WGRT makes winners out of listeners throughout the year. All winner’s names are put into a drawing at the end of the year for a prize that only those in the WGRT Winner’s Circle are eligible to win. This year, Angeline was the winner of a 65 inch, LG High Definition TV, along with a speaker system from Kimball Appliance. WGRT thanks all our listeners, and we look forward to another great year of music and prizes.
The holiday season “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign begins today in St. Clair County and throughout the country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in partnership with the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office are working to encourage safe and sober driving this holiday season. The national enforcement campaign runs until December 31st. During this period, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office and officers from several police departments throughout the county will continue to show zero tolerance for drunk and drugged driving. The increased patrols, along with increased messages about the dangers of driving while impaired, aim to drastically reduce crashes, fatalities and injuries on the roadways. “We understand that people enjoy attending parties, especially during this time of year,” said St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon. “We need to make sure people get the message to make the smart decision to drive sober. It’s important to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave to attend a party. There are many options for a sober ride, including friends and family, buses, taxies, Uber, etc. There are just no excuses to drive impaired.” NHTSA statistics show there is still a lot of work to be done to put an end to impaired driving. In 2017, 10,784 people across the nation were killed in drunk driving crashes. In December of last year, 885 people lost their lives countrywide in crashes involving drunk drivers. Drunk driving isn’t the only risk on the road. If drivers are impaired by any substance-alcohol or drugs- they should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Driving impaired for any reason is illegal, period.
The St. Clair County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in conjunction with Ascension River District Hospital in East China Township held an Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Exercise at the hospital on December 6th, 2018. After several weeks of planning, over 50 people participated in the exercises. Assistance was provided from several emergency responder agencies including the St. Clair Fire Department, Marine City Fire Department, St. Clair County Sheriff Department, and Tri-Hospital EMS. The fire departments were able to utilize and train with their new protective gear that was recently purchased specifically for these types of incidents. Volunteers from the Port Huron Police VIP program and the Kimball Township Fire Department Fire Corp played the role of victims for the exercise. A team of Moulage experts helped to apply realistic makeup to the victims to simulate real injuries which added another level of realism to the event.
The exercise also tasked Ascension with assembling and coordinating staff from all departments within the
hospital, including doctors, nurses, security officers, and emergency management personnel in handling the patient surge into their Emergency Department. The exercise was deemed a success and is part of Ascension River District Hospital’s plan to become a Level IV Trauma Center as designated by the State of Michigan.
WGRT in partnership with Kimball Appliance have joined together to donate a 65 inch flat screen television to “The Closet” in downtown Port Huron. The television will be used for in-store advertising and for workshops for the young ladies participating in the training program offered at “The Closet”. According to founder Karen Palka, The Closet is a training, education and enterprise, with the mission of teaching life-long business skills and philanthropy to maximize the success of young women as well as to provide sustainability for local A Beautiful Me programs. A Beautiful me fosters self-esteem in women of all ages and presents specific programs for young ladies in Macomb and St. Clair Counties. Pictured are Nick Bondarek of Kimball Appliance, Marty Doorn of WGRT and Karen Palka founder of A Beautiful Me and The Closet.
An investigation into the sales of crystal methamphetamine in the Port Huron area concluded in the early morning hours of December 15th at the Amtrak train station on 16th Street in Port Huron. According to St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon, the St. Clair County Drug Task Force received a tip that a man coming into Port Huron on the train had a large quantity of crystal meth with him. Several DTF members set up surveillance at the train station. Shortly before midnight on December 14th, the train arrived at the station. The suspect, a 46 year old Port Huron man was spotted exiting the train just after midnight. After members of the Drug Task Force made contact with the man, it was found that he was carrying $2000 worth of crystal meth in his coat. He was arrested without incident and transported to the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center. The suspect faces charges of possession with intent to deliver crystal methamphetamine.
Along with singing “Auld Lang Syne” at the start of the New Year, making resolutions is a tradition for millions of Americans. While choosing a resolution can be easy, sticking to it can be impossible. A 2014 YMCA survey found that less than a quarter of respondents kept their resolutions. Many (71 percent) tried but stated that they fell short of their goals. Forty percent confessed that they gave up within the first few months, even weeks, of the New Year! This year, the YMCA of the Blue Water Area is encouraging community members to give their New Year’s resolutions a boost by creating smaller, more manageable goals that can lead to a success of a larger one. “’Losing weight’ is too broad,” explains Jenny McElwain, Healthy Living Specialist. “Reframe that big resolution into smaller, more manageable ones. Resolve to incorporate fruits and vegetables into at least two meals a day. If you’re eating out three times a week, make a goal to only eat out two times a week.” The YMCA of the Blue Water Area also explains that reframing your goals in a positive way can help you stick to them. For example, you may want to limit your screen time in 2019, but that can be more manageable if you replace it with something positive like volunteering or setting special time aside for family. “