Local News

For those who use a Bridge Card to supplement their food budget, additional funds will be added to the cards to help pay for the rising cost of food.

Beneficiaries will receive at least an additional $95 this month. Nearly 1.4 million Michigan residents in over 700,000 households use the Supplemental Nutrition Program, which is delivered through Bridge Cards.

Additional food assistance has been added to regular monthly Bridge Card payments. No action is needed to get the benefits, and the additional payment should have been added to the Bridge Card balance by July 25th.

Federal approval is needed every month for Michigan to access the Families First Coronavirus Response Act funds, and it was granted again for July.

According to the consumer price index, grocery costs have risen about 12% over the last year. This is the largest jump in grocery costs in 43 years.

Some products have jumped up in price beyond the 12% average. For example, eggs have jumped in price by around 32%. Non-food items like laundry detergent and paper products, which are not eligible for Bridge Card purchase, have also increased in price recently.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

The St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Millage will be on the ballot on August 2nd. Voters will be asked to renew the millage at .4944 mills, which will be down slightly from the previous millage rate of .5 mills. The millage will be in place for six years.

If passed, the renewal will generate around $3 million per year for county parks and recreation programs, with 25% of the money returned to local units of government for their own parks and recreation projects.

St. Clair County is unique in its approach to distributing funding to local municipalities. From 2016 to 2021, over $4 million has been distributed among 33 units of government.

Besides the local projects, many county projects are funded with millage money. County projects include the Blue Water River Walk, Goodells County Park, the Fort Gratiot Light Station, and the Wadhams to Avoca Trail, among others.

With the millage renewal, a property owner with a property value of $200,000 could expect to pay about $50 for the Parks and Recreation millage.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

As part of the Rebuilding Michigan Plan and Building Michigan Together Plan, road construction will begin on almost 8 miles of M-46 this Friday.

The repairs include joint repairs, chip sealing, micro-resurfacing, shoulder improvements, and pavement markings on M-46 in Sanilac County from east of M-53 to west of M-19.

Traffic will be maintained with lane closures and traffic regulators during daytime hours, and all lane closures will be removed overnight.

The project is expected to be completed by September 13, 2022, and it is intended to provide a smoother driving surface and extend the life of the road.

Beginning Tuesday, July 26th, 2022 the City of Port Huron will be making improvements to 4th Street from Pine to Wall, and Wall Street from 4th Street to 3rd Street.

These improvements will include painting 52 new angled parking spaces, 16 new perpendicular parking spaces, and repainting current parking spaces along Pine Street, 4th Street, and Wall Street.

4th Street from Pine to Wall, and Wall Street from 4th to 3rd will be closed to thru traffic for approximately one day.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We ask the public to please prioritize using the Military Street Parking, as well as the Military Street Parking lot to allow for quick completion of the work in this area.

If there are any further questions regarding this matter, please contact the Department of Public Works.

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and Libro Credit Union are planning the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards for October 21st at the Sunbridge Hotel’s Ballroom. This is the 32nd year for the awards and nominations are now open.

The celebration will be held as a Gala Evening celebrating Sarnia Lambton’s entrepreneurs, individuals, and organizations.

Carrie McEachran, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce said, “The planning committee for the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards has been working hard to plan the 2022 awards and we are so excited to announce the opening of the nominations.”

The categories range from Agri-Business to Customer Service to the Cool Place to Work Category, among several others.

Lead sponsor Jamie Carson, Regional Manager, Business Banking at Libro Credit Union said, “The community is ready to celebrate the amazing success stories that we’ve missed over the last couple of years, and we are excited to be a part of it”.

Nominations will be accepted until August 11th. Nominate your favourite Sarnia Lambton Business and Individual log onto: https://www.slchamber.ca/news-events/obaas. Contact info@slchamber.ca for questions regarding the event!

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Craving some Jersey Mike’s, but can’t get to the North End of Ft. Gratiot? No worries. Starting July 27th, a Jersey Mike’s Subs shop will be open on the south side of Port Huron at 1420 24th Street.

The grand opening will coincide with a fundraiser for the YMCA of the Blue Water Area. Coupons are being distributed through a grassroots effort and coupon holders can make a donation to the Y and get a free sub.

Franchise owner Mark Riashi said, “We are excited to bring the best submarine sandwich on the planet to this great community.”

He said, “We are proud to be partnering with the YMCA of the Blue Water Area, raising funds to support the Blue Water Y’s Open Arms Campaign. Some of the Y programs that our fundraiser will benefit include Safety Around Water, Coordinated Approach to Child Health, and the Livestrong program.”

Orders can be placed in-store or for pickup through the Jersey Mike’s website or app and delivery is available in most areas.

The new Jersey Mike’s location is also hiring. 

Apply at jmsph31064@gmail.com or by texting 05380003 to 31063.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland