Local Poet Publishes New Book

Tim Carter is a local poet, who has published three books, with his most recent entitled Living In God’s Rhyme.   Carter says he has written poetry for almost fifty years, but his poems have taken on a deeper meaning of faith as he has become closer in his walk with God.  He writes every day, mapping out where he has been, where he is and where he is headed.

Living In God’s Rhyme, Carter says, was written and published, pretty much on Facebook.  He is featured on two Facebook Pages, “God Still Rhymes” and “Tim Carter Books”.  Those who have reviewed his work have said many of the poems focus on love and his growing faith in Jesus.  The books may be purchased on Amazon, at BarnesandNoble.com – on his website at timcarterbooks.com and they can be ordered in-store at Barnes and Noble.  Carter says his writings are ways for him to become stronger in his faith, express his beliefs to others, and give God the praise he deserves.

Port Huron Twp. Supervisor Elected President of MATS

Port Huron Township Supervisor Robert Lewandowski was elected President of the Michigan Association of Township Supervisors (MATS) at a meeting of the membership on May 30, 2019. Supervisor Lewandowski will serve a two-year term with MATS, working with township supervisors from among the 1,240 townships in the State of Michigan.  The MATS mission, under the leadership of the President and board, includes, but not limited to, enhancing the professional standing of township supervisors through education and training, fostering cooperation and communication among all township supervisors, and addressing legislative or other matters relating to the supervisor’s responsibilities or township government.

More than double the number of cities, villages and counties combined – townships provide strong roots for Michigan’s citizens. The Michigan Association of Township Supervisors was established in 1998 by a small group of township supervisors seeking a way to better network with each other and to ensure their educational needs were met. They were seeking ways to strengthen the quality of municipal government and administration in Michigan’s rural communities.

United Way of St. Clair County Receives Top Rating

United Way of St. Clair County (UWSCC) recently received the esteemed 4-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.  This award was bestowed to the organization by Charity Navigator, the largest evaluator of U.S. charities.  Charity Navigator has been evaluating charities with an objective, numbers-based rating system since 2001.  There are currently 9,158 charities rated on their website.

According to Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org),  Four stars is the highest possible rating obtainable.  This 4-star achievement is a collective effort of all the volunteers and staff throughout UWSCC’s 95 years of service.  Financial health, accountability, and transparency have always been high priorities of the organization as evidenced by their three pillars: Local, Accountable, Volunteer-Driven.  UWSCC has held a 3-star rating since their first Charity Navigator assessment in 2015.   Please visit www.charitynavigator.org to view UWSCC’s rating profile.  For additional information on UWSCC’s accountability and transparency, visit www.uwstclair.org/Accountable.

Waterfront Property Owners Can Request Mitigation

Office of the City Manager, Chief Administrative Officer James Freed has put out a notice that there are Great Lakes High Water Levels Mitigation Applications Available for Waterfront property owners in the City of Port Huron.  Those interested in immediate mitigation activities related to Lake Huron and Black River water levels should file application permits at the following website: https://miwaters.deq.state.mi.us/miwaters/external/home.

Freed says residents should include “URGENT-EMERGENCY GREAT LAKES HIGH WATER LEVELS” in the narrative portion of the online application. Michigan EGLE will forward requests to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for fast track review. Additional information can be found here:  https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3313_72753—,00.html

Active Death Investigation Ongoing

Reports say “an active death investigation” continues on Lighthouse Drive this morning.  Marysville Public Safety Chief Tom Konik says a man was taken into custody without incident and one man is dead in the 900 block of Lighthouse Drive.  Police arrived at the scene shortly after 9 a.m., and no further information is available at this time.

Cathie Martin Retires After 38 Years

WGRT is seeing more in the way of changes in the coming weeks.  News Director Cathie Martin is giving up the microphone and after thirty-eight years, will be retiring this month.  In a new and exciting partnership with ebw.tv, the Blue Water Area’s only online television station, Karly Hurley, Station Manager of ebw.tv will be stepping in to report the news on WGRT, and on occasion, listeners will hear the voices of Mallory Michaluk and Mike Smith, both from ebw.tv .

Listeners need not worry, as the social media portion of the job, as well as the contests, will be handled by newcomer, Jessie Wiegand. Jessie’s title will be Media Coordinator and she is looking forward to interacting and making winners out of listeners.

This is an exciting time for the station, and Cathie is excited to spend more time with her family, as well as having more time to practice yoga, read and draw.  She says she will miss chatting with the listeners but will not miss the early hours. She is honored to pass the baton to Karly and Jessie, so her legacy of producing quality news and interacting with WGRT listeners can continue.

Karly has grown up in the Blue Water Area and is excited to get to know WGRT listeners while sharing the news of all the latest and greatest things happening in town.  Jessie is also a Port Huron native and an active member of the community, so you may recognize her as she goes about town representing WGRT.