St. Clair County

County Courthouse Grounds Get a Makeover from Armstrong Campaign

Port Huron, MI — The St. Clair County Courthouse grounds got some sprucing up on Tuesday, compliments of volunteers from the “Keep Judge Mona Armstrong” Campaign. While billboards and pamphlets may be the norm in judicial campaigns, the Armstrong committee has added gardening to the mix.  The supporters planted marigolds, petunias, and geraniums in a neglected garden near the entrance of the courthouse. Judge Armstrong said that her election committee decided “it would be worthwhile to ‘beautify’ the front of the building. The County Building is an integral component of our community.”

Armstrong said that the courthouse is where she met her husband of 21 years, Todd, so it is personally significant, but it is also important as she has watched thousands of people visit the courthouse “to find justice and seek help”. The idea for the gardening project came from a county employee who noticed the empty flowerbed on her daily walks.

Armstrong was appointed to the 72nd District Court Judge position by Governor Whitmer in March, following the resignation of Judge Cynthia Platzer. Armstrong is seeking to retain the seat in the November 3rd election, being challenged by Port Huron attorney, Caryn VanderHeuvel.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan’s Voting by Mail Process Called into Question

Blue Water Area COVID-19 Update for June 12, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases as of June 12, 2020 at  9:30 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 59,496 confirmed cases; 5,738 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 454 confirmed cases; 44 deaths
  • Ontario: 31,544  confirmed cases;  2,487 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 274 confirmed cases; 25 deaths

There was only one new COVID-19 case in St. Clair County over the last week, and there were no additional deaths in the county attributed to confirmed COVID infection. There are currently 23 active cases of COVID-19 reported in St. Clair County, and 1% of all hospital beds are being used for COVID-19 patients.

There are many positive trends in the county including an increase in testing (around 500 tests were performed last week),  the percentage of positive tests results is around 5% (12% or less is considered good),  and the percentage of total cases in the county is at .29%.

The St. Clair County Health Department continues to offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing every Tuesday. Testing will take place during regular business hours in the parking lot of the main office located at 3415 28th Street in Port Huron. Testing is by appointment only and registration is required.

 Testing is free and available for any Michigan resident, age 18 years old and older, regardless of symptoms. A doctor’s order/referral is not needed. Health Department staff will contact individuals with results.

 For questions or to schedule an appointment contact (810) 987-5300.

There are 16 active cases of COVID-19 in Sarnia. There is currently 1 outbreak reported in a long term care facilities in Lambton County, and 16 of the 25 total deaths related to COVID-19 in Sarnia were related to outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

The Government of Ontario confirmed that effective Friday, June 12, 2020, the Province will increase the limit on social gatherings from five to ten people, regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2 for reopening. 

All places of worship in Sarnia-Lambton will be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30% of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers. 

At this time, the Government of Ontario has excluded Sarnia-Lambton from Stage 2 re-opening.

Drive-through COVID-19 testing is available in Sarnia – Lambton at the COVID-19 Assessment Centre, in the Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. Additional information is available:

https://www.bluewaterhealth.ca/news/drive-through-testing-comes-to-
sarnia-lambton

*** 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

United Way Grant Help Mid City Nutrition Provide Meals

St. Clair County, MI — The United Way of St. Clair County’s (UWSCC) Emergency Services Fund – COVID-19 relief Aid provided a grant to Mid-City Nutrition to help cover the costs of food and meal packaging.

Mid City Nutrition has made many changes in response to the COVID-19 situation to ensure their guests are being served safely. The biggest change has been a transition from dine-in services, where clients could visit the soup kitchen and fill the room for meals together, to carry-out services, where visitors must stay safely distanced and take their meals to go.

The soup kitchen has been committed to providing meals for their clients even though the changes increased their expenses. The funds provided by The United Way of St. Clair County will offset those costs and enable Mid City Nutrition to continue their commitment to their client’s safety and nutritional needs.

The UWSCC has received many contributions to their COVID Relief Fund, including recent donations from Chemical Bank (TCF), MI Association of United Ways,Ms. Sharon Walby, and Mr. Scott Nill. The funds are designated to help address the emergency needs of organizations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and future recovery efforts.

UWSCC is focused on maintaining accountability by utilizing the volunteer COVID-19 Emergency Response Committee to review COVID-19 funding proposals that are submitted through an online process. To learn more and apply for funding, visit:

uwstclair.org/EmergencyServicesFund-Covid-19-ReliefAid.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

McLaren Port Huron Begins Search for New President and CEO

Port Huron, MI —

McLaren Port Huron Hospital will soon be looking for new leadership as President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery has accepted a position elsewhere. Her tenure at McLaren Port Huron will end on July 31.

Montgomery has been with the hospital for 25 years serving in various leadership roles and gaining regional recognition. She oversaw a major expansion at McLaren Port Huron and set the path for national verification as a Level III Trauma Center.

In her announcement of resignation, Montgomery said, “Together, we have made significant strides toward growing our footprint over the last five years to provide greater access to high-quality health care in the Blue Water community.” Montgomery has accepted a position as President and Chief Executive Officer at St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, which recently joined McLaren Health Care.

When asked about the search process for finding a new leader, Mona Armstrong, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, said that the Board, together with McLaren Health Care, is in the initial stages of the executive search process. Armstrong said, “This is an extremely important position that greatly impacts our community.” She said that they “are committed to finding the individual best suited to continue the phenomenal work happening here at our hospital.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Libraries Planning for Curbside Service Starting June 29

Port Huron, MI —St. Clair County libraries are finally opening after a three-month closure due to the COVID-19 crisis. June 29th is the anticipated opening day for rolling out curbside pickup for the St. Clair County Library System.

In an announcement, Allison Arnold, Director of the Library System, said that her staff is getting protocols in place to provide for the safety of both patrons and library teams. Staff has returned to the buildings to get started on providing service at all of the branches.

Getting back in business is no easy task as there are tens of thousands of items checked out. It will take some time to process all those returns. Items will be quarantined for 72 hours before they go back into circulation.

If you have a stack of library books at home, don’t worry, due dates have been extended. In the meantime, all of the online options are still available, as they always are and can be accessed through the library website using a library card number. Also, if you have used books to donate, hold onto those until the library staff gets through the backlog of checked out books.

More information about the library’s gradual return to in-person service will be made available as decisions are made. The St. Clair County Library System has eleven branches throughout the county.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

New Headquarters in the Works for St. Clair County EDA

St. Clair County, MI — The St. Clair County Economic Development Alliance may be moving to a shiny new building if everything goes as planned. The EDA has published a request for proposals for architectural services to get started on designing a new headquarters in downtown Port Huron. They are hoping to move the process along and get a recommendation to the EDA Board of Directors on June 15.

The EDA is currently housed in the Municipal Office Center on the riverfront in Port Huron. The new building is intended to be built at 1712 Military Street. An empty home sits on the property now and would be razed to make room for a parking lot, three story building, and outdoor seating area, according to the proposal.

With an estimated price tag of $2.7 million for entire project, the EDA plans to take advantage of funds available from the CARES Grant Act. The building could be up to 14,000 square feet, containing EDA offices, a business service center with a training room, and an “incubator” area for startup and second stage companies. A rooftop patio and social spaces are also in the plans.

A conceptual plan and more information can be found at the EDA’s website, edascc.com.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland