port huron

Derek Hough Port Huron Town Hall

Derek Hough from Dancing With the Stars Coming to Town Hall

Port Huron Town Hall is welcoming its next guest to McMorran Place Theater on December 13, 2021 at 10:30 AM. The featured guest is Derek Hough from Dancing With the Stars, and tickets are selling fast.

Derek Hough is a six time champion of Dancing with the Stars, and has been performing as a dancer, actor, and stage performer since he was a child. He has most recently been performing in Las Vegas as the star of his own show, Derek Hough: No Limit.

Derek is an Emmy Award Winner and a New York Best-selling Author, and he will be sharing part of his story at Port Huron Town Hall. According to a press release, Hough will open up about “his transformation from a bullied little boy to an accomplished performer, coach, and judge who lets nothing and no one stand in his way.”

Tickets to the event are on sale now at the McMorran Box Office or by phone at 810-985-6166.

Future Town Hall guests for the 2021-22 season are Amy Dickinson, Syndicated Advice Columnist, on February 14, 2022, and Lara Logan, Former CBS News Chief Correspondent, on March 14, 2022.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Blue Water Bridge Commuters Switching to Cashless Toll Payment

For those crossing the Blue Water Bridge regularly, take note that the tokens are being phased out and the Edge Pass will soon be the only way to get the discounted commuter rate.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is enrolling customers in the Edge Pass Program which will be linked to debit or credit cards. Cash is getting phased out at the border crossing.

The Edge Pass will provide a reduced rate of $2.50 per toll for non-commercial vehicles heading east on the Blue Water Bridge. Edge Pass users will have access to a dedicated toll lane and will be able to monitor their accounts online 24 hours a day.

Tokens will no longer be accepted as of July 1st, 2022. There is a token redemption program available through the Federal Bridge Corporation Limited, which manages operations on the Canadian side of the bridge. There are many tokens still in circulation. The tokens can be exchanged at the Blue Water Bridge Corporate Centre in Point Edward, Ontario, the Exchange House at Blue Water Bridge, and the Duty Free Store at Blue Water Bridge.

The token exchange will credit ConneXion accounts for westbound travel on the Blue Water Bridge.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Township Hires Randy Vesper as New Fire Chief

Randy Vesper has been named the new Fire Chief for Port Huron Township. The seasoned firefighter has come full circle in his career as he returns to St. Clair County, after starting as a volunteer firefighter with the Kenockee Township Fire Department as a teenager, retiring from the St. Clair Shores Department after 25 years of service, and now taking on the Chief role in Port Huron Township.

Along with retiring as a Battalion Chief, Vesper earned a Masters Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Vesper said he looks forward to continuing to work with firefighters and leading the department. He plans to continue the work that Chief Mainguy has done in improving response and staffing. Continued training in both fire and emergency medical training is a priority for Vesper.

Vesper said, “One of the biggest challenges facing the fire service is staffing. Port Huron Township Fire Department is not immune to those issues.  Recruitment and retention are key to building a strong department and the fire service as a whole.”

Vesper also said that interagency cooperation is important to providing service and that he looks forward to working with neighboring departments to meet the needs of the community.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michelle Sheffer Massage 325

Massage 325 Offers a Relaxing Touch

Port Huron, MI — Michelle Sheffer has been caring for people with her massage therapy skills for years. Her business, Massage 325, has been steadily growing which enabled her to move into her own space on Huron Avenue, and she’s anticipating another move in the near future.

Sheffer started doing massage therapy as a side job while caring for patients as a visiting nurse. She worked out of Lakeview Chiropractic until she was able to rent her current location at 325 Huron Avenue.

While she loves her current space, she is looking forward to a move to a street-level building just a block away when she transitions to the space currently occupied by MI Gardener. MI Gardener will be moving their Port Huron store to a larger building in St. Clair in the next year.

Sheffer specializes in upper body work in the neck and shoulder area, and she is gifted in helping her clients relax and using just the right amount of pressure without pain. “I get in there are take care of what needs to be taken care of, but I don’t like you to hurt when you leave,” said Sheffer.

While Massage 325 is her primary business, Michelle Sheffer also owns and operates Be Joyful Goods, a soap and body care line that she handcrafts in honor of her mother, Joy.

Be Joyful Goods are inspired by Sheffer’s mom. “When I craft each one of my products, I do it with feelings of happiness which is also how I feel when I reflect on the fond memories together with my mom. Although she was taken suddenly and unexpectedly, her JOY lives on,” said Sheffer.

Be Joyful Goods includes sugar scrubs, handmade soaps, lip balms, pure essential oils, and neck wraps & eye pillows.

Massage 325 offers appointments for deep tissue, Swedish, and therapeutic massages in 30 – 90 minute blocks. They are open Monday – Friday from 10 AM – 5 PM.

From now until December 20, 2021, you can receive $10 off services when you bring a toy or non-perishable food item to your appointment. Items will be donated to families in need.

Learn more at https://www.massage325.com/

Waiting room at Massage 325

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

HHH to Celebrate 10 Years with Open House Dec. 7

Hunter Hospitality House is recognizing ten years of serving the community on December 7th and is inviting the public to an Open House at their newest property, the Family House.

The Open House will be at the newly opened Family House located at 1015 Vanderburgh Place in Port Huron, near Lake Huron Medical Center. The house is available for families to use for lodging while loved ones are receiving care at either of Port Huron’s medical centers.

Over the past ten years, the non-profit has registered over 2,000 guests into its three properties.

In congratulating founders Jeff and Tracy Willard on their 10-year anniversary, Thelma Castillo, President & CEO of the Blue Water Area Chamber said, “Hunter Hospitality House provides a great service to people who may be dealing with a stressful medical situation. They make everything easier for a family that may be worrying about a loved one and they can focus on the loved one and not worry about driving back and forth from their home to the hospital.”

Castillo will be making a presentation at the Open House, which falls on what would be the 30th birthday of the late Hunter Willard, after whom the houses are named, and the inspiration for the venture.

The Open House will be held from 3-5 p.m. with the Chamber Presentation at 4 p.m. Donations will be accepted.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Housing Expands with Ordinance Change

If you have been looking for rental housing in the Port Huron area, or St. Clair County as a whole, you know that rentals are few and far between. To address this reality, Port Huron City Council adopted an ordinance change.

The change will allow Port Huron Housing to operate both the Public Housing Program and the Housing Choice Voucher, or Section 8, outside the city and county. The program can now expand into Sanilac, Lapeer, and Macomb counties. It is endorsed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the collaborative model is being promoted statewide.

James Dewey, Executive Director of Port Huron, Marysville, St. Clair, and Algonac Housing Commissions, said, “Currently our Housing Choice Voucher program’s approved jurisdiction through HUD is all of St. Clair County and we would like to expand that to Sanilac, Lapeer and Macomb Counties because our clients are not having much luck finding available apartments within St. Clair County.”

Dewey said that the regional approach will also deconcentrate the use of vouchers within the City of Port Huron. A new low-income housing development is in the works in Fort Gratiot Township. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland