Local News

With the start of the workweek, here’s the road report from the St. Clair County Road Commission. In Berlin Township, Capac Road between Hough and Tubspring will continue to be closed until the beginning of October for reconstruction. State Road between Myron and Burtch should be opening soon in Burtchville after bridge replacement. China Township will see Indian Trail between Schunk and Remer closed one day this week, and there will also be intermittent closures on St. Clair Highway for crack sealing between Wadhams and Mayer. 

Kilgore Road between Lohr and Yale will be closed until the end of the month for bridge replacement. In Kimball Township, Dove between Ditty and Wadhams will have bridge maintenance for the next two weeks. Also in Kimball, the left lane of westbound I-69 between Talyor and Wales Center will be closed for concrete patching this week. In Wales Township, Wales Center between Morriss and Lapeer will continue to be closed for bridge replacement. That project is slated for completion near the middle to end of October. 

Last Tuesday evening, the St. Clair County Drug Task Force raided a home in the 1700 block of 21st street on the south side of Port Huron. Once inside the home, the task force located and seized $1,300 worth of methamphetamine, paraphernalia, and cash. They took three individuals ages 52, 47, and 42 years old (two men and one woman) into custody. The 52-year-old was arraigned Friday and charged with possession with intent to distribute and resisting and obstructing a police officer. He is being held at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. A probable cause court date is set for September 17th in front of 72nd District Court Judge John Monaghan. The other two were released to appear at a future date on possession charges. The Port Huron Police K-9 unit assisted at the scene of the search warrant.

In her campaign for the Governor’s office in Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer frequently referred to the poor condition of Michigan’s roads. It has been estimated by many that it will take an additional $2.5 billion annually in revenue to fix the state’s roads and infrastructure. In a joint statement with Senator Mike Shirkey and Representative Lee Chatfield on Monday, Governor Whiter said they agreed to continue conversations about road funding in a meaningful way and have tabled all associated issues for the time being. They said the number one priority is getting a budget passed. Whitmer indicated previously that there would be no budget deal until the road funding was settled. It is still unclear if Whitmer’s 45 cents a gallon tax will be an option going forward. The lawmakers agreed that the best course of action is to immediately begin target-setting with legislative and executive leadership to get a budget passed by October 1st.

Fort Gratiot Township has a new Community Development Director. Sharon Wilton joined the staff at Fort Gratiot Township last week filling the position vacated by Christi Jones who joined the EDA of St. Clair County recently as the Director of Business and Community Development. Fort Gratiot Clerk Robert Buechler said Sharon has a ton of experience with community relations. He went on to say her networking and contacts will be helpful to the township. Sharon said she is thrilled to be in her new position.  She feels the township is an amazing place to work, and she is glad to be making a difference in her local community. Her first task is the planning of Scarecrow Saturday coming up on September 28th. Beyond that Wilton said she will be trained in other areas of township work, and she looks forward to working alongside her peers in Zoning and Ordinance.

With the approach of September 11th, Americans are reminded of security, especially when it comes to air travel. The Transportation Security Administration just wrapped up their busiest summer ever. The agency screened more than 250 million travelers. TSA marks the summer travel season as the Wednesday before Memorial Day all the way to the Tuesday after Labor Day. The screenings were a 3.4% increase over last year during the same time period. In addition to passenger screenings, 162 million pieces of checked baggage were screened as well. The TSA says that they experienced nine of the top 10 busiest weeks in its history. The agency notes that even with the surge of travelers this season, 99.7% of passengers waited less than 30 minutes in standard lanes, and 98.9% of TSA PreCheck lane passengers waited less than 10 minutes. Acting Deputy Administrator for the TSA Patricia Cogswell said that the anniversary of the September 11th attacks is a regular reminder of the importance of the TSA’s mission to protect the traveling public.

Guns have been a topic of discussion for many years now, and recently some businesses are taking steps to keep them off their property. The Kroger Company has many stores in southeast Michigan and several in St. Clair County. When asked about carrying guns into Kroger stores, a spokesperson for Kroger said the grocery chain recognizes the growing chorus of Americans who are no longer comfortable with the status quo and are advocating for concrete and common-sense gun reforms. The Kroger spokesperson said they are respectfully asking customers to no longer openly carry firearms into Kroger stores unless they are authorized law enforcement officers. Kroger is encouraging elected leaders to pass laws that will strengthen background checks and restrict the sale of guns to people who pose a risk for violence. The spokesperson went on to say that Kroger’s purpose is to provide associates and customers with a safe place to work and shop.