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Local News

School is Out for Summer – Seniors Will Graduate

On Thursday, April 2nd, Governor Whitmer signed an executive order directing all K-12 buildings to close for the remainder of the school year. The order is in effect unless restrictions are lifted, and it includes guidelines for remote learning.

“My number one priority right now is protecting Michigan families from the spread of COVID-19. For the sake of our students, their families, and the more than 100,000 teachers and staff in our state, I have made the difficult decision to close our school facilities for the remainder of the school year,” Governor Whitmer said. “As a parent, I understand the challenge closing schools creates for parents and guardians across the state, which is why we are setting guidelines for schools to continue remote learning and ensuring parents have resources to continue their children’s education from the safety of their homes. There is no video chat or homework packet that can replace the value of a highly trained, experienced teacher working with students in a classroom, but we must continue to provide equitable educational opportunities for students during this public health crisis.”

Every school district in Michigan must now create a plan to do what’s best for them and their community. The districts need to ensure their plans are “appropriate, equitable and accessible for students and families”.

The order gives the districts flexibility to adopt new calendars for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year and the 2020-2021 academic year. All high school seniors will be given the opportunity to graduate, and all standardized tests will be cancelled.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Scott Crawford Council on Aging

COA Continues Valuable Services to Seniors

St. Clair County Council on Aging has the privilege of caring for the needs of our area’s senior citizens.  Under the leadership of Scott Crawford and his team, the COA continues to see that our local seniors have the meals and the home care that they so desperately need.

WGRT spoke with Scott Crawford on Wednesday, and he said the need in the community is growing.  One hundred fifty new seniors have recently been added to the meal program, and more calls are coming in daily. In an effort to protect the Council’s volunteers, the work is primarily being carried out by paid staff.

Mr. Crawford would like the public to know that appropriate protocols are in place to protect the health of both the seniors and the Council on Aging staff. At this time, hot meals are being delivered to seniors Monday through Thursday with freezer meals being provided for Friday through Sunday. While all the center facilities remain closed to the public, the St. Clair County Council on Aging continues to make home visits to seniors who depend on them, and they are also making phone calls to seniors to check on their wellbeing.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Port Huron Strong

Downtown Businesses Staying Port Huron Strong

The entire business community has been dealt a crushing blow with the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. As local small business owners struggle to innovate and take care of their employees, there are several people working to encourage them and offer support.

Lisa Bowman, owner of Sir Speedy Printing in Port Huron, started the #porthuronstrong campaign and used her sign printing expertise to get other businesses involved. When asked what motivated her, Lisa said, “When we first got the news that places were going to be shutdown, of course panic set in including worrying about my employees that are like daughters to me.  Then I thought I need to do a banner with a positive message to let everyone know we are in this together. Being a 10 year Breast Cancer survivor, I know how important it is to stay positive and strong during hard times.” Michigan Mutual paid for part of the cost and installation of a banner version of the sign to display on top of their building, and you can find more of these red & white signs throughout Downtown reminding everyone that “Life’s roughest storms prove the strength of our anchors.”

Cynthia Cutright, Director of the Port Huron Downtown Development Authority, has been working hard to connect businesses with relief programs and keep them encouraged, especially in light of the cancellation of  this summer’s Blue Water Fest. “One of the most amazing things about our downtown is we have a wonderful community of business owners. This is a hard hit, and it’s been a very scary time for everybody, but everybody is so optimistic. It’s amazing to see already the resilience in these folks. I’m going to be doing everything along with them to make sure we come back stronger than ever.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Cecil Williams Art on the River

Cecil Williams Featured at Art on the River 2020

Art on the River planning is in full swing for the event scheduled June 12th – 14th at Kiefer Park along the St. Clair River. Trina Avedisian, President of Citizens for a Vibrant Community,  says, “We’re moving forward and committed to putting this event on for our community.”

This year’s featured artist is Cecil Williams, whose preferred media is stained glass and painting in oils. His paintings are exhibited in many locations around the United States and even as far as Germany. Mr. Williams will be creating a painting exclusively for Art on the River.

Art on the River is a grass-roots art show and music festival hosted by the community group Citizens for a Vibrant Community. This family friendly event includes art workshops, vendors, food, and dancing. This year’s music lineup include several well known blues artists from the Detroit area.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Blue Water Area Community COVID-19 Update

Hospitals Prepared to Share Patient Load to Save Lives

Transmission of COVID-19 is widespread throughout Michigan, including St. Clair County. There is also widespread virus activity in the Province of Ontario, including the Sarnia-Lambton area. Confirmed cases are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 9,334 confirmed cases; 337 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 42 confirmed cases
  • Ontario: 2,392 confirmed cases; 37 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 56 confirmed cases; 6 deaths

The Joint Information Center in St. Clair County reports that Michigan hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with patients. When preparing for possible pandemic situations in the past, hospitals established mutual aid agreements to ensure the standard of care was maintained in the event of such a disaster. The purpose of a mutual aid agreement is to allow for transfer and acceptance of patients and sharing of resources.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer for the St. Clair County Health Department, stated, “We cannot stress enough, the purpose of accepting transfer patients into our local hospitals is to save lives and provide the best possible medical care to patients with COVID. This process is critical and will allow all hospitals to keep running.”

Lambton Public Health is reporting that some of their confirmed cases have been linked to travel to Europe, others are linked to family and faith community gatherings, and a limited number to  occupational settings. Officials are urging people to follow social distancing directives. They are further recommending that all individuals over 70 years old self-isolate, and remind the public that the province has  closed all outdoor recreational amenities.

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Bluewater Health

Bluewater Health Establishes COVID-19 Fund

On Monday, March 30th,  The Bluewater Health Foundation in Sarnia announced it has established a COVID-19 fund. Donations to this fund will help support the urgent and highest priority needs of Bluewater Health in the fight against COVID-19.  Bluewater Health is a hospital in Sarnia, Ontario. It was opened October 3, 1896 as Sarnia General Hospital and was the community’s first public hospital.

According to the foundation’s website, the fund was established because of “multiple requests from the community as to how they can help out during this unprecedented time,”  Kathy Alexander, Executive Director of  Bluewater Health Foundation said in a press release that, “Right now we are in need of monetary donations more than ever to ensure we can quickly respond to needs that may emerge from the fight against COVID-19.”

Funds raised will be used to support front-line healthcare professionals, as well as to purchase critical equipment and technology to enhance the ability to diagnose and treat patients during this difficult time and beyond. You can learn more <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn