MDOT Keeps Blue Water Bridge Rates the Same; Canadian Side Increases Toll

Port Huron, MI — The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced that toll rates, paid in Canadian currency, will remain the same, while the Federal Bridge Corporation, which operates the Canadian side of the bridge is raising rates. The Bridge has remained closed to non-essential travel for nearly a year.

The toll rates are adjusted on April 1st and October 1st of each year in accordance with the Blue Water Bridge parity rate adjustment policy that was effective April 1st 2016. There are no changes to the bridge fare for those paying with Canadian money, heading into Canada from the U.S.

With the current average daily exchange rate, the toll rates remain at $4 Canadian per trip for passenger vehicles, with extra axles costing another $4. Trucks and buses cost $4.25 per axle.

The rates for those paying with U.S. dollars heading into Canada are $3 for passenger vehicles and another $3 for each extra axle and $3.25 for each axle on trucks and buses.

For truckers and essential travelers heading into the U.S. from Canada, the rates are set to increase on April 1st to $5 Canadian or $3.75 U.S. per axle, as decided by the Federal Bridge Corporation, on the Canadian side.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Families Receive Food Benefits for Kids in Virtual School

Michigan — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) began automatically issuing food assistance benefits to more than 800,000 Michigan children through the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer program, which is similar to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Families who are eligible for the benefits don’t need to apply and should receive the added benefits automatically to their Bridge cards if they are already enrolled in the SNAP program or through the mail in the form of a Pandemic-EBT card.

The benefits are around $127.53 monthly for each child who is enrolled in a school that is fully virtual, and $77.06 for kids in schools that are functioning on a hybrid model.

The benefits are available to families with students ages 5-18 enrolled in the Michigan Department of Education program for students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and the goal is to ensure that no child in the state goes hungry during the pandemic.

Governor Whitmer said, “[K]ids who don’t go to school five days a week have a harder time accessing the free and reduced-price meals available to them at school. Pandemic-EBT closes this gap, giving our children another option for accessing nutritious food.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Propane Price-Gougers Put on Notice by AG Nessel as Line 5 Shutdown Looms

For rural residents who rely on propane heat, they can end up in a jam if they run out of propane. They may feel like they have to pay whatever price is charged to fill up the tank in order to stay warm.

Propane price-gouging is actually against the law. Michigan is part of a MI Propane Plan that addresses the state’s energy needs in anticipation of the eventual shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5, which supplies over half of the state’s propane. Part of the MI Propane Plan is to protect consumers from price-gouging.

Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “Price-gouging is against the law, and the energy industry is not exempt from those regulations. This office has taken legal action in the past to protect people from excessively high energy prices, and I will not hesitate to do so again to protect the pocketbooks of Michigan’s consumers.” 

AmeriGas has been sued by the Michigan Department of the Attorney General for violating the Consumer Protection Act and the case is heading toward trial. The complaint is that AmeriGas doubled their rate for some consumers in the past, which is illegal.

Nessel said she encourages anyone who suspects they are being taken advantage of by an energy supplier to contact her office.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Ford Field Becoming Mass Vaccination Site

Michigan — On March 12th, Governor Whitmer announced that Ford Field will be converted to a mass vaccination site that will open on March 24th. The Biden Administration is partnering with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create an eight-week long push to administer 6,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per day.

The facility will operate from 8 AM to 8:30 PM seven days a week, and it’s part of the federal government’s vaccination pilot program targeted at the population’s most vulnerable.

Governor Whitmer said, “The safe and effective vaccine is the best way to protect Michiganders and their families, and it is essential to getting our country back to normal, so that we can all hug our loved ones, get back to work, and send our kids to school safely. I want to thank President Biden and FEMA for the opportunity to build one of the nation’s first community vaccination sites to service the entire Southeast Michigan region.”

Whitmer noted that over one million Michiganders have already been vaccinated and the new mass vaccination site at Ford Field will help the state reach its goal of equitably vaccinating 70% of Michiganders 16 years or older.

When the site opens at the end of March, they will be offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the first three weeks followed by second doses for those recipients the following three weeks. There will be no cost to patients , and information about registering at the Ford Field Mass Vaccination Site is forthcoming.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Lexington Boat Launch to Close for Repairs

Lexington, MI — If signs of spring make boaters think about planning summer boat trips, they will need to rethink a trip involving the Lexington boat launch. The Lexington Harbor boating access site is planned to be under construction soon and construction will extend into boating season with completion forecasted for the end of June or early July.

The area will be undergoing repaving, design, and skid pier work, with the timeline dependent on weather. The construction of new vault toilets is also part of the remodel of the facility.

The harbor will remain open during construction.

Diesel fuel sales at the harbor are currently suspended but are hoped to back online for the 2021 summer boating season. The next closest place to get marine diesel is south in Port Huron and north in Port Sanilac. Unleaded fuel is still available in Lexington.

Boaters are asked to spread the word about the Lexington boat launch so that the closure doesn’t surprise anyone and leads to disappointment. There are public launches in Port Huron and Port Sanilac that can accommodate boaters until the Lexington construction is completed.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Volunteer Training Starts April 1st at Spero Center

Port Huron, MI — Spero Pregnancy Center wants to remind you that volunteering is good for your health, and they have a volunteer training session beginning April 1st that will help you plug in to their nonprofit medical clinic.

Spero Center has a holistic approach to working with women and men experiencing unexpected pregnancies. They provide support through client advocates, mentors, medical staff, and many other staff members and volunteers.

They provide a five-week training program that equips volunteers with the skills they need to serve their clients well. There are opportunities to work with the center’s clients along with providing volunteer IT support, graphic design, cleaning, community outreach, and office support.

Volunteering is rewarding in many ways, and it’s proven to increase over-all well-being in the areas of physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Spero Pregnancy Center  by visiting their website at BlueWaterBabies.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand