Parents who have outstanding civil warrants on child support in St. Clair County are invited to take advantage of the Amnesty that will be granted on child support warrants issued in St. Clair County.   According to authorities, throughout the month of June during normal business hours payments of $500 can be made Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.   This is a chance for the mothers and fathers who pay child support to make a new start. Parents can discuss their case, set up a payment plan, learn about other programs and see if their case is eligible
for a child support review.  Payments are to be made in person or by phone at St. Clair County, Friend of Court, 201 McMorran Blvd., Room 1600, Port Huron.  During the month of June, Friend of the Court staff will work with parents who voluntarily participate in this program to help them better manage their obligations.  Any questions on this amnesty program may be directed to 810-985-2285.

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In a special meeting held Tuesday evening, the East China Board of Education decided unanimously to close Eddy Elementary at the end of the year.   An $800,000 budget deficit was the basis for the decision according to reports.  Discussion had been held in the past concerning closing the school, but the district had made the decision to keep the building open.  Following the rejection by voters of a $148.6 million bond proposal and consolidation plan this month, the district, when looking at cost-saving measures at a board meeting on May 20, looked again at closing the school.   Officials say the district has been seeing declining enrollment in recent years and  projections show this  likely to continue. In 2001, the district had just over 5,700 students; that number dropped to just under 4,100 in 2019 and is expected to continue to drop about nine percent between 2019 and 2023.

As of May 28, 2019 the City of Port Huron tornado and emergency siren network is operational at four of five fixed sites. The City of Port Huron is working with a third party vendor to effect
repairs at the 1500 block of Riverview Street site. At this time, adequate audible coverage exists
within the City Limits.  The City of Port Huron encourages residents to utilize the WINS notification network as their primary source for emergency information. Free enrollment can be found here: https://www.stclaircounty.org/Offices/emerg_mngmt/wins.aspx

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. A refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if the door is kept closed. A full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
• Place meat and poultry to one side of the freezer or on a tray to prevent cross contamination from thawing juices.
• Use dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible during an extended power outage. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.
• Food safety after a flood:
• Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water—this would include raw fruits and vegetables, cartons of milk or eggs.

• Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water. Food containers that are not waterproof include those packaged in plastic wrap or cardboard, or those with screw‐caps, snap lids, pull tops and crimped caps. Flood waters can enter into any of these containers and contaminate the food inside. Also, discard cardboard juice/milk/baby formula boxes and home-canned foods if they have come in contact with flood water, because they cannot be effectively cleaned and sanitized.
• Inspect canned foods and discard any food in damaged cans. Can damage is shown by swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting or crushing/denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel‐type can opener.

• Check the temperature inside of your refrigerator and freezer. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for two hours or more.
• Check each item separately. Throw out any food that has an unusual odor, color or texture or feels warm to the touch.
• Check frozen food for ice crystals. The food in your freezer that partially or completely thawed may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is 40°F or below.
• Never taste a food to decide if it’s safe.
• When in doubt, throw it out.

State Rep. Gary Eisen voted to approve a bipartisan plan to deliver significant car insurance rate relief for drivers across Michigan.  The House overwhelmingly voted to approve legislation guaranteeing lower rates by giving drivers more choice on personal injury protection coverage, stopping price gouging on medical services for car accident victims, and combating fraudulent claims to help lower costs. The plan should soon head to the governor for her expected signature. “Michigan drivers have had enough of paying into a broken and expensive system that is overdue for changes,” said Eisen, of St. Clair Township. “I am committed to fixing this rigged system and helping Michigan drivers with rate relief.”  The bipartisan solution is designed to end Michigan’s long tenure as the state with the most expensive car insurance rates in the nation.  Michigan’s costs are high largely because it’s the only state mandating unlimited lifetime health care coverage through car insurance. The bipartisan reform plan allows those currently using the coverage to keep it, and those who want it in the future to continue buying it – while providing more affordable options.  Senate Bill 1 now advances to the Senate for further consideration.

Mandated reporters who are legally required to report suspected child abuse and neglect can now do so online, strengthening efforts to keep Michigan children safe.  The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently launched the Michigan Online Reporting System for use by mandated reporters such as physicians, teachers and clergy who have established relationships with children based on their professions. Previously, mandated reporters had to call to make an immediate verbal report to Children’s Protective Services and follow up with a written report.  An amendment to Michigan’s Child Protection Law allowed MDHHS to create an online reporting system for mandated reporters as an option for reporting non-emergency suspected child abuse and neglect. More than 15,000 mandated reporters have registered to use the online system since February 2019.  Users have found the new reporting system to be efficient, convenient and timesaving, particularly during hours of high call volume on the CPS Centralized Intake toll-free hotline for abuse and neglect reporting.  “Protecting children is everybody’s business,” said JooYeun Chang, executive director of the MDHHS Children’s Services Agency. “We all have a role in making sure that children and families have the services and supports they need to grow and thrive. Children’s Protective Services needs the eyes and ears of the community – whether it’s mandated reporters or others – to investigate suspected child abuse or neglect and take action to keep children safe. The Michigan Online Reporting System makes it easier for mandated reporters to quickly provide the information that we need to protect Michigan’s children from future harm.”

The online system for mandated reporters also provides these advantages:

• Reports can be submitted 24/7 from anywhere with Internet access.
• The requirement to call the toll-free number and send a written report is eliminated when reporting suspected child abuse or neglect online.
• Supporting photos and documents can be uploaded into the online report.
• Submitted reports can be viewed for up to six months.
• The mandated reporter’s information is saved in the system so future reporting is faster and easier.

The toll-free hotline, 855-444-3911, remains available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for verbal reports of child abuse and neglect from mandated reporters or from the public. For emergencies, mandated reporters must call 911 and then the hotline – just as all other reporters are expected to do.  In 2018, CPS investigated approximately 67,000 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect as a result of reports from mandated reporters and investigated about 29,000 reports from other members of the public who were not mandated reporters.  More information about the Michigan Online Reporting System and who is a mandated reporter can be found at www.michigan.gov/mandatedreporter. The MDHHS site contains registration instructions, a user’s guide, a guide to detailed reporting, and frequently asked questions about online reporting. Only mandated reporters can use the online system.