Local News

In every economic crisis there are winners and losers. Without question, dining out, entertainment venues, and manufacturers have taken a huge hit. The question many are asking is, “Who are the winners?” Look no further than your computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone for the answer.

Video conferencing is on the rise. Video communication apps saw a record growth in March. With so much of the global population now living under some kind of degree of lockdown, many organizations have had to shift employees to working-from-home. The result is the demand for video conferencing apps has surged in recent weeks, with mobile app downloads reaching 62 million during the week March 14-21 – the highest number ever seen.

Zoom was the undisputed winner growing from 10 million users a day in December to 300 million users a day in April of this year. Video apps are not just useful in conducting business. Churches are using them to conduct weddings, funeral homes have turned to them for memorial services, and families use them to celebrate significant events like birthdays and anniversaries.

Of course, along with the convenience comes certain risks. The FBI has warned the public of the potential for “Zoom-bombing.”  Zoom-bombing is when unwanted guests intrude on video meetings for malicious purposes.  Zoom-bombing has significantly increased during the pandemic. Zoom recommends that users refrain from sharing meeting links on social media or in public forums, avoiding the use of your personal meeting ID (PMI) to host public meetings, and familiarizing yourself with Zoom and its settings before using the platform so you understand how to protect your virtual space.

 

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

A group of Michigan House members today said the governor should revise an initial COVID-19 economic reopening map that places St. Clair and Lapeer counties in the Metro Detroit region.

Reps. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron, Pamela Hornberger of Chesterfield Township, Gary Eisen of St. Clair Township and Gary Howell of North Branch noted COVID-19 is significantly less prevalent in St. Clair and Lapeer counties than in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. St. Clair and Lapeer should be on track for reopening more quickly than the Metro Detroit area, the lawmakers said.

“It’s ridiculous that St. Clair County – with a few hundred confirmed COVID-19 cases – would be placed in the same region as Wayne County, with several thousand COVID-19 cases,” Hernandez said. “The governor needs a new map. This is another sign that she, or her advisory group that suggested the regions, is out of touch with what’s going in different parts of the state when it comes to COVID-19.”

As of Monday, St. Clair County had 304 confirmed cases of COVID-19 while Lapeer County had 164 confirmed cases. Detroit had 8,679 cases, with Wayne County at 7,193, Oakland County at 6,913 and Macomb County at 5,245.

Lapeer and St. Clair counties were included in a nine-county ‘Detroit region’ on the map from the Michigan Economic Recovery Council, whose guidance Gov. Whitmer said will be a consideration as she moves forward with plans to reopen the economy.

“The governor said she is going to be reliant on data as she reopens the economy – well, this is her chance to prove it,” Howell said. “The COVID-19 data indicates Lapeer and Detroit are in significantly different circumstances.”

Hornberger said the governor must work with the Legislature to reopen Michigan in a safe, commonsense fashion.

“The Legislature represents the people – and the people deserve a voice in this process,” Hornberger said. “The governor has been making too many decisions without input from the Legislature, and it’s hurting the people of Michigan who want to safely get back to work.”

Eisen said the governor’s unilateral actions were a factor in the Legislature’s decision to establish the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. The panel, with membership from both the House and Senate, will provide oversight and accountability on how state government is responding to COVID-19.

“We need answers and information from the governor to find out how decisions like this are being made,” Eisen said. “Putting our small cities and townships in the same boat with Metro Detroit on COVID-19 – it’s not right and it’s not acceptable.”

Submitted by Tim Martin

Dr. Annette Mercatante,  Medical Health Officer of the St. Clair County Health Department, updated the Port Huron City Council on the COVID-19 situation in St. Clair County at their meeting Monday night. The City Council met in person observing social distancing requirements and navigating communication while wearing masks.

Dr. Mercatante clarified some of the terminology being used to report on COVID-19, specifically the difference between confirmed and probable cases and the purposes of isolation vs. quarantine.

Confirmed cases represent patients who have tested positive for the virus, while probable cases represent those who have the clinical symptoms of the virus along with being associated with a person who has tested positive for the virus or having recently traveled to an area that has community spread of the virus.

Isolation is the practice of removing a sick individual from contact with others to prevent them from spreading the disease, while quarantine refers to keeping non-sick individuals away from others to prevent exposure to disease. Dr. Mercatante urges the correct use of both practices to keep the virus from spreading.

When looking at the data associated with COVID-19 cases, she also urged a focus on the trends that are emerging rather than individual numbers. Because of the “real time” nature of the Michigan Data Surveillance System, numbers can go up and down each day as thousands of healthcare workers across the state enter data into the system.

Important trends to consider include the steady percentage of people recovering from the disease and the county’s relatively low percentage of hospitalizations and deaths which are lower than other areas in Michigan.

As the county prepares for the gradual lifting of stay-home orders, Dr. Mercatante expressed that the data indicates less than 5% of our population has been affected by COVID-19. “When we loosen our social distancing measures and we’re not paying as much attention to staying away from each other, this virus will be transmitted again,” she said.

With only 7% of our hospital beds in the county being used by COVID-19 patients, and the resources the county has built during the stay-home order, our medical system is in a much better place to care for COVID-19 patients than it was at the onset of the situation. However, that doesn’t mean that this is over. “When we open up, there is a defined risk that goes with that. Personally, I think that we just have to manage that risk.” said Dr. Mercatante.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Former Fogcutter restaurant owner Jeremiah “Jerry” Patrick O’Connor passed away at age 87, on April 23, 2020, at Kingston Residence in Perrysburg, Ohio. Jerry had been living at home in Perrysburg with his wife Mary Anne as his primary caregiver until Mary Anne died on March 25, 2020.

Jerry graduated from MSU with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management. His restaurant management career included managing the Harrington Hotel food service operations. Jerry then realized his lifelong dream and opened The Fogcutter restaurant in 1969. He operated it for over 33 years.

The Fogcutter restaurant was an iconic place, with a stunning top floor location in the Peoples Bank building in downtown Port Huron overlooking the St. Clair River and the beautiful Blue Water Bridge. It was a large restaurant operation, with two full kitchens, and seating for over 350 people, including the banquet rooms. Many will remember the Fogcutter salad and dressing, the Maurice salad, Hot Brown sandwich, Almond Fried Shrimp, Lake Huron perch and walleye, exceptional prime rib on the weekends, and the famous Mile High Fogcutter Pie for dessert.

Cathy Martinek, Account Executive for WGRT, knew him well and remembers Jerry as a gentle giant. Cathy said, “He was a great restaurant owner, compassionate and helpful to his employees….gentleman first class to his restaurant guests, kind and generous to his community.  He will be missed.”

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

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