A Beautiful Me Celebrates 13th Birthday

Port Huron, MI — Local non-profit A Beautiful Me is a teenager. The organization that works to build confidence in women of all ages is turning 13.

To celebrate the milestone, A Beautiful Me is having a celebration on Saturday, April 24th between noon and 3:00 p.m. The free, family-friendly event will be held at their program center, The Closet by A Beautiful Me, located at 235 Huron Avenue in Downtown Port Huron.

A Beautiful Me started in 2008 in Romeo and eventually established its program center in Port Huron while continuing to provide programs in schools in the entire region as well as events like Bloom, Avante Garde Hair Show, and the Runaway Bride Fun Run.

A Beautiful Me has adapted to being unable to go into schools because of the pandemic and has given outreach opportunities to both students and volunteers through a letter-writing campaign.

The 13th birthday event will celebrate the over 10,000 girls and women who have participated in the program and look forward to a bright future. There will be activities both indoors and outdoors like balloon art, fresh popcorn, and treats, along with a raffle of a gift basket worth over $150.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

McLaren Launches “The Ally Project”

Port Huron, MI — According to the dictionary, an ally is someone who supports someone else or joins in a common cause. McLaren Port Huron Hospital has initiated The Ally Project, which focuses on providing healthcare to members of the LGBTQ community.

The initiative was borne of a tragic situation with a local community member who felt desperate and nearly ended his life. Thankfully, the patient is now recovering and thriving according to his parents and credits compassionate care from McLaren Port Huron staff as the first step of his journey toward health.

The Ally Project looks to make all patients feel loved and valued and to be treated as such regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Ally Initiative is a fund associated with the McLaren Port Huron Foundation and is asking for community support through this year’s Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s “Big Give Day” on June 9th.

Funds will go toward staff education that is specific to LGBTQ patients, the hospital’s internal process improvements, and supporting healthcare providers that are allies of the LGBTQ community.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Epidemic Order Extended; Mask Requirement Added for 2-4 Year-Olds

Lansing, MI — On April 16th, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services extended the Epidemic Order already in place until May 24th, and a new requirement for masking children ages 2-4 while in childcare takes effect on April 26, 2021.

The order cited an increase in COVID-19 cases of nearly 400% in youth aged 10-19. According to the order,  “as of April 8, local health departments had reported 312 new and ongoing outbreaks among K-12 schools, with 48 of those outbreaks reported in the week prior. Additionally, there are 329 identified clusters among minors participating in school and club sports since January 2021.”

In response to the increase of cases among young people, MDHHS has included in the order a mask mandate for children aged 2- 4 who are in childcare settings. The order reads, “A person responsible for a child care organization or camp, or an agent of such person, must not allow gatherings unless:

  1. Face masks are worn by all staff;
  2. A good faith effort is made to ensure that children aged 2  to 4 years wear a mask when participating in gatherings;
  3. All children 5 years and older wear a mask when participating in gatherings.”

The full order is available <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Black River Canal Dredging and Sand Placement

Port Huron, MI — The City of Port Huron’s contractor began dredging sand from the Black River Canal entrance at Lake Huron on Monday, April 19, 2021.

Weather permitting, sand dredged from Black River Canal will be placed in Lake Huron from
Holland Beach to the south beginning on Monday, April 26, 2021. Due to the work, Holland Beach will be closed.

The contractor will be utilizing Gratiot Avenue to Edison Blvd. and Conger Street to Holland Avenue to haul sand from the mouth of the Black River Canal to Holland Beach. There will be intermittent slowed and stop-and-go traffic in these areas. The public is encouraged to refrain from  parking on these streets during that time frame.

Submitted by the City of Port Huron Department of Public Works: 810-984-9730.

New Photo Stations Coming to River Walk

Port Huron, MI — Starting April 27th, new photo stations will be available throughout the Blue Water River Walk County Park. The stations are part of an Earth Day partnership between the Rotary Club of Port Huron, Friends of the St. Clair River, St. Clair County Parks and Recreation, and Chronolog, an environmental monitoring website.

The photo stations will be along the Blue Water River Walk and other places in the park, and visitors will be able to place their phone in a holder and take a photo from the same vantage point as other participants. The photos can be emailed to Chronolog to create a crowdsourced album of other photos from that station.

Participants will receive and email back from Chronolog with a time-lapse video from the photo station which will show how the area has changed.

Keely Baribeau, former President of the Port Huron Rotary Club, said, “It’s interesting to see how the world changes before our eyes and this is a great opportunity to document that change locally. Our Club thought this would be an impactful Earth Day service project that had never been done before. It encourages people to enjoy our parks, as well as contribute to this community science project.”

The photos collected from the stations will also help the Friends of the St. Clair River measure the health of the park’s ecosystem.

“Friends is excited to provide this opportunity for visitors to get involved and document the St. Clair River shoreline,” said Kirsten Lyons, Stewardship Director for Friends. “It is a fun and easy way to assist our staff in caring for this special place.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Workplace COVID-19 Rules Extended

Emergency rules for Michigan workers, businesses, customers, and communities have been extended to October 14th, 2021. The rules include things like COVID-19 emergency response plans, employee training, workplace infection control practices, proper use of personal protection equipment like masks, and protocol for reporting COVID-19 infections for contact tracing.

Remote work is recommended when possible. The process for reporting unsafe working conditions remains in place as well.

The extension of the emergency rules is a response to the surge in COVID-19 cases. Since then, there have been over 1600 outbreaks reported, with manufacturing and construction reporting the most.

Enforcing the rules falls on the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO).

MIOSHA COVID-19 Workplace Safety Director Sean Egan said, “As we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the rules reinforce the importance of keeping workplaces safe for employees from COVID-19 transmission. We want employers to create a safe work environment for their employees, which is why we will continue to work with employees and businesses to help them understand how to safely stay open.”

Reporting for WGRT -Jennie McClelland