local news

Canal Dredging and Sand Placement at Holland Beach

Port Huron, MI — Weather permitting, the contractor will begin dredging sand from the mouth of the Black River Canal today, May 20th, 2020. 

Sand dredged from Black River Canal will be placed in Lake Huron from Holland Beach to the south on Tuesday, May 26th and Wednesday May 27th, 2020, weather permitting. Due to the work, Holland Beach will be closed. 

The contractor will be utilizing Gratiot to LaSalle, and Conger to Holland to haul sand from the mouth of the Black River Canal to Holland Beach. There will be intermittent slowed and stop and go traffic in these areas. We encourage the public to not park on these streets during this time frame. 

Vote by Mail Applications Coming Soon

All registered voters in the State of Michigan will have a chance to vote by mail in the August and November elections. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced yesterday that applications will be mailed to all registered Michiganders.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been more concerned with the safety of voting in person. The May 5th election experienced a record breaking turnout of 25% with 99% of votes cast by mail or drop box. Typical voter turnout for May elections is around 12%.

Registered voters will receive an application to vote by mail from the Bureau of Elections which will include instructions. The application will need to be signed and mailed back to their local clerk. Voters can find the application online at Michigan.gov/vote where they can also register to vote and join the permanent absent voter list so they can always have the option to vote by mail.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Shopping Local Farmer’s Markets May Reduce Stress

With many areas of life feeling chaotic since March, where you choose to shop is one thing you can control. As weather begins to warm up, many people are anticipating the opening of farmer’s markets and roadside produce stands as more enjoyable and less stressful options for picking up essential food items.

Amanda Shreve, Executive Director for the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA), said “Michigan is home to more than 300 farmers markets. Each market will make important decisions about how and when to open for the season with the safety of their vendors, employees and patrons in mind.”

MIFMA provided their farm market network with online tools to help establish and communicate standard safety practices for farmer’s markets in light of COVID-19. Shopping local markets offers positive benefits such as knowing where your food comes from, reducing waste from excess packaging, shipping and handling, and supporting local economies.

Visit the Michigan Farm Market Association’s website <HERE>  to find a market in your community. The Vantage Point Farmer’s Market is slated to open on May 30th and continue on Saturdays until Fall.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Michigan’s Up North Businesses Can Reopen on Friday

LANSING, Mich. — Monday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-92, allowing two regions of Michigan to reopen retail businesses, office work that cannot be done remotely, and restaurants and bars with limited seating. The two regions are both in the northern part of the state—specifically, MERC regions 6 and 8, as detailed in the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan to re-engage Michigan’s economy.

Businesses in Regions 6 and 8 can reopen on Friday, May 22nd. Cities, villages, and townships may choose to take a more cautious course if they wish: the order does not abridge their authority to restrict the operations of restaurants or bars, including limiting such establishments to outdoor seating.  

“This is a big step, but we must all remember to continue doing our part to protect ourselves and our families from the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Whitmer. “It’s crucial that all businesses do everything in their power to protect their workers, customers, and their families. And as we approach Memorial Day weekend, I encourage everyone to be smart and be safe. My team and I will continue to work around the clock to protect the people of Michigan.” 

“The data shows that these regions in Michigan are seeing consistent encouraging trends when it comes to the number of cases, deaths, and the percent of tests that are positive for COVID-19,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “It’s important to note that these businesses must take special precautions to protect Michiganders. I also encourage everyone to continue to wear a mask in public, maintain a 6 foot distance from others, and to remain vigilant in washing their hands often.  This will help prevent a second surge in cases in our state.” 

All businesses that will reopen in regions 6 and 8 must adopt the safety measures outlined in Executive Order 2020-91. That means they must, among other things, provide COVID-19 training to workers that covers, at a minimum, workplace infection-control practices, the proper use of PPE, steps workers must take to notify the business or operation of any symptoms of COVID-19 or a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, and how to report unsafe working conditions. Restaurants and bars will also have to limit capacity to 50% of their normal seating, to keep groups at least six feet from one another, to require their servers to wear face coverings, and to follow rigorous disinfection protocols. 

Region 6 in the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan includes the following counties: Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Crawford, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, and Emmet. 

Region 8 in the governor’s MI Safe Start Plan includes the following counties: Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton, Keweenaw, Iron, Baraga, Dickinson, Marquette, Menominee, Delta, Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, Mackinac, and Chippewa. 

McLaren Port Huron’s Employee of the Month: April 2020

Port Huron, MI – Paige Smith, RN, has been named McLaren Port Huron’s Employee of the Month for April. Smith has been employed with McLaren Port Huron for seven years and currently works on the cardiac stepdown unit.

Smith was nominated by her peers because she demonstrates the hospital values every day. She is described as being thorough and timely with patients’ needs and empathetic and compassionate to all of whom she encounters.  Smith lives the values of honesty, integrity and mutual respect and often volunteers to work over or take on extra shifts.

Smith resides in East China.  In her free time, Smith enjoys kayaking, traveling and spending time with her co-workers outside of wok.

This employee recognition is given to individuals who consistently live the values, mission and performance standards of McLaren Port Huron. Honorees are nominated by a co-worker, physician, volunteer, and/or customer.

To learn more about McLaren Port Huron, visit www.mclaren.org/porthuron.

Grant Opportunity from United Way of St. Clair County

United Way of St. Clair County received $7 5,858 in federal grant funding to provide for homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, and organizations helping individuals with emergency utility and mortgage assistance. The United Way of St. Clair County acts as board chairperson for the Federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), and has authority to grant the money to eligible organizations in St. Clair County.

This category of funding (EFSP) is provided annually through a provision in the federal budget, which is targeted to address the needs of families impacted by unemployment and emergency medical events.  The funds are determined for each County through a formula based on the number of funds allocated by congress and the rate of unemployment within that particular County.

All organizations are required to apply using the application process available online, www.uwstclair.org/EFSP; instructions are provided.  All applications must be submitted to United Way of St. Clair County by 4:30 PM on May 25, 2020 for consideration.

Agencies previously receiving funding through EFSP dollars are: Blue Water Safe Horizons, The Harbor, Salvation Army, Downriver Helping Hands, Downriver Bread of Life Nutrition Center, Blue Water Community Food Depot (Port Huron), Harbor Impact Ministries, Trinity United Methodist Food Pantry (Algonac), SOS Marysville Food Pantry, Blue Water Area Rescue Mission, Detroit Rescue Mission (Port Huron Pathway Shelter), Mid City Nutrition, and the C3 Connection.