Local News

Early Friday was a harrowing morning on Lake Huron for first responders and a couple of lucky fishermen. 69-year-old Dennis Pluff and 68-year-old David Varian had gone fishing and were heading to a reef 22 miles out into Lake Huron.  The men left the harbor in Port Sanilac at 5:30 a.m. on July 25th in an 18-foot fishing boat. They made it about 6 miles out when the water became too rough and began to fill the boat. The boat overturned at approximately 9:30 in the morning. 

With the boat overturned, both men sat on top of the vessel in their life jackets and waited for help to arrive. After receiving a call from a concerned family member at 11:00 p.m.,  a Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office Deputy located the fishermen’s vehicle and boat trailer at the boat launch.  The Deputy summoned the Coast Guard who searched an area where the fishermen were believed to have traveled. The Coast Guard helicopter crew eventually found the two sitting atop the overturned vessel more than 14 miles from shore at 2:31 a.m. Sheriff Gary Biniecki said, “The joint effort between the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard Canada, and Sanilac Central Dispatch undoubtedly saved the men from further peril or death.”  

The Cavis Grill at the corner of Quay and Michigan in downtown Port Huron was officially sold on Tuesday, July 23rd.  The new owners plan to keep the longtime diner open for business. One of the new owners, Kyle McCalmon, said, “It all happened really fast.” The deal, “closed on Tuesday and opened the restaurant for business as usual on Wednesday.” 

McCalmon is partners in the business with Chris Smith. Going forward, small changes will be made to the restaurant in phases, and those changes will take some time said McCalmon. They are currently working to obtain a liquor license, and McCalmon said they are exploring the idea of Cavis becoming more of a burger bar in the future. He went on to say he didn’t want to “pigeon hole” it to that exactly because there will be more on the menu than just burgers. McCalmon and Smith have blueprints for the restaurant’s eventual design, and they are excited to enter into this new venture together. 

The St. Clair County Drug Task Force had a busy day Wednesday, July 24th in Fort Gratiot when they conducted a traffic stop in the area of Gratiot and MacDonald after an ongoing narcotics investigation.  After the stop, the task force executed a search warrant in the 4000 block of Lakeshore Road. There, they seized $50,000 worth of cocaine along with other drugs, an AR-15 rifle, a handgun, a large amount of US currency, and drug paraphernalia.  Two people were arrested, a 28-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman, both from Fort Gratiot. They are lodged in the St. Clair County Jail on charges including possession with intent to deliver cocaine over 450 grams, maintaining a drug house, and possession charges relating to firearms, methamphetamines, and analogue pills.

Blue Water Area Transit’s bike share partnership with Zagster is coming to an end.   The “micro-mobility” company will no longer have bikes available in Port Huron. They had four different stations located in the city of Port Huron where customers could ride share bikes around the area.  On their website, Zagster says that it has 10+ years of experience in the micro-mobility space, operating 250 programs in 35 states promises to ease commutes.

The Assistant General Manager and Director of Finance for Blue Water Area Transit, David McElroy,  said, “Zagster was a good partner, but economically it didn’t work out for either party.”  He went on to say, “There just wasn’t enough rides to support a community of our size.” According to Zagster’s website, the primary aim of the program is to reduce traffic and make transit connections easier. They also say the program avoids costly road upgrades to accommodate an increase in traffic while decreasing investments in pricey public transportation options.

Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) is pleased to announce its July 2019 Employee of the Month, Alice Morrison, and its July 2019 Volunteer of the Month, Bernadette “Bunny” Anderson. LHMC is honored to have a strong team of staff and volunteers working hard to deliver high-quality care to the Blue Water Area.

Alice is a Nursing Assistant in the Physical Rehabilitation Department and has been with LHMC since 2013. She was nominated by a patient who commented, “Alice made me feel very comfortable. She took her time to explain in detail what was happening to me because of my stroke. She showed me ways to help me develop myself, push me to do things on my own and praised me when I did things well.”

Bunny volunteers at the People’s Clinic for Better Health and has been volunteering at LHMC since 1991. She was nominated by employee who wrote, “Bunny brings her smile, energy and expertise every time she volunteers at the clinic. We all joke we want to be like the Energizer Bunny when we grow up. She is an important member of our team and our patients appreciate her enthusiasm.”

Lake Huron Medical Center is proud of each of its employees and volunteers and extends a special thank you and congratulations to all our team members, especially Alice and Bunny as we celebrate their accomplishments.

To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com.

McLaren Port Huron and its health care partners announced $29,000 in scholarships to 16 students pursuing degrees in professions represented in the hospital and the community. Scholarships are funded by the McLaren Port Huron Auxiliary, McLaren Port Huron Employees That Care Club, McLaren Port Huron Foundation, and McLaren Port Huron employees. Since 1988, 478 recipients have received $559,750 through the scholarship program.

The 2019 scholarship recipients are:

McLaren Port Huron Auxiliary Scholarship:  Megan Orlando of Capac, and Nicole Young of Port Huron.

McLaren Port Huron Auxiliary Seminar/Conference Scholarship:  Nancy Trombley-Henry of Marysville, and Kim Older of Port Huron.

McLaren Port Huron Employees That Care Scholarships:  Debra Cutcher of Port Huron, and Jennifer Guertin of Port Huron.

 McLaren Port Huron Employee Scholarships:  Molly Aguinaga of Kimball, Cassandra Markel-Demianenko of St. Clair, and Monica Zuk of Marysville.

McLaren Port Huron Foundation Nursing Scholarship:  Donovan Barnes of Port Huron, Iliana Guerrero of North Branch, Tristane Rademacher of Port Huron, Jennifer VanTiem of Cottrellville, and Lindsay West of Burtchville.

Shirley Jardine Carter Memorial Scholarship for Physical Therapy:  Ryan Davis of Carsonville, and Courtney Ingles of St. Clair.

 To learn more about scholarship opportunities at McLaren Port Huron, visit www.mclaren.org/phscholarship.