McLaren Port Huron will present its Paint the Town Red event Thursday, February 7, 6 – 8 p.m., at the Marysville Community Center, 867 East Huron Boulevard, Marysville.   The public is invited to celebrate American Heart Month with a date night with your significant other or gather your girlfriends for a girls’ night out. Doors open at 6 p.m. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres with wine pairings, a photo booth, and door prizes. The keynote presentation by Dr. Bashar Samman, Cardiology Associates of Port Huron, begins at 7 p.m. Learn about the prevalence of heart disease, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack, and the importance of seeking early intervention.  Cocktail attire is preferred, and participants must be 21 years of age or older to attend.  The cost of the evening program is $25 per person. Registration is required by January 28, and payment must be made at the time of registration. Payment will not be accepted at the door.  To register or for more information call HealthAccess at 1-800-228-1484.

Navy Officer Lt. Mitchell Kallek, an assistant engineer from Armada, Mich., is serving aboard the USS Charlotte (SSN 766), a Los Angeles class submarine based out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii protecting and defending America on the world’s oceans. Submariners are some of the most highly trained and skilled people in the Navy. The highly technical training ensures each crew operates, maintains, and repairs every system or piece of equipment on board. Regardless of their specialty, every submariner must learn how every system on the submarine works and how to respond in emergencies. “The best part is the quality of people I work with, both enlisted and officers,” said Kallek. “On submarines, we work so closely together that you develop a strong trust between each other, so I know my sailors can get any job done I ask of them. I trust them with my life.” Relying on its technological superiority, speed, endurance, mobility, stealth, and payload afforded by nuclear power, the Charlotte retains its preeminence and lethality in the undersea battlespace. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rebecca Ives/Released.)

The Going PRO Talent Fund, formerly known as Skilled Trades Training Fund, makes awards to employers to assist in training, developing and retaining current and newly hired employers.  The Michigan Workforce Development Agency has announced the winners for the fiscal year 2019.  The grant funds have been awarded to five companies in St. Clair County, totaling $82,940.    Training funds awarded are used in is short-term and customized training to meet employee skills requirements for hiring needs and to help close skills gaps for existing employees.  Training must lead to a credential or skill that is transferable and recognized by the industry.   The Going PRO Talent fund ensures that Michigan’s employers have the talent they need to compete and grow and individuals have the skills they need for in-demand jobs.    St. Clair county grant recipients for the 2019 fiscal year include:

Blue Water Controls       Clyde                                      $5,184

Brenner Electric              Marine City                         $12,000
Britt Manufacturing       Port Huron                          $35,766

Centracore                       St. Clair                                $16,490
Cogent Hex                      Port Huron                          $13,500

“Each year, the EDA and our workforce development partners encourage companies to apply for Going PRO Talent Fund grant program.  Working jointly with our partners, we’ve offered informational sessions over the past several years to help educate our companies about this grant opportunity.   This year’s awards will provide industry-recognized training for 60 St. Clair County residents, benefiting their companies and their own personal career development,” said Dan Casey, CEO of the EDA of St. Clair County.   The Economic Development Alliance works closely with Macomb/St. Clair Michigan Works! and regional educational partners to align training and industry needs and make sure our companies are aware of workforce talent resources, training and funding opportunities.

The Port Huron Police Department has been awarded a grant for a drug collection unit as part of CVS Health’s medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program.  The new unit will be located at the police department’s lobby on the ground floor of the Municipal Officer Center located at McMorran Blvd., Port Huron and according to Captain Marcy Kuehn, will provide residents with a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired medication, including controlled substances.  Kuehn says the new drug disposal unit will help to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents’ homes and decrease the potential for prescription drug abuse, which has soared in recent years, especially among teenagers.  Proper drug disposal also helps to prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medication.  This new drug collection unit site is open to the public from the hours of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

January is National Radon Action Month – an opportune time for St. Clair County residents to test for radon in their homes. Testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk for health issues caused by radon, an invisible, odorless gas. Free radon test kits are available to residents during the month of January at the St. Clair County Health Department, 3415 28th Street in Port Huron.  Radon is a naturally-occurring, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of radium, found in soil and rock. Outdoors, radon is diluted by the atmosphere to safe levels. However, radon can concentrate in indoor air and lead to elevated and harmful radon levels. Radon enters buildings through openings in the foundation floor or walls (sump openings, crawlspaces, floor/wall joints, cracks, etc.) and can become trapped inside.  Environmental Health Director, Steve Demick, encourages residents to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about radon and test their home for this gas. “Radon exposure is considered the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking,” Demick said. “Fortunately, testing is easy and high radon levels can be lowered.” “You can’t see or smell radon, so people tend to ignore the possibility that it might exist at high levels in their homes,” said Kevin McNeill, Sanitarian. “Winter is the ideal time to test for radon because the windows and doors are closed.”  For more information contact the Environmental Health Division at (810) 987-5306 or visit www.scchealth.co or www.epa.gov/radon. Follow us on social media @scchdmi.