Local News

As one might imagine, there are several bridges in the State of Michigan. The state’s bridges are inspected at least every 24 months and sometimes more frequently.  The Office of the Auditor General at the State level is conducting a performance audit of the bridge inspection program. The Office of the Auditor General, OAG, is going to conduct a survey of all bridge owners which includes MDOT and locally owned bridges. They will be looking at quality control and quality assurance procedures and general experiences in bridge inspection.

In addition, the OAG plans to select some bridge owners for a more in-depth discussion on quality control and quality assurance related topics.  Matt Chynoweth, Chief Bridge Engineer for MDOT and Director of the Bureau of Bridges and Structures, said, “This is the third audit of the inspection program since 2009.” He went on to say, “Of the roughly 11,000 bridges in Michigan, about 4,500 are owned by MDOT, and the other 6,500 or so are owned by counties, cities, townships, or villages”.  

The United States Government Accountability Office recently completed a study on the Northern border with Canada and ports of entry along the border.  Port Huron was one of the communities featured in that Federal report to the Committee on Homeland Security in the U.S. Senate. The GAO was asked to review Customs and Border Protection efforts to secure the northern border between ports of entry.

This report examines staffing and resource challenges and actions taken to address those challenges. The report also examines the extent to which CBP has developed and implemented performance measures.  The report recommended that both Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations each develop and implement performance measures to assess their effectiveness at securing the northern border between ports of entry. They identified an insufficient number of agents, frequency of air and maritime missions, and several resource challenges like radar and surveillance technology. 

Summer in our area is always a great time for festivals and fairs.  This weekend, a couple of local communities are celebrating. The 40th Annual  Marine City Maritime Days Festival begins tomorrow. The festival has several events over the next few days including a parade, a fishing contest, cutest baby contest, and lighted boat parade. The goal of the festival is to improve the community through tourism and travel.  The Facebook page for the event includes a full calendar of events and activities. 

Another event already in full swing is the Croswell Fair. The fair will have a carnival midway for patrons to enjoy. There will also be harness racing tonight. On Friday night, they will have an event called Drags in front of the Grandstands featuring 4-wheelers, lawnmowers, and snowmobiles, yes, snowmobiles.  You can learn more on their Facebook page.

On Monday, Capital One Financial announced a data breach where an individual outside the company obtained personal information of customers who applied for a credit card and current credit card customers. 140,000 social security numbers were compromised along with 80,000 linked bank account numbers.  Canadian credit card customers had 1 million social insurance numbers compromised. In the breach, credit scores, credit limits, balances, payment history, and contact information was obtained. The unauthorized access occurred on July 19th and the perpetrator was apprehended by the FBI. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “This data breach is yet another example of how fragile our information infrastructure is and how vulnerable all of us are to cyber hacking.” 

The Water Warriors are men and women from all walks of life who share their love of water sports and their desire to help people. Since 1991, they have combined those passions in the form of jet skiing to benefit the Special Olympics through a 5-day, 450-mile endurance ride. The group begins their journey in Mackinaw City and travels the entire length of Lake Huron. Then, they head down the St. Clair River and finish their ride in Algonac. Their goal is to raise money for the athletes of Special Olympics Michigan.

This is the 29th annual ride for the group, and it all started when a member of the Wertz Warrior Snowmobile Endurance Ride believed overcoming the obstacles of Michigan’s vast waterways and weather conditions could be achieved. According to their press release, over 25 personal watercraft riders, three support boats with spotters aboard, and a fleet of land support vehicles will make up the 75 members participating in this year’s ride. Throughout the journey, they have planned food and fuel stops, rest stops, and many fundraising dinners. They will also have the opportunity to meet Special Olympic athletes along the way.  There are overnight stops in Mackinaw City, Alpena, Tawas, Port Austin, and Port Huron.

If you’d like to see the Water Warriors pass through our area, they are set to cruise under the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron Thursday around 3:00 p.m. They also have a planned pig roast fundraiser and informational meeting for local residents at the Bridge Street Marina at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending the fundraiser can call 586-850-3187 for more information.

Work has been completed on the reconstruction of the railroad track crossing in Kimball Township. Wadhams Road between Ravenswood and I-69 is now open to all traffic. In addition to the railroad crossing, a new asphalt surface and shoulder gravel were added. Motorists should be aware that temporary pavement markings are there, and the permanent markings will be placed later.  Ace-Saginaw Paving was responsible for the $460,000 construction project.