Salvation Army Family Store Open and Taking Donations

Port Huron, MI — Those of you who spent your quarantine cleaning out your closets, basements, and attics, probably accumulated quite a pile of items ready to donate to charities. If you need a place to take them, the Salvation Army Family Store in Port Huron is ready for your donations.

The Family Store at 729 Howard Street is open from 10 AM – 6 PM each day and takes donations from 10 AM – 5 PM. Items can be dropped off at their drive thru door located behind the store. For safety reasons, they ask that no children be brought to the donation center and that visitors wear masks and observe social distancing.

All donations must be unloaded from your vehicle yourself, as they are limiting contact with their staff. There are also no pick ups available at this time.

Shoppers can follow similar safety measures when shopping inside the store. Staff explained that donations are held in the back for a few days before making their way into the store, and customers will have to load larger items, like furniture, themselves.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Sarnia Transit Reinstates Fares

Sarnia City Council voted to reinstate bus fares, on June 15, 2020. During the Declaration of Emergency, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the standard $3.00 fare will be reduced to $1.50. Passengers are expected to pay every time they board a bus.

To ensure passenger and employee safety, no transfers will be issued to minimize physical interaction. All transit fare prices are listed on the City’s website, along with prorated pass prices for June 2020.

In April 2020, Sarnia Transit began operating a Sunday level bus service from Monday to Saturday. This schedule will continue, and they encourage passengers to physically distance while travelling for essential purposes and discourage non-essential trips.

The modified weekday bus schedule will still begin at 6:30 AM, and evening service will continue to operate. No changes are being made to existing Sunday bus service or start time. Additional information is available online: https://www.sarnia.ca/transit-updates/

St. Clair County 4-H Fair Going Virtual

St. Clair County, MI — For 82 years the St Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair has brought fun, excitement and entertainment to the St Clair County area. Each year the fair attracts over 100,000 people to the event held at Goodells County Park.

The fair will still be held this year, but rather than enjoying the spacious grounds at Goodells County Park, the event will now be held virtually. Young people will still show their projects and animals, have them judged, and livestock will still be sold. Government restrictions have forced this move.

“It was a difficult decision for our board. It certainly saddens us not being able to meet up this year, and enjoy the sights and sounds of the fair. Our hearts go out to our exhibitors who look forward to the fair as one of the highlights of their year.” said Fair President Rob Usakowski

Governor Whitmer’s Reopening Michigan Plan does not list measurable criteria, which makes it difficult for fairs to assess the likelihood of putting on such events. Combined with the fact that St Clair County is grouped in a region with Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, it was even less likely that the fair could have proceeded as a live event.

“Its been difficult planning for this year. We basically planned for two events, one live and one virtual, while researching every possible means of conducting some sort of hybrid cross between, live and virtual. Our goal is to make the fair the best event possible event for our exhibitors whether its live or virtual. It certainly won’t be the same experience, but we hope to make it as enjoyable as possible” Usakowski added.

The fair has already set its dates for 2021. It will be held July 19-24, 2021.

Barber Shops and Salons Still Closed as Legal Battles Continue

While most stay-at-home orders have been rescinded, and restaurants and pools are allowed to open next week, barbers and hair salons are still shuttered. When asked about opening hair salons and the fact that people are leaving the state to get haircuts, Governor Whitmer defended her decision by explaining that it is “too risky” to open salons.

Whitmer said she is hoping to open hair salons back up before the July 4th holiday. She also suggested Googling how to give yourself a haircut or wearing a ponytail.

After getting his professional license suspended last month and garnering national attention for his defiance of the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, Owosso barber Karl Manke has filed an appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court. Manke’s attorneys argue that the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling was entered in violation of state Supreme Court Rules, as one of the judges dissented from the decision.

As the political drama plays out and citizen’s hair roots grow out, the U.S. Department of Justice has made an inquiry into allegations of unlawful use of Executive Orders, backing a lawsuit filed by several Michigan businesses who contest the forced disruption of commerce. Whitmer defended her actions saying they are based on data and that the inquiry seeks to undermine the health and safety of Michigan residents.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Standing Together for Injustice March Planned

In response to the death of George Floyd, who died after being pinned to the pavement by Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, last week, several community groups have organized a march against injustice.

At noon on Thursday, the Port Huron branch of the NAACP and SCCORE will be supported by Operation Transformation, Blue Water Area Churches, Diversity Initiative of St. Clair County, S.O.N.S., and the St. Clair County Health Department in a march from the central fire station in Port Huron to the city’s M.O.C. building. The purpose of the march is to unite those who desire to see an end to police brutality and systemic racism which has been particularly devastating to the African American community.

The Port Huron Police Department released a statement from Chief Joseph A. Platzer this week on their Facebook page saying, “The Port Huron Police Department does NOT condone the actions of the officers involved in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We work very hard to build community trust and will continue to partner with our community. We believe in transparency and keeping the lines of communication open.”

The statement also addressed law enforcement’s role in being accountable to the community for their actions by saying, “All complaints received, including use of force, are thoroughly investigated and reviewed. Our policies, tactics, and practices are evaluated on a national and state level to ensure that we are following current law enforcement standards, while providing the best level of service to our community. We take an oath to have the courage to hold ourselves and others accountable for our actions. We do this to be fair, impartial and maintain justice. All officers must have the courage to step up and step in. Anything less will not be tolerated.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Support Available to Frontline Workers through EOC and CMH

St. Clair County, MI — As businesses in the Blue Water Area prepare to transition back to regular operations, the  St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has partnered with St. Clair County Community Mental Health to deploy a team to assist healthcare providers, first responders, organizations, and businesses to support their front-line workers.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Response Team is made up of professionals from a variety of disciplines that have been trained to provide support after a critical incident occurs in St. Clair County. The goal of this team is to provide support to essential workers and other employees returning to work as they cope with the stress, anxiety and other complex emotions related to the COVID-19 pandemic by:

  • Allowing employees to come together to talk about how they have been affected by the pandemic.
  • Offering support and education regarding normal stress reactions to a traumatic event.
  • Providing education regarding the importance of self-care and support for co-workers.
  • Expediting recovery and keep employees performing at their best.
  • Minimizing absenteeism and maintaining a solid workforce.

Debra Johnson, Executive Director of St. Clair County Community Mental Health says, “Caring for the mental health of employees in St. Clair County is critical in maintaining a healthy workforce.  Our goal is to support both businesses and workers by offering this level of hands-on care and support. We know that people have experienced a range of emotion in response to COVID-19; anxiety, anger, stress, apathy, burnout, fear, compassion fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, depression, isolation, and more. We are here to help people heal, process, and prepare to move forward.”

Group sessions run between 60 – 90 minutes long, depending on group size and discussion content. Teams can be available to lead sessions at various times to support and reach employees regardless of working hours. Sessions are confidential, intended to support employees to educate them about managing stress reactions. These interventions are not psychotherapy.  Interventions are intended to provide support and education to participants.

For more information and to schedule sessions for employees, contact Amy Smith, St. Clair County Community Mental Health at asmith@scccmh.org, 810-650-8737 or Mark White, St. Clair County Emergency Operations Center at mwhite@stclaircounty.org, 810-989-6965.