society will receive $7,000 while the St. Clair County Humane Society will receive $6,000.

St. Clair County residents are divided over a recent “Gun Sanctuary County” resolution that was presented to the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners. According to District 7 County Commissioner, Bill Gratopp, the resolution was passed with the exception of the language about being a Sanctuary County.

Since the vote to pass the resolution with the amended verbiage, Second Amendment advocates have voiced concern for the altered wording. A group of more than 100 people rallied at last week’s Board of Commissioners meeting. A spokesperson for the Second Amendment March on Port Huron group, Joel Webb, stated that the purpose of the rally was to show the St. Clair County Commissioners that people in the county care about their rights. 

Webb further explained that declaring St. Clair County a “Gun Sanctuary County” would allow the county, in the event of an unconstitutional state or federal law being passed, to refuse to fund organizations that enforce those laws, which include the St. Clair County Sheriff and other police departments.

The Second Amendment March on Port Huron group brought two gun-related resolutions to the board at Thursday night’s meeting for future consideration by the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners.