Local News

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.

Yesterday marked Super Tuesday in the United States-the first big primary election day after the four early nominating states. As Michigan’s primaries draw near on March 10, many have already cast votes via absentee ballots. As of Wednesday, February 27, the Secretary of State reported that almost 777,700 absentee ballots had been sent to voters, with almost 387,000 ballots already turned in. However, some may be wanting to get those ballots back. 

With the high number of absentee voting and ballots that have already been turned in, it’s likely many local residents cast votes for candidates that have now dropped out. Ahead of Super Tuesday, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg announced they were suspending their respective bids for the democratic nomination. Can those votes be changed? The answer is yes. 

According to the Michigan Secretary of State, if a voter has already voted absentee and wishes to change their vote, the ballot can be spoiled by submitting a written request to their city or township clerk. The voter must sign the request and state if they would like a new absentee ballot mailed to them or if they will vote at the polls. This request must be received by 2 p.m. the Saturday before the election if received by mail. An absentee ballot may also be spoiled in person at the clerk’s office until 4 p.m. the Monday prior to the election. The voter can obtain a new absentee ballot there or vote at the polls. There is no option on Election Day to spoil an absentee ballot that has been received by the clerk.

Port Huron Schools has announced winners in the MathCounts competition. Fort Gratiot and Central Middle Schools got together in late February to battle it out at the annual national MathCounts challenge. The event is for middle schoolers to show their advanced math skills at the local level before going on to the state competition.

Much of the competition is timed and the students need to work under pressure, testing both individual skills and team problem-solving. This year’s big winner was Luke VanderHeuvel, an eighth grader at Fort Gratiot, who brought home the first-place trophy for the second year in a row. Shayan Lal, another Fort Gratiot eighth grader will be joining Luke at States. The competition is sponsored locally by the Blue Water Chapter of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers. Mathcounts started in 1983 and Port Huron Schools have been hosting local competitions and sometimes sending students to states since 1986. The State finals are March 14 at Saginaw Valley State University.

Goodrich Quality Theaters, Inc., which owns the Krafft 8 theater in Port Huron, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of Michigan. Several creditors have filed claims against the company. Taking the blame for the bankruptcy are lost customers due to streaming services and cash spent on investment in the theaters, according to a report from the owner on MIBiz. 

Patrons to the Krafft 8 theater have noticed upgrades in the seating in the local theater along with other improvements. Renovations were made to several of the theaters in recent years, according to the report. The investment did not pay off as quickly as intended and the company was left with a nearly $30 million bank loan default. The manager of the Krafft 8 theater declined to be identified by name, but confirmed by phone that it is business as usual at the theater and there are no anticipated changes to the movie schedule. She declined comment on the bankruptcy news. Goodrich owns thirty movie theaters with 281 screens in five states. Fourteen theaters are located in Michigan.

If you’re up for a last-minute road trip, head north for your chance to see the Northern Lights tomorrow night! The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is predicting a night of strong solar activity in the evening hours of March 4th. The rare chance to see the Northern lights towards the upper part of the lower peninsula and further north is due to the prediction that the Kp-index is expected to be higher than 4. 

On a scale of 0 to 9, the Kp-index is a measure of predicted aurora activity. Most nights in great aurora destinations, the Kp-index measures between 1 and 3, so a night of activity that’s higher than 4 is a good chance to try and see the northern lights. If you’re wondering where the closest place for the best chance to see the northern lights in Michigan might be, you will want to head to Headlands International Dark Sky Park. Located at the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the park was certified in 2011 as the ninth dark sky park in the world. Today it draws crowds year round for astronomy programs and northern lights viewing; the park sits at the border of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron giving the park a great view of the northern horizon and any aurora.

Headlands International Dark Sky Park is a four-hour drive from Port Huron or Detroit.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The St. Clair County 4-H program is set to expand on its robotic presence by hosting a one of a kind off season robotics competition. While 4-H has long had a reputation of being an agricultural organization, its programs extend into areas such as sciences and technology as well, with the St Clair County 4-H  developing a program that has excelled in robotics with teams competing in multiple levels of FIRST Robotics. 

The new event, which has been dubbed, the Robotics Rodeo, will take place on Saturday, July 25, at the St Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair. Dawn Nowicki, robotics leader for 4-H, says that from her experience and conversation with other robotics leaders, this event fills a void in the learning cycle that often happens during the summer and makes it difficult get young people back into robotics during the fall. 

Fair President Rob Usakowski the group is “excited about the Robotics Rodeo.” He acknowledged that with such a large scale event, the fair group “will need to make some changes” to logistically accommodate the new competition, but there are plans in place to do so. 

The competition will be limited to 28 teams. Teams interested in participating should contact Dawn Nowicki or the 4H office.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.