Home Latest UpdatesAAA ISSUES WINTER WEATHER SAFE DRIVING ALERT FOR MICHIGAN01/25/2021News / Public ServiceDEARBORN, Mich., (January 25, 2021) — Snow, rain and ice make the winter months a risky time for motorists to be behind the wheel. According to data from the Michigan State Police, last year two out of three (67%) traffic crashes that occurred during inclement weather were on snowy, slushy or icy pavement. With this in mind, Michigan motorists are reminded that when it comes to driving in winter weather conditions, it’s important to revisit the safe winter driving playbook. Although this holds true for even the most seasoned driver, additional caution is urged for new and mature drivers when it comes to the hazards of snow and ice. These tips are for everyone: AAA Top Ten Tips for Winter Driving Before starting out, remove ice and snow from the entire car, mirrors and lights so you have clear driving visibility. Don’t use cruise control in precipitation and freezing temperatures. Remember that four-wheel drive helps you to get going quicker, but it won’t help you stop any faster. Familiarize yourself with your vehicle’s braking system. Drivers with anti-lock brakes should apply firm, constant pressure while those without may need to pump the pedal in order to avoid loss of traction while stopping. Always drive at a speed that matches the prevailing visibility, traffic and road conditions – even if that means driving below the posted speed limit. Compensate for reduced traction by increasing your following distances (normally three to four seconds) to eight to ten seconds. Allow sufficient room for maintenance vehicles and plows, stay at least 200 feet back and, if you need to pass, go to the other vehicle’s left. Watch for icy surfaces on bridges and intersections, even if the rest of the road seems to be in good condition. If you get stuck in snow or ice, straighten the wheel and accelerate slowly. Add sand or cat litter under the drive wheels to help avoid spinning the tires. If your tires lose traction, continue to look and steer in the direction you want to go. If the drive wheels start to spin or slide while going up a hill, ease off the accelerator slightly and then gently resume speed. Additional winter weather driving tips are available through THIS LINK to AAA’s How to Go on Ice and Snow booklet. In addition to contacting AAA for roadside assistance via the toll free number, members can also use www.AAA.com or the AAA mobile app. AAA Tips for Vehicle Prep Carry a charged cell phone Top off your gas tank Check washer fluid and anti-freeze, to ensure they are at adequate levels. Tires should be inspected to ensure they are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth. Equip your vehicle with a snow shovel, ice scraper, jumper cables, flares, a flashlight and some warm clothing and blankets. AAA in Michigan celebrated its 100th Anniversary – A Century of Service in 2016 and has over 1.5 million members across the state. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG). Connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn. The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Like this:Like Loading...... Indoor Dining Reopens February 1; Caution and Focus on Enhanced Ventilation Recommended01/22/2021News / Public ServiceLANSING, MICH. Following last week’s announcement about the plan to reopen indoor dining, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released its next epidemic order today, which continues the department’s fact-based approach to reopening activities, and goes into effect on Monday, Feb. 1. The order will allow for indoor dining at restaurants with certain requirements; concessions at casinos, movie theaters and stadiums; personal services requiring mask removal; and non-residential gatherings of up to 10 people from two households. The new order will last three weeks, until Sunday, Feb. 21. “The pause has worked. The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and hospitals have dramatically reduced cases and we have saved lives. Now, we are confident that starting February 1, restaurants can resume indoor dining with safety measures in place,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Michigan continues to be a national leader in fighting this virus, and we must continue working to keep it that way. One of the most important things Michiganders can do is to make a plan to get the safe and effective vaccine when it’s available to you. And as always, mask up and maintain six feet of social distancing. We will end this pandemic together.” “We are pleased to see the improvements in case rates, hospitalizations and percent positivity that have allowed us to reopen more activities,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. “However, we must remain vigilant, especially since we now have a new more easily transmitted variant of this virus present in our state. This is not the time to let our guard down and Michiganders should minimize their risk by avoiding gatherings, wearing masks properly, social distancing and making a plan to get their vaccine when it is their turn.” MDHHS had been closely monitoring three metrics for stabilization or declines over the past several weeks. Michigan continue to see improvements in these metrics which has allowed for additional relaxing of protocols and reopening of activities. In recent days: Hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients has been in seven-week decline, with current capacity at 9.9% for beds with COVID-19 patients. Peaked at 19.6% on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Overall case rates: Currently at 225 cases per million. Peaked at 740 cases per million on Saturday, Nov. 14, plateaued after a decline to 239 on Friday, Dec. 25 and has been in decline for 11 days. Positivity rate: currently at 6.8% and declining. Restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity with up to 100 people. Tables must be six feet apart with no more than six people per table. Outdoor tents with four sides are permitted under these same rules. Bars and restaurants must close by 10 p.m. Additionally, contact information must be collected from diners for contact tracing purposes. “Today’s announcement is possible because of our progress over the last two months,” said Robert Gordon, MDHHS director. “Even so, the science is clear that unmasked, indoor activities like dining and drinking are still a source of high risk around COVID-19. The safest course remains to support your favorite restaurant with carryout, delivery or outdoor dining. If individuals choose to eat out, there are two things they can do to make it much safer: go out only with members of their own household and choose a restaurant participating in the MI COVID-19 Safer Dining certification program.” The voluntary MI COVID-19 Safer Dining program allows food service establishments to become certified by having their ventilation system inspected and submitting their inspection report to the state indicating they are optimizing airflow. Once certified, businesses will be featured on the Michigan.gov/covidsaferdining website and receive a copy of their certification to post at their establishment to alert diners of their participation. Funding is proposed for food service establishments to participate as part of the $10 million included in the recent supplemental budget request for restaurant supports administered by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Two webinars will be hosted on Monday, Jan. 25 to provide additional information about the Safer Dining certification program – one at noon for HVAC contractors interested in conducting inspections and one at 3 p.m. for food service establishments interested in becoming certified. More information will be available at Michigan.gov/covidsaferdining. Indoor residential and non-residential gatherings are limited to 10 people and two households. MDHHS continues to urge families to avoid indoor gatherings or to pick a single other household to interact with consistent with guidance already released by the department. Families are encouraged to stay home as much as possible to maintain momentum and to protect loved ones. Families are also encouraged to Mask Up, Mask Right, using guidance for what masks to wear and how to wear them. The epidemic order continues to temporarily pause indoor contact sports and other venues and activities where participants have close physical contacts and are not consistently masked, like water parks. However, as of Jan. 22, stadiums can allow up to 500 people at venues that seat over 10,000 people and stadiums that seat less than 10,000 are allowed to be at 20% capacity, up to 250 people. This will allow for additional attendance at high school football finals being hosted this weekend. As before, employees who work in jobs that cannot be performed from home can continue to go to work, while employees who can work from home should continue to do so. Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine. Like this:Like Loading...... New MDHHS Epidemic Order Allows Indoor Group Exercise, Non-Contact Sports01/13/2021News / Public ServiceGatherings remain limited, group exercise and non-contact sports now open to support mental and physical health LANSING, MICH. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its epidemic order today to allow re-opening of additional activities where Michiganders can remain masked and socially distanced, as this has been scientifically shown to slow the virus. This includes indoor group exercise and non-contact sports. The new order is effective Saturday, Jan. 16 and will last until Sunday, Jan. 31. “The efforts we have made together to protect our families, frontline workers and small business owners are working. While there has been a slight uptick in our percent positivity rate, our cases per million have plateaued and more hospital beds are becoming available. Today, we are confident that MDHHS can lift some of the protocols that were previously in place,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Michigan is once again standing out as a nationwide leader in fighting this virus, and we must continue working to keep it that way. One of the most important things Michiganders can do is to make a plan to get the safe and effective vaccine when it’s available to you. And as always, mask up and maintain six feet of social distancing. We will end this pandemic together.” “We continue to make progress in our fight against this virus, and expanding vaccination to healthcare workers, long-term care residents and staff, some essential frontline workers and those age 65 and older is bringing us closer to ending the pandemic,” said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. “It is important that everyone continues to do their part by avoiding gatherings, wearing masks properly and social distancing. This remains just as important, even as the safe and effective vaccine is being administered, to protect those who are not yet able to be vaccinated.” Previously, MDHHS had identified stabilization or declines in three metrics as critical for relaxing protocols. Although Michigan saw improvements across all three following the “pause” implemented in mid-November, some numbers have plateaued or begun to increase in recent days: Hospital capacity dedicated to COVID-19 patients has been in 13-day decline, with current capacity is at 12% for beds with COVID-19 patients. Peaked at 19.6% on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Overall case rates: increasing, currently at 266 cases per million. Peaked at 740 cases per million on Saturday, Nov. 14 and declined to a low of 239 on Friday, Dec. 25 Positivity rate: plateauing; currently at 9.1% after reaching a low of 8.1% on Monday, Dec. 28 and increasing up to 10% since then. “We are reopening cautiously because caution is working to save lives. The new order allows group exercise and non-contact sports, always with masks and social distancing, because in the winter it’s not as easy to get out and exercise and physical activity is important for physical and mental health,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “We are glad that we made it through the holidays without a big increase in numbers, but there are also worrying signs in the new numbers. We need to remain focused and continue to see declines in hospitalizations and to bring case rates and percent positivity down by doing what we know works.” Indoor residential gatherings remain limited to 10 people and two households. MDHHS continues to urge families to avoid indoor gatherings or to pick a single other household to interact with consistent with guidance already released by the department. Families are encouraged to stay home as much as possible to maintain momentum and to protect loved ones. Families are also encouraged to Mask Up, Mask Right, using guidance for what masks to wear and how to wear them. The epidemic order continues to temporarily pause indoor dining in bars and restaurants, but they can continue to offer outdoor dining, carry-out and delivery. The working plan is to open indoor dining with mitigation measures, capacity limits and a curfew on February 1, but the ultimate decision depends on data continuing to stabilize. Additional details on the reopening pathway are expected next week. Colleges and universities can have students return to campus for the winter semester and restart in-person courses as of Jan. 18. As before, employees who work in jobs that cannot be performed from home can continue to go to work, while employees who can work from home should continue to do so. Individualized activities with distancing and face masks are still allowed: retail shopping; public transit; restaurant takeout; andpersonal-care services such as haircuts, by appointment. Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine. Please see below for a one-pager on Michigan’s vaccine distribution plan. Like this:Like Loading...... McKibbin Media Group hosts Virtual Wedding Expo01/04/2021NewsK-105.3 Jackson’s Hit Music Station, sister station to WCSR, is hosting a Virtual Wedding Expo online in lieu of their annual in-person Bridal Fair. Check it out at K1053.com/Wedding and let our featured vendors help you plan your wedding, plus enter for a chance to win hundreds of dollars in prizes to help ease your wallet as you plan your big day. Interested in being featured on this page? Contact Ashley Smith, promotions director, today at asmith@k1053.com Like this:Like Loading...... Obituary for Jamie McKibbin11/18/2020NewsJamie “Big Dog” McKibbin, a 43-year-old native of Hillsdale County and longtime resident of Parma, Michigan, passed away suddenly November 16, 2020 as a result of a boating accident. Jamie was born in 1977 to Sharon McKibbin, and grew up loving sports and the outdoors while attending Pittsford Public Schools. Jamie’s father, Robert, and grandfather, Leonard Black, were very influential in his upbringing. Additionally, Jamie spent a majority of his childhood with his grandmothers Evelyn Black and Vera McKibbin. His passion for hunting led Jamie all over the U.S. in search of big game, adventure, and camaraderie with his many, many close friends and hunting partners. Likewise, Jamie loved to spend his time on the water chasing walleye and salmon wherever and whenever he could. Jamie began a life-long career in radio, which started at the age of 18. His passion eventually led him and his wife to become the owner/operators of McKibbin Media Group, Inc., licensee of WKHM AM/FM and WIBM in Jackson and WCSR AM/FM in Hillsdale. He was also involved with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, and had recently joined its Board of Directors. Jamie was also a member of the Jackson County Outdoor Club and loved participating in archery leagues at Schupbach’s Sporting Goods. Ironically, it was also radio that provided Jamie the opportunity to meet Katina Kuhn, whom Jamie married August 10, 2002. They eventually had a son, Walker, whom Jamie thoroughly enjoyed coaching on the baseball diamond and basketball court. They also loved their time together fishing so many of Michigan’s wonderful rivers. In addition to Katina and Walker, Jamie is survived by his parents, Sharon and Robert, brother Marty McKibbin, parents-in-law Ken and Pauline Kuhn, brother-in-law Kevin (Casey) Kuhn, niece and nephew Payton and Colin Kuhn, and so many very close friends. Jamie was preceded in death by his grandparents, Evelyn and Leonard Black and Clifford and Vera McKibbin. In the interest of public health and safety, there will be a private family graveside services. Family and friends are invited to view a live webcast of the service on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 1:00 PM by visiting the tribute wall of Jamie’s obituary page at www.eaglefuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to: the Walker McKibbin scholarship fund, with checks made out to Katina McKibbin and sent to McKibbin Media Group, 1700 Glenshire Dr Jackson MI 49201; or to the Jamie McKibbin Memorial Scholarship Fund, with checks made out to the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation and mailed to 820 N Capitol Ave., Lansing MI 48906-5114. Please include Jamie’s name on the memo line. Like this:Like Loading...... WCSR Mourns Unexpected Passing of Owner11/16/2020NewsJamie McKibbin, a native of Hillsdale County and longtime resident of Parma, Michigan, passed away suddenly November 16, 2020 as a result of a boating accident. Jamie and a close friend were on a hunting trip at Clendening Lake in Ohio and were reported missing late Sunday night. They were found not far from the Clendening Lake Marina at around 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon. Their boat was not found. Weather may have been a factor in the accident. Jamie, along with his wife Katina, was owner and operator of McKibbin Media Group, Inc., licensee of WKHM AM/FM and WIBM Jackson and WCSR AM/FM in Hillsdale. Jamie loved everything about the outdoors, and was an avid hunter and fisherman. Jamie’s other passion was going to his son Walker’s sporting activities, especially coaching his baseball team. Jamie achieved his lifelong dream of owning radio stations with the purchase of the Jackson stations in December 2019, followed by the addition of his hometown stations in Hillsdale in February 2020. He was also involved with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, and had recently joined its Board of Directors. In addition to Katina and Walker, Jamie is survived by his mother, Sharon and her husband Robert, of Camden, Michigan. The Hillsdale staff wishes to express their deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Jamie. He was an amazing, affirming owner, boss, and friend. We are shocked and saddened. He will be dearly missed. Below (L-R): Jamie McKibbin and WCSR employees Scott Phillips, Russ Martin, Bob Flynn, Juli Morgan, Zach Hiser, and Mark Libke Like this:Like Loading...... WCSR Under New Ownership02/28/2020News / ProgrammingAs of February 28, 2020, WCSR Radio is under new ownership. McKibbin Media Group completed their purchase of 92.1 and 99.5FM and 1340AM on February 27th. New owner, Jamie McKibbin, says listeners may notice a few changes, but the voices you’re used to hearing will remain the same. Zach Hiser will now be on from 6-10am; Juli Morgan will handle middays from 10am-2pm, and Bob Flynn remains the afternoon voice from 2-6pm. Like this:Like Loading...... WCSR, Inc. Sells to McKibbin Media12/26/2019NewsWCSR, Inc. has signed a purchase agreement with McKibbin Media Group of Jackson, to acquire WCSR 1340 AM, 92.1 FM, and 99.5 FM. Subsequently, WCSR, Inc. has filed a license transfer application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That process will likely be completed in early 2020, and McKibbin Media Group will begin operating the stations at that time. This is a new chapter in the history of WCSR, founded in 1955 and operated by the Flynn family since 1962. McKibbin Media Group president, Jamie McKibbin, is a Hillsdale County native. Jamie McKibbin & wife, Katina Like this:Like Loading...... Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading...
