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Local News

MDHHS Raises Awareness of Child Abuse Prevention, Continues Improving System

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is working to improve the child welfare system and to raise awareness of preventing child abuse and neglect.

If you see pinwheels around town, they are part of a campaign to remind people that child abuse is preventable. There were over 16,000 child abuse and neglect cases confirmed in Michigan last year. The Children’s Trust Fund, a part of MDHHS, serves as a voice for Michigan’s children and uses April as a time to raise awareness.

MDHHS has been under court monitoring since 2008 to address problems with their child welfare management. Judge Nancy G. Edmunds referred to the oversight, saying she saw “hard work with still more to come.” She said, “But we’re starting to see at least flags toward the finish line down the road sooner than we may have anticipated in January.”

Some of the new strategies of the child welfare system include improved collaboration, quicker family reunification, keeping siblings together in foster care, limiting use of emergency or temporary facilities, and ensuring that placements with relatives are safe.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Most DNR Centers Resume Pre-COVID Hours May 1st

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is moving most of its field offices and customer service centers around the state back to their pre-COVID hours on May 1, 2022.

DNR Customer Service Centers in Bay City, Detroit, and Lansing will be open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 AM – 5 PM.

State parks, state campgrounds, state game and wildlife areas, state forests and many other places are open, as most have been throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says that even during a post-surge recovery phase, face masks remain an important tool in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Anyone who feels sick, may be at higher risk of infection, or who feels better protected when masked should choose when they feel comfortable masking.

Friends of the St Clair River Using EGLE Grant to Continue Growth

The Friends of the St. Clair River are part of a $600,000 grant program administered by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The grants are for conservation and educational efforts.

The Friends of the St. Clair River received $40,000, the maximum allowable grant amount.  Friends President, Sheri Faust, said that the organization is “deepening its roots across Michigan’s Thumb Coast to better serve our region’s long-term environmental health and improve awareness for St. Clair County’s natural resources.”

The St. Clair County organization works to protect and restore water resources in the St. Clair River watershed. As demand for services rises, the organization needs to scale to meet demand. Faust said the organization is hiring its first-ever Executive Director.

Expressing thanks for the EGLE grant, Faust said the money will be used to build “boots on the ground to support our organization with conservation and education efforts.” Future projects include education on urban and agriculture pollution sources.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Local Couple Can Help Choreograph Memorable Wedding Dances

Want to kick your wedding up a notch? A local couple has just the thing. Dan and AnnaLee Higgins, a local married couple who are both professional dance instructors and theatrical performers, are offering wedding dance choreography and lessons.

The entrepreneurs were recently married and had a chance to impress their reception guests with their own professionally choreographed dance. They want to share that feeling of wowing the guests with other couples.

Mr. and Mrs. Higgins met while performing at a theater in Indiana and eventually decided to make Port Huron their home. They both teach dance lessons at Mainstreet Dance Connection in Port Huron.

AnnaLee said that wedding dances are a fun surprise when guests don’t expect a choreographed number from non-dancers. She said that they can choreograph dances for any event, not just weddings.

The Higgins’ can also work with people who are not comfortable with dancing to make them more at ease at events where dancing is expected, and with traditional father-daughter, or mother-son wedding dances.

Photo by Mulberry & Sage Photography
www.mulberryandsage.com

https://mainstreetdance.wixsite.com/mainstreetdance/wedding-event-choreography

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Olga’s Kitchen Available at Home Through Goldbelly

Fans of the Detroit area restaurant Olga’s Kitchen can now get some of their favorite menu items delivered to their home through Goldbelly, a food delivery company that connects people with food from their favorite restaurants and chefs.

Goldbelly’s mission is to bring people comfort through food, and they accomplish that by shipping meal kits, dessert kits, and food themed care packages from an ecclectic group of well-loved restaurants like Olga’s Kitchen and chefs like Wolfgang Puck.

Mark Schostak, executive chair of TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants (owners of Olga’s Kitchen), said, “For years we’ve heard from Olga’s fans far and wide that they wanted a way to access their favorite menu items wherever they live. Our partnership with Goldbelly allows those fans to have the Olga’s items they crave delivered to their doorstep while maintaining our standard of excellence.”

Items from Olga’s Kitchen available on Goldbelly include spinach & cheese pies, beef & lamb gyros, peasant soup, and Olga’s snackers seasoned pita chips with a Swiss almond cheese dip.

Olga’s Kitchen was started by Olga Loizon who opened a Greek restaurant in Birmingham, Michigan in 1970. There are currently more than 25 locations of Olga’s Kitchen in Michigan and Illinois, and the partnership with Goldbelly makes its iconic food available throughout the U.S.

To see a video of me unboxing and cooking up a “Taste of Olga’s” Greek Dinner Kit in her home kitchen, visit the WGRT Facebook page here:

https://fb.watch/cCsTqfeT8U/

To learn more about Olga’s Kitchen at Goldbelly, visit their website here:

https://www.goldbelly.com/search?q=olgas

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Drug Take Back Day is Saturday

The semi-annual Drug Enforcement Administration sponsored National Drug Take Back Day is coming up this Saturday, April 30th, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office will once again be participating in the event.  Anyone who wishes to dispose of expired, unwanted or unused pills can bring them to the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office, located at 1170 Michigan Road in Port Huron Township.  Simply come into the lobby and empty your pills from their container into the collection box.  We are only able to accept pills.  No liquids, creams, syringes or inhalers.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Once the event is over, law enforcement agencies from across the nation will turn over the pills to the DEA for incineration.

“We are happy to provide this service to our citizens,” said Sheriff Mat King.  “This is a great way to dispose of unwanted or expired pills.  It keeps them from getting into the wrong hands or into our drinking water.”

Over 3200 pounds of pills have been collected for disposal at the Sheriff’s Office over the past 21 Drug Take Back Events.

Residents who are unable to make it on Saturday can turn in their pills at the Sheriff’s Office during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

For more information regarding the National Drug Take Back Day, go to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website at www.dea.gov.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office