The City of Marysville is walking a little bit taller today as Marysville High School Graduate, Ali Bastianelli was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.  Bastianelli, at 6’3”, is a middle blocker for The University of Illinois Women’s Volleyball Team. According to the University of Illinois, the, “NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. Bastianelli is one of a record 585 female college athletes that have been nominated by NCAA member schools for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The nominees competed in 23 different sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 262 from Division I, 131 from Division II, and 192 from Division III. Multisport student-athletes account for 144 of the nominees. The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.  Congratulations to Ali on her nomination.”

Michigan’s Legislature will not be forced to redraw legislative and congressional districts for the 2020 election following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday, June 27. After the 5-4 decision, the high court states that federal courts have no role to play in deciding claims of partisan gerrymandering. During the last election in November, Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment creating an independent commission to handle the once-a-decade redistricting process after the census. The amendment will go into play for the 2022 election and then every ten years. 

Marysville residents and motorists alike can breathe a sigh of relief as the Westbound ramp at Gratiot and I-94 has reopened.  While that’s good news, construction season is now in full swing and there are a few road closures area residents should be watching for this week in St. Clair County. In Clay Township, Anchor Bay Drive will have single lane closures with temporary traffic signals for a bridge replacement until July 12th. In Port Huron Township, Dove Road between Michigan and Range will be closed for construction until July 12th. Local traffic will be allowed westbound only. All projects through the St. Clair County Road Commission are weather permitting.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed reported on Friday that his office received news of a train derailment within the international train tunnel. CN crews responded to the incident where approximately 30 cars were derailed in various positions, and at least one car was carrying dangerous goods.  After further investigation by EBW.TV, officials confirmed 40+ cars were involved, and a car carrying sulfuric acid spilled some of its cargo. CN deployed its team of dangerous goods experts and third-party contractors to assist in the clean-up efforts. It’s an ongoing process, and city officials tell us that there is no danger to the public, air quality, or waterways.

City officials advised residents to avoid the area while officials in Sarnia and Port Huron worked together to mitigate any further damage. Homeland Security, Emergency Management, and regional stakeholders were briefed.  The Port Huron Fire Department was in command on the U.S. side of the tunnel and collaborated with CN and the municipalities of Sarnia and St. Clair Counties. The cause of the derailment is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

UPDATE:  7/1/2019 1:47 p.m.

City Manager James Freed expressed confidence in the response by CN Railway and Unified Command to the train derailment incident on Friday, June 28, 2019. “CN, PHFD and all the stakeholders have done a tremendous job responding to this incident and ensuring public safety was protected. I applaud their efforts and remarkable abilities to tackle such a large challenge in a collaborative and coordinated effort. Public Health and Safety was never at risk because of their work.” 

However, City Manager Freed believes more transparency is needed from CN, the EPA and Unified Command on the processes for cleanup efforts. “We have a lot of local residents who are literally watching this unfold in their backyards. They deserve to know what exactly is taking place. I have been asking for a press conference for three days so that local media can ask questions and get a clearer picture of what is going on. This has not happened.” 

“I encourage CN and the EPA to stand before the press and take questions, as they serve the residents of this community,” voiced Freed. 

What is Canada Day, and why all the celebration? On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire. The autonomous Dominion of Canada was a confederation of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and provinces of Ontario and Quebec.  Two years after the passing of the British North America Act, Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and within a decade, the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making mass settlement across the vast territory of Canada possible. 

As we are now in the midst of summer, many will be traveling by air for their summer trip. If you have been flying, you may have noticed that it’s been quite busy at the airport. TSA reports that the upcoming July 4th holiday is expected to continue that trend. It’s estimated that 12.1 million people will be traveling through checkpoints from July 3-7 with the peak travel day on Sunday, July 7. The summer travel season kicked off on May 23, and since then, the Transportation Security Administration experienced six of the top 10 busiest days in the history of the agency. TSA expects a record-setting summer overall with 263 million passengers and crew members projected to pass through TSA checkpoints nationwide between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.