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

Local News

Statewide Tornado Drill Wednesday at 1 p.m.

A statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, March 24th at 1:00 p.m. This is Severe Weather Awareness Week and it’s time to prepare for spring and summer severe weather.

The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is asking residents to be prepared for tornado season. The questions for disaster readiness are: Do you have a plan? Where will you go? What will you do? Do you know the alert systems in your area? How will you communicate?

Tornado season generally runs from April to July, with most tornadoes occurring between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.  Michigan’s “tornado alley” is from Grand Rapids to Flint, but the Blue Water Area has had some strong tornadoes on record.

A Tornado Watch means that conditions are conducive to the development of a tornado. A Tornado Warning means that a tornado had actually been spotted. When a tornado is threatening, the safest place in a home is a basement or the central area of the home in a small room or under sturdy furniture. Mobile home residents should evacuate and find a stronger structure.

Tornado information: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp-tornado_tips_8781_7.pdf.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Get Your Free Credit Report Until April 20th

Equifax, Experian, and Transunion have been providing free weekly credit reports throughout the pandemic, and they just extended the deadline to April 20th to help Americans stay on top of their finances.

To obtain a free credit report, visit AnnualCreditReport.com to initiate the process. There are three steps to complete, including entering personal information and your social security number.

Users can also select reports from one or all of the participating credit reporting companies, and they have to confirm their identity by answering questions about open accounts, payment amounts, and past and current employers.

Once the review portion is complete, credit reports can be viewed online, printed, or mailed to your home address. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Health Center Seeking Community Input

Community First Health Centers is a local nonprofit organization that has been providing medical services in St. Clair County since 1975. They have created a survey to gauge the community’s awareness of their services and get input about the community’s healthcare needs.

Community First Health Centers has clinics in Algonac, New Haven, and Port Huron. They offer a variety of healthcare services with several options to keep prices affordable for their patients. As a nonprofit, they accept donations to help them fulfill their mission, and all donations are tax-deductable.

The goal of the survey is to find out how much the community knows about the services they provide and discover what kind of medical services the public thinks the community needs.

To fill out the survey, visit their website <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Port Huron Northern AD Jason Kasparian Named Regional Athletic Director of the Year

Port Huron, MI — Jason Kasparian, the Athletic Director at Port Huron Northern High School, was selected as the 2021 Regional Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Administrators Association (MIAAA).

Mr. Kasparian is in his 11th year as both Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Port Huron Northern High School. His leadership roster includes Macomb Area Conference President for the 2018 season, and current chair for the Sportsmanship and Technology Committees with MIAAA, along with several committees for the Michigan High School Athletics Association. He has also coached soccer, little league, and basketball at various levels and is considered the champion of the effort to raise $141,000 to replace the gym floor at Port Huron Northern.

John Hartley, a fellow AD in the region said, “Jason Kasparian is a loving and caring husband and father, a ‘do the right thing’ type of person, and someone I am honored to call a great friend and colleague. I feel I speak for the Macomb Area Conference when I say I am proud to have Jason Kasparian represent us by being named MIAAA Region 10 AD of the Year.”

Port Huron Northern High School Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Brian Jamison echoed Hartley’s remarks, saying Kasparian’s “personality, work ethic, and character put him in a special class of people.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lauwers Advocates for Keeping Line 5 Open Until Safer Line is Built

Michigan State Senator Dan Lauwers reported on the testimony to a joint hearing of the Senate’s Energy and Technology Committee and Natural Resources Committee regarding the Enbridge Line 5 shutdown. 

Line 5 is a petroleum pipeline that extends from western Canada to Eastern Canada. It passes under the Straits of Mackinac and the St. Clair River. A leak from the line would be environmentally catastrophic. A new line under the Straits is in the preliminary planning stages. A new line has already been constructed under the St Clair River. 

A member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, Bob Bailey of Sarnia, spoke at the meeting. Lauwers said his testimony and others’ brought important perspective. Closing the line will have significant negative economic impacts on the Sarnia region.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer plans to completely close the line in May and rely on rail and trucking to transport the petroleum. Lauwers said that Whitmer does not have the authority to do so, as that would be breaking an international treaty. 

In his weekly newsletter, Lauwers said, “If safety and environmental protection are what we are after, we need to weigh these matters objectively instead of subjectively. I think we will find continuation of what we have now while we build an alternative to Line 5 is far better and safer than other considerations.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Veterans Can Learn to Paint Like Bob Ross

St. Clair County Veterans have an opportunity to paint like Bob Ross. The St. Clair County Department of Veterans Affairs and St. Clair County Community Mental Health have teamed up to bring Ted Simpson from Nature’s Brush Studio to the CMH Auditorium for an engaging art class.

The class is open to 20 St. Clair County Veterans, and it takes place on April 17th from 11 AM until 2 PM. Interested vets need to register now by calling (810) 966-3755 or emailing Wendy Martindale at St. Clair County CMH (wmartindale@scccmh.org) to secure their spot.

Organizers encourage participants to arrive 10 minutes early for the class, and they will provide a light snack during the event. COVID-19 safety practices will be in place, and masks are required during the class.

Ted Simpson, owner of Nature’s Brush Studio, is a Certified Bob Ross Instructor. He believes everyone can paint like Bob Ross, even if they’ve never picked up a brush. Simpson teaches group and private lessons both in his home studio in Farmington Hills, Michigan and for various groups and organizations at their locations.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand