Port Huron Man Arraigned on Drugs and Weapons Charges

(Port Huron) A 31 year old Port Huron man has been arraigned on multiple charges,
following a drug raid by the St. Clair County Drug Task Force.

According to Sheriff Mat King, Matthew Kimbrough was arraigned on January 29 th in
72 nd District Court in Port Huron. He is charged with possession of methamphetamine,
delivery/manufacture of promethazine/codeine, two counts of possession of a firearm by
a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, two counts of felony firearm and
maintaining a drug house. He is also charged as a habitual 3 rd offender. Bond was set at
$50,000 cash/surety.

The charges stem from an investigation by the Drug Task Force into sales of narcotics in
the Port Huron area. That investigation led to the execution of a search warrant in the
2600 block of South Boulevard in the city of Port Huron at about 2:30 p.m. on January
27th . Once inside, members of the DTF located and seized small quantities of
methamphetamine and promethazine. Also seized was approximately $24,000 in cash,
two handguns and a 50 round magazine for a handgun. Kimbrough and a 29 year old
Port Huron woman were arrested without incident at the residence. The woman was
released pending further investigation.

Kimbrough is scheduled to be back in court for a probable cause hearing on February 16 th
at 9:00 a.m. before Judge John Monaghan in 72 nd District Court in Port Huron.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

Voter Confidence Act Announced in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Congressman Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) are announced H.R. 607, the Voter Confidence Act on February 2nd. This legislation establishes a bipartisan, bicameral commission to bolster voter confidence in future federal elections and review the practices and policies of federal, state and local election officials and their impact on the security and integrity of the election.

“The Voter Confidence Act is like watching a game film on our previous election,” said Rep. McClain. “We must ensure Americans feel confident in the integrity of our voting system and I believe establishing this commission is a vital first step.”

“Reestablishing voter confidence should not be a partisan exercise. And I am hopeful it will not be. This legislation is an effort to rebuild voter’s trust in our electoral process by disseminating best practices and bringing together expert voices from across the nation. Many states, including Pennsylvania will have started to review their election laws and I am hopeful this commission will aid them in their efforts to strengthen election integrity,” said Rep. Smucker.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also unquestionably impacted last year’s election administration. This commission would share best practices for administering elections during pandemics or other national emergencies, ensuring the security of mail-in or absentee ballots and bolstering confidence in the integrity of future elections. H.R. 607 has been referred to the Committee on House Administration.

Earlier this month, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced this legislation in the Senate.

Submitted by the office of Congresswoman Lisa McClain

New Scholarship Helps Michigan Adults Obtain Associate Degree

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined with Republican and Democratic legislators to announce the launch of the $30 million Michigan Reconnect program, the largest effort in state history to ensure that more than 4.1 million Michiganders who are 25 or older and do not have a college degree will have an opportunity to earn a tuition-free associate degree or skills certificate.   

“All Michiganders deserve a pathway to a good-paying job, whether they choose to pursue a college degree, technical certificate, or an apprenticeship,” Gov. Whitmer said during a virtual news conference. “Michigan Reconnect will connect thousands of Michiganders to good-paying jobs and connect businesses with the talent they need to thrive in their communities. I’m proud of the hard work that has gone into creating this historic new opportunity and look forward to continuing bipartisan work with lawmakers toward our goal of ensuring 60% of Michiganders will have a postsecondary degree by 2030.”

Michigan Reconnect will pay the cost of tuition for eligible adults who want to pursue an associate degree or skills certificate at their in-district community college. The program also offers skills scholarships to help cover the cost of tuition through more than 70 private training schools with 120 programs that offer certificates in high-demand careers in industries such as manufacturing, construction, information technology, healthcare or business management.

Michiganders can submit applications at Michigan.gov/Reconnect. The application takes less than five minutes to complete and can be done on a mobile device.

Reconnect scholarships are accepted by all Michigan community colleges and are even available to eligible adults who are already enrolled in their local community college. The program pays the remaining balance of tuition and mandatory fees after other state and federal financial aid have been applied. For those who choose to attend an out-of-district community college, Reconnect will pay the in-district portion of tuition.

Submitted by the Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer

To learn more about community college programs offered by St. Clair County Community College, visit www.sc4.edu

COVID Vaccine Pre-Registration System Expected Friday

The St. Clair County Health Department is expecting the new pre-registration system for COVID-19 vaccines to go live on Friday. With the new system, individuals will be able to sing up for email, text, and/or phone notifications when future vaccine appointments become available.

The pre-registration system is not a sign up system, and it does not reserve a future vaccine appointment. When the pre-registered individual is notified of an available appointment, they will still have to follow the instructions included in the notification to reserve an appointment.

The Health Department is still vaccinating eligible individuals in the 65 years and older group and the 1A/1B priority groups. Group 1A consists of healthcare workers and long term care residents, and 1B is mainly frontline workers and those who work in institutions or schools. Persons in those groups will be notified of vaccine opportunities by their employers.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer, stated, “The vaccine allocation we receive is turned around quickly and used within 7 days. During the week of January 21-27, we administered over 2,000 vaccinations. We expect numbers to increase as allocations improve. We look forward to offering weekly 65+ clinics and continue clinics for essential workers utilizing the upcoming pre-registration system. This new process will be a positive step hopefully alleviating stress in our (senior) population.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Influenza Rate Down Drastically This Year

What happened to the flu? This is usually the time of year when families get together for birthday parties and give gifts along with the flu virus, or have a team dinner at a restaurant and pass the flu germs around with the bread basket. But, with restrictions and precautions in place to prevent COVID, flu transmission is practically non-existent.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services still prints a weekly flu report, but there’s not much to report right now. No positive flu tests were reported, nor were there any outbreaks in nursing homes, as of the last report.

For the entire flu season so far, there have been six influenza hospitalizations statewide.  Nationally, the entire nation is in the lowest risk zone with the exception of Oklahoma which has a low/moderate risk designation. The first case of influenza A, commonly called swine flu, has been reported in Wisconsin by an individual living on a swine farm. Overall, influenza risk is very minimal at this point in the season, nationwide.

MDHHS pushed hard to get 4 million people to get the flu shot. They reached 75% of their goal with about 3.3 million flu shots given.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Women’s Initiative Hits $1 Million Mark

The Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s Women’s Initiative Endowment Fund has recently hit a major milestone. They now have a fund balance of over $1 million. 

The fund has over 300 contributing members who have grown the fund ten-fold over the last 19 years. The fund focuses on removing educational barriers for students. The Women’s Initiative partners with the St. Clair County RESA Great Start Collaborative to make sure every child can get a quality preschool education, no matter their family’s income level. The impact of a quality year of preschool can set the stage for successful school years and a life of learning. 

The Women’s Initiative hosts a yearly event, “100 Women Who Care”, which went virtual last fall. It will be held this fall, either virtual or in-person, depending on the ability to gather in large groups. The last live event had around 300 women in attendance. Small group socials are also on the agenda, once they are able to be held. 

The mission of the Initiative remains focused on large impact tuition assistance grants, according to Jackie Hanton, Vice President of the Community Foundation. Grant applications can be found on the Community Foundation website. 

https://www.stclairfoundation.org/grants/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland