Local News

The United States and Canada have agreed to keep the border closed for nonessential travel for another 30 days, pushing any possible date for reopening to the latter part of May. Both countries announced the extension on Saturday , April 18th.

The restrictions on the world’s longest boarder took effect on March 21st, with only trade and other travel deemed essential to continue. The partial ban was to expire soon, but both countries have decided it is still not safe to allow traffic to fully resume.

“This is an important decision and one that will keep people on both sides of the border safe,” Trudeau told a news conference outside the residence where he has been living and working in recent weeks. Passenger travel between the US and Canada at the Blue Water Bridge has declined significantly since restrictions were put into place last month. The border typically sees between 2700 – 3200 passenger cars pass through each day, currently they are averaging between 110-125.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

For its sixth consecutive year, Port Huron Schools launches its district-wide staff award campaign and is requesting nominations for Advocator, Innovator and Educator of the Year. Anyone in the Port Huron community can complete the brief nomination form on their website <HERE>  and specify the particular area of excellence for the individual they are recognizing.

Port Huron Schools Superintendent Jamie Cain encourages parents, students and
fellow educators to nominate someone they feel is deserving of this accolade and who
exhibits the best in our district’s mission actions. He noted: “This year is obviously
unique and it is more crucial than ever to recognize our dedicated staff of wonderful
professionals who continue to positively impact their students amidst a global pandemic. Our staff puts students first and this crisis has really highlighted what an amazing job they do no matter the challenges.”

The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, May 20. Winners will be surprised in their
classrooms in the early fall of the 2020-21 school year.

Port Huron Schools has proudly partnered in this endeavor since it began with
DoubleTree by Hilton Port Huron. The hotel has generously provided prizes for the
winners including a one-night stay at the hotel and Freighters Eatery & Taproom has
provided a gift certificate.

2019 Winners Were:
Advocator – Rayna Palmer, Secretary, Central Middle School
Innovator – Tracee Blake, Administrator, Early Childhood Center
Educator – Judy Fiedler, 5th Grade Teacher, Crull Elementary School

Submitted by Port Huron Schools

When school was in session, many high school students were taking advanced placement (AP) classes. AP classes prepare students to take the College Board AP exams in the spring which could earn them college credit if they pass. In response to school closures across the country, College Board initiated online AP prep classes and they are hosting spring AP exams online.

Lauri Benton, Senior Director for Counselor Community Engagement at College Board, is excited about the online exam option for students. “Students who worked hard all year to prepare for these exams do not have to worry about missing out on college credit, ” she said. Students can prepare for the exams with multiple tools offered by College Board on their website and on YouTube. The timed exams will take place online May 11th-22nd.

Students can register for the exams, discover prep material, and learn about fees and college credit by visiting College Board’s website <HERE>. Khan Academy is also the official practice partner for AP and offers online study material in each AP subject <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Sheriff Tim Donnellon is currently serving his third term as the St. Clair County Sheriff, and he has decided not to seek re-election this fall. After three decades of service in law enforcement, he is looking forward to spending more time with his family and pursuing other opportunities. 

Donnellon began his career with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s office in 1988. He served as Deputy, Detective, Sergeant, and Lieutenant before being elected Sheriff in 2008. In his first year in the position, the county faced major budget deficits and lay-off’s were inevitable. He was forced to reorganize the entire department. “It was a very difficult time for everyone; we had to make some really tough decisions,” said Donnellon.

As the county deals with the current COVID-19 situation, Donellon has been facing the issues related to it head on. “In my three plus decades of service to this office I cannot recall a more difficult time or environment to work in, yet all of the employees continue to rise to the occasion. I couldn’t be more proud of them than I am today,” he said. 

Captain Mat King from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office filed to run for the position in the November election. Donnellon feels confident that he is leaving the office in good hands.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 23rd at 5:30 PM are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 35,291 confirmed cases; 2,977 deaths
• St. Clair County: 322 confirmed cases; 18 deaths
• Ontario: 12,879 confirmed cases; 713 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 159 confirmed cases; 14 deaths

An update from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s office reported that the number of inmates who have tested positive for the Coronavirus at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center remains at 7. Those inmates have been isolated from the general population in the facility. In addition, two corrections deputies and one nurse at the IDC had tested positive last week, and now there is an additional deputy with the virus. All four staff members are off duty until they are recovered. None of the cases have required hospitalization.

The City of Sarnia would like to notify the public of the decision to cancel the City-wide curbside collection of large items, scheduled for May 4th -8th , in order to limit workers risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Large item pick-up often requires two staff to work in close proximity and requires additional handling of material beyond typical waste collection. More information about the alternatives available can be found on the city’s website: Sarnia.ca by clicking on the Garbage and Recycling link under the Living Here section.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron – chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee – said today’s announcement of upcoming temporary state employee layoffs is “unfortunate but necessary” because of budget pressures from the COVID-19 shutdown.

Hernandez also said he is disappointed to hear that special accommodations might be made for state workers needing to file for unemployment, when many workers laid off outside of state government have been struggling for weeks to file for benefits.

“While I am sympathetic toward these state employees who are being laid off, there is absolutely no excuse for making special accommodations when the unemployment filing system is still not processing claims in a timely manner for the hundreds of thousands of private sector employees across the state,” Hernandez said. “It would be one thing to automatically enroll a state employee if the system was working for others, but at this point, the focus needs to be on making the system work for everyone.”

Hernandez said budget pressures necessitate state employee layoffs.

“The reality is COVID-19 and the governor’s overly restrictive ‘stay home’ orders are significantly reducing the revenues taxpayers provide for the operation of state government,” Hernandez said. “State government will have to make tough decisions – just like families and businesses across Michigan have made tough decisions during this challenging time.  The best way for our state to handle the problem of massive unemployment is to allow businesses which can practice social distancing to open up as soon as possible.

“I know there are many state employees working hard night and day as part of the response to COVID-19 – I am grateful for and inspired by their efforts,” Hernandez said. “It’s also clear not all state employees are part of the COVID-19 response, and their workloads may be affected with much of Michigan’s economy in shutdown mode. More than 1 million Michiganders already have been forced out of work because of this crisis – state government is not immune. It’s unfortunate but necessary.”

Hernandez is aggressively enforcing the Legislature’s oversight role of state government operations during the shutdown. Last week, he sent letters to state department directors to evaluate how they are managing staffing levels during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Hernandez asked state departments the following questions:

1)    What new methods are you using to help your employees fulfill their duties while working from home, and have you had to address any issues of employees not fulfilling their duties?

2)    How are you monitoring employee work hours and have you seen an increase or decrease in hours worked?

3)    What metrics are being used to measure performance and have you seen increases or decreases in productivity?

4)    Have you seen a reduction or increase in service demand and has there been consideration of reducing workforce due to potential revenue declines?

5)    Has there been any consideration of repurposing some of your employees to other duties within your department to manage the new workflow created from the stay at home order?

Responses are due to Hernandez by April 27.

Submitted by Tim Martin