Local News

Port Huron City Manager James Freed has announced the city has sold $53 million in pension obligation bonds for a historic low rate. Freed said that the sale results in a nearly $2 million savings in debt service on an annual basis. He said, “In connection with the Comprehensive Financial Plan approved by the State, [the city] used an all-inclusive cost estimate of 3.52%.” Freed said the City is 65 basis points below that. Therefore, savings will be much greater than originally projected.

Freed also said, “This sale was a robust vote of confidence in the well-developed financial plan and the future outlook of the City.” According to the Government Finance Officers Association, “Pension obligation bonds (POBs) are taxable bonds that some state and local governments have issued as part of an overall strategy to fund the unfunded portion of their pension liabilities by creating debt.” There is some risk in the issuance of pension obligation bonds. The risk can be mitigated with higher yields that achieve a rate of return that exceeds the interest rate owed and the debt service. Taking advantage of the historically low interest rates is a step toward reducing the risk of the bonds.

The Marine City Police Department is asking for help in locating two subjects wanted for questioning in a larceny in a building/credit card fraud/unlawful use of a financial transaction device case with the department. In photos posted on the department’s Facebook page, police are asking if you know who these individuals are, to contact the police department.

Police say, if you are one of these individuals involved, they urge you to contact the department as soon as possible. The Marine City police say they “take pride in protecting the citizens and business owners of Marine City and larceny and credit card fraud are not things” they will tolerate. The Marine City Police Department’s phone number is 810-765-4040.

Three local first responders and Port Huron resident Kyle Bailey, participated in events surrounding the Fight for Air Climb in Detroit last weekend. The three Kimball firefighters, wearing full turnout gear and SCBA that weighs 70+ pounds, climbed up and down 55 floors totaling 1,108 stairs! The Firefighter and other Responder participants event was hosted at One Woodward in Detroit. One Woodward was designed by an architect, who went on to design the World Trade Center in New York.  Together, the three firefighters raised over $850 for the American Lung Association.

Bailey, a quadruple organ transplant recipient  completed the challenge at the Ally Detroit Center. Ally Detroit Center is the 2nd tallest building in Michigan, and Kyle along with other participants, went up 42 flights & down 41 floors for a total of 83 floors and 1,768 steps. Bailey regularly has outreach events to help raise organ donation awareness and families with medical expenses through the Kyle Bailey Foundation. Bailey said the goal in 2020 is to raise $50,000 for families in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

The event is hosted through the American Lung Association to promote a healthier lifestyle and to honor those who are affected by lung disease.

Freighter watching is a popular pastime in the Blue Water area and you can watch them worldwide from various river cams. If you’ve recently checked out the BoatNerd camera on Youtube, you may not have found the feed. If you were wondering where the live feed of traffic in the St. Clair River went, there is a new link you can follow to stay up to speed on freighter traffic. The link has changed due to issues with the YouTube platform. You can find the new link at BoatNerd’s Facebook page. 

The previous live feed at the old link had over half a million views just since October of 2019. If you can’t get out and watch the giant boats on location, the BoatNerd camera is the next best thing. According to Neil Schultheiss, President of Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online, Inc., “The camera captures anything interesting that passes by on the river with a clear view from the Bridge to below the Black River. This time of year, boat traffic is light with mainly tanker traffic going into the docks in Sarnia and the Coast Guard escorts returning to dock.” But Schultheiss said, “Earlier in the week an eagle passed by on an ice flow and there were fishermen out in boats near the Black River.” Webcams have been running at the current location since 2001. The new link is https://youtu.be/syeXISjVNsg.

If you’re new to the area, are looking to make new friends or maybe you just need a fun night out, Kate’s Downtown and other Port Huron businesses have teamed up to offer an evening to socialize with other area residents who maybe be looking to do the same. 

This Saturday, March 7th at 7p.m., Kate’s Downtown will be hosting a social mixer. The evening advertises great food, sample beverages, giveaways, good conversation, and most importantly, they say, a great time! Tickets are available for $20 and can be purchased at the Cafe or through their Facebook page. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older to attend.

Along with the first sightings of robins and the melting of the snow comes another sign of spring: potholes and road construction. To protect what is left of the roads after the damaging freeze-thaw cycle, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and local agencies have enacted weight restrictions on roads that are maintained by the state. 

There are two sets of weight restrictions, both of which are now in effect and include the Blue Water Area reaching into the Thumb Region. The restrictions affect I-69, M-46, and M-25 in the Blue Water area, along with most of the middle section of the lower peninsula. In a press release, MDOT said that trucks need to reduce their loads by 25-35% on the restricted roads. The restrictions do not affect the average non-commercial driver, other than hopefully limiting the damage to local roads from the heavy trucks. 

In other road news, the St. Clair County Road Commission has announced that Lambs Road in Wales Township, between Fitz and Cove Roads, will be closed to all traffic as they complete a culvert installation project. Lambs Road is expected to reopen in two weeks.