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A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio Marysville

Ceramics Studio Provides Creative Outlet for Kids & Adults

Marysville, MI — Kristie Evans-Hutchinson has been interested in ceramics for a long time, and when the First Congregational Church in Port Huron sold their building and offered to gift her the materials in their studio, she became a business owner.

Kristie is now the owner of A Little Hobby Ceramics Studio located in Market Square Plaza in Marysville, and it caters to both walk-in patrons and those who want scheduled classes.

Kristie’s husband, Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson, went from no knowledge of the intricacies of working with clay, slip, and molds, to keeping himself busy creating new pieces for clients to paint and glaze along with running the studio’s kiln.

Hutch said ceramics is a perfect way to unwind and take care of yourself. When he’s working in the studio, he said, “I’m focusing on this, not what I’m going to make for dinner or what I’m going to do this afternoon, or how to get peace and quiet. My brain is already at rest because I’m focusing on one thing.” He also said, “I take the moment to myself because if I’m not good mentally or physically, I cant help anybody else.”

The Hutchinson family has spent months building and organizing the studio and creating a bright and inviting space for their customers. Pieces available for painting and glazing include lighthouses, animal statues, toad and bunny houses, and even a complete set of chess pieces.

New classes begin the first week of each month, and there is an ongoing fundraiser on their website to help offset the cost of their After School Program (ASP). The ASP provides a safe, creative outlet for kids in grades 4-12 and offers them 4 classes each month.

To learn more about A Little Hobby visit ALittleHobby.com

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Benson Wants to Take Michigan From Worst to First in Transparency

Michigan — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently announced a new item on her agenda: increasing government transparency in the state.

Benson is responding to a study published in 2015 by The Center for Public Integrity which assesses the accountability and transparency of state governments. Overall, Michigan ranked 50th in the U.S. and was given an “F”. However, the state ranked 5th and was given a “B-” in the area of Electoral Oversight and also scored well in its handling of State Budget Processes.

Benson considers herself a longtime advocate for government transparency and said her new agenda “would take Michigan from worst to first in government transparency, shine the light on dark money in politics and stop public corruption.” She also said, “These are things lawmakers must do if they are serious about rebuilding public trust in our elected government.”

Benson’s new legislative agenda is titled “From Worst to First”, and it includes items such as extending the Freedom of Information Act to the governor and state legislature, tightening LLC reporting requirements to ensure certain monies do not corrupt elections, and enforcing the Conflict of Interest Act to identify legislative conflicts of interest. The entire agenda can be found <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

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

 

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