Local News

Twenty-five students from the Blue Water Area graduated from the Port Huron Police Department’s 2nd annual Youth Academy on Friday, June 12th. This week, students from many different high schools were introduced to topics such as traffic stops, drunk driving, building searches, domestic violence, constitutional law, physical fitness, and other areas pertinent to law enforcement. 

The Port Huron Police Department, with the help of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police, provides high school aged students education, mentoring and career readiness. The Port Huron Police Department offers many opportunities for young men and women to learn about policing through our Explorer and Cadet programs as well. You can learn more about the Youth Academy and get an inside look at some of the training students went through at ebw.tv.

Laura Rzanca has been named the Employee of the Month for June. She has worked at McLaren Port Huron for 13 years and currently works in Surgical Services.

Rzanca was nominated because she is a valued member of the surgical services team. Organized and focused, Rzanca is continuously learning and developing best practices to manage department activities both efficiently and effectively. She easily develops and fosters relationships with other departments. Actively participating in meetings and events with other departments allows her to understand the department’s needs so she can serve them better. Rzanca is a dedicated, hard-working employee. She brings a positive energy and personal touch to everything she does. She stays upbeat, looks for positive outcomes in difficult situations, and focuses on the good. She practices the hospital values every day and genuinely cares about delivering excellent, quality work.

 This employee recognition is given to individuals who consistently live the values, mission and performance standards of McLaren Port Huron. Honorees are nominated by a co-worker, physician, volunteer, and/or customer.

To learn more about McLaren Port Huron, visit www.mclaren.org/porthuron.

The Harbor Beach Maritime Festival was created in 2001 as a celebration for the Lighthouse transfer of ownership from the U.S. Government to the City of Harbor Beach. Now in its 15th year, the Maritime Festival has expanded from a celebration of the local beacon to a 3-day live music venue, numerous family events, and one of the best fireworks displays in the Midwest.   The Festival runs through this Sunday. With over 24 hours of free, live music being played on the beach by some of the finest up-and-coming bands, The Harbor Beach Maritime Festival is home to one of the world’s largest personal watercraft events in the world’s greatest man-made harbor. Live music entertainment, dancing, a pet parade, a Bocce Ball tournament, kids’ inflatables, concessions, and fireworks over the harbor make this another “one of a kind” event in the City of Harbor Beach.
Visit www.themaritimefestival.com for more information.

Many visitors will be coming to the Blue Water area next week for Blue Water Fest and the Mackinac Sailboat Race.  When someone new is coming to your home, you always want to put your best foot forward and have things squeaky clean.  The Blue Water Young Professionals took time to clean up the bike racks and benches that are along the Black River Walk in Port Huron. They, along with community partners, installed the bike racks and benches back in September 2014.  The benches and racks were designed by local artists and capture the nautical landscapes of the Blue Water Area. The YPs are also gearing up for work on the 7th Street Tunnel Mural Project. SC4 art students designed murals for the outside of the east and west end of the tunnel.  The YP’s will be installing them by early next year.

The City of Algonac has a new way to watch boat traffic up and down the St. Clair River.  Along with some of the other live cams up and down the river, the Algonac Cam can be found on YouTube.  Its camera moves from North to South, then back again. In the northernmost camera view, you can actually see the water level cresting above the boardwalk.  To find the cam, just type “ship cam Algonac” into a search engine, and you will soon be viewing the beautiful St. Clair River. The camera is made possible by the Algonac-Clay Historical Society and the City of Algonac, and it joins existing St. Clair River cameras in Port Huron and Marine City, Michigan.

The Athletic Factory is a non-profit organization based in Port Huron, Michigan, with the purpose of creating recreational opportunities that support the positive development of St Clair County and surrounding counties’ youth through athletic participation and competition, educational tutoring, and student-athlete college preparation. The local organization recently received $15,000 from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation that will go toward their mission and programming. The organization’s two components of athletic training and social services, like mentoring and after-school enrichment, are making an impact in the community.  On their website, former college and professional athletes offer advice. Most of these athletes have some sort of a connection to the Blue Water Area, and many attended local high schools.