It’s Music Week in Sarnia!

We’re just about to the middle of Tourism Sarnia-Lambton’s Music week, which features multiple musicians playing on stages all around the Sarnia-Lambton area. Music week coincides with Blue Water Border Fest which runs Thursday – Saturday at Centennial Park.

Music Week is an opportunity to celebrate local musicians and venues throughout Lambton County, and this year will be a chance for music lovers to catch up with their favorite bands.

Music takes place at the Petrolia Tuesday Night Farmers Market tonight, and continues at wineries, parks, breweries, and festivals throughout the weekend. There are also a couple of shows at Rustr Music Hall, Beatles in Blue on Friday and Jim Dan Dee on Saturday.

Bluewater BorderFest kicks off Friday night with The Tea Party and the Sam Roberts Band, and Saturday night’s headliner is Brampton, Ontario native Alessia Cara. Tickets for Bluewater BorderFest are available online and range from $59.99 for single-night general admission to $169.99 for general admission for all three days.

Learn more about Bluewater BorderFest here: https://www.bluewaterborderfest.ca/

A full schedule for Tourism Sarnia-Lambton Music Week is available here: https://www.ontbluecoast.com/musicweek/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

CityFlats Hotel Celebrates Grand Opening

CityFlats Hotel has a soft opening a few weeks ago, and the community gathered with them Monday, June 20, 2022 to celebrate their grand opening. The hotel’s 18 unique guest rooms are ready to welcome summer visitors.

The motto of CityFlats Hotel is “Stay Different”, and a tour of the guest rooms with their creative floor plans and modern features certainly makes visitors feel like they’ve stumbled upon something special. Each room has its own color palette, custom furniture, and high-end fixtures so guests can have a one-of-a-kind experience each time they stay.

Charter House Holdings, LLC of Zeeland, MI bought the building in 2015, and began converting it from a bank to the boutique hotel. The guest rooms are converted office space, and most rooms feature stunning views of downtown Port Huron overlooking Main Street and the Black River.

The Grand Opening showcased CityFlats Hotel’s guest rooms along with indoor gathering spaces: The Ballroom, The Bar, and The Kitchen, along with its two outdoor spaces: FairWeather Grill and CityFloats, a floating bar.

To book a room at CityFlats Hotel, visit their website here:

Port Huron

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Bill to Pay Student Teachers Passes State House

A bill has passed the Michigan House of Representatives that would allow for both student teachers and teacher mentors to be compensated.

House Bill 6013 was introduced by State Representative Pamela Hornberger, a Republican from Chesterfield Township. The bill creates a grant program for school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies to apply for and to use to pay the student educators and their mentors.

Student teachers currently pay tuition to student teach, which is usually an uncompensated full-time internship. If passed by the Senate and signed into law by the governor, the bill would allow for student teachers to be paid $90 per day, and for mentors to be paid a stipend of $1000.

Hornberger said, “Student teachers are apprentices in the education field and should be compensated just as apprentices in other fields are. Providing this stipend to them will ensure our students continue to receive a quality education from good teachers.”

The legislature will have to appropriate funding if signed into law, and it is not currently tied to a funding bill. The bill is supported by several education industry boards and associations

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Michigan Wild Rice, or Manoomin, Could Become Official Native Grain of Michigan

Does Michigan need an official native grain? A group of state lawmakers, including Senator Dan Lauwers, a Brockway Township Republican, think so.

Lauwers was one of many cosponsors of the bipartisan bill that was introduced by Senator Adam Hollier, a Democrat from Detroit.

The lawmakers want to designate Michigan wild rice, which is technically called manoomin, as the official native grain of Michigan. Why wild rice? The bill says, “Manoomin is a sacred and important component to many wetlands and has a cultural significance to the indigenous people of this state.”

“Sacred” is a strong word, but the bill explains that the grain is a cultural staple for the Anishinaabeg people,  the group of tribes that includes the Ojibwe.

Michigan wild rice, or manoomin, grows in shallow to moderate water depths. It is a persistent natural grass that grows year after year in the Great Lakes Region.

The bill has been reported favorably by the Committee on Agriculture and would need to be approved by both the Senate and the House, and signed by the Governor.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan Youth Challenge Academy Gets Teens on Track for Success

The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy has produced its 46th class of graduates. The program is a voluntary alternative education program for Michigan 16–18-year-olds. The program helps participants work toward getting their high school diploma or GED and offers graduates participation in the Michigan Job Challenge program.

Youth in the program are involved in physical fitness, community service, classroom instruction, and drill and ceremony formations.

U.S. Army Major General Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said, “This program provides young people with vocational training and fundamental life skills necessary to be successful in life.”

Caleb Barber of Macomb County participated in the program. His mother, LaTonya Barber, said that her son was hesitant at first, but now is planning to go back next month for the job program. She said while it is hard as a parent to let your child leave for the military-style program, she knew that she was leaving him in good hands.

Barber recommends the program, saying that her son has greater confidence to navigate decision making, and she expects him to make a positive impact.

Class #47 will begin on July 17, 2022. To begin the application process, interested youth and parents are invited to attend an upcoming virtual orientation. These orientation sessions are a mandatory part of the application process. To schedule an orientation, please contact: Joan Miller at 269-968-1368 (Western Michigan and Upper Peninsula) or Frank Vasquez at 269-968-1397 (Eastern Michigan and Upper Peninsula).

https://www.michigan.gov/myca

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland