Local News

The City of Port Huron has been having their board meetings broadcast live on Comcast for a number of years.  However, the technology used to deliver those meetings to the public has changed in recent years. City Manager James Freed said, “Beginning with the next Council meeting they will be live streaming the Council meetings on Youtube.”  He also added that the meetings can be shared on any social media platform. Freed said this new streaming option will be in addition to the Comcast broadcast, and the cameras have been upgraded to HD.  The previous cameras the city was using were from the 1990s. To get an idea of the difference in quality, citizens can log on to Youtube and search for Port Huron City Council meetings. Freed said residents can view the difference between videos from a week ago and the new HD test video.  He went on to say that Port Huron is one of only a handful of communities in the state of Michigan to use this technology for council meetings, and the city does this as an effort to stay transparent and make the meetings more accessible to more citizens.

Interlake Steamship Company has contracted with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to construct the first U.S. flagged Great Lakes bulk carrier in more than 35 years.  Last week, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and The Interlake Steamship Company hosted a ceremonial “first-cut-of-steel” event. The new River-class self-unloading bulk carrier will be 639 feet long and 78 feet wide. She will have the capacity to carry 28,000 tons. The ship will transport raw materials to support manufacturing throughout the Great Lakes region. Interlake President Mark W. Barker said The Interlake Steamship Company is proud to build locally, supporting surrounding communities and states.  He said it’s a legacy that they began more than 100 years ago. He went on to say, “Living and working in the Great Lakes region and promoting growth and the positive economic impact of Great Lakes shipping is integral to the mission and vision of Interlake Steamship Company as a leader in the industry.”

A couple of months ago, the Michigan Crossroads Council of the Boy Scouts of America decided to sell or lease for gravel the 270 acre Silver Trails Scout Reservation west of Jeddo.  The buyer or lessee is expected to mine the entire camp for gravel. For 50 years, the Silver Trails camp was owned by the former Blue Water Council of the Boy Scouts and served St. Clair and Sanilac counties.  That council was dissolved in 2012 and consolidated within the Michigan Crossroads Council. The new council made the decision to sell or lease the property, and some are questioning that decision. Friends of Silver Trails has started a survey on their Facebook page which seeks public opinion regarding the camp and what should happen to it.  The group states that 45 active scouts and scouters responded to the Friends of Silver Trails survey so far. The group believes the Michigan Crossroads Council has not delivered what was promised. 

On August 24, 79 A.D. after centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, devastating the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands.  Both cities were buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and were never rebuilt. At noon on August 24, 79 A.D., this pleasure and prosperity came to an end when the peak of Mount Vesuvius exploded, propelling a 10-mile mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the stratosphere. For the next 12 hours, volcanic ash and a hail of pumice stones up to 3 inches in diameter showered Pompeii, forcing the city’s occupants to flee in terror. Some 2,000 people stayed in Pompeii, holed up in cellars or stone structures, hoping to wait out the eruption Pompeii and Herculaneum were later rediscovered and excavated, providing an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in sudden death.

Senator Pete Lucido, R-Shelby Township, and retired 41B District Court Judge Linda Davis met with Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday to sign legislation that allows trained employees of some state and local government agencies to administer drugs to those suffering from an opioid overdose. Lucido sponsored the four-bill package that expands who can administer the drug, requires training on administration, and protects those administering it from civil liabilities if an injury results. “Opioid abuse and addiction continue to plague our society, and while we continue to fight to gain control of this crisis, it is important that more people are armed with the ability to help those who may be overdosing. Hopefully, these new laws will help save lives and help give people a chance at a brighter future, ” said Lucido.

On August 23, 1989, 30 years ago, Cincinnati Reds manager and baseball great, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life.  It was discovered that Rose regularly bet on his own team.  As the all-time hit leader, many still question whether Rose should be given a second chance. Although Rose continued to proclaim his innocence, he was eventually persuaded to accept a settlement that included a lifetime ban from the game.  It  was known in baseball circles since the 1970s that Pete Rose had a gambling problem. Although at first he bet only on horse races and football games, allegations surfaced in early 1989 that Rose was not only betting on baseball, but on his own team.  In 2004, after years of repeated denials, Rose published My Prison Without Bars, in which he finally confessed to gambling on the Reds, though he added that had always bet on the Reds to win.  Because of the lifetime ban, Rose cannot work in Major League Baseball and, despite his stellar playing career, he is not eligible for the Hall of Fame.