St. Clair County

Blue Water Area COVID-19 Update for May 29, 2020

St. Clair County, MI — Lambton County, Ontario

Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 29th at  9:45 AM are as follows:

  • State of Michigan: 56,014 confirmed cases; 5,372 deaths
  • St. Clair County: 422 confirmed cases; 33 deaths
  • Ontario: 26, 866  confirmed cases;  2,189 deaths
  • Sarnia-Lambton: 261 confirmed cases; 22 deaths

Confirmed Cases in St. Clair County rose by 16 last week, and the county suffered four additional deaths. There are currently 68 active cases of COVID-19 reported in St. Clair County, and 1% of all hospital beds are being used for COVID-19 patients.

As medical offices resume seeing patients for non-essential health care needs, Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer of the St. Clair County Health Department, said that it’s important for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure to check in with their doctors. “Delayed healthcare typically means more complicated outcomes.”

She also recommends parents resume their child’s vaccine schedules as childhood vaccination rates for kids under 2 years old fell by 50%.

Cases in Sarnia rose by 18 since last week, and the county suffered 3 additional deaths. There are currently 2 outbreaks reported in long term care facilities in Lambton County, and 63% of the deaths reported in Ontario were of residents in long-term care facilities.

The City of Sarnia recognizes the mental and physical benefits of using local trails, parks, and beaches, and they have increased the By-Law Staff at those locations to educate the public on how to stay safe while enjoying those amenities.

*** 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

 

Hernandez Feels Governor Has Damaged Her Credibility With Michiganders

Rep. Shane Hernandez – chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee –  issued a statement on May 27th about the state budget and interaction with the governor’s office:

“At a time when the relationship between the governor and Legislature is critical due to the looming budget crisis, the governor has continued to damage her credibility with the people of Michigan.

“Working relationships are built on trust.  Over the last few months, whatever trust may have been building between the governor and the Legislature seems to have eroded through a series of actions that she has taken.

“Perhaps the most glaring is the administration’s approval of a no-bid contract for contact-tracing for one of the governor’s political consultants.  When asked about the contract, the administration has denied and distracted from the particulars of what happened, while new information keeps emerging about the role the governor’s office played in securing that contract.  Now through the media we have learned the answer to our most important question – the governor’s office not only knew about this, they in fact gave it the ‘green light.’

“We still have questions about how much data the vendor handled while under contract, what happened to that data, and any other contracts that are in place for political vendors.  I am hopeful that now our remaining questions on contact tracing can be answered and the governor will let the people of Michigan know why statements made in the past on this topic were not clear and factual.

“To that end, I have great concerns going forward. We are facing what is perhaps the largest budget crisis in Michigan’s history, caused by the governor’s unilateral response to COVID-19. The people of Michigan deserve a collaborative approach to making the necessary adjustments for what remains of this budget year, and prospectively for next.

“Facts and data drive budgets.  Hope is not a governing strategy.  Waiting for a federal bailout is not a plan.  The $6 billion shortfall over this year and next will not go away through wishful thinking.  The state budget director and state treasurer agreed with this revenue shortfall at the May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference 12 days ago, yet we have no movement from the administration to address that shortfall.  The worst-case scenario with this inaction is that we run out of money this year and we cannot fund roads, schools or address high water levels.  Every day we wait makes this worse.

“We were elected to be leaders.  Leadership involves bringing people together and fixing the problems that our state is facing.  The people of Michigan deserve honest engagement from all parties in the budget process.  I stand ready to do the work necessary to get a real budget done.”

Submitted by Tim Martin

Body Found in St. Clair River Identified

Port Huron, MI — The body of a man found Monday in the St. Clair River has been identified.

Through the use of dental records, the St. Clair County Medical Examiner’s Office was able to determine that the body found is 31 year old Larod Denate Smith of Port Huron Township.  

Smith was reported missing from his Port Huron Township residence on April 1st. 

On April 2nd, the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team and Port Huron Fire Department were called to Vantage Point in downtown Port Huron after reports of someone jumping into the St. Clair River.  The Dive Team used divers and sonar equipment to search the river from April 2nd through April 5th, but found nothing.  Smith’s vehicle was located at Vantage Point on April 2nd.

Smith’s body was located in St. Clair River near the mouth of Black River by a boater on May 25th.  His body was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Port Huron Fire Department.

The Medical Examiner’s Office is awaiting results of a toxicology report to conclusively determine the cause and manner of Smith’s death.

Suspect Arraigned in Drug Related Shooting in Algonac

Marine City, MI — A suspect in a drug related shooting in the city of Algonac in November of last year was arraigned on Wednesday, May 27th in 72nd District Court in Marine City.

According to St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon, 34 year old Ricardo Galan of Westland, Michigan is charged with armed robbery, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, 2nd degree home invasion and felony firearms.

The investigation began on November 18, 2019 when deputies from the Sheriff’s Office were called to the Algonac Fire Department for a person that had been shot.  The victim, a 31 year old man, also from Westland, was transported to Ascension River District Hospital in East China Township for treatment.

Members of the St. Clair County Drug Task Force became involved in the investigation, beginning with a residence on Smith Street in Algonac.  That investigation, which was hampered due to lack of cooperation from the victim, led members of the DTF to track down leads and conduct surveillance in the city of Detroit and other locations in the counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson and Livingston.  The investigation culminated with the arrest of Galan in Green Oak Township in Livingston County on Tuesday.  Following Galan’s arrest, a search warrant was executed at his residence, where several handguns were located and seized.

Galan is being held at the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center on a $50,000 cash/surety bond.  His next court date is a probable cause hearing at 9:30 a.m. on June 10th before Judge Michael Hulewicz.

Multiple agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau, Port Huron Police Major Crimes Unit and the Clay Township Police Department assisted in the investigation.

Investigation into other possible suspects in the crime is ongoing.  If anyone has any information regarding this shooting, or any other drug related criminal activity, please contact the St. Clair County Drug Task Force at (800) 243-DRUG.

United Way of St. Clair County Grants Funds for Virtual Counseling

Port Huron, MI — The United Way of St. Clair County (UWSCC) granted funds from their Emergency Services Fund – COVID-19 Relief Aid to the Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM). The grant will help the counseling center with the start-up costs and maintenance of their telehealth system so they can provide virtual services.

The counseling center converted from face-to-face counseling to provide virtual counseling to their new and existing clients during this time of social distancing. CCSEM offers counseling services to those who  most need it and never refuses services based on a client’s ability to pay.

Mental Health agencies have reported an increase in anxiety, depression, and substance abuse since the COVID-19 virus began affecting Americans in March. These valuable mental health services allow counselors to meet virtually and offer the support and tools their clients need to feel supported and equipped to deal with this challenging season.

COVID-19 funds are still available for organizations seeking aid.  Visit the United Way of St. Clair County’s Website <HERE> to apply.

 Funds cannot be used for individuals seeking financial support at this time.  UWSCC recommends all individuals with any type of need to dial 2-1-1, or (888) 636-4211, to be connected with available information and resources. Please remember, many organizations have staff working from home and require individuals to leave a phone message.  

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

North American Rebound Campaign Seeks Partnership for Economic Recovery

Port Huron, MI — The Washington-based Canadian American Business Council launched a new online campaign last week to convince states, provinces, and federal officials on both sides of the border to team up in the economic recovery of North American businesses. The primary goals of the “North American Rebound” campaign are to secure personal protective equipment, replenish and maintain each other’s medical stockpiles, and defend cross-border supply chains.

In many ways, the effort is an early hedge against the perils of protectionism. Kathryn Friedman, a law professor and Canada-U.S border expert on the Buffalo campus of the State University of New York states: “Given that now there’s a real push for companies to bring suppliers back home, to really get out of China and reshore back in the United States or Canada, there’s a real opportunity for border cities to position themselves as a new platform in each region for reshoring of supply chains.”

Since the shutdown, bridge traffic between Port Huron and Sarnia has significantly slowed. The bridge is not expect to re-open for regular traffic until June 21st.