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Local News

Salvation Army Seeking Christmas Donations

Port Huron, MI — Red Kettles and bell-ringing are a sign of the holiday season. With less people out and about this year, the Salvation Army is finding other ways to make sure all of the families in need in the area get help. Tags on “Angel Trees” are available for community members to take and to then purchase food and gifts for either individual children or entire families.

Major Susan Dalberg, Corps Officer at the Citadel said, “We already know that the toughest ages to get donations for are 9-12. Those ages represent the largest children groups this year. Lego kits, craft kits, toiletry gift sets, beauty gift sets and gift cards to fast food restaurants, movie theatres and large superstores like Target and Walmart are great gifts for this age group.”

The tags are located at Birchwood Mall near Target. Walmart also has a tree, in addition to an online Angel Tree that can be found at salvationarmyusa.org. Donations of toys can be dropped off at the Salvation Army in Port Huron.

Salvation Army Major Wes Dalberg added, “Every donation helps, from coins in the red kettle to cans of food. Every act of giving is love in action.”

https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/walmart-angel-tree/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Moe's Corner Deli Nish-wich

Moe’s Corner Deli Celebrates Native American Month

Moe’s Corner Deli is celebrating Native American Month throughout November, and they are also donating a portion of their sales this month to the Blue Water Indigenous Alliance.

Moses Malone, the owner of Moe’s Corner Deli, was grateful to work with the Blue Water Indigenous Alliance to create a new menu item featuring traditional Native American ingredients and flavors.  The “Nish-wich” is a slow-cooked pulled pork sandwich with Muenster cheese, succotash, and frog jam marmalade on Native American fry bread. It comes with a  side of traditional corn soup.

Native American fry bread is a popular treat at festivals and Moses was excited to create a sandwich featuring its unique flavors and texture. The succotash is made from scratch with a traditional Apache recipe, and the frog marmalade is a sweet and spicy mix of fig, raspberries, orange, ginger and jalapeños. Moses recommends a fork for this hearty sandwich.

The corner deli is also featuring stories from its own Native American past in its windows. The display includes photos and stories of several tribes that used to inhabit the Downtown area along the Black River.

“We’re happy to bring awareness to [the Blue Water Indigenous Alliance] and show the culture in their food, ” said Moses. “They are a great organization that has a lot of ties to the history of Downtown Port Huron which is something that Moe’s Corner Deli has always strived to be a part of.”

Moe’s Corner Deli is currently open Monday – Saturday from 10:30 – 4 PM and can accommodate carry-out and curbside orders placed online, by phone, or in the deli.

Learn more at their website <HERE>.

Winter Tax Bills on the Way

The City of Port Huron began mailing out 2020 Winter tax bills this week which contain taxes for various St. Clair County Services.

The County tax rate is $2.9064 per $1,000 of a property’s Taxable Value, and it is broken up into include tax revenue for the drug task force, services for senior citizens & veterans, along with the library, parks, and county roads. It also includes a $25 annual fee per residential parcel to cover bulk leaf and yard waste pickup and recycling.

Winter taxes may be paid without penalty on or before February 15, 2021.

Local Restaurants Move Back to Carry-Out and Need Community Support

Port Huron, MI — Restaurants once again have to innovate to stay in business and serve their customers, in the wake of the “paused” indoor dining for three weeks throughout Michigan.

The responsibility of keeping their staff employed when there are no indoor diners weighs heavily on restaurant owners. For Martina’s Grill in Downtown Port Huron, they are trying to make the best of a major challenge to their business.

Only open since March, Martina’s Grill navigated the pandemic effects by offering outdoor seating, plexiglass dividers, and now, family meals for carry-out, including a full Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings.

Manager Christina Ward said she is attempting to keep everyone working as much as possible. She said that people are already ordering the dinners, with some people ordering dinners to deliver to the friends and family that they can’t visit this year. Ward said, “Everyone is looking at Thanksgiving differently”, and Martina’s is trying to make the best of it.

Adapting to carry-out service is the only way for restaurants to keep their staff employed right now, and it is not easy. Ordering take-out from local restaurants, and maybe considering giving dinners as “gifts” to loved ones is a great step toward keeping our friends and neighbors employed during this “pause” in indoor dining.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

TSA Encourages Travelers to Enroll in PreCheck Before Holiday Travel

Even though the Transportation Security Administration has made changes to airport security lines to make air travel safer and more secure during the pandemic, they are encouraging travelers to enroll in PreCheck to make holiday travel even easier.

TSA PreCheck eliminates contact points so air travelers can proceed through security lines without having to take off their shoes and belts, and removing travel-size liquids from their bags.

According to the TSA, most passengers with TSA PreCheck wait less than 5 minutes at the TSA checkpoint.

To apply for TSA PreCheck, an appointment must be scheduled online for a 10 minute in-person meeting that includes finger printing and payment of the $85 5-year membership fee. The nearest local agency is IndentoGo on 10th Avenue in Port Huron.

Approved applicants receive a Known Traveler Number (KTN) within a few weeks and can use the number for future travel.

To learn more, visit the TSA’s website <HERE> .

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Libraries Return to Curbside Only

The St. Clair County Library System will return to curbside service only starting today. All in-person services will be modified to curbside delivery only.

The library system is responding to an increase of COVID-19 cases in St. Clair County and the surrounding areas and hopes to keep its employees and patrons safer by limiting person-to-person contact.

The St. Clair County Library’s website was recently updated and is easy to navigate and visually appealing. Patrons can search for books and media online and access movies, books, and music through the streaming service, Hoopla.

The library’s website contains up to date information about curbside service and what services will be available. Library patrons can also contact their branch directly during normal business hours.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand