port huron

Whitmer Allows Professional Sports to Return – No Live Audiences

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of June 26, 2020 at  10:00 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 62,306  confirmed cases; 5,886 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 473 confirmed cases; 48 deaths
  • Ontario: 34,316  confirmed cases;  2,644 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 285 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

St. Clair County currently has 48 confirmed active cases of the virus, and 1% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients.

Today, Governor Whitmer Signed an Executive Order allowing professional sports to return without a live audience. Major League Baseball said that a shortened 60-game season would being on July 24th with players reporting for spring training at their home ballparks by July 1st.

In Sarnia, there have only been 4 new cases since our report last week, and there have been no new deaths attributed to the virus.

Lambton County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Ranade, confirmed that physical distancing is more important than wearing a mask to battle COVID- 19. However, if you find yourself in a situation where physical distancing is not possible, a mask may be considered useful. 

Sarnia-Lambton is currently in Stage 2, working towards Stage 3 of the Framework for Reopening our Province. 

*** It is important to note that WGRT is continuing to report confirmed cases from each area, not total cases which are a combination of confirmed and probable cases. We have chosen to approach the data this way to simplify our reports and to create uniformity in the numbers we are reporting for each region, St.Clair County, Lambton County, Michigan, and Ontario.

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Port Huron Schools Offers Virtual Program Signup

Port Huron, MI — No one really knows what school will look like in the fall, but Port Huron Schools is already giving families the option to sign up for a Virtual Program. The program is available for students in kindergarten through 12th grade and takes the place of in-person classes.

Students sign up by the semester, with middle and high school students eligible to sign up for a hybrid program. Students involved in the free virtual school will get a district-issued Chromebook.

Students who choose the virtual option are still able to participate in school sports and extracurricular activities and will have access to special education accommodations and services like social work and counseling.

The district will provide certified teachers for all of the online classes and expects younger students to put in about four hours of work and older students to work around six hours per day. 

In person classes are planned for all Michigan public schools for fall, with further directives from Governor Gretchen Whitmer coming next week. 

Parents can go to PHSVirtual@phasd.us for further details about the Virtual Program.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Local Theater Announces Lineup of Upcoming Productions

Enter Stage Right, a Port Huron theatrical production company based in The Citadel building, has announced their plans for the next few months. On the heels of the successful production of “The Jungle Book – Live from Home”, the company is getting ready for two more socially distanced shows.

The Lost World will debut at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, and Charlotte’s Web will air on Saturday, July 25. Executive Director, Regina Spain, said that over 300 viewers tuned in for The Jungle Book on the Enter Stage Right Youtube channel. They are accepting donations from viewers to help with costs.

The theater company is looking forward to the return of in-person live shows in the near future, and they are hosting auditions on July 11th and 14th to prepare. New safety protocols are in effect for auditions.

Spain said, “If all goes well, we anticipate re-opening the theatre to a capped audience and new protocol for our 10th Annual “Will on the Water” Summer Shakespeare. This year’s production is The Tragedie of King Lear and is set to run August 7th -23rd.” Plans are in place for alternative venues if needed.

Full details can be found at enterstageright.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

One Dead, Others Stabbed in Port Huron Twp. Drug Deal Gone Bad

Port Huron Twp., MI — A 19 year old man from Mt. Clemens is dead and two others were injured in what is believed to be a drug deal gone bad in Port Huron Township.

Deputies from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office were called to the area of 25th and Dixon at about 4:15 this morning for a felonious assault complaint, and reports of a victim stabbed several times.  When deputies arrived, they located a 21 year old man from Port Huron Township lying on the ground with several stab wounds.  He was able to give information regarding his assailants before being transported to a local hospital by Tri-Hospital EMS.

A “be on the lookout” (BOL) was broadcast for a red Cadillac containing four or five subjects. Officers from the Port Huron Police Department located and stopped the car at Military Street and Reid Street at about 4:30 this morning. 

Once officers made contact with the people inside the vehicle, it was discovered that one of the passengers, a 19 year old man from Mt. Clemens, was dead from what is believed to be a stab wound. Another passenger, a 21 year old Washington Township man, was transported to a local hospital with lacerations.

Three people, a 19 year old man from Roseville, a 18 year old man from Burtchville Township, and a 18 year old woman from Warren were all transported to the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center for questioning.

Officers from the Marysville Police Department also assisted in the initial investigation, which has been turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.

UPDATE: 6/25/20

An autopsy was performed Wednesday on the victim, 19 year old Jovonte Thurman of Mt. Clemens. The St. Clair County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the death is a homicide and the cause of death is a stab wound.

 

Police Investigating Suspected Homicide in Port Huron

Port Huron, MI — On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, the Port Huron Police Department responded to the Grayfox for a report of a deceased person. The Grayfox is a U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps training ship docked in the St. Clair River near the Blue Water River Walk. The investigation is being treated as a homicide.

As of Wednesday morning, police are still attempting to confirm the identity of the deceased victim who appears to be a middle aged white male. They anticipate that the St. Clair County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy some time this week to determine the manner of death.

The Port Huron Police Department’s Road Patrol, Criminal Investigative Division, Major Crimes Unit, Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory, and the St. Clair County Medical Examiner’s Office are actively investigating this incident. 

This is an active investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available. 

If you have any knowledge of this crime, call the Port Huron Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at (810) 984-5383. Anonymous tips can be received through the CAPTURE Hotline at (810) 987-6688 or emailed through www.porthuronpolice.org 

Port Huron Schools Using “Thoughtexchange” to Gather Back-to-School Ideas

Port Huron, MI — Port Huron Schools is asking for input from the community to help them make a plan for back to school. Answers and ideas can be submitted through the “Thoughtexchange” platform where users can unanimously leave comments and rate the comments of others. 

The survey was rolled out Monday and asks the question, “What important ideas should Port Huron Schools consider when developing a plan to re-open school buildings and educate our students safely in the fall?” It already had a large response with most of the comments related to safety and protecting students from COVID-19 infection.

The survey ends on June 30th. The results will be shared with the community on the district’s website and will be used by the Return to School Advisory committee. The Advisory committee is made up of Administration, Board of Education, Building Administrators, Teachers, bargaining group presidents,  a health department representative, transportation representative, and parent representatives.

Further state recommendations on getting students back to school are expected to be released from the Governor’s office on June 30th.

You can access Thoughtexchange <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland