Local News

Nonprofits are deeply concerned about the impact of their ability to carry out their mission and raise money during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is some help for the nonprofit community in the new CARES Act.

Nonprofits can apply for payroll protection loans of up to 2 1/2 times their average month payroll expenses. These loans can be forgiven if certain criteria is met. The CARES Act also lifts certain limitations on charitable contributions by individuals who itemize and by corporations. The CARES Act includes a specific section allowing nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of the costs incurred through paying unemployment benefits, including self-funded unemployment benefits.

If all this is a bit complicated, Randy Maiers, CEO of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, told WGRT that he encourages our nonprofit partners “to take advantage of our small town relationships, and reach out to local CPA firms, financial planners, or even larger nonprofit organizations that may have the internal capacity to offer advice and input.”  He also expressed, “These are incredibly challenging times for everyone, but our region has a spirit of helping each other out.”

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued an emergency order Thursday, April 2, 2020, increasing fines to $1,000 for not complying with executive orders that ban gatherings and non-essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with the $1,000 fine, the state health department said violators could also be reviewed by any state licensing agency and that licensing agency could also apply a penalty.  “A person can have coronavirus without knowing it,” Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon said in a written announcement on the fines. “They can spread the disease to others who can spread it to others. The only way to stop the spread is social distancing. A civil penalty and potential licensing actions send a strong message to Michiganders that social distancing is essential to saving lives.” The health department said places of religious worship were exempt from the emergency rules, but only when used for religious worship.

WGRT spoke with St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon who said that residents can call dispatch to report concerns about executive order violations. They will address violations with the goal of education first and then enforcement. He explained that these violations are 90 day misdemeanors with a fine, and he would hope citizens would prefer to comply rather than go to jail during the pandemic. When asked how the community is doing with compliance, Donnellon said, “We have had very little problem in St. Clair County from our citizens.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The Stay Home, Stay Safe order requires residents to stay home unless they are part of the essential workforce, performing a necessary task for the health and safety of their family like grocery shopping, or doing an outdoor activity like walking or biking for exercise. Now that the weather is warming up, getting outdoors may be a welcome relief for those who are growing weary of social distancing.

In Michigan, all state parks, trails, boat launches, and other public lands remain open with certain provisions affecting visitor services in place. Any group activity centers, DNR visitor centers, and customer service centers operated by the DNR are currently closed, along with park amenities including bathrooms and hand washing stations. The Michigan DNR is asking all park and trail users to stay local and not travel far for outdoor recreation. Effective social distancing is required so unsafe conditions don’t require state-managed lands to close.

Listeners in Sarnia still have access to the boat launch at Centennial Park for outdoor recreation. Those who take advantage of that option should limit the members of their boat to inhabitants of the same household, and follow social distancing requirements.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 8th at 5:00 PM are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 20,346 confirmed cases; 959 deaths
• St. Clair County: 140 confirmed cases; 3 county resident deaths (There was also 1 death in a county hospital of an out-of-county resident)
• Ontario: 5,276 confirmed cases; 174 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 87 confirmed cases; 8 deaths

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

• Centers for Disease Control:  cdc.gov/coronavirus
• State of Michigan: Michigan.gov/coronavirus  or Info Hotline  1-888-535-6136 Daily 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or email questions to COVID19@michigan.gov
• St. Clair County Health Department: COVID-19 Info Hotline (810) 966-4163 Mon – Fri, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm or email questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org
• St. Clair County Community Mental Health COVID-19 Support Line (810) 985-8900, available Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm
• Lambton Public Health: https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/2019-novel-coronavirus/
• City of Sarnia COVID-19 Hotline: 1-877-4-SARNIA (1-877-472-7642)

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The United Way of Sarnia-Lambton established The Compassion Fund to collect donations from community members who want to help during the COVID-19 crisis. The fund has been able to assist local nonprofits who are especially vulnerable right now. The Board of the Compassion fund has already distributed 35,000 from the fund. 

Seven local agencies have received funding, including The Inn of the Good Shepherd and St. Vincent DePaul who each received $5,000 this week. The Inn of The Good Shepherd will use the funds to replenish their food bank which provides take-out hampers, meals and snack packs to those in need.

St. Vincent De Paul Food Bank and Help Centre assists 7,000 people per year with rent, utility payments, dental assistance, and material needs such as food, clothing, and furniture. They will use the donation to keep their food bank stocked and to keep the doors open for their clients. A donation also went to the Lambton Elderly Outreach who provides meals to area senior citizens. 

Libro Credit Union announced a $25,000 donation to the Compassion Fund as part of a $320,000 investment across the region. United Way of Sarnia-Lambton is among eight United Way’s in Southwestern Ontario to receive a donation from Libro Credit Union for emergency response measures. 

For more information about The Compassion Fund, please contact Dave Brown, Executive Director of United Way Sarnia-Lambton at 519-384-9270. The office is currently closed, but all office staff are working remotely and have email, telephone and voicemail access. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Project Committee of Port Huron and the Diving With A Purpose Organization have postponed the dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial. The event was scheduled to take place in August, but is being postponed for the time being. The groups have every intention of resuming their goal of erecting a monument to the airmen at a later date.

The goal of the memorial is to bring national attention to the accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII and to memorialize the pilots who perished in accidents in the Port Huron area. The memorial will be placed at the Flag Plaza along the St. Clair River near the Blue Water Bridge.

The Tuskegee Airmen were relatively unknown in this area until the wreckage from the aircraft of Flight Officer Nathaniel P. Rayburg and 2nd Lt. Frank H. Moody were discovered in Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.

Anita R. Ashford, Coordinating Lead for the memorial in Port Huron, said in a press release, “Our thanks to the many supporters and partners who have helped us thus far in our efforts to make this Tuskegee Airmen Monument a reality for our city. We are ONLY on hold!” The committee will notify the community when the dedication is rescheduled, so we can collectively celebrate the brave men who sacrificed their lives for our country.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The Coronavirus Pandemic has a lot of retirees concerned about their retirement nest egg. In a recent news story, WGRT reported that people on Social Security have no reason to fear a loss of benefits.  The recently passed Cares Act provides other provisions that are designed to further help people who have retirement plans.

The new law expands the definition of hardship withdrawals from retirement plans, allowing for withdrawals of up to $100,000 and waiving the 10% penalty on hardship withdrawals. The new law also increases loan limits to $100,000 or 100% of a participant’s vested account balance and extends repayment periods for both new and existing loans.

The Cares Act also temporarily waives Required Minimum Distribution rules for 2020, allowing individuals to keep more funds in their retirement plans if they wish. WGRT spoke with Dan Krauskopf,  Investment Executive with Beacon Wealth Group in Marysville, and host of the Wise Investor on WGRT. Dan advised people to remember their long term financial plan and not react on emotion. He reminds us that today’s news, headlines, and fears will pass. It is also a great time to consider a Roth conversion.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn