Sanilac County Granted $200,000 to Help Children in Need 

Sanilac County at-risk children are the big winners with the announcement of a $200,000 grant from the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund. The money has been awarded to the Sanilac Intermediate School District’s Parents As Teachers Home Visiting Program. 

The grant will be spread out over four years and will be used to enhance and grow the program. According to the Sanilac ISD, the program utilizes the Strengthening Families Framework to empower families with parenting and developmental knowledge, social connections, resilience tools, and concrete support in times of need. 

The Michigan’s Home Visiting Initiative’s 2020 Home Visiting Needs Assessment reported, “Home visiting could positively impact many outcomes of certain areas of Sanilac County. Home visiting and other parenting education supports are limited but needed considering parenting risk factors in the county such as lower levels of education and use of substances. Additionally, 40% of children have experienced two or more Adverse Child Experiences, and the rate of child maltreatment is higher in Sanilac than the state average.”

There are currently 21 children enrolled in the program.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Theresa Winters Faraway Places Travel Travel with Kids

Local Travel Agent Theresa Winters Offers Tips for Single Parents Traveling with Kids

Local travel agent Theresa Winters was recently featured in The Compass Magazine where she shared some valuable tips for single parents who are traveling with children.

With a lot of pent-up demand for travel after a year and a half of closures and restrictions, vacationing and exploring new places are on a lot of families’ to-do lists.

In the interview, Winters, owner of Port Huron’s Faraway Places Travel, said that every trip is a learning experience when adjusting to traveling solo with kids.

Winters said, “We, as single parents, need an additional sense of ease. Most times, we’re outnumbered by children, which can easily make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. A travel advisor should focus on the ages of the children so their particular needs are met.”

As both a travel advisor and a single parent herself, Winters suggests letting kids help plan trips so they have a bit of a say in the activities. She also suggests road trips instead of flying as ways for single parents to save money.

Winters says all-inclusive resorts are a great option for single parents traveling with children as they have amenities onsite.

https://viewer.joomag.com/compass-summer-2021-master/0846492001627334402/p74?short&fbclid=IwAR0lsrGpzO5qisbm5u9CecM1FcA51ryFJ8gE1Jdqr1tSbQ7cMbWDhfSvDxA

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Time to Empty the Shelters

The BISSELL Pet Foundation is hosting a national Empty the Shelters event to help pets find their forever homes. This year’s national adoption event is October 4 – 9th.

The Blue Water Humane Society will participate in the national event from October 5 – 9th. Adopting a pet from the Blue Water Humane Society during Empty the Shelters enables new pet parents to adopt for a reduced fee.

The regular price to adopt a cat is $100 and $150 for a dog. During Empty the Shelters, the cost is reduced to $25 for dogs, and cats and rabbits are free.

Interested new pet parents can view available pets at the Blue Water Humane Society by checking out their profile on Pet Finder.com <HERE>, and then call the shelter to get pre-approved by filling out an application. You must be pre-approved to adopt a pet through this program by October 5th.

Cathy Bissell, founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation, said, “Shelters are in dire need of support in the wake of natural disasters and overcrowding due to obstacles such as increased length of stay and slowed adoptions for mid-to-large sized dogs. Our fall ‘Empty the Shelters’ will support the adoption of thousands of pets across the country, helping shelters in this time of crisis. Opening your home to a shelter pet will save a life and create space to give another pet a chance.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

McMorran Ready to Rock with Styx November 4th 

The band Styx is coming to Port Huron. The rock band that got started in the 1970s will be rocking McMorran Arena on Thursday, November 4th at 8:00 p.m.

This is the actual band Styx, not a cover band. They are known for 1970s hits like “Come Sail Away” and “Babe” and 1983’s “Mr. Roboto”. Styx’s most popular song was 1978’s “Renegade”.

The members of Styx are mostly in their 60s and 70s, and they are still actively making music and touring the country.. The tour that is coming to Port Huron coincides with the release of their latest album, Crash of the Crown.

It’s been a while since McMorran has had a big show. They hosted some big shows like Third Eye Blind and Newsboys over the past fifteen years or so, but this is the first post-shutdown big show that is sure to draw a sell-out crowd.

Tickets go on sale October 1st through the McMorran Box Office. Prices start at $55. They can be bought online or at the box office with no additional fees.

McMorran has a full schedule of entertainment on the calendar for the rest of the year. Go to mcmorran.com for the details.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MOC Building Will List for $5 Million

At their regular meeting Monday night, the Port Huron city Council approved listing the Municipal Office Center, or the MOC building, for sale.  The building will be listed for $5 million with Kramer Realty on October 1st.

Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp said the city has been considering listing the building for awhile, and the timing seems advantageous to pursue sale of the property now. They hope to see something move to the site that would be an economic driver for the city.

“When it was [built] it was the right thing to do because we got all kinds of money. The site down there was pretty much industrial, and we got a lot of federal funds in order to fix up that property and put the building up. So, it wasn’t a big cost to the taxpayers when that went up,” said Repp.

Repp also said the purchaser of the building would have to submit a development plan before the sale was approved. “We will not allow anyone to purchase it and just hold on to it,” she said.

The only thing for sale is the building and the parking lots. The City will keep ownership of Keifer Park, and the public will still have access to the waterfront.

At this time, there is no plan for relocating the city’s employees or tenants when the building sells. Current tenants include Michigan Works! and other State of Michigan offices, Port Huron Police Department, and the St. Clair County EDA. In August, The EDA announced plans to build its own building at Desmond Landing near the Blue Water YMCA.

Repp said the Council also issued certificates to DTE Energy and the city’s police, fire, and forestry departments at the meeting. They commended them for everything they did to assist residents and deal with the aftermath of last week’s storms.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Home Heating Credits Mailed to Michigan Households

Checks are in the mail for families and individuals who qualify for the Home Heating Credit. The checks are for $100 or $200 depending on circumstances.

Over 178,600 households are getting the one-time payment. The recipients are the ones who got the Home Heating Credits for the 2020 tax year. The money is coming from the Fiscal Year 2021 federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

There’s still time to apply for the credit, but not much. Applications need to be turned in by September 30th. State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said, “There is still time to apply for the Home Heating Credit. You don’t have to file an individual income tax return to receive the credit. Please don’t wait and submit your application today.”  

According to a press release, households with seniors, disabled individuals, or children under 5 years old are receiving $200. Other eligible households are receiving $100.

The Home Heating Credit application form can be obtained at www.michigan.gov/taxes.  Additional information can be found on the Home Heating Credit website. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland