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Local News

Propane Price-Gougers Put on Notice by AG Nessel as Line 5 Shutdown Looms

For rural residents who rely on propane heat, they can end up in a jam if they run out of propane. They may feel like they have to pay whatever price is charged to fill up the tank in order to stay warm.

Propane price-gouging is actually against the law. Michigan is part of a MI Propane Plan that addresses the state’s energy needs in anticipation of the eventual shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5, which supplies over half of the state’s propane. Part of the MI Propane Plan is to protect consumers from price-gouging.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “Price-gouging is against the law, and the energy industry is not exempt from those regulations. This office has taken legal action in the past to protect people from excessively high energy prices, and I will not hesitate to do so again to protect the pocketbooks of Michigan’s consumers.” 

AmeriGas has been sued by the Michigan Department of the Attorney General for violating the Consumer Protection Act and the case is heading toward trial. The complaint is that AmeriGas doubled their rate for some consumers in the past, which is illegal.

Nessel said she encourages anyone who suspects they are being taken advantage of by an energy supplier to contact her office.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Ford Field Becoming Mass Vaccination Site

Michigan — On March 12th, Governor Whitmer announced that Ford Field will be converted to a mass vaccination site that will open on March 24th. The Biden Administration is partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create an eight-week long push to administer 6,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per day.

The facility will operate from 8 AM to 8:30 PM seven days a week, and it’s part of the federal government’s vaccination pilot program targeted at the population’s most vulnerable.

Governor Whitmer said, “The safe and effective vaccine is the best way to protect Michiganders and their families, and it is essential to getting our country back to normal, so that we can all hug our loved ones, get back to work, and send our kids to school safely. I want to thank President Biden and FEMA for the opportunity to build one of the nation’s first community vaccination sites to service the entire Southeast Michigan region.”

Whitmer noted that over one million Michiganders have already been vaccinated and the new mass vaccination site at Ford Field will help the state reach its goal of equitably vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 16 years or older.

When the site opens at the end of March, they will be offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the first three weeks followed by second doses for those recipients the following three weeks. There will be no cost to patients , and information about registering at the Ford Field Mass Vaccination Site is forthcoming.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Lexington Boat Launch to Close for Repairs

Lexington, MI — If signs of spring make boaters think about planning summer boat trips, they will need to rethink a trip involving the Lexington boat launch. The Lexington Harbor boating access site is planned to be under construction soon and construction will extend into boating season with completion forecasted for the end of June or early July.

The area will be undergoing repaving, design, and skid pier work, with the timeline dependent on weather. The construction of new vault toilets is also part of the remodel of the facility.

The harbor will remain open during construction.

Diesel fuel sales at the harbor are currently suspended but are hoped to back online for the 2021 summer boating season. The next closest place to get marine diesel is south in Port Huron and north in Port Sanilac. Unleaded fuel is still available in Lexington.

Boaters are asked to spread the word about the Lexington boat launch so that the closure doesn’t surprise anyone and leads to disappointment. There are public launches in Port Huron and Port Sanilac that can accommodate boaters until the Lexington construction is completed.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Volunteer Training Starts April 1st at Spero Center

Port Huron, MI — Spero Pregnancy Center wants to remind you that volunteering is good for your health, and they have a volunteer training session beginning April 1st that will help you plug in to their nonprofit medical clinic.

Spero Center has a holistic approach to working with women and men experiencing unexpected pregnancies. They provide support through client advocates, mentors, medical staff, and many other staff members and volunteers.

They provide a five-week training program that equips volunteers with the skills they need to serve their clients well. There are opportunities to work with the center’s clients along with providing volunteer IT support, graphic design, cleaning, community outreach, and office support.

Volunteering is rewarding in many ways, and it’s proven to increase over-all well-being in the areas of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Spero Pregnancy Center  by visiting their website at BlueWaterBabies.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Beeler Serves as Chair of Taxpayer Protection Caucus

Lansing, MI — Last week, State Representative Andrew Beeler was asked to serve as the Caucus Chair for the newly formed Michigan House Taxpayer Protection Caucus. State Representative Steve Johnson, a Republican from Wayland, MI will be the Co-Chair.

Beeler said, “I am honored to be asked to chair this caucus. The members of our group all share a common belief that the taxpayers of Michigan need a strong voice in the Legislature, perhaps now more than ever.”

The Caucus is made up of State Representatives who signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge which places emphasis on the best interest of taxpayers instead of lobbyists or special interest groups. The pledge comes from a group called the Americans for Tax Reform, an advocacy group in the United States founded by Grover Norquist, and an essential element of the pledge is an opposition to any and all tax increases.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

State Board of Education Wants to Take a Year Off from M-STEP Test

Standardized tests are tricky during a year of virtual classes, quarantining, and social distancing. The Michigan State Board of Education wants to ditch the M-STEP and stick to the tests that districts use at the beginning and end of the year to measure growth. They have pleaded with the U.S. Department of Education and are now calling on the Michigan legislature to back them up.  

In a resolution passed unanimously this month, the State Board of Education recognized the stress of the pandemic and noted that while 83% of schools now have some in-person options, less than half of Michigan students received in-person instruction on “most” days this year. The majority of instruction has been online for the majority of the students.

State Board of Education President Dr. Casandra Ulbrich said, “You cannot give these tests remotely and accurately, in which case the data will lack both validity and reliability. The resulting data will be fundamentally flawed.”

The Board wants the legislature to sign off on waiving statewide testing and let districts use national tests of their choosing to gauge progress and make decisions about how best to allocate resources.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland 

The State Board of Education just passed the following resolution unanimously:

Resolution on Waivers Associated with State Summative Assessments and High-Stakes Accountability Measures in a Pandemic

for the 2020-2021 Academic School Year

WHEREAS, pre-K-12 students, parents and staff in Michigan and across the country have endured tremendous challenges in the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the state, nation, and world;

WHEREAS, 83 percent of school districts indicated last month that they were offering at least an in-person option, but—given parent choice and the enrollments of many of the districts that have been remote most of the year–fewer than half of Michigan students have received in-person instruction most days this school year;

WHEREAS, in recognition of this disruption and the public health threats present amidst the pandemic, the U.S. Secretary of Education approved the requests of the Michigan Department of Education and other states to waive state summative assessments and associated high-stakes accountability requirements tied to those assessments for the 2019-2020 school year;

WHEREAS, Michigan’s legislature passed, and the governor signed, a state law last summer to require public school districts to administer locally chosen, national benchmark assessments to measure where students are academically at the beginning and end of this school year, and for districts to share that information with parents and educators;

WHEREAS, the data gathered from those benchmark assessments have helped and will continue to help local school districts focus resources and determine interventions and supports for students;

WHEREAS, given the presence of benchmark assessments, schools need to continue focusing as much time as possible on the academic and social emotional needs of their students;

WHEREAS, the Michigan Department of Education has a request pending with the U.S. Department of Education to waive the federally required statewide summative assessments for the 2020-2021 school year and associated high-stakes accountability requirements and will continue discussions with the U.S. Department of Education (USED) on USED’s declared offer of flexibility on such issues;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that contingent upon the granting of these federal waivers, the State Board of Education strongly urges the Michigan Legislature to likewise act to relieve added burden on Michigan students and waive all state laws requiring the administration of statewide summative assessments and associated high-stakes accountability requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.