St. Clair County commissioners have approved a new deputy medical director role for the Health Department, aiming to expand family planning and clinical services. The 5-1 vote replaces a vacant nurse practitioner position, letting the department offer full Title X services 5 days a week instead of 3. Officials say the move should be revenue neutral, though one commissioner voted no over concerns about federal funding security beyond next year. Nurses at the meeting raised staffing concerns. The county hopes to fill the role by year’s end.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet

Attorneys for both defendants charged in a Port Huron murder case are asking a judge to keep key evidence away from jurors. Sayon Florence and Dazman Drake face first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Vincent Buckles, killed at his home last year. New court filings seek to block evidence including a pearl found on a boot, gun and ballistics testing, gas station video, and jail phone calls, arguing it’s prejudicial or unreliable. A judge hears arguments Aug. 31st, with Florence’s trial set for next month.

Reporting for WGRT – JP bZet