Send new stories and press releases to JP at news@wgrt.com.

Local News

Sarnia COVID-19 Update for April 1, 2021

Sarnia, Ontario — The City of Sarnia recently made some adjustments to the province-wide public health and workplace safety measures in the Grey-Lockdown level, and a couple more will go into effect on April 12th.

The changes allowed for outdoor fitness classes and team sports training, limited outdoor dining, and modified outdoor capacity limits for weddings, funerals, and religious services. On April 12th, personal care services will be permitted to operate at either 25% capacity or five patrons at a time if they can be physically distanced.

As of Wednesday at 9:30 AM, there were 179 active cases of COVID in Lambton County and the rate of positive tests was 3.3%. Dr. Ranade, Medical Officer of Health, stated that around 99 cases have screened positive for a Variant of Concern (VOC).

Registration for the COVID-19 vaccine is currently open for individuals 70-74, and pre-registration is now open for some Phase 2 groups including essential frontline workers who can’t work from home. Visit Ontario.ca/bookvaccine to sign up.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Home Depot Donates To Blue Water Habitat for Humanity Project

Port Huron, MI — Home Depot is partnering with Blue Water Habitat for Humanity to “Bring on Spring” by donating products to a Port Huron neighborhood revitalization project. Port Huron is one of 11 recipients nationwide.

Sean Walker, the Programs and Partnership Manager for the Home Depot Foundation said, “Home Depot is pleased to support the communities involved, including the Blue Water Habitat for Humanity, which has played a pivotal role in the Port Huron community for 31 years.”

Walker said, “Due to longstanding partnership of The Home Depot Foundation with Habitat for Humanity – and Habitat’s innate “doing” spirit – the partnership was a no brainer!”

While the exact project is still being worked out, CEO of the Blue Water Habitat for Humanity Ernest C. Werth-Toward said, “Spring projects will be coordinated by local Habitat for Humanity organizations. Blue Water Habitat for Humanity will select and coordinate the Bring on Spring project in Port Huron based on community needs.”

Home Depot had a good year. Walker said, “Spring is an important time for homeowners everywhere and it’s no secret that many folks took on DIY projects over the last year. The Home Depot wants to continue to empower that spirit of ‘doing’ by supporting the community.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

DNR Says Leave Baby Wild Animals Alone; They Will Be OK

Spring is in the air and nature-lovers are taking to hiking trails in wooded areas. What should one do if a helpless baby animal is found all alone?

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ weekly News Digest, nothing.

Hannah Schauer, wildlife communications coordinator with the DNR, said, “One survival strategy wild mammal moms use is hiding their young while they are elsewhere, but don’t worry; they will return periodically to nurse and care for the babies. This tactic helps young animals stay safer from predators while mom goes elsewhere to avoid drawing attention to where they’re hidden.”

Birds that appear to have a broken leg often pull on the heartstrings of well-meaning people, but the bird is probably fine.

Shauer said, “As we get later into spring and into the summer you might see fledgling birds hopping around on the ground, and this is completely normal. These fluffy youngsters are getting old enough to start trying to fly and need more space than the nest has. Their parents aren’t far and will continue to feed and care for them.” 

It is actually illegal to possess a wild animal in Michigan. If an animal appears in true danger, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator should be called.

Learn more about what to do if you find a baby animal and get a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators at Michigan.gov/Wildlife or contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Standardized Tests Still a Possibility for Public School Students

Michigan schools are off the hook when it comes to federal requirements for school accountability, but they are still in limbo when it comes to actually administering standardized “high stakes testing”.

The United States Department of Education waived the federal requirements for school accountability for the 2020-21 school year. The reason for the waiver is the disruption to instruction caused by the pandemic.

Michigan can now use testing to measure long-term goals instead of yearly benchmarks. The state is also required to identify schools for targeted support and improvement based on the 2020-21 data.

Districts are further encouraged to reduce the impact of “high stakes testing” by not holding poor scores against students and teachers when figuring grades, being held back a grade, teacher evaluations, and local school ratings.

Casandra Ulbrich, a Blue Water area native and President of the Michigan State Board of Education reacted to the announcement saying, “The waiver removes the federal ‘high stakes’ from the summative test, but still does not address whether schools will be required to administer the tests this year.”

Ulbrich said that the state is still awaiting a decision from the USDOE on the test waiver.  

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Earth Fair Presents 30 Day Challenge

The Blue Water Area usually looks forward to the annual Earth Fair held at Goodells County Park, but due to COVID, it is taking a second year off. In place of the large in-person gathering, families can take conservation action into their own hands with the “30 for 30 Earth Fair Challenge” event. 

Organizer Sarah Davidson-Nelson said, “One of the Earth Fair committee’s purposes is to inspire the community to become better environmental stewards. The 30 for 30 Earth Fair Challenge event is virtual, but it will offer local community members a way to become better environmental stewards in a safe and yet still engaging and interactive manner.”

Participants can check the Earth Fair Facebook page for a new activity each day or check the website for the full list of activities.

Participants can then upload a picture and be entered to win a $50 Visa Gift Card. There is a new chance to win with every challenge.

Everyone who submits a challenge picture will get an Earth Fair Vendor Coupon book good for deals on vendors’ websites.

Examples of challenges include a competitive scavenger hunt at Goodells Park, a trash-free picnic, and exploring a beach, park or trail.

www.facebook.com/EarthDayFair

www.earthdayfair.com/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

TCF Closer to Merge Into Huntington

Regional banking is changing once again with the merger of two banks with presence in the Blue Water Area. The merger of Huntington Bank and TCF Bank is one step closer to completion after each company’s shareholders approved the merger of TCF into Huntington last week.

Chemical bank merged into TCF just two years ago. Before that, Talmer bank merged with Chemical in 2016.

TCF Bank is a Detroit-based financial holding company with $48 billion in assets and 470 branches. Huntington, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has $123 billion in assets and 839 branches.

Branch closures are expected, particularly those that are within stores like Meijer, along with layoffs. Huntington Bank will have their commercial banking headquarters in a new building in downtown Detroit.

Stock holders are the big winners in the merger. Stephen D. Steinour, Huntington’s chairman, president, and CEO said he is “very pleased Huntington shareholders support this partnership, as it provides a compelling opportunity to accelerate shareholder value creation, while enabling us to help more people and businesses throughout our local communities.”

The merger is expected to be finalized later this year.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland