Local News

UPDATED 10/8/2021: U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith granted James’s Freed’s motion for summary judgement in this case saying, “the Court grants the motion because Freed’s actions in deleting comments by Plaintiff Kevin Lindke on Freed’s Facebook page and later blocking Lindke from the page were not state action that required him to conform to constitutional strictures.”

April, 5, 2020 – A federal lawsuit has been filed against the City of Port Huron City Manager for deleting Facebook comments of residents who have questioned and been critical of the city government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, among other things.

The lawsuit states that James Freed, the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Port Huron, Michigan, “operates a Facebook page which posts official policy announcements and official city government communications; information about government decisions; and highlights of local business, nonprofits, and members of the community from, in, and involving the City of Port Huron.”  The suit seeks a court order to permanently halt the City Manager’s delete-and-ban policy and allow the Facebook page to return to a traditional public forum.

The case has been assigned to Federal Judge Mark A. Goldsmith in Detroit. WGRT reached out to City Manager Freed, who responded by email, “This is and for years going back to before my tenure Port Huron has been my personal Facebook page. I use it for personal matters and to post about public and community events. I pay all costs and control my page. This is not and has never been a City Facebook page.”  WGRT also reached out to Mayor Pauline Repp.  Repp had yet to see the actual lawsuit and said that the matter will be handled by the attorneys.

The plaintiff in the case is Port Huron resident Kevin Lindke.  He was asked by WGRT what his goal in the lawsuit was, and he stated, “simply to get the City Manager of Port Huron to stop deleting comments and banning Facebook users.”  Lindke said he is concerned that city officials often paint a far rosier picture of the city and need to allow alternative points of view to be posted on Freed’s Facebook page.  Lindke, who plans to run for Mayor of Port Huron this fall, also stated that city officials were not providing much needed encouragement and direction to city residents during this current pandemic.

WGRT also reached out to Lindke’s attorney Phil Ellison.  Mr. Ellison describes himself as a constitutional lawyer who, “argues for open and robust” dialogue between government and citizens.  He told WGRT that Mr. Freed was told by members of the community that what he was doing was not constitutional. Ellison stated the case could be resolved quickly and easily if Manager Freed simply stipulated that he did in fact violate the constitution and will discontinue the practices.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Updated April 6, 2020

The St. Clair County Health Department is reporting the first two deaths attributed to COVID-19 of county residents. The first was an older male who passed away on April 3rd, the second a female patient who passed away at McLaren Port Huron on March 30th and, due to a delay in receiving test results, tested positive on April 3rd. Both patients had underlying health conditions.

Jennifer Montgomery, president and CEO of McLaren Port Huron said in a press release, “Our health care professionals work tirelessly to care for all patients, and we are always deeply saddened by the loss of any patient.  During this health care crisis, we extend our sympathy to this patient’s family and to other families who are suffering the loss of a loved one due to coronavirus. We encourage everyone to adhere to CDC guidelines to help slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.”

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer, St. Clair County Health Department said, “These first deaths remind us all to do what we can to stay home, stay healthy, and protect ourselves and those around us. We are grateful to everyone who continues to follow social distancing, quarantine, and isolation guidelines to protect the health of the community.”

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

We’ve been asking our listeners and customers to share the things that are inspiring them as we all cope with the changes the last few weeks have brought. In our effort to contribute to the encouraging that are happening in the community, we will begin sharing a recap of the week’s good news. You can find it on our news page and social media each weekend, and listen every Monday to get your week off to a positive start.

Here’s a look on the the bright side for this week:

Best friends Cynthia Hutar (an upcoming LIMElight guest!) and Coryn Cess shared an idea that inspired them about people painting rainbows in their house windows. That conversation turned into a Facebook post, that turned into a Facebook group that has over 130,000 members in just over 2 weeks. Creativity abounds as more and more people join in and to spread the message of hope. #RainbowsOverMichigan

Happy’s Pizza in Port Huron took their pizza-making skills to a whole new level this week when they made and delivered lunch to 300 people at Lake Huron Medical Center in appreciation of their work on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic in our area.

Kel-Gor Limited, an industrial contracting firm in Sarnia, presented a $25,000 check to The Inn of the Good Shepherd this week to offset the devastating effects of lost food and fundraising efforts the nonprofit has sustained in the last few weeks. The funds will allow The Inn to purchase food and provide shelter for those in need.

If you have any positive news you want us to share with the community, send us an email at news@wgrt.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Confirmed cases as of April 3rd at 5:30 PM are as follows:

• State of Michigan: 12,744 confirmed cases; 479 deaths
• St. Clair County: 69 confirmed cases
• Ontario: 3,255 confirmed cases; 67 deaths
• Sarnia-Lambton: 63 confirmed cases; 7 deaths

Lambton Public Health reports that the recent outbreak  of COVID-19 at Landmark Village Retirement Home is responsible for 15 confirmed cases (six staff and nine residents) and 4 deaths are linked to the retirement home. They continue to recommend that residents over the age of 70 self-isolate.

The Government of Ontario has also designated a “Restricted Fire Zone” in the province. All outdoor fires are restricted to enable emergency personnel can remain focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center recommends volunteering to help combat feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Learn more about volunteering for the State of Michigan <HERE> and locally <HERE>.

According to a press release from Micgigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, The Whitmer Administration announced today that businesses across Michigan are now able to apply for $349 billion in Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II was joined by former Lt. Governor, and current president of the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) Brian Calley and Bob Doyle, president and CEO of the Michigan Association of CPAs, in launching a new statewide website, MIpaycheckprotection.com, to provide businesses with key resources to assist with the PPP application and loan process and ensure the greatest amount of federal funding is able to be used by small businesses for economic relief efforts throughout the state.

“All across Michigan, small businesses and families are doing their part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but this unprecedented time has, understandably, created uncertainty for many employers,” Gilchrist said. “That’s why we are working to make it as easy as possible for even the smallest businesses to apply for additional funding with the launch of the Michigan Paycheck Protection Program website. The Paycheck Protection Program offers much-needed financial support for our small businesses and their workers to help them get through this tough time.”

The Michigan Paycheck Protection Program website was launched as a collaboration between the Small Business Association of Michigan, Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan SBDC and includes key eligibility information, videos and instructions to help with the application process, information on authorized SBA lenders and more.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and the Paycheck Protection Program is a lifeline,” said Calley. “These loans, much of which may be forgivable, are just what we need to get Michigan’s economy rolling as long as businesses apply.”

Michigan small businesses (per SBA size standards) – including hospitality and food industry businesses and sole proprietorships, independent contractors and self-employed persons – are eligible to apply for loans to help ensure employees continue receiving paychecks. The Paycheck Protection Program loans are designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll and may be forgiven if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.

For local information on the Michigan Paycheck Protection Program, including a list of local lenders, visit the St. Clair County EDA’s website <HERE> .

 

Upcoming Blood Drives in the Blue Water Area:

 

St. Clair 

4/14/20:  12:00 PM – 6:00 PM, K of C, 3501 Rattle Run Road

Port Huron

4/15/20: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, YMCA of the Blue Water Area, 1525 3rd Street

4/16/20: St. Clair County Administration Bldg., 200 Grand River Ave.

North Street

4/28/20: North Street United Methodist Church, 4580 North Road

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive.