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Local News

Sarnia Downtown Waterfront Master Plan Finalized

The Sarnia City Council was presented with a final draft of the much-anticipated Sarnia Downtown Waterfront Master Plan.

The last plan was done in 2005. This new Master Plan is the result of nine months of work with community consultation through the “Speak Up Sarnia” webpage and spurred by a consensus that the waterfront was underutilized.

The Master Plan calls for enhanced connectivity between Downtown and residential neighborhoods and redevelopment of Ferry Dock Hill. The Plan also calls for “destination creation” through cultural and event space investment and programming.

The three primary districts addressed in the plan are the Marina District in the north, the Market district adjacent to Downtown in the center of the waterfront, and the Innovation District in the far south.

Full implementation of the plan could take twenty years and could bring significant economic benefit to Sarnia.

A link to the full Sarnia Downtown Waterfront Master Plan can be found below.

Master Plan

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

National School Choice Week Celebrates Diversity in Education

National School Choice Week is coming up next week, and there are several celebrations planned to celebrate school choice options in Michigan.

This annual awareness campaign is designed to let parents and families know about their educational options and celebrate the many ways you can legally educate your children in your state.

According to SchoolChoiceWeek.com, “Families in Michigan can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online academies, and homeschooling.”

On Thursday, January 27th, an event is planned at the State Capitol in Lansing where students and educators will be sharing what makes their schools unique. During the event, families can explore displays, hear from speakers and supporters of educational choice, and meet legislators. The event is sponsored by Parent Advocates for Choice in Education.

As alternatives to the traditional public school system, St. Clair County has four charter schools: East Shore Leadership Academy, Landmark Academy, Virtual Learning Academy, St. Clair County Intervention Academy, and Success Virtual Learning Center. It is home to several private schools through religious organizations both denominational and non-denominational. The county also has a homeschooling support group for home educators called Christian Home Educators of the Blue Water Area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Candice Miller Reports Sharp Decline in Covid-19 Found in Macomb Wastewater Testing

There’s good news out of Macomb County regarding the rate of Covid infections and the news is coming from an unusual, yet telling source: the county’s sewer system.

Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said, “For the past few months, we’ve all been inundated with troubling and grim news reports involving COVID, particularly the highly-contagious omicron variant. The latest sewage-testing data that we have reviewed offers reason for optimism that infection rates have not only leveled off, but that infections are dropping significantly.”

Sewage in Clinton Township is checked with automated sampling. The levels of COVID-19 found in the wastewater indicated a dramatic spike in late December, but samples pulled on January 4th, 9th, and 11th showed a sharp decline.

The levels in municipal sewage have proven to be precursors of one to two weeks of reported cases, according to the statement from Miller. Miller said, “We report our findings to the Macomb County Health Department and leave it up to the health care professionals to use as another tool in their prediction modeling.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

The Closet Offers $100 Wedding Dresses at Vintage Bridal Event

The average price for a wedding dress is around $1600. That doesn’t include all of the other accessories that complete the bride’s look for her special day. There is also a substantial wait time for new dresses that are often made to order.

How does a $100 off-the-rack dress sound?

A beautiful new-to-you gown that can be taken home on the spot for just a hundred bucks is a possibility with a special event hosted by The Closet by A Beautiful Me. On Friday, January 21st from noon to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 22nd, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., The Closet will be selling vintage wedding gowns, veils, and flower girl dresses for a fraction of the usual cost of traditional new attire.

Retail Manager Lori Ann Vought explained the idea, saying, “We decided to host a special event to cater to just the brides that are on a budget or having a short engagement. This is a one-time event where we are featuring bridal dresses that you won’t see on the floor after our Vintage Bridal Event.”

Proceeds from the Vintage Bridal Event support the non-profit’s mission of providing teen girls free business training through a retail store. The Closet by A Beautiful Me is located at 235 Huron Avenue in downtown Port Huron.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

St. Clair County Board of Commissioners Meetings Move to Convention Center

The St. Clair County Board of Commissioners will be meeting at the Blue Water Convention Center instead of the St. Clair County government offices in downtown Port Huron.

The county board meeting that was held on January 6th was reported to have attendance that exceeded the capacity of the usual location. Increased public interest over mask mandates and covid protocol has drawn larger than usual crowds to the public meetings.

County Commissioner Lisa Beedon said, “It’s important we hold our meetings in a venue that accommodates the size of the audience, not only to meet the Open Meetings Act requirements but also to adequately hear from and have seating for our constituents.”

The regular meeting of the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners on January 20th will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Convention Center located at 800 Harker Street. The Convention Center is connected to Freighters Restaurant and the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel.

The Standing Committee meetings on February 3rd and the regular Board of Commissioners meeting on February 17th will also be held at the Convention Center.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Military Exercise Brings Arctic Strategy to Michigan

Michigan is proving to be the ideal spot for training for military units from the United States and some of its partner forces. “Winter Strike” is a National Guard-sponsored military exercise that will be held from January 21-29 in Grayling and Alpena.

Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center comprise the National All-Domain Warfighting Center. The annual training is intentionally held during the coldest part of the year as part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Arctic strategy.

Major General Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said, “Michigan has some of the best military training facilities in the country, which makes it the perfect place for visiting units and defense industry partners to work together in a complex, all-domain environment.”

Rogers said that Michigan is receiving national recognition as an innovator because of the military exercise.

Lieutenant Colonel Adam Jenzen, Northern Strike land component exercise director called the Michigan training “one of our nation’s best reserve component exercises”.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland