St. Clair County

Big Money Headed to Port Huron and St. Clair County From American Rescue Plan

The City of Port Huron and St. Clair County will be getting big checks from the federal American Rescue Plan. Port Huron has been allocated $17,959,874 and St. Clair County is receiving $30,908,749 total with first payments being distributed this week.  

The money is for mitigating the effects of the pandemic and the shutdowns. It is to be used to bring back lost jobs, provide premium pay to essential workers, make up for lost revenue, and invest in infrastructure.

The race is on to identify projects and obligate funds by the 2024 deadline. The spending rules are enforced by the U.S. Treasury with fund distributed through the state treasury.

State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said, “Local units of government should take their time to plan to use these dollars in a viable and sustainable manner that will have a lasting impact. The Michigan Department of Treasury continues to be a resource for helping local officials navigate through the ARPA process.” 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer called the money “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

St. Clair’s Icy Bazaar Brings Ice Carving and Entertainment January 21-23

St. Clair will be embracing the cold with the Icy Bazaar on January 21st through 23rd. The festival will be held in the St. Clair Riverview Plaza Courtyard. 

St. Clair’s Icy Bazaar will feature live ice carvings done by Kaitlin Pfropper, who has competed in World Ice Championships in Alaska and Yellowknife, Canada carving huge sculptures from giant ice blocks. This is Kaitlin’s third year at the St. Clair festival. 

The Icy Bazaar will have creative craft vendors, food and drink specials, live entertainment, and fireworks. 

The music lineup has been published with Ryan Beaudry kicking off the entertainment starting at 5:00 on Friday, January 21st, followed by Alter Ego, then Los Gringos playing until midnight. 

Saturday’s entertainment starts at 2:00 in the afternoon with Greg Hind, followed by Paul and Oates, and headlining with The Gobies playing until midnight. 

Sunday features the Meldrum Brothers playing from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

St. Clair’s Icy Bazaar is hosted by the St. Clair Chamber of Commerce. 

Reporting for WGRT -Jennie McClelland

SC4 Presents MLK Day Celebration “Where Are We Now?” Jan. 17

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be observed in Port Huron with a celebration hosted by St. Clair County Community College. The “Where Are We Now?” event will be held on Monday, January 17th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre on the main campus.

Dr. King’s legacy will be celebrated with songs, dance, and videos. There will also be a selection of Dr. King’s own words shared with the audience.

There will be panel discussions about health care disparities and racism and investing in small businesses. There will also be a discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in education, along with other topics.

The Master of Ceremonies will be Jessica Brown, who leads SC4’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The annual event is free but reservations are required by emailing SC4. It will be live-streamed also.

Admission is free and can be reserved by emailing dei@sc4.edu. Seating is limited. Masks required inside campus buildings. The event also will be livestreamed at sc4.edu/dei-live for those unable to attend in person.

For questions, call SC4’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at (810) 989-5564.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 Invites Community to Strong Inside Book Discussion

The whole community is invited to a book discussion, sponsored by the St. Clair County Community College Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The book is Strong Inside by Andrew Maraniss. Copies of the book are available for free through the SC4 Office.

The college is planning a guided book discussion with the author during the fall semester of 2022.

Strong Inside is a biography of Perry Wallace, the first African-American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference, playing for Vanderbilt University. The biography is set in the times of civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Strong Inside won the Lillian Smith Book Award in 2015, among other accolades.

The author, Andrew Maraniss, is a contributor to ESPN and has written several other history and sports-related books.

https://sc4.edu/event/strong-inside-book-discussion/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

All Kids Can Play Together with the Arc of St. Clair County’s Inclusive Recreation

Inclusive Recreation is a way to get kids of all abilities playing together and learning from each other. The ARC of St. Clair County has organized several opportunities for kids of all abilities to enjoy winter fun while fostering understanding of the things that make each kid unique.

Valorie Hudgens, Executive Director of the Arc of St. Clair County, said that the program helps build friendships between kids with disabilities and kids without disabilities.

The free recreation programs are geared toward children aged three to twelve, but teenagers often enjoy the interactions as well. Due to covid restrictions, all events will be held outdoors, so attendees should bundle up. Hudgens said, “Snow will not slow us down.”

The events are held outside the Community Rooms at Dulhut, Huron, and Gratiot Housing Developments. Participants do not have to live in the neighborhoods to participate. No RSVP is needed; just show up to have fun.

January’s Inclusive Recreation kicks off with Mystery Snow Fun.

The Arc is looking to expand its program into downriver communities in the future.

Call the Arc of St. Clair County at 810-989-9144 for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Have You Seen Addison Drown – Joshlynn Davies?

Grant Twp, MI — Detectives from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office are seeking help locating a missing teen.

A 17 year old girl, Addison Drown, who also goes by Joshlynn Davies, has been missing since December 13th from her home in Grant Township.  The last contact the family had with Addison was by text at about 2:45 p.m. on that date.

Her mother advised that Addison has an undiagnosed mental impairment and had never run away from home before.

Addison is described as being approximately 5’4” tall, weighs about 120 pounds, has blue eyes and brown hair and was believed to be wearing jogging pants with Yoda from Star Wars on them and gray tennis shoes.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Addison is asked to contact the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office at (810) 985-8115.