Local News

Port Huron, MI – Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) is pleased to announce its February 2020 Employee of the Month, Hannah Collins, and its February 2020 Volunteer of the Month, John Yurgens. LHMC is honored to have a strong team of staff and volunteers working hard to deliver high-quality care to the Blue Water Area.

Hannah is a Dietary Clerk in the Nutrition and Food Services department and has been with LHMC since 2017. She was nominated by a patient who commented, “Hannah is incredibly awesome!  She always has a great smile and a fantastic, caring personality. Her sense of humor keeps it very light hearted and is breath of fresh air. She truly enjoys her career and it’s quite evident in her care with every patient.  Hannah is very well versed in her field and she is very professional.”

John has been volunteering at the hospital since 2015 in various roles. John was nominated by a staff member who commented, “When rounding on a rehab patient, he told me how much he appreciated John visiting him.  John is a stroke survivor who frequently provides support to other patients. Our patient indicated John was “truly helpful” to him during this difficult time. John also shard his book of poems with him. Thank you, John for all the time and effort you give to our patients.  You are much appreciated by us all.”

Lake Huron Medical Center is proud of each of its employees and volunteers; and extends a special thank you and congratulations to all our team members, especially Vanessa and Chuck, as we celebrate their accomplishments.

To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com. 

Port Huron Parks and Recreation does not take the winter off. Director Nancy Winzer is sharing details on the projects that are underway or being planned right now. 

Knox Field on the south side of Port Huron is getting a brand-new playground. Winzer said that construction has been accelerated due to the mild winter so far and she expects that the park will be ready for kids by May. The department is waiting on the installation of mulch and safety inspections. Visitors to Knox Field can enjoy the new playground, which includes a zipline, along with the existing splash pad. Grills and chess boards will be installed soon. 

Gratiot Park, near the Blue Water Bridge, is next on the list for improvements and the city is working with Michigan Rehab Services to make it an inclusive park for kids of all abilities. 

The Optimist Skate Park, off of 10th Street on the city’s north side, is expected to break ground in the fall and renovations to the McMorran Plaza downtown are being proposed at the moment. Winzer said that her department is trying to make each park in the city a little bit different and have each one be a destination. Winzer said that community input as to what works and what doesn’t is crucial to the success of the park renovations. The goal is to have each park be “an innovative play experience within the next five to six years.”

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Planning efforts are ramping up for the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial that is planned for the Blue Water Flag Plaza in Port Huron. The project is in partnership with “Diving with a Purpose” which uses scuba diving to locate and preserve submerged artifacts that pertain to the African Diaspora. They use maritime archaeology to locate sunken slave ships and other artifacts that are a part of not just Black History, but the history of the human experience.

Lake Huron holds the wreckage of the plane that was piloted by Lt. Frank Moody, a Tuskegee Airman. It was discovered by accident in 2014, 70 years after the crash. The Tuskegee Airmen are credited with both helping to win World War II with their aviation skills and breaking down racial barriers that were common in the 1940s.

Kevin Totty, of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, said, “The excitement of having this local history in our backyard is awesome. This is a historical community event that will produce a global impact.” The memorial is intended to be dedicated in August of 2020. Organizers are hoping to have Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, a 97-year-old Purple Heart-awarded Tuskegee Airman with local ties, present at the dedication. The project is a collaborative effort between Port Huron Schools, Port Huron Museum, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, the NAACP, and DTE Energy.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The Michigan Department of Treasury is asking residents to be aware of a scam that is targeting people who owe back taxes to the State of Michigan. The potential victims receive letters by mail that look official but are in fact, fake. The letters instruct taxpayers to call a toll-free number to resolve the debt and aggressively threaten to seize assets if the debt is not paid. 

Deputy State Treasurer Ann Good asks taxpayers to contact the state directly to discuss options and to be aware of their rights. Information about unpaid taxes is available to the public, so it is not difficult for scammers to obtain accurate information. The criminal intent is to get people to pay the scammers instead of the state. If they do so, the taxes will still be owed to the state. If you do owe back taxes or another tax debt to the state, officials will contact you through the mail with options to resolve the debt as well as informing you of your rights as a taxpayer. A red flag for the fake letters is a threat to seize your property or garnish your Social Security benefits. If you suspect a fake letter, the real number to the Michigan Department of Treasury Collections Service Center is 517-636-5265.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

Need some space? Maybe you should work for NASA. As the National Space Aeronautics and Space Association prepares to launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil to the International Space Station – with an eye toward the Moon and Mars – the agency has announced it will accept applications March 2 to 31 for the next class of Artemis Generation astronauts.

Since the 1960s, NASA has selected 350 people to train as astronaut candidates for its increasingly challenging missions to explore space. With 48 astronauts in the active astronaut corps, more will be needed to crew spacecraft bound for multiple destinations and propel exploration forward as part of Artemis missions and beyond.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “We’re celebrating our 20th year of continuous presence aboard the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit this year, and we’re on the verge of sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024. For the handful of highly talented women and men we will hire to join our diverse astronaut corps, it’s an incredible time in human spaceflight to be an astronaut. We’re asking all eligible Americans if they have what it to takes to apply beginning March 2.”

The basic requirements to apply include United States citizenship and a master’s degree in a STEM field. The requirement for the master’s degree can also be met in other ways. 

Candidates also must have at least two years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Astronaut candidates must pass the NASA long-duration spaceflight physical.

Americans may apply at www.usajobs.gov

Middle and high school can be difficult when students are having trouble with their self-esteem. To give kids a boost, St. Clair Middle School has adopted a nationwide program called the Positivity Project to help form the whole student including social and emotional needs.

St. Clair Middle School Principal, Mike Domagalski, discovered the program roughly two years ago and the entire school has been on board since then. Each week, teachers at the school share the Positivity Project lessons with a focus on one of 24 different character strengths. During this week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, the characteristic was love. The lessons are interactive with questions and videos to help students of all learning types.

Within this program, the school also features Talk To Me Tuesday, where during lunch, students put away electronics and talk with each other about the week’s topic. Assemblies and special events are also held throughout the year that focus on positivity and related topics. 

Laura McDonell, a Teacher at St. Clair Middle School, says that her 8th graders have embraced the Positivity Project and are even eager to help lead the daily lessons. 

To learn more about the Positivity Project and its impact on students, go to ebw.tv.