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Local News

Get Your Tickets for Heart of a Hero by August 8th

Woman’s Life Chapter 820 call themselves the Archangels, and they are preparing now for one of their favorite yearly events.

The Heart of a Hero is a celebration of St. Clair County’s community heroes, and the purpose is to recognize individuals who quietly go about serving others, working in our area’s community service organizations or simply being good neighbors.

This year’s honorees are:

  • Georgette Assi – Port Huron Lanes
  • Marty Doorn – WGRT
  • Faith Lutheran Church
  • Nigar Hussain
  • Suzanne & Butch Kuhn – Suzanne’s & St. Clair Chrysler Jeep
  • William Livesay – U.S. Air Force
  • Karen Palka – A Beautiful Me
  • Patrick Patterson – Blue Water Recovery & Outreach Center
  • Joe Szczepkowski – American Youth Soccer Organization
  • Paul Wessel – Mid-City Nutrition

For tickets to the event on Thursday. August 11th at 6 PM, visit the events page at WGRT.com or the Arc’s website here:

https://www.thearcscc.org/gala

Tickets are $35 each, and the deadline to order is Monday, August 8th.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Cheap Trick to Play McMorran Arena November 4th

Cheap Trick is coming to Port Huron’s McMorran Arena on August 4th. The rock band is best known for its 1970s and 80s hits “I Want You to Want Me” and “The Flame”.

Cheap Trick was formed in 1973 in Rockford, Illinois, and has sold more than 20 million albums. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

Last November brought the rock band Styx to McMorran. The packed house showed organizers that Port Huron is ready for arena concerts.

Cheap Trick concert tickets are already selling fast. Prices range from $55-75.

While Cheap Trick is the big arena show, other musical productions are also planned at McMorran this season. A Tom Petty cover band, The Wildflowers, is playing at McMorran Place on October 8th. A 1950s and 1960s-styled cover band, American Graffiti and Jersey Seasons, will be playing on November 5th, and AC/DC and Queen cover bands are playing later in the season.

Tickets for all the shows are on sale now at mcmorran.com and at the McMorran Box Office.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Magical Moments Formalwear Giveaway at Birchwood Mall September 3-4

The Magical Moments Formalwear Giveaway on September 3rd and 4th at Birchwood Mall is both a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the mall store, Mostly Michigan, and a way for owner, Michele Matthews to give back to the community.

Matthews started asking for donations of gently used or new men’s and women’s formalwear and within hours had already run out of space. She reached out to Lois Potts, the General Manager at Birchwood Mall, who gave her a temporary space in the mall for the growing collection of formal wear.

Dress and formalwear donations can be brought to Mostly Michigan until August 21st. They are also accepting donations of other things that can take the financial stress off of teenagers and their families as they plan for the traditional night of making memories at Homecoming and other upcoming formal events.

Restaurant gift cards, donations of hair, nail, and other services, as well as cash, are being accepted.

Magical Moments wish list:

Dresses: New dresses, used and washed or dry-cleaned dresses. If you can’t wash them, let organizers know and they will clean them. Think a dress is too far out of style to donate? Maybe not. Some teenagers know how to sew and would love to reconstruct their dream dresses and use their imaginations.

Women’s Dress Shoes, Purses, Capes, Shawls, Accessories

Menswear: Suits, Tuxedos, Shirts, Ties, Suspenders, Cummerbunds, Vests, Dress Shoes

Money: For teens who might not find anything in their size, Michele Matthews has offered to shop specifically for them.

Gift Cards: Restaurants that would be appropriate for a pre-homecoming dinner

Service donations: Photography, Dry Cleaning, Hair and Nail Services for both boys and girls

The Formalwear Giveaway will be on September 3rd from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and September 4th from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Birchwood Mall in Fort Gratiot. Check the Mostly Michigan Facebook page for the exact location in the mall. Guests will register to be eligible for raffle prizes such as restaurant gift cards. No proof of income is required. It is open to everyone.

If neither of the giveaway days works, accommodations can be made with Michele Matthews.

mostlymichigan@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/MostlyMichiganFortGratiotMI

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Organizations Thank County for Support

All five millage requests proposed on the primary ballot Tuesday were passed by St. Clair County Voters, and the organizations that will benefit are grateful.

