Local News

Summer vacations are a huge part of family traditions. WGRT spoke with Theresa Winters, owner of Faraway Places Travel, about things you should be thinking about as you plan your summer vacation.

We asked Theresa to tell us the most important thing people need to know about domestic travel. She reminded us that this summer is still a waiting game when it comes to domestic travel. Each state will have different rules when the world opens back up, and we have to be very mindful of that. Every day brings more changes.

Travel outside of the country will also be dependent on each destination. Again, it is all about keeping up to date with the changes. We also asked Theresa about the number one travel concern she is hearing from her clients. She told us that the number one concern is about the uncertainty of income in the future, which in turn leaves people only dreaming of travel.

As a travel agent, it’s her job to stay informed about travel restrictions and regulations so her customers don’t have to. She has strong connections in the travel community, and has learned to navigate complicated issues for her clients in the past. She can also help people get to the destinations they want to visit on a variety of budgets.

This situation will be no different. She went on to say, “It excites me to hear that people are still wanting to travel when the world opens back up. Out of all this, I hope that people now see the importance of working with a travel professional.”

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

On April 9th, 2020, a group in Michigan began to take shape in reaction to the governor’s executive order that shut down many businesses and ordered others to work from home.  The group is called Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine. Their first major activity was a protest on April 15th in Lansing called “Operation Gridlock” which drew thousands of participants from around the state.

In a recent Facebook post, the group’s organizers said, “No longer are we simply a group of people against something. We have become Michiganders FOR Protection of Constitutional Rights, Civil Liberties,  Civil Rights and Government  Transparency!”  The group’s organizers state that they have now morphed in a citizen’s watchdog organization.

Elizabeth Richards Schurg, spokesperson for the group, said, “We are actively making our voices known through the legitimate avenues of phone calls, emails and letters. Members are filing complaints and even law suits in PROTECTION  of our rights.”  The group is focused on changing state statutes which they say are not in line with the federal statues, such as transparency laws.  They also plan efforts to abolish or amend statutes concerning Emergency Powers, contracts, HIPPA rights, and FOIA requests, among others.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Giving Tuesday launched in 2012 as a national day of giving around the globe. Traditionally set for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year,  it has been a way for nonprofits to take advantage of a national campaign to increase awareness and support of their organizations. Last year’s Giving Tuesday campaign raised $2 billion in the United States alone.

Leadership sponsors behind Giving Tuesday have decided to add another global day of giving to this year’s calendar in response to the effect the coronavirus is having around the world. They have declared May 5th, 2020 #GivingTuesdayNow.

#GivingTuesdayNow is designed to drive an influx of grassroots generosity, citizen engagement, business and philanthropy activation, and support for communities and nonprofits all over the world. To learn more about the global effort, visit Giving Tuesday on Facebook <HERE>.

Those interested in finding ways to help nonprofits in their own community can consider making donations on #GivingTuesdayNow to their favorite local charities or discovering new organizations to support. The public can search for nonprofits by location at GuideStar.org or GreatNonprofits.org.  There are also opportunities to donate to organizations that grant money to nonprofits in their communities like United Way of St. Clair County, United Way Sarnia-Lambton, the Eastern Michigan Christian Foundation, or the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Operation Transformation, along with Blue Water Area churches, is sponsoring a time for people to safely come together and corporately pray. The service is free and open to all.

The Community Drive-In National Day of Prayer Service will be held from 12:00 – 12:30 PM on May 7th at the North McMorran parking lot in downtown Port Huron.  Everyone will be asked to stay in their vehicles with their windows up and tune their radios to 90.7. Various pastors will be leading times of prayer for specific areas.

Thursday, May 7, 2020 was established by the United States Congress as the National Day of Prayer. This day is set aside to remember our spiritual heritage and the foundation our country was built upon. The theme for the 2020 National Day of Prayer Service is “Hope.”  Tens of thousands of citizens across the country will be praying for our nation, government leaders, media, military, schools, churches, businesses and families.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

WGRT spoke with Quentin Bishop, Executive Director of the Lapeer Development Corporation, to find out how the economy of our neighboring county is doing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like many counties in Michigan, Lapeer County relies heavily on their role in the automotive supply chain. Bishop said that when the automotive industry shut down, Lapeer County was hit hard, spotlighting the need for more diversification of the Michigan economy.  Michigan has the second highest unemployment claims in the nation and yet ranks 35th in federal funding. Bishop said that the huge disparity between unemployment and federal subsidy is putting Michigan’s rural communities like Lapeer County at a big disadvantage.

When asked about plans for re-booting the economy, Bishop told WGRT that he is forming a task force made of community, government, and business leaders to help communicate and coordinate the efforts to prepare for a safe reopening and long-term economic recovery.

Bishop also shared news about a successful collaboration between McLaren, the LDC, and their local industrial sewing company, Trims Unlimited in Almont Township, that produced 250,000 face masks for McLaren Lapeer as well as another 30,000 plus masks for the Clorox company.

The State of Michigan has partnered with more than 200 of  Michigan’s financial institutions to ensure that no one experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 will lose their home during the COVID-19 crisis. This partnership is designed to encourage uniformity in available options for consumers in need of assistance, regardless of financial institution.

Under the MiMortgage Relief Partnership, participating financial institutions have agreed they will continue to work with their affected residential mortgage loan borrowers by “providing affected borrowers with a 90-day grace period for all mortgage payments.”  

When borrowers reach an agreement with their financial institutions, those institutions will also waive or refund mortgage-related late fees for at least 90 days.  Financial institutions will also agree not to report adverse credit scoring information for affected borrowers who reach an agreement with their financial institutions.

Some of the local financial institutions participating include Advia Credit Union, Eastern Michigan Bank, Lake Stone Bank & Trust and Genysis Credit Union. Borrowers are urged to call their Bank or Credit Union for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn