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Local News

Mary Kelly Seeking Supreme Court Justice Seat

Port Huron, MI — Port Huron attorney Mary Kelly is hoping to be a Republican nominee to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court will be on the November ballot this year. One is held by Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack, a Democratic nominee, who is seeking re-election. The other seat will be vacated by Justice Stephen Markman, a Republican nominee, who has aged out, preventing reelection.

Kelly has served over 30 years as a St. Clair County Prosecuting Attorney. She has been the Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney since 2004. She was the lead attorney for the launch of the Criminal Sexual Conduct Unit. Kelly graduated from Michigan State University in 1980 and is a 1984 graduate of the Detroit College of Law.

At this point, there is one other candidate seeking one of the two nominations from the Michigan Republican Party. Brock Swartzle, a Court of Appeals Judge, has announced his candidacy as well. The nominees will be finalized at the Michigan Republican State Convention on August 29. The Republicans currently hold the majority with four of the seats on the court. The Democrats have already chosen their two nominees, incumbent Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and Elizabeth Welch. The eight-year term on the Supreme Court begins in 2021.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lake Huron Foundation Volunteer Organization Awards Scholarships

PORT HURON, MI – Lake Huron Foundation’s Volunteer Organization (LHFVO) is pleased to announce ten (10) scholarships have been awarded to students enrolled in a community college or university who are studying for a career in the health care field.

Because of COVID-19 pandemic and the financial difficulty it has placed on many students, LHFVO increased the number of scholarships awarded in 2020 from six to ten. The hope is to provide additional relief to students during this unprecedented and uncertain time. Each recipient will be awarded $1,200. The 2020 Healthcare Scholarship recipients are:

  • Megan Carnaghi – Franciscan University
  • Lindsay Carter – Grand Valley State University
  • Kaitlyn Fletcher – Michigan Technological University
  • Sydney Kenaya – Michigan State University
  • Serenity Lademer – Michigan State University
  • Courtney Lundy – St. Clair County Community College
  • Christene Marcum – St. Clair County Community College
  • Jamison Nightingale – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Olivia Poelker – University of Detroit Mercy
  • Heather Porter – St. Clair County Community College

The eligibility requirements and considerations included: students enrolled in a community college or university who are studying for a career in the field of health care, are currently enrolled, carrying a minimum of six (6) credits per semester and demonstrating satisfactory progress.

USCIS to Celebrate Independence Day by Hosting Naturalization Ceremonies

Washington — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is celebrating the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our great country by hosting naturalization ceremonies across the United States from July 1 through July 7.

Despite the pandemic, USCIS continues to welcome new citizens, demonstrating American resiliency and the importance of our independence.

USCIS began to conduct limited naturalization ceremonies in May and began to fully resume ceremonies in early June, after temporarily pausing in-person services to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The ceremonies have been shorter to limit exposure to those in attendance, incorporating social distancing and other safety precautions that protect the health and safety of applicants and USCIS staff.

USCIS has naturalized approximately 64,500 new citizens over the past month and anticipates completing nearly all postponed administrative naturalization ceremonies by the end of July.

Two Arrested in Port Huron Drug Bust

Port Huron, MI —Two men were arrested by the St. Clair County Drug Task Force Tuesday night after a traffic stop on a vehicle with no license plate in the city of Port Huron.

Members of the DTF executed the traffic stop in the area of River Centre Drive and 10th Street shortly after 7:00 p.m. on June 30th.  In making contact with the vehicle’s occupants, it was learned that the driver was a 29 year old man from Peck, who was a convicted felon and had a suspended driver’s license.  The passenger was a 35 year old man from Kimball Township.

During the investigation, a search was conducted on the suspects and the vehicle.  During the search, the DTF located and seized two loaded and stolen semiautomatic pistols, approximately $1000 worth of fentanyl, $300 worth of crystal methamphetamine and about $1400 in cash.

The two men are currently lodged at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center.  They are expected to face charges including possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession of methamphetamine, possession of stolen property, possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon, concealed weapons violation, driving with a suspended license and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

Contact Tracing is Key – Op Ed by Dr. Mercatante

St. Clair County, MI — We are all tired of COVID-1; however, the virus is not tired of us! As this pandemic drags on, we have to congratulate ourselves for suppressing the first surge in March and April, though we are learning it isn’t over.

The virus wasn’t laying “dormant” these past few weeks. It was still circulating at a lower rate because it didn’t have as many people to work with due to the Stay Home, Stay Safe Executive Order. Now that we are out and about more, the opportunity for this germ to invade, replicate, and transmit is much greater.

In our region, we are seeing a gradual increase in cases and percentage of positive tests. The majority of cases (75%) are linked to other known cases or working in health care, yet over 9% of the cases have come from people traveling (even within MI). This means that more than 15% have no known “link” to an identified case indicating we have community transmission.

Our best chances of avoiding infection are to wear a mask (or face covering), and stay at least 6 feet away from other people. 

A key strategy in controlling community transmission is by identifying case “contacts”. It is imperative we communicate with each case to find out who was exposed to them in order to “shut down” further transmission.

This process is called “contact tracing”. How does it work? St. Clair County Health Department Nursing staff calls each individual with a positive test. If/when that person answers the phone or returns our call (please do!), instructions are provided on infection management and isolation.

Additionally, questions are asked regarding places visited and about others whom they had close contact with now considered at high risk of exposure. Those people are then notified on what to watch for and how best not to spread the virus (or germs) themselves.

If everyone does what is asked, the chain of transmission is broken and the virus is slowed. If even one person fails to comply, transmission can continue. If enough people don’t comply, it accelerates.

This process is not an invasion of your privacy, but rather a critical tool to save us all from worsening conditions. IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON TO CHANGE THE WHOLE DISEASE PATTERN IN OUR COMMUNITY!

We know it may feel uncomfortable sharing these details; however, we are 100% committed to protecting your personal health information. No personal information will ever be shared.

The overall health and wellbeing of our residents is of critical importance. The main goal is to reduce community disease transmission and slow down the spread in our county. 

We are tired of wearing masks, avoiding crowds, washing our hands often and even hearing about COVID-19; nevertheless, the virus is not tired of us. Wishing it would go away or believing it is not a big deal will not make it disappear. Please do the right thing for your health, our economy, and for our community. 

Yours in Health, 

Annette Mercatante, MD, MPH Medical Health Officer St. Clair County Health Department

Bluewater Area COVID-19 Update for July 3, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of July 2nd, 2020 at  10:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 64,132   confirmed cases; 6,198 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 496 confirmed cases; 49 deaths
  • Ontario: 35,068  confirmed cases;  2,672 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 285 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

St. Clair County currently has 50 active cases of the virus, and 1% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is urging residents not to avoid seeking help in a medical emergency.

Data from Michigan EMS agencies from March 15 to May 23rd, compared to the same period in 2019, show a 43.3% increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and out-of-hospital deaths increased 62%.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported emergency depart­ment visits declined by 42% during the early months of the pandemic with a 23% decrease in emergency visits for heart attacks and a 20% decrease for stroke in the 10 weeks following the declaration of a national emergency due to COVID-19.

“Medical emergencies have not gone away during the pandemic and Michigan EMS providers are standing by to help Michiganders safely get the lifesaving help they need,” said Jack Fisher, MAAS president and executive director of Medic 1 Ambulance in Berrien County. “Every minute counts in a medical emergency, and we hope this alarming trend of people avoiding care and dying needlessly doesn’t continue.”

“It is incredibly important that people not delay care, especially if they are having concerning symptoms like chest pain, difficulty breathing or dizziness,” Khaldun said.

There has been no increase in cases of COVID-19 cases or deaths in Sarnia since our last report. The outbreak declared at Bluewater Health is now over and there is only one active outbreak at Afton Place in Sarnia.

The City of Sarnia’s ability to reopen, maintain, and provide Parks & Recreation services and programs has been affected by the COVID-19 Mitigation Strategy. Although green spaces and sports fields are open for limited use, pools, day camps, and bookings for sports fields are not available for the month of July.

Regular city recycling and waste collection started back up on July 1st, and the City wants to remind residents that all personal protective equipment  such as gloves and masks, and personal hygiene and sanitary products including wipes and tissues, should be thrown away in the trash and not in the blue recycling bins.

*** It is important to note that WGRT is continuing to report confirmed cases from each area, not total cases which are a combination of confirmed and probable cases. We have chosen to approach the data this way to simplify our reports and to create uniformity in the numbers we are reporting for each region, St.Clair County, Lambton County, Michigan, and Ontario.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand