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A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio Marysville

Ceramics Studio Provides Creative Outlet for Kids & Adults

Marysville, MI — Kristie Evans-Hutchinson has been interested in ceramics for a long time, and when the First Congregational Church in Port Huron sold their building and offered to gift her the materials in their studio, she became a business owner.

Kristie is now the owner of A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio located in Market Square Plaza in Marysville, and it caters to both walk-in patrons and those who want scheduled classes.

Kristie’s husband, Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson, went from no knowledge of the intricacies of working with clay, slip, and molds, to keeping himself busy creating new pieces for clients to paint and glaze along with running the studio’s kiln.

Hutch said ceramics is a perfect way to unwind and take care of yourself. When he’s working in the studio, he said, “I’m focusing on this, not what I’m going to make for dinner or what I’m going to do this afternoon, or how to get peace and quiet. My brain is already at rest because I’m focusing on one thing.” He also said, “I take the moment to myself because if I’m not good mentally or physically, I cant help anybody else.”

The Hutchinson family has spent months building and organizing the studio and creating a bright and inviting space for their customers. Pieces available for painting and glazing include lighthouses, animal statues, toad and bunny houses, and even a complete set of chess pieces.

New classes begin the first week of each month, and there is an ongoing fundraiser on their website to help offset the cost of their After School Program (ASP). The ASP provides a safe, creative outlet for kids in grades 4-12 and offers them 4 classes each month.

To learn more about A Little Hobby visit ALittleHobby.com

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Benson Wants to Take Michigan From Worst to First in Transparency

Michigan — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently announced a new item on her agenda: increasing government transparency in the state.

Benson is responding to a study published in 2015 by The Center for Public Integrity which assesses the accountability and transparency of state governments. Overall, Michigan ranked 50th in the U.S. and was given an “F”. However, the state ranked 5th and was given a “B-” in the area of Electoral Oversight and also scored well in its handling of State Budget Processes.

Benson considers herself a longtime advocate for government transparency and said her new agenda “would take Michigan from worst to first in government transparency, shine the light on dark money in politics and stop public corruption.” She also said, “These are things lawmakers must do if they are serious about rebuilding public trust in our elected government.”

Benson’s new legislative agenda is titled “From Worst to First”, and it includes items such as extending the Freedom of Information Act to the governor and state legislature, tightening LLC reporting requirements to ensure certain monies do not corrupt elections, and enforcing the Conflict of Interest Act to identify legislative conflicts of interest. The entire agenda can be found <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

PH and PHN Tie for First Place in Blue Water Quiz Bowl League

The Blue Water High School Quiz Bowl season just wrapped up with both high school teams from Port Huron Schools tying for first place in the final league standings. The League Tournament was held last Thursday at Armada High School and ended with an exciting championship match in a meeting of the minds of both Port Huron Northern and Port Huron High Schools.

Port Huron High School held the lead throughout the regular season with six season points, but Port Huron Northern won the tourney earning six tournament points. Both teams ended the season with eleven league points and tied for first place, with both taking home league trophies.

Kelly Harrington, coach for the Port Huron High team said that she is proud of the knowledge her team has, “but most importantly of the way they conducted themselves.” She said she was “proud to watch them show what it means to be from Port Huron High School.”

Michelle Dunham, the Port Huron Northern coach said she was very proud of her students and their success in both the league standings and the league tournament. Dunham notes, “They were committed to practicing and playing this season, even when it was unsure how the season might progress due to COVID.  Our team was small, but their diverse knowledge led to great success.”

The Port Huron High team is making plans to compete in the online state finals in the spring.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

“Fix-a-Leak Week” Focuses on Residential Water Waste Prevention

One leaky faucet can waste up to 3,000 gallons of water per year. Disadvantaged communities often have homes with more leaky faucets and therefore have higher water bills and could have lower water quality. To reduce water waste and promote environmental sustainability, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, EGLE,  has declared this “Fix-A-Leak Week.”

EGLE’s Clean Water Public Advocate, Ninah Sasy, said, “Water leaks in the home can significantly increase consumer water bills and contribute to water quality concerns. Investments in water conservation efforts in the home and our water distribution systems are key to reducing energy consumption and cost while ensuring environmental sustainability.”

The Water Week Pilot program has gotten underway, starting in Benton Harbor and Highland Park, and will eventually expand to other areas of need. According to EGLE, the program offers free in-home plumbing repairs and new water-saving fixtures. Michigan residents will be able to receive a discount on Kohler WaterSense products during the week.

A link to more information and tips on water conservation in your home:

Michigan.gov/FixaLeakWeek

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MDOT Keeps Blue Water Bridge Rates the Same; Canadian Side Increases Toll

Port Huron, MI — The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced that toll rates, paid in Canadian currency, will remain the same, while the Federal Bridge Corporation, which operates the Canadian side of the bridge is raising rates. The Bridge has remained closed to non-essential travel for nearly a year.

The toll rates are adjusted on April 1st and October 1st of each year in accordance with the Blue Water Bridge parity rate adjustment policy that was effective April 1st 2016. There are no changes to the bridge fare for those paying with Canadian money, heading into Canada from the U.S.

With the current average daily exchange rate, the toll rates remain at $4 Canadian per trip for passenger vehicles, with extra axles costing another $4. Trucks and buses cost $4.25 per axle.

The rates for those paying with U.S. dollars heading into Canada are $3 for passenger vehicles and another $3 for each extra axle and $3.25 for each axle on trucks and buses.

For truckers and essential travelers heading into the U.S. from Canada, the rates are set to increase on April 1st to $5 Canadian or $3.75 U.S. per axle, as decided by the Federal Bridge Corporation, on the Canadian side.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Families Receive Food Benefits for Kids in Virtual School

Michigan — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) began automatically issuing food assistance benefits to more than 800,000 Michigan children through the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, which is similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Families who are eligible for the benefits don’t need to apply and should receive the added benefits automatically to their Bridge cards if they are already enrolled in the SNAP program or through the mail in the form of a Pandemic-EBT card.

The benefits are around $127.53 monthly for each child who is enrolled in a school that is fully virtual, and $77.06 for kids in schools that are functioning on a hybrid model.

The benefits are available to families with students ages 5-18 enrolled in the Michigan Department of Education program for students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and the goal is to ensure that no child in the state goes hungry during the pandemic.

Governor Whitmer said, “[K]ids who don’t go to school five days a week have a harder time accessing the free and reduced-price meals available to them at school. Pandemic-EBT closes this gap, giving our children another option for accessing nutritious food.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand