Local News

From dogs to cats and even 17 birds, there has been overcrowding at the St. Clair County Animal Control. In the past 7 business days, St. Clair County animal control is reporting that they have taken in and been able to help more than 160 animals thanks to several partnering rescue organizations. Because of the influx, animal control is saying those organizations are also in dire need of donations to care for these animals as none will be available for adoption for any time soon. They are asking that residents who may want to give to the cause drop donations off at the shelter on Griswold Road in Port Huron during business hours, or drop them off directly to the partnering shelters. A full list and details can be found on St. Clair County Animal Control’s Facebook page. 

Frank Bunyan was just 17 when his patriotic duty called him to join the Navy during WWII. As a resident at Blue Water Hospice Home, he was nominated for the Quilt of Valor by the Director of Hospice Home Jessica Martin, RN, BSN. who said she “nominated Frank for the Quilt of Valor because we are where we are today,” thanks to “brave individuals, like him, and their sacrifice to keep our freedoms”. The program began in 2003 by a mom whose son was deployed in Iraq. She wanted him to have something to remind him of home. The Quilt of Valor Foundation honors veterans of all wars, specifically WWII, due to their age, and the quilts are handmade by volunteers around the country. To-date, the Foundation has presented more than 220,000 quilts to veterans around the United States. If you know of a veteran that you think should be honored with a Quilt of Valor, visit qovf.org. 

Have you ever received that phone call when you’re in the middle of something and it turns out to be a recording reminding you of the lowest credit card rates? Well, the Michigan Attorney General along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), hope to do something about it. There were an estimated 1.2 billion robocalls made to Michigan residents in 2018, and in 2019 residents have already received nearly 700 million of those calls.

The Attorney General’s Office and the FTC have come together to form the joint crackdown dubbed “Operation Call it Quits” which is part of the FTC’s ongoing effort to help cut the number of pre-recorded telemarketing calls. The initiative also includes new information to help educate residents about illegal robocalls. Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “It’s time to put a stop to this public nuisance, and “this is only the beginning of several efforts by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to combat this epidemic perpetuated by negligent companies who see nothing more than dollar signs at the other end of the phone line.” She said Michigan residents and the American people have had enough and that’s why the organizations are partnering to do something about it. 

Four Michigan cities have been named among the best beach towns near lakes to live in, and of all the locations in the United States, Port Huron was among the top 50. WalletHub.com put together a study of the beach towns in the U.S. that best fit everyday life in terms of living standards, not tourism. The study was based on many factors that included education, housing costs, economy, weather, and health, as well as quality of life. While there were nearly 150 ocean-side towns studied, only 46 lakeshore beach towns made it on WalletHub’s list; only four of them were in the Great Lakes State – Traverse City, Holland, Alpena, and Port Huron. While Traverse City took the number one spot thanks to a high quality of life ranking and a relatively affordable cost of living, Port Huron made the list at number 31 overall. It was the closest city to the metro Detroit area to appear on the list, and its benefits included a favorable weather ranking. 

With all of the talk about rain, rising rivers, and flooding, sandbags have now entered into the conversation. It seems simple enough, but there are definitely some guidelines on using sandbags. St. Clair County Homeland Security and Emergency Management has listed some helpful tips. For instance, bags should only be filled with sand, and not dirt, and then fill only 2⁄3 of the way. When laying the bags, first put down plastic sheeting then lay them like brickwork starting at one end working to the other end. You can also use them to cover drainage holes such as bath and floor drains. Sandbags that have been exposed to floodwater need to be thrown away. To obtain sandbags, check with your local township or city office. Retailers also have sandbags for purchase. 

Rising water levels are a major concern, and we all know the water levels are high along the St. Clair and Black Rivers. This has some residents calling for a no wake zone, especially on the Black River. However, City Manager James Freed is reminding residents that the Black River falls under the jurisdiction of the DNR, not the Coast Guard when it comes to no wake zones. The DNR can issue an emergency order for a no wake zone only if a state of emergency is declared by the State and, currently, a state of emergency has only been declared by St Clair County. Again, this is a developing situation and likely will be throughout the summer. We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.