St. Clair County

Sandy Hunwick Harrison Center PHASD

Harrison Center Help Adults Pursue Higher Education

The Futures for Frontliners program offers Michigan residents 18 years and older the opportunity to complete high school and pursue a career path at a community college or job training program. It is open to all adults who worked in an essential industry at least part-time for 11 weeks between April 1st and June 30th.

For those who need to complete their high school diploma or GED, Harrison Center, the adult education wing of Port Huron Schools, offers the tools and support to help students succeed. Harrison has a teacher on site Monday – Friday  for students. Fridays are by appointment only for those who want to limit their contact with others. Students can take classes, get individual tutoring, and/or work at home to finish their high school diploma or study for their GED tests.

Harrison Center’s Career Navigator, Sandy Hunwick, helps students with any barriers they face on the path to high school completion, and then she helps them move on to the next part of their educational journey at college or a career training center.  When asked about the benefits of the Futures for Frontliners program, she aid, “If you were thinking that you’d love to go back to school, now there’s a way. This is a pathway to help you afford college and expensive career training programs. If you worked, now there’s a way.”

For more information on eligibility, and to apply to the Futures for Frontliners program, visit the website <HERE> Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on December 31, 2020.

To learn more about Harrison Center, visit their website <HERE>.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Christina Flood Healing Hearts Home

Healing Hearts Home Kicks Off New S.H.O.U.T. Groups

Healing Hearts Home provides help, hope, and healing for women who have experience sexual abuse, and they are kicking off their fall support groups in November.

Their S.H.O.U.T. groups are a place for women to find last healing from the pain of their abuse, and S.H.O.U.T. stands for Sharing Hearts Openly, Understanding Truth. There are separate groups for teens and adult women, and they focus on working through study material and processing together.

Healing Hearts Home Executive Director Christina Flood said she has been busier than ever since the COVID shutdown when she moved to working with program participants online. She is grateful for the opportunity to get back to in-person meetings at The Underground in Downtown Port Huron where the nonprofit is housed.

The kick-off for S.H.O.U.T. groups is November 12th. The teen group meets from 4-6, and the women’s group meets from 6:30 – 8:30.

Visit HealingHeartsHome.org for more information.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Sheriff Donnellon Retiring Early to take New Position

Sheriff Tim Donellon was elected St. Clair County Sheriff in 2008, and he will end his term a little early to take a new position with the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB). His new position is scheduled to begin on November 9th.

The MGCB’s mission is to ensure the conduct of fair and honest gaming to protect the interests of the citizens of the state of Michigan. They provide for the licensing, regulation, and control of casino gaming operations, and they regulate pari-mutuel horse racing and casino-style charitable gaming among other things.

Sheriff Donnellon has been active in the community and is thankful for its support. “We in St. Clair County law enforcement are blessed to have the backing of the citizens to do our job,” said Sheriff Donnellon.  “I will be forever thankful for your kindness and thoughtfulness throughout my career, ” said Donnellon.

Donnellon planned to retire in January after finishing his term, and current Sheriff’s Office Captain Mat King is running unopposed for his position. A board made up of Prosecutor Mike Wendling, Probate Judge Elwood Brown, and County Clerk Jay DeBoyer, will choose a replacement for Donnellon to serve in the interim before King takes the position January 1st.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

Kimball Twp. Man Taken Into Custody After Standoff

 A man who barricaded himself inside his home for about three and a half hours yesterday afternoon was taken into custody.

According to St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon, deputies were called to a home in the 5000 block of Burma Road shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for what was described as an argument between husband and wife.  Deputies were also told that the 48 year old man fired a gun inside the home.  The 39 year old wife left the residence with their two teenage children and met deputies on the roadway.

The Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team (SRT) was called to the residence and began negotiating with the man to come out of the home.  He finally complied and came out shortly before 7:00 Tuesday night.

The man was transported by Tri-Hospital EMS to Lake Huron Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.

Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the residence to remove firearms from the home pending the outcome of the mental evaluation.

The Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit and Michigan State Police also assisted at the scene. 

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office

Health Department Urges Caution at Social Gatherings as COVID-19 Cases Increase

The St. Clair County Health Department is urging the public to follow safety practices while attending social gatherings. Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in St. Clair County, and in the last two weeks the average number of new cases has increased by 55%.

The Health Department is reporting that 20% of cases are tied to social events which indicates that people are not following public health guidance when gathering.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer, St. Clair County Health Department, said in a press release, “As St. Clair County residents and as proud Americans, we know what we have to do to slow the spread of transmission because we did it before. We came together at the beginning of the pandemic and effectively drove down the case counts by wearing masks, maintaining six feet of social distance from others, and practicing proper handwashing.”

As of Tuesday morning, there were 253 active cases of COVID-19 in St. Clair County, up 69 cases from our report last week. As cases increase the Health Department is also asking individuals to respond to public health nurses when they reach out for contact tracing purposes. Nurses will never ask for sensitive information related to insurance, credit cards, or social security numbers.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

New Direct Care Workers to Get $1600 Retention Pay

Newly hired direct care workers, who go into homes to provide care, usually to senior citizens, are in short supply. They will be given retention payments by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to try to keep them on the job.

The $3.9 million allocation is funded by the federal CARES Act. Partner Agencies include the Area Agency on Aging 1-B, which serves seniors in St. Clair County.

The program’s goal is to hire and retain at least 2,000 direct care workers by the end of 2020. New workers, who have not worked in home and community-based services over the last 60 days, are eligible for an extra $1600 if they complete training and 300 hours of work by December 30. Workers can be asked to repay the money if they do not stay at their jobs for six months.

According to a press release from MDHHS, the increase in direct care workers strengthens the workforce and could allow eligible adults to stay in their own homes instead of moving to nursing homes.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland