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Local News

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

Vote for Your Favorite Local Musicians

The Blue Water Music Awards (B.W.M.A.) was founded 10 years ago when friends Tim Hunter and Dave Whitt were discussing the Oscars and decided that they’d be more interested in an awards show that featured their talented friends.

Since that time, Hunter has been organizing the yearly awards show and making sure that local musicians get the recognition they deserve.

After a couple year break, the Blue Water Music Awards has opened up voting and is preparing to host a live event at Lynch’s Irish Tavern on February 23, 2022 at 7 PM.

Voting takes place online, and categories include Rookie of the Year, Best Cover Band, Best Import, and Best Venue along with categories like Best Female, Best Hip Hop, and Best Album. New this year is a category for Best Music Video.

The Blue Water Music Awards also awards a Life Time Achievement Award, a Paul Time Award for the best musician in the area, and the Corey J. Kuhr Award for the best fan.

The Corey J. Kuhr award has gone through several name changes over the years. It started as the Best Roadie and then became Best Fan before being named after Cory Joseph Kuhr.

Hunter is looking forward to giving away this award at the event.  “He was one of my good friends, and it’s an award that means a lot to me personally,” he said.

Nominees include local bands and artists like Dusk til Dawn, Drew Jacobs, Alex Shier, and The Barones and out-of-town acts like Macomb County’s Acoustic Ash and Ontario’s Jacob Barber.

Hunter believes that the Blue Water Music Awards bring musicians together and provide a platform for new artists. He has seen artists start by playing an open mic at a local restaurant and go on to win multiple awards after being supported and encouraged by more experienced musicians.

The Blue Water Music Awards ceremony is free to attend, and you can vote for your favorites from now until February 22nd <HERE>.

Learn more on their Facebook page <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Health Insurers, Federal Government to Provide Free COVID Testing

Insurers are now required by federal law to cover the purchase of eight COVID-19 tests per person, per month.

At-home tests are often hard to find and can cost up to $12 per single test. Consumers who find the tests will need to save the box and the receipt to get reimbursement. The rule went into effect on January 15th.

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox said, “Depending on the insurer, consumers may be able to get their covered tests for free at the store or pharmacy, or they may be required to keep receipts for later reimbursement.”

Health insurers must cover the cost of the tests through preferred networks of pharmacies and retailers or through reimbursement. Medicaid and MIChild recipients have coverage as well. Uninsured people can get testing for free at some community health centers.

In addition to the insurance coverage, the federal government is providing one billion free at-home tests that can be ordered beginning January 19th through the website COVIDTests.gov. Tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering. Four tests per address are allowed with the federal program.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland