Local News

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources encourages outdoor recreation in Michigan’s varied landscapes and seasons, and their website features many options for winter fun.

Along with featuring events at Michigan state recreation areas, the website also has tips and tricks for staying safe and keeping warm while outdoors in low temperatures.

The DNR is also collaborates with America’s State Parks to promote the First Day Hike, a national effort to kick off the new year with an outdoor hike at your local state park.

Participants in the First Day hike can log their miles and submit their stats on the website, and, last year, 85,000 people collectively hikes 176,366 miles on guided hikes across the country.

Several recreational activities most thought of in warmer months are also available during the winter. Seven Michigan state parks keep their disc golf courses open in the winter, and fat-tire biking enables mountain bikers to hit the trails even when they’re snow-covered. Thirteen Michigan state parks groom trails in the winter specifically for fat-tire bikers.

To learn more about winter fun in Michigan, visit the DNR’s website here: Michigan.gov/WinterFun

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Adrienne Bartee has been named the Employee of the Month for November. She has worked at McLaren Port Huron for seven years and is currently a registered nurse in the operating room.

Bartee was nominated by her coworkers because she is a true example of a caring, professional nurse. She treats each of her patients with kindness and compassion. She has a calm, caring demeanor and always displays the hospital values in her work. Bartee encourages and supports her team, always has a positive attitude and is pleasant and easy to work with.

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.

For those who drove a truck in the military, getting a civilian Commercial Driver’s License could become much easier. Bills to streamline the process of getting a CDL have made it through the Michigan House and Senate and await the governor’s signature to become law.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has endorsed the bills, saying, “Those who serve in our armed forces undergo extensive training to fulfill their duties, and often receive certifications specific to their services, including commercial driver’s licenses.”

Benson said she looks forward to implementing the necessary changes at the department “to ensure military veterans who have successfully earned the equivalent of a CDL do not have to repeat the process.”

According to the Senate analysis of the legislation, the change will cost the state nothing but will remove the driving test requirement for those who have the federal endorsements from their military service.

Disruptions to the supply chain have often been blamed on a shortage of truckers. Over-the-road trucking moves about 70% of the nation’s freight. The American Trucking Association has estimated that there is a shortage of 80,000 truckers nationwide.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland