Local News

The Marine City Police Department is asking for help in locating two subjects wanted for questioning in a larceny in a building/credit card fraud/unlawful use of a financial transaction device case with the department. In photos posted on the department’s Facebook page, police are asking if you know who these individuals are, to contact the police department.

Police say, if you are one of these individuals involved, they urge you to contact the department as soon as possible. The Marine City police say they “take pride in protecting the citizens and business owners of Marine City and larceny and credit card fraud are not things” they will tolerate. The Marine City Police Department’s phone number is 810-765-4040.

Three local first responders and Port Huron resident Kyle Bailey, participated in events surrounding the Fight for Air Climb in Detroit last weekend. The three Kimball firefighters, wearing full turnout gear and SCBA that weighs 70+ pounds, climbed up and down 55 floors totaling 1,108 stairs! The Firefighter and other Responder participants event was hosted at One Woodward in Detroit. One Woodward was designed by an architect, who went on to design the World Trade Center in New York.  Together, the three firefighters raised over $850 for the American Lung Association.

Bailey, a quadruple organ transplant recipient  completed the challenge at the Ally Detroit Center. Ally Detroit Center is the 2nd tallest building in Michigan, and Kyle along with other participants, went up 42 flights & down 41 floors for a total of 83 floors and 1,768 steps. Bailey regularly has outreach events to help raise organ donation awareness and families with medical expenses through the Kyle Bailey Foundation. Bailey said the goal in 2020 is to raise $50,000 for families in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

The event is hosted through the American Lung Association to promote a healthier lifestyle and to honor those who are affected by lung disease.

Freighter watching is a popular pastime in the Blue Water area and you can watch them worldwide from various river cams. If you’ve recently checked out the BoatNerd camera on Youtube, you may not have found the feed. If you were wondering where the live feed of traffic in the St. Clair River went, there is a new link you can follow to stay up to speed on freighter traffic. The link has changed due to issues with the YouTube platform. You can find the new link at BoatNerd’s Facebook page. 

The previous live feed at the old link had over half a million views just since October of 2019. If you can’t get out and watch the giant boats on location, the BoatNerd camera is the next best thing. According to Neil Schultheiss, President of Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online, Inc., “The camera captures anything interesting that passes by on the river with a clear view from the Bridge to below the Black River. This time of year, boat traffic is light with mainly tanker traffic going into the docks in Sarnia and the Coast Guard escorts returning to dock.” But Schultheiss said, “Earlier in the week an eagle passed by on an ice flow and there were fishermen out in boats near the Black River.” Webcams have been running at the current location since 2001. The new link is https://youtu.be/syeXISjVNsg.

If you’re new to the area, are looking to make new friends or maybe you just need a fun night out, Kate’s Downtown and other Port Huron businesses have teamed up to offer an evening to socialize with other area residents who maybe be looking to do the same. 

This Saturday, March 7th at 7p.m., Kate’s Downtown will be hosting a social mixer. The evening advertises great food, sample beverages, giveaways, good conversation, and most importantly, they say, a great time! Tickets are available for $20 and can be purchased at the Cafe or through their Facebook page. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Along with the first sightings of robins and the melting of the snow comes another sign of spring: potholes and road construction. To protect what is left of the roads after the damaging freeze-thaw cycle, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and local agencies have enacted weight restrictions on roads that are maintained by the state. 

There are two sets of weight restrictions, both of which are now in effect and include the Blue Water Area reaching into the Thumb Region. The restrictions affect I-69, M-46, and M-25 in the Blue Water area, along with most of the middle section of the lower peninsula. In a press release, MDOT said that trucks need to reduce their loads by 25-35% on the restricted roads. The restrictions do not affect the average non-commercial driver, other than hopefully limiting the damage to local roads from the heavy trucks. 

In other road news, the St. Clair County Road Commission has announced that Lambs Road in Wales Township, between Fitz and Cove Roads, will be closed to all traffic as they complete a culvert installation project. Lambs Road is expected to reopen in two weeks.

Yesterday marked Super Tuesday in the United States-the first big primary election day after the four early nominating states. As Michigan’s primaries draw near on March 10, many have already cast votes via absentee ballots. As of Wednesday, February 27, the Secretary of State reported that almost 777,700 absentee ballots had been sent to voters, with almost 387,000 ballots already turned in. However, some may be wanting to get those ballots back. 

With the high number of absentee voting and ballots that have already been turned in, it’s likely many local residents cast votes for candidates that have now dropped out. Ahead of Super Tuesday, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg announced they were suspending their respective bids for the democratic nomination. Can those votes be changed? The answer is yes. 

According to the Michigan Secretary of State, if a voter has already voted absentee and wishes to change their vote, the ballot can be spoiled by submitting a written request to their city or township clerk. The voter must sign the request and state if they would like a new absentee ballot mailed to them or if they will vote at the polls. This request must be received by 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election if received by mail. An absentee ballot may also be spoiled in person at the clerk’s office until 4 p.m. the Monday prior to the election. The voter can obtain a new absentee ballot there or vote at the polls. There is no option on Election Day to spoil an absentee ballot that has been received by the clerk.