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Local News

Whitmer Allows Professional Sports to Return – No Live Audiences

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of June 26, 2020 at  10:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 62,306  confirmed cases; 5,886 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 473 confirmed cases; 48 deaths
  • Ontario: 34,316  confirmed cases;  2,644 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 285 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

St. Clair County currently has 48 confirmed active cases of the virus, and 1% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients.

Today, Governor Whitmer Signed an Executive Order allowing professional sports to return without a live audience. Major League Baseball said that a shortened 60-game season would being on July 24th with players reporting for spring training at their home ballparks by July 1st.

In Sarnia, there have only been 4 new cases since our report last week, and there have been no new deaths attributed to the virus.

Lambton County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ranade, confirmed that physical distancing is more important than wearing a mask to battle COVID- 19. However, if you find yourself in a situation where physical distancing is not possible, a mask may be considered useful. 

Sarnia-Lambton is currently in Stage 2, working towards Stage 3 of the Framework for Reopening our Province. 

*** 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

Death at Grayfox Ruled Homicide

Port Huron, MI — On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, the Port Huron Police Department responded to the Grayfox for a report of a deceased person. The Grayfox is a U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps training ship docked in the St. Clair River near the Blue Water River Walk.

On Thursday, an autopsy was performed on the victim, and the death was ruled a homicide. The cause of death was trauma related, and the police are still working to identify the victim, a middle-aged white male.

The Port Huron Police Department’s Criminal Investigative Division and Major Crimes Unit is still actively investigating this incident.

This is an active investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available.

If you have any knowledge of this crime, call the Port Huron Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at (810) 984-5383. Anonymous tips can be received through the CAPTURE Hotline at (810) 987-6688 or emailed through www.porthuronpolice.org

State Senate Approves Nursing Home Bill

The Michigan State Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit the transfer of COVID-19 patients into nursing homes and long-term care facilities without certain criteria being met.

According to a sponsor of the bill, Senator Peter J. Lucido, “Nursing homes and long-term care facilities were never equipped to deal with a virus like COVID-19 that has affected our elderly and vulnerable populations.”

In Michigan, more than a third of the state’s COVID-19 related deaths have been connected to nursing homes. In St. Clair County, out of 49 deaths attributed to COVID-19, 26 occurred in nursing homes.  

Senate Bill 956 would require MDHHS to approve the facilities that meet the stricter criteria for accepting COVID-19 patients.

A similar bill, Senate Bill 972, is on the docket for the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services. That bill would prohibit the transfer of people who have COVID-19 into the state’s adult foster care facilities. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Schools Offers Virtual Program Signup

Port Huron, MI — No one really knows what school will look like in the fall, but Port Huron Schools is already giving families the option to sign up for a Virtual Program. The program is available for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and takes the place of in-person classes.

Students sign up by the semester, with middle and high school students eligible to sign up for a hybrid program. Students involved in the free virtual school will get a district-issued Chromebook.

Students who choose the virtual option are still able to participate in school sports and extracurricular activities and will have access to special education accommodations and services like social work and counseling.

The district will provide certified teachers for all of the online classes and expects younger students to put in about four hours of work and older students to work around six hours per day. 

In person classes are planned for all Michigan public schools for fall, with further directives from Governor Gretchen Whitmer coming next week. 

Parents can go to PHSVirtual@phasd.us for further details about the Virtual Program.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Local Theater Announces Lineup of Upcoming Productions

Enter Stage Right, a Port Huron theatrical production company based in The Citadel building, has announced their plans for the next few months. On the heels of the successful production of “The Jungle Book – Live from Home”, the company is getting ready for two more socially distanced shows.

The Lost World will debut at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, and Charlotte’s Web will air on Saturday, July 25. Executive Director, Regina Spain, said that over 300 viewers tuned in for The Jungle Book on the Enter Stage Right Youtube channel. They are accepting donations from viewers to help with costs.

The theater company is looking forward to the return of in-person live shows in the near future, and they are hosting auditions on July 11th and 14th to prepare. New safety protocols are in effect for auditions.

Spain said, “If all goes well, we anticipate re-opening the theatre to a capped audience and new protocol for our 10th Annual “Will on the Water” Summer Shakespeare. This year’s production is The Tragedie of King Lear and is set to run August 7th -23rd.” Plans are in place for alternative venues if needed.

Full details can be found at enterstageright.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MDARD asks for Reports of Spotted Lanternfly Sightings

On alert for Gypsy Moths? Emerald Ash Borers? Add Spotted Lanternflies to the list of invasive species that could wreak havoc on local crops and plants if left unchecked.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, MDARD, is raising awareness of the insect. The spotted lanternfly has not yet been detected in Michigan, but residents are asked to be on the lookout as they are spreading rapidly across the nation since first being found in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014.

The bugs cause trouble when they suck sap from host plants and secrete a large amount of honeydew, which is thick and sticky and prone to molding. The substance attracts hornets, wasps, and ants, which can have a detrimental effect on recreation and crop harvests. According to MDARD, grapes, stone fruits, and timber statewide could be negatively affected.

Pictures of lanternfly eggs (which look like old chewing gum), larvae, and adults can be found at Michigan.gov/SpottedLanternfly. If spotted lanternflies are found, residents are asked to contact MDARD.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland