Sarnia Moved Back to Red-Control Zone

Sarnia, Ontario — After a week of being in the Orange-Restrict level of the Province’s COVID-19 Response Framework, Sarnia has been moved back to the Red-Control Zone. This move places more stringent measures on businesses and individuals and is the highest level of control before a lockdown is enforced.

Cases of COVID-19 stayed relatively low in the Sarnia area until they began to rise dramatically in December. As of Wednesday, there were 94 active cases of the virus in Lambton County.

The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to all residents of long-term care, retirement, or elder care homes who wanted one, so the Province is now focused on immunizing that group with its second dose and giving first doses to essential caregivers of seniors and health care workers along with adults in Indigenous populations and recipients of chronic home health care.

For more details about vaccine priority groups and Red-Control Zone restrictions, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Magna International Building Manufacturing Facility in St. Clair

The Magna International company is building a brand new factory in St. Clair. The manufacturing facility is expected to add over 300 jobs to the region with its $70.1 million investment. Magna plans to manufacture complex battery enclosures for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV, an electronic propulsion vehicle.

The location of the 345,000 square foot building in St. Clair County is a victory for both the county and state as several Midwest locations were vying for the investment. Magna currently employs over 10,000 people in Michigan. They manufacture a variety of components for the auto industry, including complete vehicles, and have been part of the industry since 1957.

Finding local people to fill the jobs is a priority. Dan Casey of the St. Clair County Economic Development Alliance said, “We’re excited to see more Industry 4.0 jobs coming to St. Clair County. We look forward to working with Magna Electric Vehicle Structures to develop new training resources to support the company’s growth.” 

A link to information about jobs with Magna:

https://www.magna.com/company/careers

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Online Sports Betting and Casinos Break Records with Michigan Debut

If you tried out online sports betting or casinos this year, you are part of history. Michigan’s venture into legal online sports betting and online casinos has been one for the record books. Sports betting debuted with $115 million in bets in the first ten days, according to numbers from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Online casinos posted $29.4 million in gross receipts.

Michigan generated more money than any other state. Analysts with PlayMichigan, which analyzes online gaming operations, said, “The circumstances for Michigan’s online launch could not have been better ahead of two of the biggest sports betting holidays of the year.”

Sports betting accounted for 76% of the state’s online gambling, but online casinos did pretty well also, generating over $4 million in tax revenue in first ten days.

Gambling operations seem to have confidence in Michiganders’ taste for gambling. PlayMichigan analysts said that launching with 10 operators ready to go from the beginning was unlike anything else they had seen before.

While revenue for the actual betting operators was down due to the massive amount of advertising they have been doing in Michigan, PlayMichigan’s analysts said that it shows just how much confidence operators have in the future of the Michigan market.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SCCHD COVID Testing at Marysville Clinic

Port Huron, MI — The St. Clair County Health Department offers all COVID-19 testing at an offsite clinic located at  1168 Gratiot Blvd, in Marysville. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 8:30am 3:30pm and Fridays 8:30am – 12:00 pm.

Appointments can be self-scheduled on the health department website, www.scchealth.co click  on the “COVID-19 Testing Link” or call (810) 987-5300 for assistance.

Testing helps public health officials identify COVID-19 infection in our community, isolate positive cases, and find close contacts for follow-up monitoring. Some people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms and don’t know they have it. They can continue spreading the virus and can cause  serious illness in others.

Testing information: 

  • Free/No out of pocket costs
  • Dependent on an individual’s needs, multiple testing methods are available ∙ Seek testing if you have been exposed, sick or traveling
  • All ages welcome
  • No screening needed
  • No doctor’s order needed
  • Please bring a form of ID to the appointment
  • COVID-19 vaccinations are NOT provided at this location

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

SC4 Presents “Victim or Creator: Changing Your Mindset”

Port Huron, MI — St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron is offering a presentation called “Victim or Creator: Changing Your Mindset”. The 60-minute chat via Zoom will be held on Friday, February 26th at 2:00 p.m.

The guest speaker, Caleb S. Boswell, will be exploring the thoughts and language that people use internally. Mr. Boswell is described as having a “passion for mental wellness and education”. The presentation will be challenging the “victim” versus “creator” mindset.

Boswell is a Student Advisor at Washtenaw Community College and has experience with promoting college access and personal development. He works to promote mental wellness and benefits of therapy with the hashtag #TherapyIsNormal and is a facilitator of “The Healing Collective”.

The presentation is open to students, faculty, staff, and community and is sponsored by SC4’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

To get the login information, email dei@sc4.edu.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lauwers Asks for “Common Sense” with MDHHS Orders

Michigan State Senator Dan Lauwers is heading up an effort to get some clarity and consistency in Executive Orders when dealing with the rules for local government meetings. Current regulations restrict in-person meetings, which can create a burden on people who are just trying to do their jobs.

Lauwers pointed out that local Boards of Review are required to meet on March 2nd, but are restricted to gatherings of no more than ten people and no more than two households. While meeting online has been an answer to restrictions on gatherings for nearly a year, it is not always possible in the 25th Senate District, with vast rural areas in St. Clair, Sanilac, and Huron counties, that Lauwers represents.

In a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Lauwers said, “State government should not be issuing and enforcing orders that limit residents’ access to their local elected officials and the community entities necessary to carry out the functions of municipal life. It is the responsibility of government to consider the impact of its policies and account for unintended consequences. In short, it is the responsibility of government to use common sense.”

The letter was signed by nine State Senators.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland