St. Clair County

Gov Whitmer Press Conference April 6, 2020

Whitmer Signs COVID-19 Bills Into Law

Governor Whitmer signed the following bills into law that are among the Legislature’s new coronavirus legislation.

“Right now, Michigan is seeing a record number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and these bills will help us protect each other as we continue to fight this virus,” said Governor Whitmer. “COVID-19 is still a very real threat to our families, frontline workers, and small businesses, and I will continue to do everything in my power to save lives and will work with anyone who shares those goals.”

House Bill 6137 requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to publish publicly on the DHHS website certain data regarding COVID-19 and nursing homes. The bill requires updates from DHHS on its website weekly regarding certain COVID-19 metrics and visitation policies. It also requires the publishing of historic nursing home COVID-19 data. The historic data must be published by November 15, 2020 and future data will be updated weekly beginning November 15, 2020. The bill is tied barred with Senate Bill 1094 which was recently signed by the governor. The bill was sponsored by Representative Leslie Love, D-Detroit.

House Bill 6293 codifies in law certain expanded COVID-19 testing services that Governor Whitmer provided for through executive orders. This bill allows certain volunteers and workers to help with the COVID-19 testing process under the proper supervision of qualified licensees or local health departments until June 30, 2021. The bill was sponsored by Representative Graham Filler, R-DeWitt.

House Bill 6294–6297 together  allow certain documents to be signed, witnessed and notarized electronically until December 31, 2020. The bills amend the Estates and Protected Individuals Code, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act, and the Michigan Law on Notarial Acts, respectively. The bills have largely retroactive effect from April 30, 2020 and encourage the use of electronic signatures, witnesses, and records where available. The bills were sponsored by Representative Sarah Lightner, R-Springport.

Submitted by the Governor’s Office

Bluewater Area COVID-19 Update

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of November 6, 2020 at  8:30 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 197,806 confirmed cases; 7,470 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 1,664 confirmed cases; 64 deaths
  • Ontario: 80,690 confirmed cases;  3,195 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 375 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

As of today, St. Clair County has 814 active cases of the virus, and 7% of hospital beds in the county are being used for COVID-19 patients. This is an increase of over 600 active cases since our last report, and the highest number of hospitalizations reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Five deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 since our last report on October 14, 2020.

The St. Clair County Health Department is encouraging the public to take advantage of one of their community flu clinics which are happening next week on November 9th & 10th. More information is available at www.scchealth.co.

Lambton County currently has 6 active cases. Health officials recommend good hygiene, sanitization of frequently touched surfaces, and mask wearing for individuals who are caring for a COVID-19 infected person in their household.

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

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Local Election Results – November 2020

St. Clair County unofficial election results as of 6:00 AM:

To see updated election results from St. Clair County visit the County Clerk’s office <HERE>

St. Clair County:

State Representative 83rd District: Andrew Beeler

Prosecutor: Michael Wendling

Sheriff: Mathew King

Clerk: Jay DeBoyer

Treasurer: Kelly Roberts-Burnett

Drain Commissioner: Robert Wiley

Commissioner 3rd District: Lisa Beedon

Judge of Court of Appeals District 4: Michael Kelly

Judge of 31st Circuit Court: Daniel Damman

Judge of Probate Court: Elwood Brown

Judge of 72nd District Court: Mona Armstrong

SC4 Trustee: John Lusk, Nicholas DeGrazia

City of Port Huron Mayor: Pauline Repp

Port Huron City Council: Sherry Archibald, Bob Mosurak, Teri Lamb, 4th is too close to call

PHASD School Board: Ann Murphy, Jessica Totty, Frank Partipilo

Port Huron City Proposal: Marihuana ordinance – Yes

For election results in other Michigan counties, visit <HERE> .

Port Huron Police Seek MACP Recertification

The Port Huron Police Department is proudly recognized as a nationally and state accredited agency through CALEA since 1995 and MACP since 2018. The Port Huron Police Department is scheduled for reaccreditation and will need to go through the evaluation to achieve the status of accredited. This process is overseen by the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission (MLEAC) which assigns assessors to review the agency on-site and recommends approval or rejection to the commission. 

Over the past three years, agency personnel has worked hard to meet the stringent standards set forth by the commission. This process has been completed and the Port Huron Police Department is scheduled to have its MLEAC on-site assessment for reaccreditation on Tuesday, December 1 and Wednesday, December 2, 2020. The two assessors will review files, policies and procedures, conduct interviews with key personnel, and meet with local businesses and dignitaries, in an effort to thoroughly evaluate the Police Department. 

Citizens, businesses and organizations are welcome to call the assessors directly and discuss the operations of the Police Department on December 1, 2020 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Interested callers can reach the assessors at (810) 985-0141. 

The Port Huron Police Department appreciates the support of our citizens and welcomes comments, both positive and negative, to better improve our policing efforts. If anyone has any questions regarding the on-site or the accreditation process, they can contact Chief Joseph Platzer or Captain Marcy Kuehn at (810) 984-9710. 

Submitted by the Port Huron Police Department

Algonac-Clay Library Closed Due to Positive COVID-19 Test

The Algonac-Clay branch of the St. Clair County Library System is closing until further notice due to a positive COVID-19 test. The staff went into quarantine on Monday, 11/2/2020.

The library is following the advice of the St. Clair County Health Department and its recommendations for keeping library employees and patrons safe.

Pickup appointments will not be available while the branch is closed, and items awaiting pickup will remain in place until the library reopens. The drop box outside the branch will still be available, and all other library branches are open for service.

 

Dog License Renewals Available at City and Twp. Offices

If you are a St. Clair County resident who has a dog registered with the county, you can now renew your dog license at some city and township offices. City of Marysville and Memphis treasurers can perform license renewals to any dog owner who resides in St. Clair County. The service is also available in Berlin, Casco, Clay, Columbus, Grant. Greenwood, Mussey, Riley, and Wales Townships.

To renew your dog license at a city or township office, you must take a copy of the dog’s current rabies certificate from a licensed veterinarian along with payment for the renewal.

First-time licensing of a newly acquired dog must still be done directly through St. Clair County Animal Control, either online or in-person, at the County Animal Control Office or the County Treasurer’s Office. All dogs over 4 months of age must be rabies vaccinated and licensed according to State Law.

For more information visit Animal Control’s website <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand