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

Virtual Conference on Early Childhood

St. Clair County RESA is holding a virtual conference to support and educate parents and caregivers of preschoolers. The St. Clair County Early Childhood Conference will be held via Zoom on Saturday, March 6th from 8:30 AM until 12 PM.

The virtual conference is a digital version of “Parent University” and includes educational sessions focused on parents, infants & toddlers, and preschool aged children. Topics range from developing early reading skills to healthy eating and using technology appropriately.

There are a limited number of scholarships available to parents which are given on a first-come-first-served basis, and forms are available on their event website. Registration is $10 per person, and available by visiting St. Clair County RESA’s website and clicking on “Professional Development” <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Federal Money, National Guard Help State Work Toward Goal of 50,000 Shots Per Day

Michigan is in the top 20% of states in administering the COVID-19 vaccine. The state has administered around a million vaccines, using roughly 71% of the vaccines on hand in the state, according to the Center for Disease Control’s February 1st report.

Part of the success of the distribution plan, relative to the rest of the states, could be because of the utilization of Michigan’s National Guard.

Major General Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of Michigan’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said, “Our dedicated members of the Michigan National Guard are working hard to administer vaccines across the state. The men and women of the Michigan National Guard have been proud to assist the state in Michigan’s COVID-19 response, whether it’s by testing, administering vaccines, or ensuring families across the state have the food they need to get through the pandemic. We will continue working in partnership with the governor, Dr. Khaldun, and their teams to end the pandemic once and for all.” 

Michigan is using federal funding to increase distribution and try to get to the goal of 50,000 shots per day. The money will go to local health departments to pay for additional staffing and equipment. More money is expected to go toward testing, tracing, and lab capacity in Michigan as well.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michiganders Urged to Look for Unclaimed Property

Thousands of Michigan residents have unclaimed property, usually money, that is being held in the custody of the Michigan Department of Treasury. Monday was “National Unclaimed Property Day”, which is an annual event meant to remind citizens to check and see if they have some forgotten assets due to them.

There are millions of dollars held in the Treasury from lost or forgotten banks accounts, uncashed checks, valuables left in safe deposit boxes, and stock certificates. Such assets are turned over to the state and listed on the Unclaimed Property website, unclaimedproperty.michigan.gov.

The website is easily searchable and the process for claiming property is explained on the website. Filing a claim is absolutely free and can be done by the individual as well as their beneficiary if the claimant it deceased. Corporate claims are also listed on the website.

One out of ten people are thought to have unclaimed property. Michigan returned $133 million in unclaimed property just last year and has paid out $400 million over the last five years.

A link to the Unclaimed Property Website:

Michigan Unclaimed Property – Official State Site

Claimants may call 517-636-5320 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Antique Boat Shows Planned for Summer

The Michigan Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society has finalized their 2021 Boat Show Schedule, and they are planning events in Port Sanilac, Algonac, and Port Huron. 

The Algonac Boat Show is planned for the end of June at the Algonac Harbour Club, formerly the Chris Craft plant. It includes a public show, kids events, and water events.

The Port Sanilac Show will happen on August 20 & 21st at the Port Sanilac Municipal Marina, and Port Huron’s is scheduled for September 10th & 11th in Downtown Port Huron.

All shows are taking registrations forms beginning in the spring of 2021 which will be available on the Michigan Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society’s website at www.michacbs.com. 

For more information check out the Events page at WGRT.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand