Local News

The entire business community has been dealt a crushing blow with the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. As local small business owners struggle to innovate and take care of their employees, there are several people working to encourage them and offer support.

Lisa Bowman, owner of Sir Speedy Printing in Port Huron, started the #porthuronstrong campaign and used her sign printing expertise to get other businesses involved. When asked what motivated her, Lisa said, “When we first got the news that places were going to be shutdown, of course panic set in including worrying about my employees that are like daughters to me.  Then I thought I need to do a banner with a positive message to let everyone know we are in this together. Being a 10 year Breast Cancer survivor, I know how important it is to stay positive and strong during hard times.” Michigan Mutual paid for part of the cost and installation of a banner version of the sign to display on top of their building, and you can find more of these red & white signs throughout Downtown reminding everyone that “Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors.”

Cynthia Cutright, Director of the Port Huron Downtown Development Authority, has been working hard to connect businesses with relief programs and keep them encouraged, especially in light of the cancellation of  this summer’s Blue Water Fest. “One of the most amazing things about our downtown is we have a wonderful community of business owners. This is a hard hit, and it’s been a very scary time for everybody, but everybody is so optimistic. It’s amazing to see already the resilience in these folks. I’m going to be doing everything along with them to make sure we come back stronger than ever.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Art on the River planning is in full swing for the event scheduled June 12th – 14th at Kiefer Park along the St. Clair River. Trina Avedisian, President of Citizens for a Vibrant Community,  says, “We’re moving forward and committed to putting this event on for our community.”

This year’s featured artist is Cecil Williams, whose preferred media is stained glass and painting in oils. His paintings are exhibited in many locations around the United States and even as far as Germany. Mr. Williams will be creating a painting exclusively for Art on the River.

Art on the River is a grass-roots art show and music festival hosted by the community group Citizens for a Vibrant Community. This family friendly event includes art workshops, vendors, food, and dancing. This year’s music lineup include several well known blues artists from the Detroit area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Transmission of COVID-19 is widespread throughout Michigan, including St. Clair County. There is also widespread virus activity in the Province of Ontario, including the Sarnia-Lambton area. Confirmed cases are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 9,334 confirmed cases; 337 deaths
• St. Clair County: 42 confirmed cases
• Ontario: 2,392 confirmed cases; 37 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 56 confirmed cases; 6 deaths

The Joint Information Center in St. Clair County reports that Michigan hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with patients. When preparing for possible pandemic situations in the past, hospitals established mutual aid agreements to ensure the standard of care was maintained in the event of such a disaster. The purpose of a mutual aid agreement is to allow for transfer and acceptance of patients and sharing of resources.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer for the St. Clair County Health Department, stated, “We cannot stress enough, the purpose of accepting transfer patients into our local hospitals is to save lives and provide the best possible medical care to patients with COVID. This process is critical and will allow all hospitals to keep running.”

Lambton Public Health is reporting that some of their confirmed cases have been linked to travel to Europe, others are linked to family and faith community gatherings, and a limited number to  occupational settings. Officials are urging people to follow social distancing directives. They are further recommending that all individuals over 70 years old self-isolate, and remind the public that the province has  closed all outdoor recreational amenities.

Please continue to reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

• Centers for Disease Control:  cdc.gov/coronavirus
• State of Michigan: Michigan.gov/coronavirus  or Info Hotline  1-888-535-6136 Daily 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or email questions to COVID19@michigan.gov
• St. Clair County Health Department: COVID-19 Info Hotline (810) 966-4163 Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm or email questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org
• St. Clair County Community Mental Health COVID-19 Support Line (810) 985-8900, available Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Lambton Public Health: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
• City of Sarnia COVID-19 Hotline: 1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642)

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

On Monday, March 30th,  The Bluewater Health Foundation in Sarnia announced it has established a COVID-19 fund. Donations to this fund will help support the urgent and highest priority needs of Bluewater Health in the fight against COVID-19.  Bluewater Health is a hospital in Sarnia, Ontario. It was opened October 3, 1896 as Sarnia General Hospital and was the community’s first public hospital.

According to the foundation’s website, the fund was established because of “multiple requests from the community as to how they can help out during this unprecedented time,”  Kathy Alexander, Executive Director of  Bluewater Health Foundation said in a press release that, “Right now we are in need of monetary donations more than ever to ensure we can quickly respond to needs that may emerge from the fight against COVID-19.”

Funds raised will be used to support front-line healthcare professionals, as well as to purchase critical equipment and technology to enhance the ability to diagnose and treat patients during this difficult time and beyond. You can learn more <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Governor Whitmer’s office wants to assure Michigan residents that the Executive and Legislative branches of state government are working together to ensure an effective response to COVID-19. Monday’s signing of two supplemental budget bills provides $150 million in new state funding for response efforts.

Shane Hernandez, House Appropriations Committee Chair,  made the following statement about the bills:

“These measures support our health care workers – the brave men and women risking their own health to help our families and friends – with more testing equipment, protective gear and other resources. The plan has built-in oversight and accountability measures to ensure the money goes where it should and is spent in Michigan’s best interests.

“Finally, as part of a bipartisan agreement, these budget measures no longer contain many spending items unrelated to Michigan’s coronavirus response. This reflects the fundamental reality that state government must be focused on lessening the spread of COVID-19 while also preparing for budget pressures caused by a temporary economic slowdown. State government must prioritize fighting COVID-19 while making tough budget decisions just like Michigan families and businesses are doing every day.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The man suspected of armed robbery at several businesses in Port Huron was arraigned on March 30th. Ronald Eugene Martin, a 40 year old Port Huron resident was charged with five counts of Robbery Armed and one count of Felony Firearm and Habitual Offender – Fourth Offense Notice. His bond was set at $200, 000. He has a probable cause hearing scheduled for April 7, 2020.

Martin was arrested on March 27th at The Village Manor Apartments in the 3100 block of Electric Avenue in Port Huron. Law enforcement has been working on this case since the first crime was committed at the Speedway gas station on Ravenswood Road in Port Huron on November 28th, 2019.

Martin was charged with that robbery along with  four other armed robberies over the course of three months at the same Speedway gas station, Family Video on 10th Street, Quality Inn and Suites on Yeager St., and the Speedy Q on Water Street.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand