Local News

Thursday was Law Enforcement Appreciation Day across the nation and many local businesses and individuals took time to recognize local departments and officers. 

Jersey Mike’s Subs in Fort Gratiot, teamed up with the Fort Gratiot Home Depot to bring in lunch for the deputies at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the staff from Eastern Michigan Bank Huron stopped by to drop off donuts from Chef Shell’s 

The Port Huron Police Department also sent a special thanks out to everyone who reached out to the department on the appreciation day. 

The national observance started in 2015 by Concerns of Police Survivors to show the over 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States that citizens recognize the difficult and sometimes impossible career they have chosen, in public service.

CES 2020 is the place to be for the next generation of innovation and tech products, and it’s where a local startup is seeing great success in the international arena. 

You may be familiar with Dan and Ed Cass from their product, Disney Smart Shelf, that launched in St. Clair County just a few years ago. With the help of an investment from the Community Capital Club, an investment arm of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, the startup made small bedside shelves that can hold cups, snacks, a reading light and, most importantly, wirelessly charge a variety of mobile devices at the same time. The product earned them a license with Disney, but this week at CES, the entrepreneurs launched a new product that’s garnered widespread attention. 

According to Ed Cass, Vice President of Intelashelf and D3 Products, the company unveiled Intelashelf at the convention. The new, patented product is a hybrid smart shelf design that consolidates audio, video & electronic charging technologies into a space saving furniture platform. 

Intelashelf earned a “Top 10” recognition in the ShowStoppers Launchit event. Only 48 products qualified for the event and the presentation led to international interest. 

According to Cass, the group’s goals in going to CES: investors, sales/purchase orders and awareness. Cass said they have surpassed the goal of awareness and have had promising encounters with investors that he believes will turn into more sales.

In partnership with the Port Huron NAACP, Port Huron schools has announced its the recipient of a matching grant to fund “Make a Blanket Day” in recognition of the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Middle school and high school students will be making fleece blankets for both children and adults through the grant. The blankets will then be delivered to local homeless shelters. 

The district reports that around 179 students have or are experiencing homelessness so far in this school year. According to a statement from the district, ”The goal of the ‘Make A Blanket’ project – other than to continue the stewardship of Dr. King’s legacy of service – is to spread warmth and kindness through the donation of handmade blankets, offering both children and adults some comfort in a time of transition and trauma.” 

Community members are invited to participate and may do so by contacting one of the schools involved. Elementary students throughout the district will be reading the book “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña and enjoying a presentation facilitated by the NAACP.

It’s almost time for Port Huron’s big, annual mid-winter celebration. ChillyFest is scheduled this year for January 24 and 25 in Downtown Port Huron. No one knows what the weather will be that weekend, as this is January in Michigan, but rain, snow or shine, the events will go on. 

The weekend festival includes live concerts in a large tent downtown. Scheduled performers include “Your Generation”, a popular tribute band, and “The Gobies”, a local country and rock band. Of course, there will be the annual chili cook-off where participants can sample and vote on their favorite chili from local restaurants.

The highlight of the weekend is the one-of-a-kind bed races, sponsored by the Blue Water Young Professionals. Racers create beds on wheels and showdown on the corner of McMorran and Superior Mall. 

The 9th Annual PoHo Hot Cocoa Race also takes place that weekend with a 10 mile, 10K, 5K, and Kids 1 Mile Races. The annual event is hosted by Downtown Port Huron, McMorran Place, and the Chilly Fest Committee, which is made up of community members.

The Sanilac County Sheriff is sending out a reminder in the new year that fraud scams are continuing and getting very creative in trying to make the scam sound realistic. Sheriff Garry Biniecki stated that the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau is seeing an increase in phone scams targeting Sanilac County Citizens. 

According to a recent statement, the Detective Bureau has taken numerous calls within the last month in regards to Social Security Scams and the “police call” or “lawyer call” scam as well. The number may look like they are calling from 810-648-2000, when in reality, scammers may have “stolen” the number to make the call look legit. 

The Department warns that the scammers can also “steal” bank numbers, accountant numbers, or even personal numbers. So, if it seems suspicious, contact the business directly to verify any issues. Residents can report the number if given a call back number or voicemail.

The Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office recommends remaining mindful and skeptical of callers especially if someone asks for cash, gift cards, credit card numbers, or other personal information. Beware of high pressure techniques, and avoid the “celebrity” friend request or unknown requests to connect through social media networks. The Sanilac County Sheriff’s Detective Bureau can be contacted at 810-648-8360.

A small group of dedicated environmentalists got together last weekend on “Stewardship Saturday” to clean up invasive species at Columbus County Park in St. Clair County. The group braved the mud and cold to remove plants that could choke out native species. 

The environmentalist group was after Japanese Barberry and Multiflora Rose plants, specifically. According to Kirsten Lyons, Stewardship Director for Friends of the St. Clair River, they got “ quite a bit of invasive species lopping done.” Lyons has been mapping and monitoring the park for two years, “determining where the highest quality habitats are and also where the challenges and threats” are so they can strategically target invasive species management efforts.

She gave credit to the park staff for their protection and conversation of the park. The Friends of the St. Clair River work with staff to keep the waterway healthy and clean. The group gets together on the first Saturday morning of January, February, March and April for similar activities. They started in September of last year. New volunteers are always welcome.