Local News

Following an unexpected extended leave for personal health reasons, executive Eric Cecava has officially stepped down as top boss at McLaren Port Huron after serving eight years in leadership. Hospital board leadership confirmed the immediate resignation after accepting his decision, offering gratitude for his years of service overseeing operations and regional healthcare growth. To maintain continuous oversight, interim leader Tim Vargas will temporarily remain in control while board members launch an immediate search for a permanent successor, though no fixed completion timeline has been set.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet

Port Sanilac is stepping back in time on Saturday, August 15th, as the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum hosts a free America 250 Day celebration from 10 AM to 5 PM. Visitors can experience an 1851 church service, watch live musket firing at a Revolutionary War encampment, and hear a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The event features costumed guides across seventeen historic buildings and an afternoon lecture on Michigan’s military history at Fort Custer.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet

A late-night turn onto Jefferson Avenue in Macomb County turned deadly in Harrison Township when a white Cadillac SRX cut directly into the path of an oncoming Chevrolet Silverado towing a trailer. The westbound pickup truck, which had the right-of-way, smashed into the turning SUV before veering off the pavement and crashing into a roadside utility pole. Paramedics rushed the thirty-year-old Cadillac driver to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, while the twenty-eight-year-old Shelby Township man driving the Silverado survived and cooperated fully with investigating deputies.

Reporting WGRT – JP bZet

St. Clair County residents have secured the future of their emergency medical response by voting to renew a critical ambulance service millage. The approved property tax renewal will cost the average homeowner roughly five dollars per month based on a standard taxable home value of $125,000. This stable funding stream allows local frontline teams—including Tri-Hospital EMS, Richmond Lenox EMS, and the City of Marysville—to maintain vital equipment upgrades and deliver uninterrupted top-tier 911 care across the entire county.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet

As Port Huron marks the 50th annual Float Down this August 16th, local authorities are warning that the seven-mile drift down the fast-moving St. Clair River from Lighthouse Beach to Marysville is a high-stakes safety operation rather than a simple party. Following past tragedies—including a ’14 drowning and a ’16 storm that stranded fifteen hundred participants on the Canadian shore—officials urge everyone to wear life jackets, stay sober, and carry emergency gear, because strong currents can instantly turn a summer celebration into an international rescue.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet

A Huron County teen died early Sunday after an e-bike crash near Bad Axe. Deputies say the 15-year-old was riding with another teen on M-142 in Verona Township before 3 a.m. when they turned into a business driveway with a cable across the entrance, and the victim hit it and was thrown from the bike. The teen’s mother rushed him to the hospital, where he later died. Investigators say both were going faster than 25 mph and had no lights on their e-bikes.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet