Local News

Lexington’s well-known waterfront restaurant, The Windjammer, is closed indefinitely. In a public statement made on Facebook last week, Shelly Hassler, Owner of the Windjammer, said, “Despite months of hard work and support to keep our doors open, it has become clear that it’s simply not possible to continue to operate the restaurant while, at the same time, bringing the restaurant to the level that meets that health department’s requirements and that also corrects the years of serious maintenance issues on the building.”

The news comes after a brief closure this summer when the eatery was acquired by the Roxbury Group (which also owns the newly restored Cadillac House in Lexington). Hassler said in her statement that she is “excited to work with the Roxbury Group on a future plan to redevelop the property that includes everything we have come to cherish about the Windjammer and will take advantage of the remarkable waterfront experience this property has the potential to offer on a year-round basis.”

While the restaurant will be undergoing some major changes, it appears the group is hoping to offer a concept in the summer that will “will bring waterfront outdoor-focused food and beverage offerings and events to the community that keeps the waterfront a busy and fun place to visit.”

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

St. Clair County Community College has opened registration for late-start winter semester classes. The 12 week classes start the week of February 10 while eight-week classes start March 16. 

Classes are offered at the main campus in downtown Port Huron and also online. The offerings include basics like English, political science, psychology, and sociology, various math classes, as well as some more specialized courses like Business Law, Consumer Behavior, Medical Terminology, Medical Law and many others. Registration is online at sc4.edu or in person at the Student Services Center located in the Dr. James C. Acheson Welcome Center on the corner of Erie Street and Glenwood Avenue on the Port Huron campus. Tuition rates vary by residency.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

If you ever wanted to tell the state how you think schools should be run, here’s your chance. The State of Michigan Department of Education is updating its “Top 10 in 10 Strategic Education Plan” and is asking for resident input. 

Blue Water Area native and St. Clair County Community College graduate Casandra Ulbrich Ph.D. is the President of the Michigan State Board of Education and is asking anyone with a stake in public education including students, parents, educators, and community members, to take a moment to help narrow down educational priorities. 

The current plan has a large number of guiding principles, goals, and strategies. Ulbrich said they “are hoping that a revised plan will be more streamlined, clear and concise, with focused goals and metrics.” The survey takes a few minutes to complete and asks respondents to prioritize improvement areas in matters such as early childhood education, vocational education, high school graduation rates, and others.  There is also an opportunity to add your own priorities.

The responses from these surveys will help shape focus groups which will narrow down the priorities. The survey is open until February 7 and can be found at Michigan.gov/mde.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Port Huron Police conducted first responder training Saturday morning that included Port Huron police and fire, the Michigan State Police, Border Patrol, and Port Huron schools. This training is part of an ongoing effort to provide first responders with information on rapid response, engaging/stopping threats, tactical first aid, and other issues related to active killer events. 

The training that took place January 18th was preceded by a training  last April as part of a grant to the Port Huron Police Department from the Community Oriented Policing Services under the 2018 COPS STOP School Violence: School Violence Prevention program.

Student and faculty safety in schools is a critical department priority, and resulting improvements include implementation of the School Resource Officer program and the school wide ALICE training initiative.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The St. Clair County 4-H Fair is a summertime tradition in the Blue Water Area, and some may argue it’s one of the best in the state. The event, however, doesn’t happen without the work of dedicated volunteers that were recently recognized. 

Ania Grescvzak of Marysville, Linda Taylor of Emmett, and Bernadette Dudek of Port Huron were all honored at the recent Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions for their contributions to the local fair. Ania received the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award for Zone 2. Fair Board member and secretary, Chris Rumenapp, described Ania as the “go-to” girl and cited her many hours of volunteer service with the behind the scenes aspects of the fair and the Ag Adventure Tour that is held in the summer.

Linda Taylor has a long history of dedication to the event and, this year, was the driving force behind bringing “Michigan Chillers” author Johnathan Rand to the fair. Ms. Taylor received the Volunteer of the Year Award. 

Finally, Bernadette Dudek received the prestigious Heritage Award for Zone 2 for her many years of service. Rumenapp described Ms. Dudek as an integral part of the fair since 1982 and as holding the record for the youngest member elected to the board at the age of 18. She has served on the board for 38 years and has had a big part in the successful livestock auctions over the past 12 years. 

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Fort Gratiot Township has announced the consolidation of some voting precincts. Township Clerk Bob Beuchler said the changes are being made in order to allow for the high number of voters participating via absentee ballot in the upcoming elections. 

The changes are expected to impact approximately 800 voters total according to the clerk. Beuchler said they “attempted to impact as few voters as possible,” while doing everything they could to prepare for the increase in turnout as well as absentee ballots.

 All voters affected by the changes in the precincts will receive a new voter ID card in the mail in the next few weeks with the new precinct and polling location information. Beuchler said absentee ballot applications for the March 10, 2020 presidential primary election were mailed out to residents on the permanent absentee voter list this week. A map of the new precinct lines is available on the township’s website, social media, and newsletter.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.