George James

Local freighter captain, Joseph Ruch, has been elected Grand President of the International Ship Masters Grand Lodge during the national convention that was recently held in Port Huron. Ruch is a retired Master at the Interlake Steamship Company where he captained the Honorable James L. Oberstar freighter. 

Captain Ruch said, as Grand President of the International Ship Master’s Association, for the ensuing year, he has been entrusted with the governance and sustainability of the historic association. He said he plans to “establish and maintain communication with regulatory bodies to help ensure the safety of navigation on and the protection of our Great Lakes.” He also said he, “will endeavor to support the education and training of Mariners young and old, through scholarship and mentoring, so that they may continue to appreciate the splendor of the Great Lakes, our home.” 

The Ship Masters held this year’s convention at the Blue Water Convention Center where the group celebrated 130 years of guiding lake freighters safely through the lakes with an Oktoberfest theme and entertainment from the Blue Water Kings Band. The International Ship Masters Association gives out scholarships to maritime industry cadets and also advises both American and Canadian legislative and regulatory agencies regarding maritime navigation, infrastructure, and safety issues.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

(BPT) – The pressure is on – with the big day approaching, you may feel like you’re not ready. Thanks to the latest technology, deciding on the perfect gift and making sure it gets to your special someone is easier than ever.

Here are some of the problems you may be facing, and great solutions to help you deliver smiles in time for Valentine’s Day.

Problem: You have no idea what the flowers you’re ordering look like.

Solution: 3D augmented visual reality. Thanks to a new 3D and augmented reality feature on 1-800-Flowers.com, you can use your mobile device to preview top-selling Valentine’s Day arrangements before you purchase them. 

Problem: You’re in a time crunch.

Solution: Streamlined shopping experiences. Shopping online via your desktop, laptop or mobile device is easier than ever on 1-800-Flowers.com. The revamped checkout process makes online shopping quick and easy. You can also send complimentary e-cards to sweethearts and “galentines” via their desktop homepage. Choose from a wide variety of themed layouts and craft your own personalized message. Using the app to shop on-the-go, the new “Trending Gifts” section has a speedy one-tap buying experience that brings you directly to checkout.

Problem: You need gift inspiration – now!

Solution: Gift finder and SmartGift. The popular Gift finder tool from 1-800-Flowers.com is now available via their mobile app. You just input information such as the recipient, occasion and location for tailored gift recommendations. Feeling unsure of your gift choice? You can try SmartGift to get the gift just right. You simply choose a gift online and the gift link is sent to the gift recipient. They can then decide to swap out the gift for one that’s more their style, at an equal or lower price, and decide on the delivery date and address. There’s something available for everyone, from classic flower arrangements and chocolates to gift baskets, teddy bears, wine and jewelry – plus a wide choice of personalized gift ideas.

Problem: I want to send something exciting and different this year.

Solution: New, exclusive options for the perfect Valentine’s gift. How about flowers that represent your enduring love? You can order a beautiful container of specially preserved roses, selected for their size and perfection. These Magnificent Roses are gorgeous symbols of true romance. Make a unique statement with Conversation Roses, one dozen beautiful red roses, half embossed with “I Love You” and the other half with an interlocking heart design. This gift will speak volumes about your love. Give sweets to your sweetheart with a delicious variety of Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Your special someone may just find them – and you – irresistible. Enjoy the day, knowing that you’ve chosen a meaningful way to express your feelings and connect with the most important people in your life.

If someone is in danger, do you have the skills to save a life? It could be someone with a household injury, in a car accident, or even a larger, hostile situation. By learning a few, simple methods and having the right toolkit, you can go from bystander to lifesaver. The national average responding time for first-responders to be on the scene of an emergency is eight to ten minutes. 

To equip local residents to be prepared, Tri-Hospital Paramedics Rhonda & Bill Adams share the Stop The Bleed curriculum in a monthly class and point out that someone on the scene of an accident can make a huge impact on the victim’s recovery.

Some tips you can start with? To effectively stop bleeding, applying pressure is key. Rhonda Adams says that everyone can create an effective Stop The Bleed toolkit which includes gloves, an ace bandage, rolled gauze, an Israeli dressing, and a tourniquet.

Free Stop The Bleed classes are held monthly with Port Huron Parks & Recreation at Palmer Park. You can also watch Stop The Bleed demonstrations and see how to build your own affordable, lifesaving toolkit at ebw.tv. (Video safe for all ages.)

The FirstView app is now available for parents and caregivers in the Port Huron School District to track the bus that their child is riding. To use the app, parents need their child’s student ID number to access the program via smartphone or desktop computer. 

The app will give users instant notifications as to things like snow days and bus delays, as well as real-time tracking and time stamps with the location of the bus. Students and parents can also use it to know when the bus is coming, avoiding waiting times for late buses. According to an announcement from the district, there are a lot of features available that can be customized to the user’s preference. The app is available in partnership with First Student, the transportation company with whom the district has a contract. It has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 in the Apple Store.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The Port Huron Museum will be closed for an additional week to complete an on-going inventory project. According to Andrew Kercher, Manager of Community Engagement, museum employees and volunteers have made substantial progress on logging more than 15,000 museum collectibles in an inventory, and they are hoping to finish the project with the added time.

The museum has been closed to public tours since January 20th while work to complete inventory of the Museum’s Collection as well as a new digitized catalog system has been happening. The Museum has collected tens of thousands of items since opening its doors in 1968, and many items collected by the Library were added years before that. 

Kercher said the museum implemented a new item tracking system using printable barcodes so that for future collections and tracking, items’ history and location are more easily accessible. At the same time the artifacts in the collection have been processed, the museum has also been undergoing a deep clean of the entire facility and display cases, in addition to modernizing and standardizing our exhibit labels. The Museum is expected to reopen to the public on February 17.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The St. Clair County Health Department is seeing results after expanding Teen Health Center services in Port Huron and Algonac to include counseling. The adolescent health clinic, now referred to as Teen Health, is providing services in Port Huron and has expanded to Algonac. 

According to the Health Department, counseling services began at Algonac in the fall of 2019 while services in Port Huron began more than three years ago. In October, November, and December of 2019, the Port Huron location saw 84 clients for 267 visits while the new Algonac location saw 25 new clients for 114 visits. Sandy Mangan, NP, Nursing Supervisor for Teen Health said she feels, “these services are desperately needed for students to receive services where they are at. [The program] alleviates barriers of transportation and scheduling that would get in the way of the individuals seeking services otherwise.” 

The St. Clair County Health Department’s Child and Adolescent Health Program is jointly funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). The Port Huron Teen Health clinic is located on the campus of Port Huron High School while Algonac’s clinic is located within the combined junior and senior high school. The Port Huron location also offers primary care services in addition to counseling. Counseling services are provided on a referral basis.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.