St. Clair County

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

United Way of St. Clair County Needs Help with Community Campaign

The 2020 Community Campaign of the United Way is seeking help to reach its goals this year, like every year. The campaign’s goal is to reach 15,000 St. Clair County residents. So far, they are able to help around 5,622, according to their most recent estimates.

The United Way says, “Each of us has the ability to make a difference in someone’s life.  When we band together, we amplify that effect and make a significant impact on our entire community; creating lasting change for the common good.  An enjoyable quality of life for all; that is the goal.”

The United Way funds 39 essential health and human service endeavors countywide. They have adapted to the unique needs brought on by the sudden change to the workplace and life in general while we all live with Covid-19.

Payroll deduction pledging is still an option, as are single contributions that can be made anytime throughout the year.

According to the United Way, “This is your opportunity to leave your fingerprints on a legacy of change that will resonate for generations to come.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

www.uwstclair.org/Contribute

UWSCC’s Finance Director at (810) 985-8169

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

Modified Services for Veterans at St. Clair County VA

The St. Clair County Department of Veterans Affairs (SCCVA) has modified office services due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths county and statewide.  During Gov. Whitmer’s “Three-Week Pause”, SCCVA is prioritizing the health and safety of their staff, veterans, and visitors by temporarily suspending in-person appointments and walk-in services to help slow the spread of the virus in the community.

All appointments will be conducted by phone with one of their Veteran Service Officers.  All other SCCVA services will be by phone at (810) 989-6945 during the following hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm (Closed for lunch 12 – 1pm).  All other office communication will be by mail: 200 Grand River Avenue, Suite 104, Port Huron, Michigan 48060 or e-mail at sccvet@stclaircounty.org.  They also have for convenience a mail drop box outside the office door.

All SCCVA service updates will be posted on their website www.sccvet.us and on the VA’s www.facebook.com/sccvet page.

Submitted by the SCCVA

Fatal Crash in Kimball Twp. Wednesday

St Clair County Sheriff Deputies investigated a two car crash at the Lapeer and Jarvis Road in Kimball Twp. yesterday. The crash resulted in two fatalities to the occupants of one of the vehicles.

According to St. Clair County Sheriff Mat King, 26 year old Alissa Grasak of Kimball Township was driving a 2008 Pontiac G6 westbound on Lapeer Road near Jarvis Road shortly before noon. 

She was passing a vehicle when she swerved back into her lane to avoid a collision with an oncoming vehicle. When Grasak swerved, she overcorrected, went onto the north shoulder of the road, lost control, went back into the eastbound lane and was struck by a 2003 GMC Savanna van driven by a 53 year old man from Kimball.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, as was her passenger, 72 year old Ila Grasak, also from Kimball.  The man was transported by Tri-Hospital EMS to McLaren Port Huron Hospital with undetermined injuries.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

Kimball Township Fire and Rescue also assisted at the scene.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

Local Restaurants Move Back to Carry-Out and Need Community Support

Port Huron, MI — Restaurants once again have to innovate to stay in business and serve their customers, in the wake of the “paused” indoor dining for three weeks throughout Michigan.

The responsibility of keeping their staff employed when there are no indoor diners weighs heavily on restaurant owners. For Martina’s Grill in Downtown Port Huron, they are trying to make the best of a major challenge to their business.

Only open since March, Martina’s Grill navigated the pandemic effects by offering outdoor seating, plexiglass dividers, and now, family meals for carry-out, including a full Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings.

Manager Christina Ward said she is attempting to keep everyone working as much as possible. She said that people are already ordering the dinners, with some people ordering dinners to deliver to the friends and family that they can’t visit this year. Ward said, “Everyone is looking at Thanksgiving differently”, and Martina’s is trying to make the best of it.

Adapting to carry-out service is the only way for restaurants to keep their staff employed right now, and it is not easy. Ordering take-out from local restaurants, and maybe considering giving dinners as “gifts” to loved ones is a great step toward keeping our friends and neighbors employed during this “pause” in indoor dining.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland