Local News

(Clay Township)  Seven Clay Township police officers were recently deputized by Sheriff Tim Donnellon to work as Marine Patrol Deputies.

Because of the high water levels on waterways in the county, Sheriff Donnellon is working to increase the Marine Division presence, especially to enforce no wake laws.  Without being deputized, the officers would have no jurisdiction on the water.  The Clay Township officers will use a 23 foot Boston Whaler, already in use by Clay Township Police.

“I am extremely pleased to be able to add these officers as a force multiplier,” said Sheriff Donnellon.  “Thanks to Chief Mike Coach for recognizing the need and offering his staff to assist in keeping damage along the shoreline to a minimum.”

The Clay Township Officers will be working on the water in addition to their normal road patrol duties.  Though they are deputized to work anywhere on the water in St. Clair County, their role will be in the southern end of the county.

“We are pleased to be able to assist the Marine Division,” said Clay Township Police Chief Mike Koach.  “We have a great working relationship with Sheriff Donnellon and his department.  This is another avenue to do what’s right for the citizens of our community.”

In the first two weeks since boating season kicked off, 19 no wake violation citations have been issued, along with 4 warnings.

Pictured below at the swearing in ceremony are (left to right): Marine Division Lt. Paul Reid, Clay Township Officers James Pelletier, William Cope, David Fajardo, Sheriff Donnellon, and Clay Township Chief Michael Koach, and Clay Township Officers Stephen Stockwell and Paul Smith.

Kimball Appliance is celebrating Junior Norton, who has been an employee for over 67 years.  Junior, or better known as Junebug Norton started working for what was then Kimball’s Feed Store in 1952.  At the age of 13, he got a special permit to drive a truck for delivery purposes, and moved appliances from the train yard to the appliance store.

Norton kept working for the Kimball family at Midwest foundry, which eventually closed.  He then went back to his first love – appliances, and has been at Kimball Appliance ever since.  In his spare time, he owned a fireplace wood business until 1977, and then opened World of C.B. which is still in business on 24^th Street in Port Huron.  Junebug has an old C.B. Radio in the Kimball’s delivery truck which he still uses today.  He served in the U.S. National Guard for five years and the Army for two.  He loves classic cars and the Detroit Tigers.  This Saturday, June 15, a celebration is being held at Kimball Appliance at 945 Lapeer Avenue in Port Huron and the public is invited to come out, shake Junebug’s hand and offer congratulations!

With spring came milder weather and the start of an important construction project along Harper Avenue just north of 12 Mile Road. Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan broke ground on a new 4,600 square foot facility that will serve as a “forever home” for the program.

Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan is a local, grassroots 501©3 nonprofit organization that provides wigs & support services to children ages 3 to 18 at no charge throughout the state of Michigan.   Founded in 2003 by licensed cosmetologist Maggie Varney, the charity has served over 4,600 local children in need.  While construction has begun, the nonprofit is still raising funds in a capital campaign to complete the building project. Through a generous grant of $21,260 awarded by the Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation, W4K will be able to provide expanded programming focused on health, wellness & nutrition activities in the new facility.  The Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation provides support and relief to Brother Masons and their families in need, as well as supporting and building the communities in which Masons live and raise their families.

“The Masons have supported us for years,” said Maggie Varney, Founder & CEO of W4K. “They invite our wig recipients to spring & fall country breakfasts, they attend our annual gala in September and last year they provided us with a $50,000 grant toward our capital campaign so we can achieve our dream of building a permanent brick-and-mortar where the children will always be helped. We offer them heartfelt thanks for their generosity.”   For more information on the Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation and its B.E.S.T. grant, please visit: https://www.michiganmasonsfoundation.org/

To learn more about Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, go online to: www.wigs4kids.org. If you know of a child in need of the organization’s services, please contact Maggie Varney, Founder & CEO at: 586-772-6656 or maggie@wigs4kids.org. You can also contribute to their capital campaign online.

State Rep. Gary Eisen recently presented an innovative idea before the Michigan House Transportation Committee to help local communities save money and time on road construction projects.  Eisen said borrowing a concept used in many different types of large construction designs could assist with road construction projects. The concept involves the use of footings to help solve the weight, water and aggregate issues.  “Results have shown that footings are used successfully in bridges, houses and skyscrapers. By testing an innovation that works on other construction projects, taxpayers would be saving money for better roads in Michigan,” said Eisen, of St. Clair Township. “You only learn by moving forward, and by implementing this new and innovative idea for our infrastructure can help us solve current road challenges.”  The purpose of a footing is to support the foundation and prevent movement from occurring. It is permanently placed below the water and frost level and structured to build up from there.  Eisen wants to develop a pilot program to determine if footings could help. The legislator has worked with engineers with 30 years of experience on this innovative design to build better roads.  The St. Clair County Road Commission is interested in pilot-testing the design to see how well the design works for their roads.

Rep. Shane Hernandez – chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee – last week appointed a bipartisan special task force to investigate and help resolve cost overruns and inefficiencies plaguing state information technology projects.  “The list of the state’s information technology failures is long and inexcusable,” said Hernandez, of Port Huron. “Cost overruns waste taxpayer money and ineffective systems compromise public services. This special task force will work with state departments and vendors to ask the tough questions and find answers that will result in better, more cost-effective systems in the future.”  State departments too often start IT projects that cost more and perform worse than expected, with lax oversight. A Department of Health and Human Services system related to tracking child abuse and neglect cases, for example, has received $231 million in the past several years and still has persistent and significant defects. About 40,000 Michigan residents were victimized and wrongfully accused of fraud between 2013 and 2015 by a faulty computer system used by the Unemployment Insurance Agency. A failed Secretary of State computer system overhaul started in 2005 resulted in service issues, lawsuits and cost overruns – and it’s still not finished.  “The money associated with these cost overruns could have been invested in roads and infrastructure, schools and other services,” Hernandez said.  Hernandez appointed Rep. Mark Huizenga of Walker to chair the task force. Its members will include Rep. Annette Glenn of Williams Township, Rep. Mary Whiteford of Casco Township, Rep. Terry Sabo of Muskegon and Rep. Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn.  Hernandez is pushing for 25-percent spending reductions in state department information technology budgets as part in the state’s upcoming plan for Fiscal Year 2019-20. The goal is to bring state departments to the table prepared to truly document and justify their IT needs with real numbers and evidence.The task force builds on that effort by helping find solutions and efficiencies while holding state departments accountable for overspending.  “I take the Legislature’s oversight responsibility of state departments very seriously,” Hernandez said. “This is another way to hold government accountable and make sure we are making the right long-term decisions for Michigan taxpayers and families.”

The St. Clair County Board of Commissioners will begin their summer schedule this month.  According to St. Clair County Administrator Karry Hepting, the regular full board meetings will be travel meetings.  The first one is coming up Thursday, June 20 at 6 p.m. and will be held in the City of Marysville, at 1111 Delaware Avenue,  in July they will meet in St. Clair, August in Algonac and in September in Riley Township.  Hepting noted that due to the holiday in July, the regular full board meeting will be held on Thursday, July 25.  The full board meets on the third Thursday of the month.  The Board of Commissioners feel it is important to get out into the community into outlying areas to increase meeting attendance.  Hepting says this allows the commissioners to reach more residents throughout this four month period.