The Great Lake to Lake trail opened this week and now connects the city of South Haven on Lake Michigan to Port Huron. 18 separate trails are connected and the route travels through 9 counties. A large group of riders left on September 12th from South Haven and arrived in Port Huron this past week.  When the group arrived in Port Huron they were greeted by a newly finished area marking one end of the trail.  

The City of Port Huron set a large Red buoy to mark the end, and in South Haven, a Green buoy is positioned there.  Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the city is excited about the new Great Lake to Lake Trail. He went on to say that there will be many enhancements in coming years to increase bike lanes and trails in Port Huron. Freed said the goal is to create a more bike-friendly community.

St. Clair County Substance Prevention through Early Action and Knowledge (SPEAK) is a new initiative by the St. Clair County Health Department. The program is designed to address substance abuse among area youth. This past summer several different agencies in St. Clair County came together through the program to talk about a plan to combat the problem. Many different groups were represented including law enforcement, schools, faith-based groups, and human service agencies. The group identified areas that needed attention, and they came up with some strategies for going forward.  

On September 26th, the group will be sharing that plan. It is a five-year strategic plan that will address underage drinking, vaping, marijuana, and opioid use. Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer for St. Clair County, said, “The health and wellbeing of youth is a strategic priority in the St. Clair County Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), so the timing of SPEAK is excellent.” She went on to say, “The single most important predictor of a healthy future is healthy children and adolescents. Good health and a prosperous economic future go hand in hand.” The kick-off meeting will be at Central Middle School beginning at 6:30 PM on the 26th. 

Rail Safety Week begins next week and runs from September 22nd to the 28th. Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), whose mission is to end collisions, deaths, and injuries on the rail system, started observing Rail Safety Week in 2017. That year also marked the organizations 45th year in operation. OLI points out that 2100 people annually are killed or seriously injured because of unsafe behavior around tracks and trains. Rachel Maleh, Executive Director of OLI, said,“[the] goal is to get to zero incidents – zero fatalities and zero injuries. The driving force for this organization is saving lives.” According to OLI’s website, Rail Safety Week is a way to raise awareness about rail safety education and help citizens keep themselves safe near highway-rail crossings and railroad rights-of-way. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Michigan has had 45 casualties from January through June with 8 resulting in a fatality. In St. Clair County, there was just one injury as of the end of June.  

On Thursday morning, Croswell Lexington High School administration received a report of an unspecified “bomb threat” after classes started at the school. School officials immediately called law enforcement to assist in the matter and then moved students to the athletic stadium where they were supervised by staff. Law enforcement officers with trained K-9 conducted a sweep of the school, and additional law enforcement officers were also at the stadium. No bomb was found, and today a school resource officer identified and questioned the 14-year-old girl who was behind the threat. The school is asking anyone with information regarding this or any other threat to use Michigan’s OK2Say website. The website is designed for citizens to leave confidential tips. In a separate event, there was a partial power outage at both the Middle and High School. Power was later restored to both buildings. 

City Flats Hotel was full of excited chatter Wednesday night as local ladies greeted friends old and new. The 300 Women Who Care event is an annual fundraiser with a fun twist. The event is hosted by the Women’s Initiative of the St. Clair County Community Foundation and celebrates women and philanthropy by pooling the resources of the attendees and awarding three grants to local nonprofits at the end of the event. Each ticket purchased included a vote for a nonprofit. The votes were tallied, and the top two grants, $6,500 and $2,500, were awarded to A Beautiful Me and the YMCA of the Blue Water Area respectively.

The process for determining the third-place winner gave the guests a chance to familiarize themselves with the work of The Friends of the St. Clair River, Mid-City Nutrition, Hunter Hospitality House, The Child Abuse and Neglect Council, and The Blue Water Little Black Dress Cancer Fundraiser. Representatives from those organizations had two-minutes to pitch their mission and vision to the crowd. After that, attendees voted for which charity would receive the remaining grant, and Mid-City Nutrition was awarded the final $1,000.

The Women’s Initiative’s mission is to educate, engage, and empower women to participate in philanthropic opportunities, and their event achieved that by providing women in the Blue Water Area with a chance to do some collaborative giving. The effect of that giving will make a difference in the lives of the girls and women influenced by A Beautiful Me, the families who learn and grow at the YMCA, and the many people who sit down for a meal together each day at Mid-City Nutrition. That’s truly girl power at its best.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

The City of St. Clair will be hosting an open community forum Thursday evening to present first impressions about the city’s strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of first-time visitors. FIT, which is short for the First Impressions Tourism assessment, is a comprehensive community assessment the City of St. Clair successfully applied to participate in last year. Overall, FIT helps communities learn about their strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of first-time visitors. This is done through an assessment aimed at leading development, based on program results.

The final FIT assessment involves assessing the community, developing community leadership, sharing results in an open community forum, and providing suggestions to drive community action. Results of the assessment will be shared at the forum this evening. Residents and community leaders will be present to hear findings and listen to suggestions. The event is free, but space is limited and attendees are asked to register on the MSU Extension website. The event will take place at Pine Shores Golf Course at 6 p.m.