Local News

Lakeplain prairies are globally rare wetlands that harbor high levels of assortment in plants and natural resources and provide potential habitat for numerous rare species. Did you know Algonac State Park is a lakeplain prairie? Sunday was a Stewardship Day at the Algonac State Park and volunteers used the time to remove some damaging invasive plants from the area. The park is home to a special ecosystem and care is taken to make sure the native plants have a chance to thrive. 

Glossy buckthorn shades out native plants and threatens the growth of saplings. Kelsey Dillon, Natural Resource Steward for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said that the removal of the glossy buckthorn was the main focus of last weekend’s efforts. As winter turns to spring, staff and volunteers will turn their efforts toward other invasive species such as garlic mustard. Dillon said the workdays are important because they are engaging community volunteers in the “removal of a harmful invasive species from the lake plain prairie ecosystem at Algonac State Park.”

The next Stewardship Workday at Algonac State Park is March 22. Volunteers can register at the DNR website.

Port Huron businesses and individuals are advised to be vigilant after five St. Clair County locations received counterfeit bills last weekend. According to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, businesses around Port Huron Township, Marysville, and Fort Gratiot Township reported getting $100 bills last week that the offenders exchanged for real money. A liquor store, Menards, and AutoZone were all victims, but officials say other companies may have received the bills but not realized they were fake.

The suspects are believed to be three black females who were in a white Kia Forte with a Florida license plate. Anyone with more information should contact the St. Clair County Sheriff Department at (810) 985-8115.

St. Clair County Community College (SC4) added some names to their Hall of Fame at the 2020 Skippers Hall of Fame Ceremony last Saturday night. The evening honored three teams and 12 individuals.  It is the fourth class bringing the total of membership to forty-two individuals and 14 teams.

Among the honorees was Brian Bowman, current Golf Pro at the Port Huron Elks Club and Coach Ross Green, who was credited with building the SC4 Golf Program in the early 1990s. Other inductees included basketball, baseball, and volleyball athletes who made their mark at SC4. The teams included the 1994 men’s golf team coached by Mr. Green, 1994 baseball team coached by Rick Smith, and the 1996-97 Women’s Basketball Team coached by Chris Huss. 

SC4 began the athletics program in 1923. The institution has been honoring Hall of Fame Athletes since 2017. SC4 currently has fifteen sports teams. Nominations for future Hall of Fame individuals, coaches, and teams can be made on the SC4 website, sc4.edu. The Hall of Fame is located in the foyer of the SC4 Fieldhouse on the corner of Erie Street and McMorran Boulevard in downtown Port Huron.

The City of Algonac is warning residents of higher water levels that are expected for the coming year based on predictions from the Army Corp of Engineers. In a letter to residents, the city is urging Algonac property owners to prepare now to protect homes and take measures to prevent water from their property adversely affecting neighbors or public streets.

Along with the warning, comes a few reminders. The City says excess water cannot be discharged into the sanitary sewer system as the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Algonac is designed to handle the disposal of waster water and not drain property due to flooding. It is also illegal to: connect a sump pump or any other pump to drain water into the sanitary sewer; use open cleanouts to drain yards into the sanitary sewer; lifting manhole covers to allow surface water entry into the sanitary sewer.

Failure to follow these guidelines and increased flows into the sanitary sewer can cause sewer backups in homes and pollution into the St. Clair River. The city of Algonac declared a local flood emergency in June 2019 that is still in effect. Future information will be posted via the city’s website and Facebook page to inform the community of conditions as necessary.

Woman’s Life Insurance Society, a nationwide business with headquarters in Port Huron has been honored with a governor’s proclamation. 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed February 13 as Woman’s Life Insurance Society Member and Volunteer Appreciation Day. The proclamation recognizes the active chapters in the organization. In addition to providing financial planning and insurance products, the company sponsors Chapters that carry out charity work. The proclamation recognizes the $12 million paid out in benefits in 2019 as well as the $700,000 in donations to individuals in need, community programs, and non-profits. The chapters were recognized in the proclamation for their tens of thousands of hours of community service in both direct service and hosting fundraisers. The Governor’s proclamation says, “We pause to recognize, celebrate, and give thanks for their outreach activities that positively impact the lives of others.” 

Upcoming local efforts by Woman’s Life Chapters include a Chili Cookoff on February 27 to benefit the local Humane Society and a partnership with the Lake Huron Foundation’s Vineyards of the World fundraiser on February 28.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has created a bipartisan task force that will focus on lowering the cost of prescription drug prices. The Prescription Drug Task Force will consist of leaders from government agencies including the departments of Health and Human Services, and Michigan Legislators among others.

The initiative was first announced at the State of the State Address and made official in an Executive Order (2020-01) signed on Friday. Prices for the most commonly prescribed drugs for older patients have increased at more than 10 times the rate of inflation within five years according to supporting documents from the state, and the average cost of prescription drugs increased nearly 60 percent between 2012 and 2017, while income increased only 11 percent.

In an attempt to lower prices, the Prescription Drug Task Force will recommend legislative and administrative actions that can be taken to increase transparency in the pricing of prescription drugs to lower costs for Michigan families. The Prescription Drug Task Force will be housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.