National Day of Prayer Still On With Social Distancing

Operation Transformation, along with Blue Water Area churches, is sponsoring a time for people to safely come together and corporately pray. The service is free and open to all.

The Community Drive-In National Day of Prayer Service will be held from 12:00 – 12:30 PM on May 7th at the North McMorran parking lot in downtown Port Huron.  Everyone will be asked to stay in their vehicles with their windows up and tune their radios to 90.7. Various pastors will be leading times of prayer for specific areas.

Thursday, May 7, 2020 was established by the United States Congress as the National Day of Prayer. This day is set aside to remember our spiritual heritage and the foundation our country was built upon. The theme for the 2020 National Day of Prayer Service is “Hope.”  Tens of thousands of citizens across the country will be praying for our nation, government leaders, media, military, schools, churches, businesses and families.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

Lapeer County Hit Hard by Shut Down of Auto Industry

WGRT spoke with Quentin Bishop, Executive Director of the Lapeer Development Corporation, to find out how the economy of our neighboring county is doing during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Like many counties in Michigan, Lapeer County relies heavily on their role in the automotive supply chain. Bishop said that when the automotive industry shut down, Lapeer County was hit hard, spotlighting the need for more diversification of the Michigan economy.  Michigan has the second highest unemployment claims in the nation and yet ranks 35th in federal funding. Bishop said that the huge disparity between unemployment and federal subsidy is putting Michigan’s rural communities like Lapeer County at a big disadvantage.

When asked about plans for re-booting the economy, Bishop told WGRT that he is forming a task force made of community, government, and business leaders to help communicate and coordinate the efforts to prepare for a safe reopening and long-term economic recovery.

Bishop also shared news about a successful collaboration between McLaren, the LDC, and their local industrial sewing company, Trims Unlimited in Almont Township, that produced 250,000 face masks for McLaren Lapeer as well as another 30,000 plus masks for the Clorox company.

90 Day Grace Period for Mortgage Payments

The State of Michigan has partnered with more than 200 of  Michigan’s financial institutions to ensure that no one experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 will lose their home during the COVID-19 crisis. This partnership is designed to encourage uniformity in available options for consumers in need of assistance, regardless of financial institution.

Under the MiMortgage Relief Partnership, participating financial institutions have agreed they will continue to work with their affected residential mortgage loan borrowers by “providing affected borrowers with a 90-day grace period for all mortgage payments.”  

When borrowers reach an agreement with their financial institutions, those institutions will also waive or refund mortgage-related late fees for at least 90 days.  Financial institutions will also agree not to report adverse credit scoring information for affected borrowers who reach an agreement with their financial institutions.

Some of the local financial institutions participating include Advia Credit Union, Eastern Michigan Bank, Lake Stone Bank & Trust and Genysis Credit Union. Borrowers are urged to call their Bank or Credit Union for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Marty Doorn

WGRT's On the Bright Side This Week's Good News

Pouring Out Appreciation on Essential Workers and SC4 Honors Students

Here’s this week’s good news:

You can say thank you in a tangible way to an essential worker! Salon Pizazz in Downtown  Port Huron is offering a “Thank an Essential Worker” gift card program so you can gift an essential worker with discounted services at the salon for their next 4 visits. Check out Salon Pizzazz’s website <HERE> and give an essential worker in your life a little pampering!

 

The Detroit Tigers and Little Caesars delivered pizzas to healthcare workers and first responders this week. This initiative is part of Little Caesars commitment to donating a million pizzas to healthcare workers nationwide.  The 1 million pizzas will be donated to hospitals, police departments, and fire departments around the nation and will continue to be delivered throughout the following weeks.  Customers can join the effort by using the Little Caesars app to #PieItForward and send a pizza to medical personnel, police, and firefighters in their local areas nationwide.  This donation is made possible by Little Caesars, its thousands of independent hard-working franchisees, and Ilitch Charities, a non-profit whose goal is to positively impact lives and empower communities.

 

The CNIB is the recipient of a $4,000 grant from the Sarnia United Way COVID-19 Compassion Fund.

Many individuals rely on a sighted person for grocery shopping and may face ridicule for needing physical support when challenged with 6 ft. physical distancing rules. CNIB has adapted one of its Virtual Vision Mate programs to recruit and engage volunteers so they can connect with program participants. In Sarnia, there are 4,000 people living with sight loss. Funds will be used to help bring on and train more volunteers to ensure they have the strategies and resources needed to ensure the health and safety for employees and program participants. 

The Compassion Fund is comprised of community donations from those who want to help our most vulnerable in the wake of COVID-19. Donations can be made online at www.theunitedway.on.ca or by calling 519-336-5452. 

 

SC4 Honored over 160 students for their outstanding accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the 2019-20 academic year. Faculty Memorial Award winners for this year were Thomas Short of Croswell and Shannon Tisdale of St. Clair. You can see a full list of award recipients <HERE>

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Daily COVID-19 Update for Friday April 24th

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 24th at 3:30 PM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 36,641 confirmed cases; 3,085 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 337 confirmed cases; 18 deaths
  • Ontario: 13,519 confirmed cases; 763 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 164 confirmed cases; 14 deaths

The major update for today was the extension and update to the Stay Home, Stay Safe order for Michigan residents. More information can be found on the news story <HERE>.

Please continue to rely on reputable sources for information on COVID-19:

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand