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Local News

Chilly Fest Brings Family Fun to Downtown Port Huron Saturday, January 29th

Chilly Fest is back. The annual celebration of chili and being chilly will be held on Saturday, January 29th in Downtown Port Huron.

The event coincides with a weekend of Silver Stick Hockey Tournament games and the PoHo Hot Cocoa Race.

The mostly outdoors event will have a s’more station and carriage rides on McMorran Boulevard, along with a Chilly Corn Hole Tournament to be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Instead of sampling chili in a crowded tent, organizers have planned a “Chili Crawl” where score cards can be purchased for $5, giving participants access to chili samples at nine downtown businesses.

There will also be a Cocoa Crawl and Penguin Hunt going on all day, along with displays of ice carvings at many downtown businesses. There will be an outdoor Kid’s Zone in the Superior Mall Parking Lot from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Chilly Fest is the result of a lot of collaboration between Downtown Port Huron, Port Huron Parks and Recreation, Blue Water Young Professionals, and corporate sponsors.

A link to the full schedule can be found below.

https://www.chillyfest.org/?fbclid=IwAR0_LZUET3LVqdFwwH2g4H0eU897a0PCIQ5nZL_B7qPUlHMykAy_dt4Pqxw

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

PHS Asks Community to Complete Federal Funding Survey

Stakeholders in the Port Huron Area School District are asked to complete a survey to gauge the public’s priorities as the district makes plans to spend federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER III, funding.

The survey asks students, parents, staff, and community members to give their feedback on what is important to them.

The survey lists a variety of spending options and asks respondents to rate them as essential, high, medium, and low priority, and not a priority. The survey ends on January 31st.

The short survey asks about implementing instruction in both face-to-face and remote learning formats, interventions for struggling students, instructional materials, and summer learning opportunities. The survey also asks about opinions on after-school tutoring and extra instructional days. There is an opportunity to rate the importance of family engagement and social-emotional programming, as well as technology, facilities, and COVID-19 mitigation investments.

A link to the Survey.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Dr. Annette Barnes Receives Nasr Award

Dr. Annette Barnes is the most recent recipient of the Dr. Bassam Nasr Community Service Leader Award. The award is issued by the St. Clair County Medical Society, a community of Blue Water Area physicians.

Dr. Barnes is a Board-Certified Pediatrician who has been practicing in Por Huron since 1997. Her office is located on Electric Avenue in Port Huron.

The Nasr award is named after the late Dr. Bassam Nasr, a local gastroenterologist, philanthropist, and one of the co-founders of Physician Healthcare Network.

According to a press release from the St. Clair County Medical Society, “Dr. Barnes has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the pediatric population of our  community, both within and beyond the walls of her practice. She has been a mentor to  many area youth and she has provided guidance to several local groups and  organizations.”

Dr. Barnes was also complimented on the way she served her patients during the Covid pandemic by continuing to keep her office open and maintaining a high vaccination rate for her pediatric patients.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

DNR Rolls Out New Trails Plan

There’s a new plan for trails in the state of Michigan. The Department of Natural Resources has announced the creation of the 2022-2032 Michigan DNR Trails Plan.

The DNR has determined that 79% of Michiganders enjoy some sort of outdoor recreation and that outdoor recreation contributes an estimated $9.5 billion to the state’s economy.

The plan calls for an updated framework implemented over the next decade to manage the state’s 13,400 miles of trails. The trails are used for hiking, horseback riding, biking, snowmobiling, off-roading, and other recreational pursuits year-round.

The motto “explore, connect, sustain” is the foundation of the plan. Key points in the plan include analyzing the connections between existing trails and communities, recognizing funding sources for trails, and creating a strategy for trail use through online resources and other DNR channels.

2022-2032 Michigan DNR Trails Plan

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Wild Green Winter Game Nights Coming to Downtown Port Huron

The Friends of the St. Clair River are hosting a unique series of Game Nights with a twist. The Wild Green Winter Game Nights will be held at Border Keep Games in Downtown Port Huron and will feature games highlighting nature.

The Friends of the St. Clair River work to be good stewards of the St. Clair River and to provide educational opportunities to the community about the important ecosystem. Staff from Friends of the St. Clair River will be on hand to help with the games.

The tabletop games will simulate hiking, building food webs, and adapting to the ecosystems. Game players will also explore birding and other outdoor pursuits while staying warm and cozy during the coldest time of the year.

The game nights will be held on January 28th, February 25th, and March 25th at 7:00 p.m.  A $5 per person donation to Friends of the St. Clair River is suggested. A donation includes a beverage voucher. Refreshments will be available from Border Keep Games.

Border Keep Games is located at 942 Military Street in Downtown Port Huron.

Registration information can be found at the following link.

https://www.facebook.com/events/901116207262410/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Student Loan with Navient? It Could Be Forgiven

For those who have a student loan serviced by Navient, there could be a debt cancellation in the future. Navient has been sued and has settled to the tune of $1.85 billion. Michigan is part of a multi-state settlement.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “The predatory practices used by Navient exploited students who wanted nothing more than an education. The company placed borrowers in risky subprime loans, causing them to incur debts they could never repay. This settlement reflects accountability for affected borrowers across the country.” 

Michigan has 1,576 borrowers eligible for a total $38 million debt cancellation. They will be contacted by Navient by July of this year and could receive refunds on any payments made on canceled loans. The loans were mostly sold to students attending for-profit universities.

No action is required on the part of the borrowers, but they should make sure their studentaid.gov account has accurate contact information and that any addresses have been updated.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland