Appliance Repair in Huron, CA

RuBoo Boutique owner Demiree Fultz is taking her business on the road with events and pop-up boutiques all around the country.

But to move forward, Fultz is closing her physical location at 230 Huron Ave., Port Huron, a move that she described as "bittersweet."

The boutique's last day for in-store shopping will be April 25. The business will move out by May 9, the five-year anniversary of its opening.

The online store will remain open and Fultz plans to travel around the country to host her store at events such as festivals and pop-up boutiques inside other small businesses. Once the physical location is closed, it will give her more time and freedom to travel for the mobile business.

To shop online, visit rubooboutique.com/.

Fultz said she has ties with small businesses around Michigan, and would like to expand into other states such as Florida and California. Her goal is to to travel about once a month for events and have events in many different states by next year.

"So instead of being like, we're going to have a girls night out at RuBoo this Thursday, it's going to be, we're going to have a girls night out in Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend," she said.

Online sales have also increased recently, Fultz said. She plans to grow online marketing and sales once she closes the physical store and has more time to devote to that side of the business.

Fultz also said she wants to focus on developing her podcast, "HBIC: Head Babe in Charge". The podcast focuses on women empowerment, and Fultz talks about how women can live their best lives and focus on the positive throughout all of life's challenges.

Fultz has talked about topics such as cheating in relationships, finding your own style, or being a mom and handling a business at the same time. While the podcast is available on major streaming networks such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, she is also in talks with Youtube to put some of her content on the platform.

Fultz has always had an interest in fashion. About five years ago, she dropped out of medical school to take a leap of faith and open her own business without any prior business experience.

"The thing that I love most about the fashion industry is that...you get to express yourself," Fultz said.

Fultz said she enjoys empowering women through fashion. She helps women grow their confidence by showing them they can wear whatever makes them feel confident and beautiful, no matter what anyone else says.

"Women empowerment is my love language," she said. "They said there are five languages of love. I think women empowerment is the sixth one that doesn't exist, and it's mine."

Fultz said she will miss seeing customers and keeping up on the lives of her regular customers. She opened the store when she was undergoing a lot of transformation in her personal and professional life, so it signifies a time in her life when she was discovering who she was.

"It's definitely a bittersweet feeling," Fultz said. "I think I'm the most sad because this is like my first child."

However, Fultz is looking forward to new opportunities to grow her business and connect with new people.

"With going further with RuBoo and being able to meet how many people I've met in Port Huron, I'm really excited to have that opportunity with not just in a small town but the entire country," she said.

Property manager Larry Jones said he is not sure yet what will go into the location when Fultz moves out, but it will probably go up for lease.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.

For the third straight year, more people are being charged with impaired driving in Huron County.

In 2021 there were 102 charges, up from 93 in 2020 — a 10 per cent increase, on top of a 35 per cent increase in 2019.

“I see these numbers and I’m frustrated,” says Matt Evans, project manager for OSAID [Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving] in Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey counties.

“I’m frustrated because these numbers are 100 per cent preventable,” he says.

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Of those charged, 81 per cent of those were men and 37 per cent were under the age of 30.

“Nine of our 102 drivers were teenagers, so that’s quite concerning,” says Huron OPP Const. Jamie Stanley.

Evans sees the rise in young drivers jumping behind the wheel while impaired as a direct result of the decline in OSAID chapters in the province over the past several decades.

“If you don’t keep the messaging there, they forget the message. Like if you stop teaching math, students are going to forget how to do math,” he says.

One third of the 102 impaired drivers charged were not from Huron County. The worst months for charges were November with 15, the best month was May, with only three impaired charges. Of the impaired charges, 23 per cent involved drug impairment.

“Any type of impairment, whether it’s through prescription drugs, street drugs or alcohol, impairment is impairment and it can have devastating effects,” says Stanley.

While Huron County saw a 10 per cent rise in impaired charges, the Western Region OPP, stretching from Windsor to Tobermory, saw only a two per cent rise in impaired charges.

There is some good news however, impaired charges have dropped 11 per cent this year, compared to the first two months of last year.

“It’s about enforcement, education and awareness. Unfortunately, we’re not getting the message out there to some people, so we’re going to continue to enforce. We’re going to continue to remind and educate. We hope that through these efforts, we can see those numbers decrease, at least in Huron County,” says Stanley.

Evans says OSAID is actively trying to reignite school chapters of its organizations and is asking schools to proclaim May 19, the eve of the May long weekend, as OSAID Day in May, to remind students to not drive drunk or high.

After raising more than $37,000 to support the Ukrainian refugees that will soon settle across Huron and Perth counties with housing, food and supplies, the Multicultural Association of Perth-Huron is once again asking donors to dig deep so it can help purchase plane tickets to Canada for refugees who can’t afford them.

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While information around how many refugees will settle in the area has been somewhat inconsistent, multicultural association executive director Dr. Gezahgn Wordofa says the organization is now expecting as many as 35 families of between three and five people, all of whom have the necessary paperwork and have passed Canada’s immigration screening requirements, to begin arriving in the coming weeks.

However, the association recently learned that some of the families slated to come to Huron and Perth counties do not have enough money to purchase the plane tickets they need to escape their war-torn home and the refugee camps in neighbouring Eastern European countries.

“Last week the federal government announced they weren’t going to cover plane fare … so suddenly we found we may have a lot of people who will be coming here, and some of them have money and some won’t,” said Steve Landers, the association’s accountant. “We’re going to be responsible for raising money to get plane fare for them.”

While Wordofa said there are a number of refugee families coming to Perth and Huron counties who either have local connections that can provide assistance or have enough money to purchase tickets themselves, the association is unsure exactly how many families will need this type of financial support.

“(One of our volunteers) researched, and he found out that plane tickets could cost (as much or more than) $1,000 per person. And this expense was unexpected,” Wordofa said, explaining that the money contributed by locals to the Ukrainian-refugee campaign thus far has gone entirely to ensuring the refugees have a home to live in and the food and supplies they need when they arrive in Perth and Huron counties.

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Wordofa said at least one volunteer has already come forward to donate enough money to purchase upwards of seven plane tickets for fleeing refugee families, but more support is needed.

Residents can continue to donate to the multicultural association’s Ukrainian-refugee campaign by visiting maph.ca or through a new gofundme campaign at gofundme.com/f/ukrainian-refugee-resettlement.

The association will also continue to host regular fundraiser dinners and other events, and smaller donations can be made at the cash registers of participating businesses. For more information on how to contribute, follow the Multicultural Association of Perth Huron on Facebook.

University

An insider’s guide to the best place to live, campus food and more

Why did you choose Laurier? My dad attended Laurier for his master’s degree, and the location and program offerings were perfect for me. After going on a campus tour, I was really drawn to the tight-knit atmosphere and welcoming vibe I got from everyone I spoke to. My decision to choose Laurier was easier than I initially expected.

Describe some of your best experiences so far. By far, the best decision I’ve made during my time in university has been getting involved in campus clubs. Writing for my school’s newspaper eventually led me to take on the role of editor-in-chief, and it introduced me to some of my closest friends. Another highlight has been the chance to take classes that really connect with my personal interests and passions. Women in Popular Culture was one of my favourite courses in undergrad; I looked forward to attending class every week.

Are you involved in extracurricular activities? Over the course of my undergrad years, I’ve been involved with Her Campus, the Cord, and the Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts. Becoming involved in these publications was a great way to meet new people and pursue my interests. Laurier has endless options for extracurricular involvement and activities, so it quickly became easy for me to discover what I was interested in.

What do you think of your professors? Like most students, I became familiar with the professors I liked and wanted to take classes with during my first and second years. Overall, I’ve had great experiences with the professors I’ve taken courses with. As long as you put effort into being a present, hard-working student, most professors are supportive and want to see you succeed.

What do you think of the school’s administration? Stay on top of deadlines for adding and dropping courses. It can be challenging to talk to whom you need to talk to get your classes organized, especially if there’s a waitlist. I have found that administrative staff can be difficult to communicate with. They don’t always understand and really listen to student concerns. This problem has definitely become exacerbated during the pandemic.

What is off-campus life like in Waterloo? The tri-city area (Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge) has a lot to offer students if you know where to look. The key to discovering hidden gems is to break outside of the uptown Waterloo bubble and venture to different parts of the local cities. This area has a variety of bars, distilleries, cafés, shops and live music venues.

If I wrote the school motto: ‘It’s great to be a Golden Hawk (if you push yourself outside of your comfort zone)’ Best place to live: Avoid renting from big companies. Searching for people who want to add students to their leases in the Laurier housing groups is often your best bet. Best place to study: Science Building Atrium (if you’re able to snag a free table) or any spot in Laz (Lazaridis Hall) Best campus events: In-person O-Week events, concerts and drag shows organized by the student union Best campus food: Wilf’s Best cheap lunch: Bao Sandwich Bar Best pizza: Score Pizza or Graffiti Market Best place for a fancy dinner: Red House or the Bauer Kitchen Best giveaway: The freebies handed out at Campus Fest during O-Week Best bar for hanging out: Ethel’s Lounge or Pin Up Arcade Bar Best live music venue: Jane Bond Best hangover breakfast: Go to Mel’s Diner Best place for a nap: A cubicle in one of the upper floors of the library Best weekend activity: Hiking in Huron Natural Area, going to Bad Axe Throwing with friends or seeing a movie at Princess Cinemas The thing that surprised me most about the school: How quickly I became familiar and comfortable with the campus If I could change one thing about the school: Improve the Wi-Fi and dining hall food

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Face masks are no longer required in schools, retail settings and most other indoor public spaces in Ontario beginning today.

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The change and lifting of mask requirements comes after the province lifted proof-of-vaccination rules and capacity limits.

However, Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) advises residents that masks will continue to be required in certain settings.

This includes clinics that provide health care services.

“Provincial requirements for face coverings will remain in place for several settings, including HPPH clinics in the community,” said Dr. Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health.

“Also, some people will be required to wear masks for a limited amount of time if they have been exposed to a case of COVID-19 or if they have travelled internationally.”

According to Klassen, people who visit an HPPH vaccination clinic are required to wear a mask and will continue to be screened for COVID-19 when they arrive at an HPPH facility. Masks will be provided if needed.

Dr. Kieran Moore stated these changes to rules do not signal that COVID-19 has disappeared and that the pandemic is over.

Yet, according to provincial politicians and top health officials, health indicators have improved enough to remove mask rules and manage the virus.

The following settings will also remain under provincial face covering requirements until April 27, when the province plans to put an end to all remaining public health rules:

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After April 27 health care settings will assess the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This will add to their requirements to protect staff under occupational health and safety legislation and their duty to provide safe care.

According to HPPH, this means that health care settings may continue certain public health measures. This could include screening, masking and proof of vaccination among staff and visitors.

“Some people will choose to continue wearing masks due to their personal or loved ones’ risk factors,” added Klassen.

“For them, wearing masks reduces their risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Please remain patient and kind as businesses, organizations, and individuals follow provincial direction where required, and make decisions on mask use.”

For more information on face covering requirements visit: Ontario.ca