County to Pay for and Coordinate Spraying for Spongy (Gypsy) Moths

Those pesky gypsy moths, now renamed spongy moths, won’t know what hit them if St. Clair County’s mitigation strategy works. After county residents reported the infestation of the little caterpillars with the huge appetites, the county adopted a plan to provide aerial spraying in areas identified as spongy moth hot spots.

County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin said, “Through a partnership with multiple county departments, St. Clair County MSU Extension and the Friends of the St. Clair River, an annual Spongy Moth Mitigation Program and 2022 aerial spray both have been successfully designed and implemented.”

Baldwin said that there will be no cost to residents or municipalities for the 2022 aerial spray, which could cost up to $550,000.  The county is picking up the tab this year.

Over 5500 acres of land have been identified as needing treatment. Spraying will begin in May and should be completed no later than the first of June. Affected property owners will be contacted and have the option to decline.

More information will soon be available at stclaircouty.org.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

International Symphony Orchestra Returns to Live Performances

The International Symphony Orchestra is preparing for its first live concert in front of a live audience since pre-covid.

The concert, Music Without Borders – Live in Michigan, will take place on Friday, March 18, 2022 at McMorran Theatre.  Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors, $10 for students, and children 14 and under are $2.

Maestro Douglas Bianchi, a Canadian-born Michigan conductor, remarked about the first post-pandemic concert in a press release, saying,  “We made it through, but we wanted to return early for the Michigan friends of the ISO, who have been steadfast in their support for a regional orchestra in their community in its seventh decade. We all look forward to getting together in person at last, while making sure to stream it for those who can’t join us.”

Music selections include works by Mozart, Schubert, Grandval, and Mendelssohn along with a featured performance of Vitula, a new, original piece composed by Dinah Bianchi.

Music Without Borders II – Live in Ontario is being planned for later this spring.

Get tickets here:

https://theiso.ticketspice.com/michigan-music-without-borders

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer Donates $10,000 to Patients

Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer is a local nonprofit that provides support services to St. Clair County residents facing a breast cancer diagnosis. They have several fundraisers throughout the year, and they just donated $10,000 to McLaren Port Huron Hospital patients being treated for lymphedema.

Lymphedema is a painful chronic condition that can happen after lymph nodes are removed in breast cancer surgery. Patients with lymphedema must receive costly, ongoing treatment to prevent the condition or to relieve the symptoms.

The donation from Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer will provide bandaging and compression materials that aren’t typically covered by a patient’s medical insurance.

Patients with lymphedema can be treated by physical therapists certified in this type of care at McLaren Port Huron Hospital and McLaren’s Port Huron Outpatient Physical Therapy center.

To learn more about the treatment for lymphedema, visit McLaren’s website here: https://www.mclaren.org/main/lymphedema-treatment

Learn more about Taking a Shot at Breast Cancer here:

https://www.takingashotatbreastcancer.org

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

$400 Auto insurance Refunds in the Mail

Auto insurance refund checks are in the mail. The $400 returns for each insured auto have been processed by the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association. The $3 billion transfer of funds has to be completed no later than May 9th. Eligible vehicles are those that met minimum insurance requirements at 11:59 p.m. on October 21, 2021.

Anita Fox, Director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services said, “Our goal is to make sure that Michiganders understand the eligibility requirements and to help ensure that this money makes it into consumers’ pockets as quickly and securely as possible.” 

The refunds are the result of bipartisan legislation that has been criticized by accident victims and health care providers who have had their funding severely reduced. Two billion dollars remain in the fund.

For those who are expecting a refund, but don’t receive it, there is a hotline and a webpage to answer questions.

Eligible consumers who do not receive their refunds by the deadline should contact their auto insurer or agent. If consumers have questions or concerns that cannot be resolved directly with their insurer, they should contact DIFS by calling Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 833-ASK-DIFS (833-275-3437) or by emailing autoinsurance@michigan.gov.  

To help Michiganders learn more about these refunds, DIFS has launched a consumer FAQ page at Michigan.gov/MCCArefund.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards Rescheduled

Blue Water Woman Magazine, a quarterly print magazine for women in the Thumb area of Michigan, hosts an annual awards ceremony to celebrate the Women of the Year. The 10th annual ceremony was supposed to take place in January 2022, but high rates of COVID-19 caused organizer Patti Samar to reschedule.

The new date for the Blue Water Woman of the Year Awards is Wednesday, May 4, 2002 at 7 PM. The ceremony is at McMorran Place and includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $75 per person or $45 for students under 21.

This year’s ceremony will celebrate six local women. Patti Samar, editor and publisher of Blue Water Woman magazine, said, “I am so very pleased that such exceptionally accomplished and talented women have been selected for recognition. Due to the pandemic, there was no ceremony in 2021, so the three 2021 award recipients will be honored at the 2022 ceremony along with the newly named 2022 award recipients.”

The 2021 award recipients are Denise Brooks, Woman of the Year; Anita Ashford, Civic Leader of the Year; and Carolyn Crowe, Volunteer of the Year.  The 2022 award recipients are Melinda Scheible, Coach of the Year; Marguerite and Haran Stanley, Historians of the Year, and Dr. Annette Mercatante, Blue Water Woman of the Decade.

Tickets are available for the event <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

SC4 Hosting Women’s Basketball Tournament

St. Clair County Community College is hosting the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship March 15-19 at the SC4 Fieldhouse. The championship tournament will bring the best 16 teams from across America to the Blue Water Area to compete for a national title.

During the fall of 2018, SC4 was identified as a site finalist by the NJCAA, competing with two other venues from Arkansas and Iowa. The process included a visit by NJCAA officials to evaluate the SC4 Fieldhouse and surrounding community, which resulted in SC4 being selected as the winning bid.

“The NJCAA is very excited to award SC4 with the Division II Women’s Basketball Championship in the coming years,” said Dr. Christopher J. Parker, NJCAA executive director. “We know SC4 will provide the highest quality tournament for all of our participating student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans.”

Both the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were impacted by the pandemic, so the campus and community are excited and ready to host the 2022 event.

“We are thrilled to welcome the NJCAA championship to our campus and look forward to showcasing the SC4 Fieldhouse as well as our many great restaurants, hotels, businesses and activities,” said Dale Vos, SC4 director of athletics. “We look forward to some exciting games throughout the week and to crowning a National Champion on Saturday night.”

The teams and tournament seeding will be announced by the NJCAA on Tuesday, March 8. The double–elimination tourney begins at the SC4 Fieldhouse on Tuesday, March 15, with the first game tipping off at 9 a.m. The championship game will be held on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. Visit sc4skippers.com/fanzone/ticketing for tickets. A complete game schedule will be available on the NJCAA website njcaa.org/championships/sports/wbkb/div2.

The event will make a substantial positive impact to the local community, bringing in approximately $250,000 each year. “This is a big deal to host 16 teams and their fans in St. Clair County for a week in March,” said Marci Fogal, president of the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are excited to partner with SC4 and the NJCAA to host this great event. As the spring weather arrives, it will be wonderful to have people here from throughout the U.S. enjoying our downtown and beautiful waterfront.”

Submitted by St. Clair County Community College