Local News

State Rep. Andrew Beeler today decried vote-switching by House Democrats who voted for the state’s bipartisan budget but changed their votes and opposed funding for maternal health and adoption services after the governor removed it from the budget.

The change came as representatives voted whether to override several budget line items that previously passed with supermajorities but failed to achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to override Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto due to the Democrats’ changed votes.

“When we first considered these proposals in the House of Representatives, the budget earned solid bipartisan support,” said Beeler, R-Port Huron. “Then Gov. Whitmer vetoed funding to provide maternal care and support adoption, and her Democratic allies nonsensically changed their minds and opposed the very same proposals they previously approved.

“This pandering to the governor is indefensible. Legislators must have the courage to follow our convictions and stand for our constituents. The founders never imagined such partisan loyalty overriding intellectual honesty.”

Beeler and his colleagues attempted to overturn the governor’s veto of multiple line-items from the budget to support maternal health and adoption: a $4 million maternity home program to help pregnant women in need of safe housing and prenatal care; $1.5 million for pregnancy resource centers; $10 million to promote the adoption of infants in need of a home and provide information about adoption as an alternative to abortion; and $2 million to offer tax credits to adoptive parents. The budget passed the House in July by a 97-9 vote. The overrides failed by votes of 52-44 and 53-43.

Submitted by Rep. Beeler’s Office

A new user-friendly website was launched to help raise awareness about health data in St. Clair County along with a new campaign to reach those who may be unaware of its existence. The data provided is collected from the St. Clair County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), with the St. Clair County Health Department playing a key role in overseeing the process.

The website, Healthy St. Clair County (healthyscc.org), highlights the 2021 CHNA, featuring information such as addressing childhood trauma, as well as the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) which provides the community with action steps when addressing priority health areas.

The CHIP process takes place every five years to stay updated on overall health changes seen in the community. Local residents may see billboard advertisements, or receive information in the mail, as well as other methods of spreading awareness of the new data.

The goal is to improve the health of St. Clair County residents by providing a one-stop-shop to the latest data provided by CHNA.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

With cold and flu season approaching, make sure to keep your family safe and protected by taking the necessary precautions. If someone in your family does come down with a cold or symptoms, be sure to test for Covid-19 if possible. 

To ensure Michigan residents are able to perform Covid-19 tests at home, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced that they will be providing Covid-19 tests free of charge to 58,000 households anywhere in the state. 

After an extended partnership with Rockefeller Foundation through Project Act, MDHHS acquired 289,000 Covid-19 tests to help identify those with Covid, so that they can take the necessary steps to treatment and recovery.

Those who wish to receive their free test can visit accesscovidtests.org. Each family will receive one kit containing five tests within a week of placing their order.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

After around 7 weeks of work, Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) has restored a broken 120-inch water main to full service and lifted the remaining water-use restriction for consumers.

They returned to normal operations this past weekend after a repair process that saw some setbacks and was re-adjusted a couple of times. The only remaining restriction on 23 Michigan communities was a request to limit outdoor water use which has now been lifted.

Suzanne R. Coffey, GLWA Chief Executive Officer, said, “Although we encountered a number of obstacles along the way, I am so proud of how everyone involved dug-in and used their knowledge, skills and ingenuity to ensure that we made the repair as quickly as possible and kept our focus on protecting the public health.”

The next step for GLWA is to file an incident report to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), by the first week of November.

Becky Kerrigan has been named the Employee of the Month for September. Kerrigan has worked at McLaren Port Huron for 18 years and is currently a unit secretary in the Mental Health Unit.

Kerrigan was nominated by her coworkers for her teamwork and knowledge. “She is our go-to person,” one colleague said. “She remains calm, even in the most stressful of situations.” Her nominators also commented that she’s “always available to answer question about even the most complicated matters,” and “she always has everyone laughing with her sense of humor and funny stories.”

In addition to her work at McLaren Port Huron, Kerrigan has volunteered at the Suicide Prevention Walk to Remember for the past 10 years, and joins the McLaren team for the annual Rotary International Day Parade.

This employee recognition is given to individuals who consistently live the values, mission and performance standards of McLaren Port Huron. Honorees are nominated by a co-worker, physician, volunteer, and/or customer.

To learn more about McLaren Port Huron, visit www.mclaren.org/porthuron.

Submitted by McLaren Port Huron Hospital

Gov. Whitmer highlighted key components in the bipartisan supplemental package this week, providing insight on programs to help advance the state and its residents. The funding will help boost Michigan’s economic potential by lowering the cost of college tuition for students, attracting investors and transformational projects, as well as providing funding for the mental health of Michigan’s law enforcement.

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship is one component of the bipartisan supplemental package, with the goal of making it more affordable for families who have students interested in attending college. This will help the state achieve its Sixty by 30 goal, which is to increase the number of working-age adults with a college degree or skill certificate to 60% by 2030. 

The graduating class of 2023 will be the first to take advantage of the new scholarship which will give students the skills and education needed to compete in today’s ever-evolving labor market. President of the Michigan Community College Association Brandy Johnson says, “The more we invest in our students, the more prosperous our state will be.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell