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Local News

Sarnia Experiencing Drought Conditions

Sarnia, ON — The City of Sarnia and the Parks and Recreation Department are encouraging residents to water their trees to prevent them from dying. The recent lack of rain, accompanied by Sarnia’s sandy soil, has left the area in drought conditions.

Trees located along the city’s boulevards, the municipal portion of land between resident’s property and the road, are particularly vulnerable.

“Young, smaller trees (approximately three years and younger), are highly susceptible to drought because of their shallow, undeveloped root systems,” explains Chuck Toth, Supervisor, Horticulture & Arboriculture.

The best way to water trees is to allow water to trickle at a slower rate for a longer period of time. That allows water to penetrate deeper into the roots and avoids water runoff on the dry surfaces of the ground.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Shop & Dine in St. Clair County and Win $500 in Cash

St. Clair County, MI — DTE Energy and the AT&T Foundation have teamed up with the St. Clair County EDA’s COVID-19 Business Recovery Committee to promote safe shopping and dining in our area. The Shop.Dine.Win promotion encourages the community to support countywide businesses and will give away $1,000 worth of prizes every week starting July 10th through August 21st.

“As we progress through the phases of reopening, we want people to stay healthy and safe while enjoying shopping and dining experiences,” said Dan Casey, CEO of the Economic Development Alliance. “Local businesses need our help. They’ve been badly harmed by closure and, in order to survive, they need their customers to come back. We want people to know that, if they follow the protocols, they can stay as healthy as possible while helping to save their neighborhood businesses.”

The Shop.Dine.Win promotion encourages people to support local businesses, wear masks whenever they are in a public setting, utilize social-distancing and hand sanitizer stations, and celebrate safely supporting the local economy.

To enter to win the weekly prizes of $100 in gift cards or $500 cash, participants can snap a selfie while shopping, dining, or receiving services at a local business and share it on the Support St. Clair County Facebook page <HERE>. Photos can also be uploaded to www.supportstclaircounty.com. Winners will be selected by the St. Clair County Business Recovery Committee each week.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Residents Urged to Get Proper Emergency Treatment

Port Huron, MI — Michigan residents are urged not to delay emergency care. Data shows that emergency care decreased significantly in the height of the COVID-19 stay-at-home time period, between March 15 to May 23.

People suffering from cardiac arrests stayed home 43.3% more during the ten-week period, while deaths at home increased a staggering 62% compared to the same time period in 2019.

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, said, “It is incredibly important that people not delay care, especially if they are having concerning symptoms like chest pain, difficulty breathing or dizziness. Hospitals and EMS providers are working hard to keep patients safe, so please contact them if you are having a medical emergency.”

Michigan follows the national pattern with emergency department visits down 42% nationwide during the March 15 to May 23 time period. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that nearly half of all Americans postponed both routine and emergency medical care due to COVID-19 fears.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

More Federal Money Allocated to Address COVID-19 Fallout

Port Huron, MI — Eight-hundred-eighty million dollars have been appropriated toward COVID-19 assistance statewide. The money is part of a federally funded budget supplement.

The monetary assistance includes a $2 per hour pay increase for direct care workers, $125 million for child care costs, $100 million in hazard pay for first responders and local governments, and another $100 million for small business grants. It also includes over $100 million for rental assistance, wireless hotspot connectivity, health and safety programs, and help for food banks and domestic violence shelters.

Addressing the allocation for shelters, Sarah Prout Rennie, Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, said she was proud of the efforts of local organizations, and “grateful that our elected officials are providing much-needed funding to help support shelters that have worked hard to keep their doors open and continue to provide essential services for victims and survivors.”  

The bill was sponsored by Senator Jim Stamas, a Midland Republican. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed it into law last week. Whitmer said that the bill and the 2020 budget agreement have put the full amount of the CARES Act money to use and called on Congress to provide more money to address the 2021 budget shortfall.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

License and Registration Expirations Extended to September 30

Port Huron, MI — Driver’s License, State ID, and vehicle registration expirations have been extended to September 30th. Bills were signed into law to codify previous Executive Orders that extended expirations. Secretary of State offices are currently taking appointments only. This order allows some breathing room for those residents who may be panicking about getting an appointment, social distancing, or paying for vehicle registration renewals.

According to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, “These bills will give Michigan residents peace of mind and reduce the amount of person to person interaction necessary when renewing licenses and registrations.”

While this action is intended to reduce the number of in-person transactions at the Secretary of State branches, residents are reminded that most transactions can be conducted online, by mail, or at a Self-Service Station. Locally, there are stations at the Secretary of State Branch Office on Krafft Road in Port Huron and at the Marysville Meijer.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson commented on the new law saying, “We have been continually assessing the safest way to maintain branch operations and this legislation will go a long way toward those efforts.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Community Foundation Acquires Knowlton Ice Museum

Port Huron, MI — Operation of the Knowlton Ice Museum is about to be turned over to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. If the plans are approved, a new nonprofit entity will be created, and assets and care of the museum will be transferred to the Foundation. 

Chuck Knowlton, Trustee of the Knowlton Family Private Foundation, said, “The Community Foundation is the right fit for our family’s charitable legacy. We have grown an endowment fund to be available to care for the Ice Museum collection in perpetuity, and the Foundation has the expertise, dedication and transparency we wanted as a family to be able to feel good about the transfer of not only millions in charitable assets, but the museum collections as well.” 

Mickey and Agnes Knowlton, founders of Party Time Ice, created the Knowlton Foundation and the Knowlton Ice Museum in 2000. The museum’s extensive collection of ice-making equipment and memorabilia have been open to the public since 1987.

The current location of the artifacts in Downtown Port Huron has been open since 2009. The museum will continue to be open to the public as usual.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland