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Local News

Flower Baskets Coming to Beautify Downtown

Port Huron, MI — The Port Huron Downtown Development Authority will be adding hanging flower baskets throughout Downtown Port Huron. The project was approved in September of 2020 and will begin to beautify the city this spring.

Ninety-two iron hangars will be installed to hold the flower baskets which were purchased from Eckert’s Greenhouse in Sterling Heights. Eckert’s is a family owned and operated greenhouse that is known for providing hanging baskets in other cities such as Ludington and Clawson.

The baskets will feature a “Labor Saver” feature which enables them to be watered every other day, and the DDA is working on strategies to keep them well-tended and healthy.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

East China Virtual Academy Gives Options to Students and Families

East China School District in St. Clair County is launching the East China Virtual Academy, ECVA. The Academy will offer online instruction using East China teachers and will have a full K-12 course catalog. Twenty percent of East China district students chose full-time virtual learning this school year. 

Teacher Jason Perrin, one of the organizers of the project, said that the district began planning before the pandemic with the hope of offering more options and flexibility. The Academy will be housed in the new Innovation Center. He said, “As educators, we know students are individuals and what works for one student may not be the best fit for another. ECVA will be an option for all students no matter what their academic goals may be.”

Online instruction options will be available for full-time virtual students, drop-in high school students who take courses outside of the traditional classroom, and for students who need to make up credits.

When asked if he thinks online learning is here to stay, Perrin said, “Yes! Online/Hybrid learning is an important option to have for students and families that are looking for alternative approaches to traditional education and many families have realized it works for them during pandemic learning.”

Twenty percent of East China district students chose full-time virtual learning this school year. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Sarnia Moved Back to Red-Control Zone

Sarnia, Ontario — After a week of being in the Orange-Restrict level of the Province’s COVID-19 Response Framework, Sarnia has been moved back to the Red-Control Zone. This move places more stringent measures on businesses and individuals and is the highest level of control before a lockdown is enforced.

Cases of COVID-19 stayed relatively low in the Sarnia area until they began to rise dramatically in December. As of Wednesday, there were 94 active cases of the virus in Lambton County.

The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to all residents of long-term care, retirement, or elder care homes who wanted one, so the Province is now focused on immunizing that group with its second dose and giving first doses to essential caregivers of seniors and health care workers along with adults in Indigenous populations and recipients of chronic home health care.

For more details about vaccine priority groups and Red-Control Zone restrictions, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Magna International Building Manufacturing Facility in St. Clair

The Magna International company is building a brand new factory in St. Clair. The manufacturing facility is expected to add over 300 jobs to the region with its $70.1 million investment. Magna plans to manufacture complex battery enclosures for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV, an electronic propulsion vehicle.

The location of the 345,000 square foot building in St. Clair County is a victory for both the county and state as several Midwest locations were vying for the investment. Magna currently employs over 10,000 people in Michigan. They manufacture a variety of components for the auto industry, including complete vehicles, and have been part of the industry since 1957.

Finding local people to fill the jobs is a priority. Dan Casey of the St. Clair County Economic Development Alliance said, “We’re excited to see more Industry 4.0 jobs coming to St. Clair County. We look forward to working with Magna Electric Vehicle Structures to develop new training resources to support the company’s growth.” 

A link to information about jobs with Magna:

https://www.magna.com/company/careers

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Online Sports Betting and Casinos Break Records with Michigan Debut

If you tried out online sports betting or casinos this year, you are part of history. Michigan’s venture into legal online sports betting and online casinos has been one for the record books. Sports betting debuted with $115 million in bets in the first ten days, according to numbers from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Online casinos posted $29.4 million in gross receipts.

Michigan generated more money than any other state. Analysts with PlayMichigan, which analyzes online gaming operations, said, “The circumstances for Michigan’s online launch could not have been better ahead of two of the biggest sports betting holidays of the year.”

Sports betting accounted for 76% of the state’s online gambling, but online casinos did pretty well also, generating over $4 million in tax revenue in first ten days.

Gambling operations seem to have confidence in Michiganders’ taste for gambling. PlayMichigan analysts said that launching with 10 operators ready to go from the beginning was unlike anything else they had seen before.

While revenue for the actual betting operators was down due to the massive amount of advertising they have been doing in Michigan, PlayMichigan’s analysts said that it shows just how much confidence operators have in the future of the Michigan market.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SCCHD COVID Testing at Marysville Clinic

Port Huron, MI — The St. Clair County Health Department offers all COVID-19 testing at an offsite clinic located at  1168 Gratiot Blvd, in Marysville. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 8:30am 3:30pm and Fridays 8:30am – 12:00 pm.

Appointments can be self-scheduled on the health department website, www.scchealth.co click  on the “COVID-19 Testing Link” or call (810) 987-5300 for assistance.

Testing helps public health officials identify COVID-19 infection in our community, isolate positive cases, and find close contacts for follow-up monitoring. Some people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms and don’t know they have it. They can continue spreading the virus and can cause  serious illness in others.

Testing information: 

  • Free/No out of pocket costs
  • Dependent on an individual’s needs, multiple testing methods are available ∙ Seek testing if you have been exposed, sick or traveling
  • All ages welcome
  • No screening needed
  • No doctor’s order needed
  • Please bring a form of ID to the appointment
  • COVID-19 vaccinations are NOT provided at this location

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department