New StoryWalk at Ft. Gratiot County Park

On Thursday, July 28th from 2- 3:30, a new feature will be unveiled near the playground at Ft. Gratiot County Park. StoryWalk, a joint effort between St. Clair County RESA, St. Clair County Great Start Collaborative and others, will enable families to experience a picture book together while walking around to 21 displays in the park.

The StoryWalk panels are free-standing displays that house pages of a children’s book which will change throughout the year. The first book, “Don’t Feed the Coos!” written by Jonathan Stutzman and illustrated by Heather Fox, is installed and ready for the ribbon-cutting.

Those who attend the unveiling will get to see the displays and enjoy fun activities for kids while also spending some time in nature and playing at the park.

St. Clair County Great Start Collaborative Coordinator Riley Alley said, “We welcome all our area children, families, caregivers, and teachers to enjoy the StoryWalk. It’s a fun way to engage with a book and makes literacy interactive in an unexpected way. We plan to have fun with this project year-round.”

Along with St. Clair County RESA and the St. Clair County Great Start Collaborative, this project was supported by State Farm Agent Megan Simmons, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, St. Clair County Library System, St. Clair County Parks and Recreation, and the Michigan Department of Education.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Canal Dredging Scheduled for Today

Weather permitting, the City’s Contractor will begin dredging sand from the Black River Canal entrance at Lake Huron today, Wednesday, July 20, 2022. During the dredging operation, the Black River Canal will be closed to recreational watercraft in the area between the Tainter gate and Lake Huron. 

Following completion of the dredging work, sand dredged from Black River Canal will be placed at Lakeside Beach. 

The contractor will be utilizing Gratiot Avenue and Holland Avenue when transporting sand to Lakeside Beach. There will be intermittent slowed, and stop and go traffic in this area. We encourage the public to avoid the south end of Lakeside Park when the contractor is in the process of hauling and placing the sand. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If there are any further questions regarding this matter, please contact the Department of Public Works 810-984-9730. 

Submitted by the City of Port Huron

Don’t Fall for the Latest Text and Call Scam

There’s another scam to look out for. This time it involves imposters who pretend to be representing banks or utilities. They fraudulently request personal information or payments.

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox said, “Even if your phone’s caller ID displays a legitimate business’s name, you should be wary of anyone calling you asking for payment or personal information of any kind. If you think the call might be legitimate, hang up and call the number on your billing statement or other documentation from the company before giving out any information or making a payment.”

A recent version of the scam had criminals saying they work for DTE and contacting victims via text and then with a phone call. The scammers ask customers to make missed payments through a website and use a cash transfer app like Zelle. The real DTE doesn’t contact customers like that.

Don’t give personal account information to anyone who initiates a call, even for “verification purposes”. If the caller says an issue must be resolved immediately, its probably a scam. Never reply to an unsolicited text message.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Giant Wind Turbines Could Be on Their Way to Southern Sanilac County

Fifty wind turbines could be coming to southern Sanilac County, and residents have mixed feelings about the potential drastic change to the landscape.

Riverbend Wind Energy, LLC, also known as Liberty Power and Algonquin Power and Utilities Corporation, of Canada, is in the process of acquiring land for 50 wind turbines in Buel, Elk, Fremont, and Speaker Townships.

Some residents who will be living near the turbines have formed a grassroots effort to impose a moratorium on moving forward with the project. They are considering legal action, citing concerns about conflict of interest with local government zoning boards and about the effect on the quiet, peaceful country landscape in which they live. Turbines could be as high as 700 feet, and are lit up at night.

According to Fremont Township Supervisor Jeff Furness, who owns property where turbines could be placed, the project could have “good economic value to the townships, schools, and county”. Furness said there have been test towers up for the past twelve months, but he did not yet know the results of the study.

Furness said that at this point the project is moving forward.

Furness said that wind zoning has been in place since 2016 when Nexterra, an energy company, was showing interest in the area for wind energy. There are currently power transmission lines owned by ITC that can handle the power generated by the wind turbines, according to Furness.

Residents of Speaker and Fremont Townships have voiced strong concerns about the effects on their property values, along with health and safety concerns for humans, livestock, and wildlife, and the safety of the turbines near their property.

Those opposed to the Riverbend Wind Energy project have also cited concerns regarding conflict of interest among the planning commissions that would permit construction of the supersized windmills. Many of those decision-makers stand to profit from allowing the turbines on their property.

When asked about the potential for conflict of interest, Furness pointed out that due process has been followed all along and it has been proven that there is no conflict of interest. He said that “everything that was supposed to have happened, has happened.”

Furness said that when there is a direct conflict of interest, such as voting on one’s own parcel, that Planning Commission member abstains from the vote. The Planning Commission voting is done on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Liberty/Algonquin has a target date for starting the construction of the turbines in 2023 and is targeting generating electricity in 2024.

To see the map of the location of the proposed Riverbend Wind Energy project, go to https://riverbendwind.com/?page_id=36.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Detroit Named as One of Time Magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places”

Have you been to Detroit lately? There’s a lot going on and people are noticing. Detroit has been named to Time Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2022. Detroit spent decades on much different lists, often known worldwide as the very definition of urban decay. But times are changing and the world is taking note.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said, “It’s gratifying that TIME has recognized what Detroiters always have known: that Detroit is a great city with an extraordinary history.”

Duggan said, “We still have work to do, but Detroit is in the midst of a real rebirth – one that many had thought was impossible just a few years ago.”

Duggan credited the city residents and employees, as well as the support of the business and philanthropic community, for the reinvestment that began in the downtown core and spread to neighborhoods across the city.

He said, “Opportunity is more abundant and equitable today than at perhaps any time in our city’s history.  All of this adds up to more people seeing Detroit as a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland