State Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron last week was named House Appropriations Committee chair for the 2019-2020 legislative session by Speaker-elect Lee Chatfield, a vital leadership position tasked with continuing Michigan’s economic momentum while representing hard-working taxpayers in state budget decisions.  “I am proud and honored to serve Michigan in this important capacity and I’d like to thank Speaker-elect Chatfield for his support and confidence,” said Hernandez, who is believed to be the Michigan House’s first Hispanic appropriations chair. “I grew up in a family that worked hard for every dollar earned, so I am committed to spending taxpayer dollars wisely while maintaining the essential services our state needs to grow and thrive. Residents across our state, including Sanilac and St. Clair counties, are demanding better roads and schools without breaking the bank to deliver them. That will be my mission as my colleagues and I look to move Michigan forward.” Hernandez was first elected to the Michigan House in 2016 and was re-elected this month for a second two-year term. He already has valuable experience on the committee that helps shape Michigan’s state government budget, serving on the appropriations panel for the current 2017-18 legislative session.  Hernandez helped reduce overall state spending while ramping up efforts to improve Michigan’s roads and schools. As chair of a subcommittee focused on transportation issues, he fought for ways to fix Michigan’s roads through smarter spending and more efficient planning.  Hernandez has championed a plan that would encourage the Michigan Department of Transportation to test new ideas to build better and more cost-effective roads. Hernandez also is a decorated defender of Michigan’s job providers, having received the “Guardian of Small Business” award from the National Federation of Independent Business. He is noted for his commitment to limited government and fiscal responsibility.  “I will fight to protect taxpayers across our state, helping deliver the best return and value possible on their hard-earned money,” Hernandez said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to keep Michigan’s comeback going strong and make our state an even better place to live.”

The St. Clair County Library System will present Barbara Oakley – Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects on Monday, November 26^th, at 6 pm at the St. Clair Community College Fine Arts Theater.  According to St. Clair County Administrator Karry Hepting, this is a free but ticketed event. Tickets can be obtained by clicking here or at any St. Clair County library branch.   Professor of Engineering and linguist Barbara Oakley, is the instructor of Learning How to Learn(University of California-San Diego – Coursera), one of the world’s largest student massive open online course, with over two million students. In this presentation, she delves deep into the brain to present practically useful information about how you can more easily master new and difficult material.

• Learn from a neuroscientific perspective why it’s perfectly normal to not understand something difficult the first time you encounter it.  You’ll see how to leverage your knowledge of how your brain works to do better on tests and to inoculate yourself (and the children in your life) against feelings of frustration and failure when something seems difficult to learn.
• See what the patterns of expertise look like in the brain, and learn how to build those patterns more quickly and with less frustration.
• Discover simple tools to tackle procrastination. (You might be surprised to learn that even just thinking about something you don’t like causes your brain to experience pain.)
• Learn the surprising advantages of having a bad memory and sometimes being a slower learner.

Dr. Oakley’s previous book, A Mind for Numbers, is a New York Times and international best-seller translated into over a dozen languages. Her most recent book is the popular Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens.

Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) is pleased to announce its November 2018 Employee of the Month, Rosemary Hunger, and its November 2018 Volunteer of the Month, Cindy Balmer. LHMC is honored to have a strong team of staff and volunteers working hard to deliver high-quality care to the Blue Water Area.  Rosemary serves as the hospitals volunteer and senior service coordinator and has been with LHMC since 2010. She was nominated by a peer who attended a 3-session seminar specifically designed to offer hints and suggestions and support to care givers of family members and friends with dementia presented by Rosemary at the Washington Life Center in Marine City for her ability to make everyone feel welcome and supported and for her gift of being able to present information to cover all of the aspects of dementia while being mindful of emotions, future expectations, possibilities, and predictable outcomes without scaring the life out of those in attendance.  Cindy is a special projects volunteer at various departments throughout the hospital. She has been volunteering since 2012 and was nominated by an employee, her leadership to honoring Veterans who are employed and/or patients of Lake Huron Medical Center and throughout the community through sending personalized cards and leading prayer.  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 Shannon and Kay as we celebrate their accomplishments.  To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com.

Peter Girimonte has been named the Employee of the Month for October. Girimonte has worked at McLaren Port Huron for five years and currently works as a dosimetrist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Port Huron.    Girimonte was nominated by his peers because he demonstrates McLaren Port Huron’s values every day. He is dedicated to his patients and takes pride in doing the right thing at the right time for each one. He is extremely knowledgeable and explains everything in detail to patients and their families. Girimonte is also a leader for the department. He leads by example and always goes the extra mile. He can lift your spirits with his sense of humor and positive attitude. Girimonte makes McLaren Port Huron shine in the eyes of our patients and staff.   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 U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver nearly 15 billion pieces of mail and 900 million packages, for a total of nearly 16 billion cheerful deliveries this holiday season – the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.  “The Postal Service is ready to deliver for the holiday season. We have increased our operating capacity to include additional transportation and extended our delivery windows,” said Megan J. Brennan, Postmaster General and CEO. “Our dedicated employees are proud to deliver more packages to homes than any other shipper.”  Once again the Postal Service is expanding its Sunday delivery operations to locations with high package volumes beginning Nov. 25. The Postal Service already delivers packages on Sundays in most major cities, and anticipates delivering more than 8 million packages on Sundays this December. Mail carriers will also deliver packages on Christmas Day in select locations.