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Local News

Kenockee Farms Looking Forward to Expanded 2022 CSA Season

Always wanted to own a farm? Well, now you can, sort of. Kenockee Farms offers Community Supported Agriculture Shares, or CSA shares, in their Kenockee Township organic farm.

Owner Ruth Field said that this is their third year of operating the CSA program. Shareowners buy the level of share that meets their family’s needs and in return, they get a weekly basket of food throughout the growing season.

Field said that her farm has expanded to offer fresh eggs, Amish-made birch and maple syrups, and is looking forward to extending the growing season with a possible hoop house on the farm.

Field said that they are also operating a farm stand on Lapeer Road, not far from Goodells park, and will be branching out with microgreens with possible sales to the restaurant industry.

Last year, there were 23 CSA shares, and there is room for more this year. Baskets include a wide variety of organic vegetables, with some of them being rare heirloom varieties, along with seasonal fruits and herbs.

More information can be found at kenockeefarms.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Rep. Beeler Supports Effort to Suspend Gas Tax

Submitted by Rep. Beeler’s Office:

As rising fuel prices continue to increase costs on Michigan families, state Rep. Andrew Beeler, who serves on the House Tax Policy Committee, and the Michigan House of Representatives today approved a plan to repeal the state gas tax for six months.

House Bill 5570 would suspend the state motor fuel tax beginning April 1. By pausing the tax of 27.2 cents per gallon, the plan is estimated to save Michigan drivers about $750 million over the six-month period.

“Inflation and federal restrictions on American oil are driving the price of gas to staggering heights,” said Beeler, R-Port Huron. “To help offset these price increases, our plan will give Michigan families a break from the state gas tax.”

House passage of the plan comes despite a recent statement by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who yesterday urged Congress to suspend the federal gas tax temporarily. The federal tax is only 18.4 cents per gallon, and the Legislature’s plan would enable greater savings on each gallon of gas.

“Gov. Whitmer is perhaps most famous for begging the Legislature to raise the Michigan gas tax by 45 cents a gallon,” Beeler said. “Lawmakers had the foresight to steer away from the wreck that would cause. I am hopeful that Gov. Whitmer will work with Republicans and Democrats here in Michigan to provide substantive relief for the citizens of our state paying high gas prices.”

Beeler and the House also approved House Resolution 250, calling for Gov. Whitmer and the federal government to support policies to enable energy independence in the United States. In addition to calling for more oil production in the United States, the measure also urges the governor and Attorney General Dana Nessel to end their partisan attempts to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which transports oil and natural gas through Canada, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The House approved HB 5570 with bipartisan support, and it now proceeds to the Senate, which is expected to approve the plan next week.

 

It’s Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and a Good Time to Help The Arc of St. Clair County

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The Arc of St. Clair County is making a difference for those living with developmental and intellectual differences one person at a time.

The Arc’s Executive Director, Valorie Hudgens, told us that recently the Arc staff worked with an individual who was experiencing homelessness. He was moving around the community from shelter to living on the streets. 

Hudgens said that the Arc staff, along with other community agencies, assisted him in obtaining secure housing, social security income, food assistance, and health care. The man said that he appreciated being treated like a human being again.

The Arc also advocates for families who are navigating the educational system with Individual Education Plans and behavior plans, as well as for people trying to gain independence through employment.

The non-profit is asking the community to help them to continue their work with this year’s silent auction. There are only a few more days to bid on the variety of interesting prizes.

https://zoomgive.com/2383/c/achieve

It’s Reading Month!

For decades, March has been known as Reading Month, with schools and libraries offering incentives for kids to delve into books and develop a lifelong love of reading.

The need for emphasizing the joy of reading is greater than ever, with reading for fun declining in popularity for nine- and thirteen-year-olds, according to a Pew Research study. Less than half of the kids surveyed said they actually read for fun.

Michigan Teacher of the Year, Leah Porter, said, “Reading is a gift that opens the doors of possibility. It allows every single person the opportunity to grow, reflect, question, and empathize with situations that are both lived and unfamiliar.”

Young readers in St. Clair County are likely celebrating March is Reading Month at School, but they can also get involved and maybe even win some prizes at all branches of the St. Clair County Library System.

The Library is offering March is Reading Month Bingo, where kids get a Bingo sheet, fill in the challenges, and turn it in to get entered into a prize drawing. Go to stclairlibrary.org for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

County to Pay for and Coordinate Spraying for Spongy (Gypsy) Moths

Those pesky gypsy moths, now renamed spongy moths, won’t know what hit them if St. Clair County’s mitigation strategy works. After county residents reported the infestation of the little caterpillars with the huge appetites, the county adopted a plan to provide aerial spraying in areas identified as spongy moth hot spots.

County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin said, “Through a partnership with multiple county departments, St. Clair County MSU Extension and the Friends of the St. Clair River, an annual Spongy Moth Mitigation Program and 2022 aerial spray both have been successfully designed and implemented.”

Baldwin said that there will be no cost to residents or municipalities for the 2022 aerial spray, which could cost up to $550,000.  The county is picking up the tab this year.

Over 5500 acres of land have been identified as needing treatment. Spraying will begin in May and should be completed no later than the first of June. Affected property owners will be contacted and have the option to decline.

More information will soon be available at stclaircouty.org.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

International Symphony Orchestra Returns to Live Performances

The International Symphony Orchestra is preparing for its first live concert in front of a live audience since pre-covid.

The concert, Music Without Borders – Live in Michigan, will take place on Friday, March 18, 2022 at McMorran Theatre.  Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students, and children 14 and under are $2.

Maestro Douglas Bianchi, a Canadian-born Michigan conductor, remarked about the first post-pandemic concert in a press release, saying,  “We made it through, but we wanted to return early for the Michigan friends of the ISO, who have been steadfast in their support for a regional orchestra in their community in its seventh decade. We all look forward to getting together in person at last, while making sure to stream it for those who can’t join us.”

Music selections include works by Mozart, Schubert, Grandval, and Mendelssohn along with a featured performance of Vitula, a new, original piece composed by Dinah Bianchi.

Music Without Borders II – Live in Ontario is being planned for later this spring.

Get tickets here:

https://theiso.ticketspice.com/michigan-music-without-borders

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand