Today voters are heading to the polls to decide on a number of positions.  Locally, in the city of Port Huron three seats for city council need to be filled and the position of Port Huron Mayor is up for grabs.  Four candidates are running to hold the title of Mayor; those include current Mayor Pauline Repp, current city councilman Scott Richard Worden, Garth Gurnsey who has run for Mayor in the past, and newcomer, Tray Smith.    There are three seats available on Port Huron for city council.   Eight candidates are running.  Incumbent Councilwomen Anita Ashford, mayor pro tem, and Teri Lamb, a mid-term appointee, are going up against Lisa Beedon, Jon Hardman, Bob Mosurak, Art Payne, Jeff Pemberton and Marissa Williams. Councilman Rico Ruiz is not seeking re-election.

Last year five families were provided Thanksgiving Dinner by a Facebook Group called “State Of Emergency Port Huron”.  This year, they set a goal to double that number to ten, and have already signed up fourteen families in need.  Edric Eiermann is the administrator of the group and he says they will be collecting donations of food this Friday, November 9th between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Spirit Shoppe across from Lakeside Beach.  There will be hot chocolate provided for those who drop off food.  Edric says the Facebook page is where you start, by asking to join.  Once you have joined the group, you can nominate someone to receive the meal.  On the Facebook page you will also find the Thanksgiving menu request for food to donate.   If you would like to volunteer to deliver the food the Monday before Thanksgiving, please note that as well.   Eiermann says he came up with the idea of Thanksgiving meals to give to those in our community who might have fallen on hard times.

One of three proposals on today ballot is a proposal to authorize automatic and Election Day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting, and straight ticket voting, and will add current legal requirements for military and overseas voting and post-election audits to the Michigan Constitution.  It would allow a United States citizen who is qualified to vote in Michigan to become automatically registered to vote when applying for, updating or renewing a driver’s license and will allow a resident to obtain an absent voter ballot without providing a reason.  Voters would also be allowed to cast a straight-ticket vote for all candidates of a particular political party when voting in a partisan general election.  Three proposals to vote upon – polls are open until 8 p.m.

Detectives from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a suspect who has smashed out windows and entered three locations over the past three weeks.   The suspect first broke into New Life Christian Academy, located at 5517 Griswold Road in Kimball Township, during the early morning hours of October 22^nd.  The suspect road up on a four-wheeler, picked up a large rock and threw it through the entry door windows of the school.  He then used the rock to smash the office window and other windows inside the school.  It is unknown if he stole anything while inside.  On October 29^th during the early morning hours, the suspect on the same four-wheeler smashed windows and entered the 5/3 Bank branch, located at the corner of Lapeer Road and Wadhams Road.  Monday morning, the vandal struck again, this time smashing windows at the Kimball Township Offices, located at 2160 Wadhams Road.  Sunday night, deputies attempted to stop the suspect on the four-wheeler.  The suspect was able to elude deputies by travelling through backyards and other grassy areas.  Anyone who is able to identify the suspect in the attached pictures is asked to contact the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at (810) 987-1711.

The hazards of winter include the snow, ice, and sleet that can cause damage to our homes and lead to accidents on our highways. They also include the bitterly cold air and winds that threaten frostbite and hypothermia for anyone caught without shelter. The cold in Michigan can be deadly according to the National Weather Service.  They say Michigan residents are always susceptible to the cold weather common every winter. The temperatures do not have to plummet below zero to create a life-threatening situation. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, 35 people in Michigan died due the exposure to the cold in 2015. This makes cold weather the number one weather-related killer in Michigan.  It is especially important to remember to avoid exposure to cold, wet weather for lengthy periods of time. As colder air invades the state later in the season, the dangers will increase. Always dress for conditions and do not stray too far from shelter for any extended period of time.  Look for the warning signs of hypothermia such as uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion. If medical care is not available, begin warming the person slowly, warming the body core first. Get the person into dry clothing, and wrap him or her in a warm blanket covering the head and neck. Do not warm the extremities first. This drives the cold blood toward the heart and can lead to heart failure.  For more information on cold weather safety, please visit the Michigan Winter Emergency Preparedness Page.

The Port Huron Police Department investigated a robbery at the Marathon Gas Station at 1301 Military Street, in Port Huron.  On Monday, October 29, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Central Dispatch received a call from a witness who had walked in the store and found the clerk, a 29 year old Port Huron resident, fighting a man with a ski mask covering his face.  The confrontation, according to Port Huron Police Captain, Marcy Kuehn moved from the store into the parking lot.  The clerk was assisted by another person who held the suspect to the ground until police arrived to take him into custody.   The clerk told police the suspect came into the store with a bag and demanded money.    On Wednesday October 31, Joel Edward Parker, a 22 year old Port Huron resident was arraigned on one count of Unarmed Robbery, a 15 year felony.  The case is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Tuesday November 13 at 9 a.m. in front of the Honorable Judge Platzer.  A $50,000 cash bond was set.