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Local News

Lambton Area 12 Year-olds Can Register for Vaccine

Lambton Public Health is now booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for individuals 12 years old and older, or those who will turn 12 in 2021. Appointments for that group are only available at the Point Edward Arena mass vaccination clinic which administers the Pfizer vaccine.

Adults 18 years-old and older can book a vaccine appointment at any available clinic by visiting Lambton Public Health’s online registration site <HERE>.

As of last Friday, May 14th, Lambton County reached a 50% vaccination rate with its eligible population. By the end of May, Lambton Public Health estimates that close to 65% of the eligible population will have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The Provincial Stay-at-Home order is in effect until June 2nd, along with all public health and workplace safety measures under the provincewide emergency brake.

Non-essential travel is discouraged, and travel from Manitoba or Quebec into Ontario is restricted.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Michigan Chamber of Commerce Demands MIOSHA Clarity

Masks. To wear or not to wear; that is the question. Just a month ago we were reporting on a mandate for two-year-olds to wear masks while at daycare, and now one can shop for groceries with no mask if fully vaccinated, although it is unlikely anyone is checking actual vaccination status.

The inconsistency has the Michigan Chamber of Commerce saying, “Enough is enough.” In a statement issued this week, the influential pro-business lobby called on the Governor to stop what they called a “fiasco” with Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) regulations.

While the federal agency, OSHA, has aligned their recommendations with the current CDC guidelines, the state regulators are a little more vague in their response and in their timeline for implementing updates.

Rich Studley, President and CEO of the Michigan Chamber, said, “The constant controlling and micromanaging of Michigander’s daily lives needs to stop. For over a year, Michiganders have been subjected to an endless stream of arbitrary, confusing and constantly changing state orders from Lansing.”

He went on to say, “It’s time for the Governor to start treating employees and employers like adults and allow Michigan to reopen safely.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Wants to Survey Residents

Getting out and enjoying nature and taking part in recreation on land and water are year-round activities in St. Clair County. The County Parks and Recreation Commission wants to know what kind of recreation is important to you and where you would like to see improvements.

The Parks and Recreation Commission is updating its five-year recreation master plan. A short survey has been designed and is available for all county residents to complete online and make their voices heard.

The survey asks about the use of the parks over the past year, as well as asking for ratings of the stewardship of the public parks through maintenance and condition. It also asks for suggestions in improving each individual park.

It also asks if residents are interested in extending the Wadhams to Avoca Trail into the City of Yale and whether additional parklands should be developed. The survey asks residents to prioritize efforts of the commission and what the best investments of tax dollars might be.

A link to the survey can be found at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sccparc2021

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Community Remembers Fallen Heroes

Port Huron, MI — Ed Weichsler, a former U.S. Air Force Veteran, worked with a student from Croswell-Lexington High School to find a way to honor local military heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their community. That desire, and a lot of hard work and community support, resulted in the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Banner Project.

The 100% volunteer-led project collected almost 400 stories of military heroes from the area which will be displayed on banners placed throughout the towns in St. Clair County.

The first of the hometown hero banners will be hung in towns and cities throughout St. Clair County starting the week before Memorial Day and remain up until June 4th. The banners include the hero’s photo, name, branch of service, rank, war conflict, age, and their home city, and they be displayed annually.

Weichsler said the community’s response to the project has been absolutely overwhelming. Donations have amounted to over $30,000, and a fund is being held at the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The fund will help with current and future costs associated with printing the banners and any reprinting needed in the future to replace worn or damaged banners.

Donations for the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Banner Project can be made by mail or online.  By mail, send a check to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, 500 Water Street, Port Huron, MI 48060 with “Banner Program Fund” noted on the memo line.  Online, visit: www.stclairfoundation.org, select funds and click on the Blue Water Area Fallen Heroes Community Banner Program link.

For more information or to submit photographs for the Project, contact Ed Weichsler, Program Advisor and U.S. Air Force Veteran by phone at (810) 985-2007 (hotline) or (810) 434-6407 or  e-mail at weichsler10@gmail.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

YMCA Aligns Mask Rules with CDC, State of Michigan

Port Huron, MI — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) added exceptions to their Gatherings and Face Mask Order on Saturday, May 15th, most notably, removing the requirement to wear a face mask for fully vaccinated persons. The YMCA of the Blue Water Area has decided to align its mask rules with the new order.

Josh Chapman, President/CEO of the YMCA of the Blue Water Area, said in a press release that the “YMCA has instituted numerous health and safety measures to best protect everyone who enters the Y, including: daily health screenings for members and staff, rigorous daily cleaning protocols, use of electrostatic spraying equipment nightly, capacity tracking, and social distancing requirements for all activities.”

In light of that, the YMCA is following the new guidelines and will not require fully vaccinated individuals to wear a mask in their facility.

Chapman notes that a fully vaccinated individual is defined as someone who is 2 weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine or 2 weeks past their first dose of a single-dose vaccine.

The YMCA is asking guests and members to their facility to follow their core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility in relation to the face mask guidelines, and will not ask for proof of vaccination.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Blue Meets Green Initiative Establishes Priorities

The Blue Meets Green Initiative’s mission is to develop the Blue Water Region into a prosperous, sustainable economic environment through community collaboration. Their Phase VI priorities were established at their recent committee meeting, and address issues such as workforce training, countywide broadband access, and child care.

The Blue Meets Green committee will work to make the following Phase VI priorities a reality through partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit leaders:

  1. Marine City Marina – Marine City, Michigan is a destination place for thousands of tourists every year.  However, Marine City is bypassed by boaters due to the lack of boat docking, fuel, shore power and boating amenities.  The Marine City Marina project would add another safe harbor for boaters.
  2. Countywide Broadband Strategic Plan – This effort will support the development of a countywide broadband strategic action plan. The plan would serve as a roadmap to establish the infrastructure needed to push broadband forward in St. Clair County.
  3. Expanded Training / Workforce Training – The workforce training facilities at St. Clair County Community College and RESA require expansion. This would allow for new or expanded programs, equipment, and the capacity to increase student enrollment. The goal is to increase the number of people with credentials including degrees, advanced degrees, certifications or completed apprenticeships.
  4. COVID-19 Vaccine Planning – The COVID-19 vaccine distribution process / community vaccination initiatives will not be successful without the robust support and participation by our entire business community and community leadership. COVID-19 vaccines are a pathway to ending this pandemic. There has never been a vaccination project that has required this type of coordination, communications and surveillance. There is no vaccination project that will have the same level of impact on the economy, education, and quality of life.
  5. Increasing Child Care Options – Prior to the pandemic, many area residents were struggling with finding available child care options. This issue has exploded since the pandemic. Without additional child care options, more St. Clair County residents will be forced to leave the workforce, creating an even tighter labor market for the county.

Past Blue Meets Green projects include the Sperry’s building rehabilitation into Sperry’s Moviehouse and the YMCA property development.

To learn more about Blue Meets Green, visit their website here:

https://sites.google.com/bluemeetsgreen.org/bluemeetsgreen/home