Ken Cummings, President and CEO of Tri-Hospital EMS, said the funding will address rising costs for ambulance service along with their ability to recruit new paramedics and EMTs.

“EMS providers proudly answer the call anytime someone needs us, and we greatly appreciate that local voters answered the call to help us. With approval of the ambulance service proposal, local residents can rest assured that they will continue to receive the ambulance services they expect and rely on,” said Cummings.

Dr. Deborah A. Snyder, President of St. Clair County Community College, said, “We are deeply grateful to St. Clair County residents for their support. Here at St. Clair County Community College, we strive to change lives for the better and positively impact our local and global communities. We’ve done that for nearly 100 years, and this millage renewal will help make certain our students continue to have the best support and experience possible.”

The Council on Aging Serving St. Clair County is one of the agencies that will benefit from the passing of the senior services millage. Executive Director Scott Crawford said, “On behalf of The Council on Aging, the 11 other agencies that receive funding from the Senior Services Millage and the seniors of St. Clair County we are so grateful for the continued support of this millage.   St. Clair County was the first county in the State to have a senior service millage and it has been supported by the county ever since.  With a growing senior population this will allow these 12 agencies to meet the growing needs of the community.”

Nancy Winzer, Director of Parks and Recreation for the county, said, “I am so thankful to the voters of St. Clair County for their support of the Parks & Recreation millage. This millage money gives us leverage for grants which help to redevelop our parks with new, universal, and innovative park playscapes. Further, it assists local units of government in the county achieve their community’s parks and recreation goals , ensuring all residents of and visitors to St. Clair County have places to play and recreate. A lot has been accomplished over the past several years, and we are excited to keep the momentum going.”

Allison Arnold, Director of the St. Clair County Library, said “The Library Board and staff would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted in the recent election. We are grateful for your support and the confidence you’ve placed in the St. Clair County Library System and are humbled by your faith and confidence in us and our programs and services.  The passage of this millage will enable your library to continue to deliver and expand its services, as we strive to be the best library that we can be for St. Clair County. We look forward to serving you!”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Jim Hunsanger Appointed to Woman’s Life Board

Jim Hunsanger III, has been appointed as CPA to the Woman’s Life Board of Directors. Hunsanger has an extensive background in accounting and leadership, and currently works as the Chief Risk Officer at Michigan State University Federal Credit Union.

Chris Martin, national president of Woman’s Life Insurance Society, said, “Jim’s background in Enterprise Risk Management complements our existing board and provides excellent value as Woman’s Life moves into the future. Jim is also a fraternalist at heart and he reflects the values of our mission-based organization and overall membership.”

Fraternal organizations, like Woman’s Life, depend on memberships and the support of a common mission.  The mission of Woman’s Life is to provide financial products and educational resources for women and their families to help them build a strong financial future. They also provide many community fundraising efforts that support nonprofits and causes.

Jim Hunsanger will serve a term that began August 1, 2022 and expires April of 2026.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Sheriff’s Department Nabs Dangerous Drivers in M-25 Sting

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department targeted dangerous drivers on M-25 in Burtchville Township throughout the month of July. They definitely found many drivers making poor choices, with one driver traveling at an unbelievable 131 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone.

On July 28th, Lieutenant Scott Jones stopped the vehicle that was traveling 76 miles per hour over the speed limit. The driver, a 25-year-old from Hazel Park, Michigan, was arrested and sent to the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center with a reckless driving charge.

In addition to the arrest of the reckless driver, 59 speeding tickets were issued, along with 18 other moving violations, one non-moving violation, and six misdemeanor arrests.

The stretch of M-25 that runs through Burtchville is known as a deadly stretch, with 109 accidents counted between 2017 and 2021. Thirteen of those accidents caused incapacitating injuries, and seven people lost their lives in five separate accidents.

St. Clair County Sheriff Lieutenant Scott Baldwin said the enforcement campaign was in response to recent tragic crashes, but no changes to the road structure are planned at this time and there is no news of an official road study. 

Lieutenant Baldwin said, “We will continue to enforce traffic laws in this stretch of road to reduce the amount of crashes and hopefully the severity of them as well as well. In the future, we’ll continue to monitor crash data and enforce traffic laws, specifically speeding, improper passing, seatbelt usage, and distracted  driving amongst others.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland