local news

Sperry’s Santa Spectacle Kicks Off Holiday Season

Port Huron, MI — There’s no Santa Parade this year, but that doesn’t mean kids won’t get a chance to see Santa and feel the magic of the holiday season. Port Huron Recreation Department will be organizing Sperry’s Drive-Thru Santa Spectacle on Friday, November 27th from 6 -8 p.m.

The Rec Department is not letting COVID take away the annual holiday kick-off. The drive-thru event is hoped to bring all of the lights and beauty of the season without the worries of maintaining social distance at a crowded public event.

Spectacle participants will be driving through Pine Grove Park, which will be donning the lights of the season. Typical parade attractions will be positioned along the route with Jolly old Saint Nick himself stationed at the end of the route.

The route starts at the south entrance of Pine Grove Park and ends at the north end of the park. Side streets will be closed. 

 To keep things running smoothly on the night of the drive-thru event, the Rec Department asks that you sign up for a time slot. The event is free to attend.

Light displays are sponsored by local businesses. The displays will be up from November 25th until January 2nd. 

https://rec.porthuron.org/ViewCourseActivityDetails.aspx… 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

VNA & Blue Water Hospice Kick Off Light Up a Life Campaign

Visiting Nurse Association & Blue Water Hospice just kicked-off their annual fundraising campaign, Light up a Life. From now until the end of December, you can support the organization by donating to their campaign and honoring a loved on on their Tree of Remembrance.

The Tree of Remembrance will be lit with a shining light for each donation, symbolizing the life, hope, and dreams of loved ones who have passed as well as those who cared for them. The tree is open for viewing in the Tom Lock Memorial Observatory on the grounds of the Blue Water Hospice Home in Marysville. It is lit daily between 5 – 7 PM from now until December 31st.

Donations to the campaign ensure that the VNA & Blue Water Hospice can continue to care for the community’s needs by providing charity nursing care and room & board at the hospice home.

To donate to the Light Up a Life campaign and honor a loved one, visit vnabwh.org/donate or call (810) 984-4131.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Rash of Break-ins in St. Clair Area

Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls of numerous break-ins that occurred in the overnight hours of Sunday.

According to Sheriff Mat King, items were taken from vehicles on River Road in China Township, Hathaway Street in East China Township and South River Pointe Lane and Scott B Drive in St. Clair Township.  A home invasion was also reported on St. Clair Highway in China Township.  Numerous items were stolen, including at least two handguns.

Sheriff King reminds all citizens to ensure your vehicles are locked at all times when not in use, even while in your driveway.

Anyone with information regarding the thefts are asked to contact the road patrol supervisor’s office at (810) 987-1733.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

20 in 2020 Project Seeks Families for Michigan Teens

The 20 in 2020 project is an initiative by the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange and MDHHS whose goal is to produce video stories for 20 Michigan teenagers in foster care who are waiting for adoptive families.  The youth work with the 20 in 2020 team to create a unique profile page with the hope of matching them with adoptive families.

The 20 in 2020 project’s website currently features 18 profiles of teenagers in foster care who want to be adopted. Profiles include descriptions, photos, quotes, and personal videos of the youth sharing their personalities with prospective families.

Teens share that they are looking for a family that will accept them, love them, and “be in [their] corner no matter what”.

Interested potential adoptive families can reach out to Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange staff members directly from one of the teens profiles on the 20 in 2020 page <HERE> or by visiting MARE’s website and clicking on “For Families” <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Blue Water Area COVID-19 Update Friday, November 20, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of November 19, 2020 at  9:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 277,806 confirmed cases; 8,190 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 2,850 confirmed cases; 71 deaths
  • Ontario: 98,162 confirmed cases;  3,415 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 392 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

As of 11/19/2020, St. Clair County had 1,831 active cases of the virus, and 19% of hospital beds in the county were being used for COVID-19 patients. This brings total hospitalizations in the county to 235 since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in our area.

As the state of Michigan moved into the Pause & Protect mandate for the next 3 weeks, residents have been concerned about COVID-19 outbreaks in schools and businesses. According to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the definition of an outbreak is 2 or more lab confirmed cases within a 14-day period. The cases need to be epidemiologically linked, which means the health department should verify that the cases are present in the same setting during the same time period and there is no more likely sources of exposure outside the setting where the person could’ve been exposed.

Although the threshold for declaring an outbreak is two cases, the health department may define it as one case if they believe there is community transmission of the virus. In both Michigan and Sarnia Lambton, outbreaks have been declared in schools and nursing homes where only one case of the virus was confirmed.

According to the State of Michigan’s Coronavirus website, the institutions with the highest number of coronavirus cases are colleges, with Michigan State topping the list with 1882 reported cases in the last 28 days as of 11/16/2020.

Information about outbreaks in schools is available <HERE> and other public places is available <HERE>.

Lambton County currently has 10 active cases. The highest number of COVID-19 cases reported for a single day in Lambton County was 15 on July 31, 2020. Reported cases have been less than 10 per day since then.

 

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Mahogany Kayak Being Raffled by St. Mary/McCormick School

Port Huron, MI — Imagine floating down the Black River in a custom-built mahogany kayak. Plastic kayaks do the job, but there is something about a wooden kayak that makes one feel more connected to nature.

The Parent-Teacher Organization at St. Mary/McCormick Catholic Academy in Port Huron hopes that the desire to get a little closer to our natural waterways will prompt ticket sales with their Mahogany Kayak Raffle. The Port Huron school normally has a large “Fall Harvest” auction fundraiser in November, but this is not a normal year.

In lieu of a large gathering, the organizers thought the Kayak Raffle would be a good way to continue the fall fundraising tradition. St. Mary PTO President, Emily Herbert said, “This is an opportunity for people to support a local organization while having the chance to win a truly unique and one-of-a-kind piece of maritime artwork that is functional and visually stunning. “

The kayak is built by a local wooden boat restorer who is heading up The Mill Room, a new cooperative community wood-working space in downtown Port Huron. The kayak is valued at $3000. Tickets cost $100 each.

Tickets can be purchased at stmarysraffle.com.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland