Thursday, May 2, 2019 has been established by the United States Congress as the National Day of Prayer.  This first Thursday in May is set aside to remember our spiritual heritage and the foundation our country was built upon.  Tens of thousands of prayer events are planned across the country.  In churches, parks and on courthouse steps, citizens will be praying for our nation, government leaders, media, military, schools, churches, businesses and families.  The National Day of Prayer was established as an annual event in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The observance of the National Day of Prayer is founded on the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  All Americans are encouraged to gather publicly to worship and pray for our land.  Visit www.nationaldayofprayer.org to learn more.  The national theme for 2019 is “Love One Another” and is based on the verse from John 13:34 which states: “Love one another. Just as I have loved you.”  Operation Transformation, along with Blue Water Area Churches, is sponsoring a time of prayer for people to come together and corporately pray for our nation, community, churches and family.  Please join with us.  The service is free and open to all:

• Noon Prayer Service from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. on May 2nd inside at the Port Huron MOC Auditorium, 100 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron. Various pastors will be leading times of prayer for specific areas. Special music will be provided by the New Life Christian Academy Choir.
• A Prayer Breakfast for community leaders and ministers (by invitation only) will be held in the morning at McMorran Place.

For more information, call Operation Transformation at 810-966-8660.  “Operation Transformation’s purpose is to work together with civic, church, business and service organizations to develop ways to meet the many needs of the citizens of our community.”

St. Clair County Community College’s annual Career Fair, the largest event of its kind in the county, takes place Thursday, April 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the SC4 Fieldhouse. The college is hosting the event in partnership with Macomb/St. Clair Michigan Works, St. Clair County EDA, Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Port Huron/McMorran.  Open to students, alumni and community members, the Career Fair will feature more than 80 local, national and international employers across a number of industries looking for qualified candidates to immediately fill open positions.  Attendees will have the chance to meet directly with employers, learn about career opportunities in a variety of fields, and network with professionals to gain valuable insight into the current job market.  “The Career Fair is a great opportunity for job seekers in our community and employers in our region and across the country,” said Bonnie DiNardo, director of community education and relations at SC4. “This event has continued to grow year after year. We have so many talented, well-qualified candidates in our community, and I think employers realize that.”  Admission to the Career Fair is free and open to the public. No advanced registration is required. Attendees are encouraged to dress in proper business attire, communicate professionally and efficiently, and bring a properly prepared résumé. There will be a prize drawing for all professionally dressed job seekers with résumés.  For more information, visit sc4.edu/careerfair or contact Bonnie DiNardo at 810-989-5739 or bdinardo@sc4.edu.

The Blue Water Sportfishing Association will be holding their annual Salmon Stakes Fishing Tournament on Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Voyageur Restaurant in St. Clair, Michigan.  The fishing tournament begins at 6:00 AM with weigh-in beginning from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.  All proceeds will benefit Quota Club of Port Huron, a non-profit since 1952, whose primary focus is to serve the deaf, hearing and speech impaired, as well as, disadvantaged families in St. Clair County.  This is Quota Club’s largest fundraising event. Family events will be available from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, including a bouncy  house and fishing pond for the kids; raffles and 50/50 drawing for grown-ups.   Come join the fun and support this great cause!  If you would like to be a sponsor of this event and support Quota Club, please  contact Jeanne Wilson at (810) 385-4743, flipperagain@att.net or Traci Cedar at  (810) 479-7637, tcedar3@gmail.com.

The St. Clair Women’s League is taking flower orders through Monday, April 8^th.    100% of the proceeds go toward local charities and causes such as KIDS in Distress, SNAP, the Cultural Series, scholarships for graduates and for women returning to work, adopting local needy families for Christmas, the Ecumenical Food Pantry, and many more things.  They sell porch pots and hanging baskets of geraniums and begonias.  Flats of begonias, sweet potato vines .. Boston ferns, succulents .. quite a variety.  Flowers are delivered right to Riverview Plaza on May 11^th or May 18^th – customers choose their delivery date right on the order form.  If needed, delivery can be made to the customers’ homes (for elderly or disabled for example).  Not a cent is wasted, it all goes right back to the community, according to Carrie Cypert, PR person for the League.  She says order forms can be obtained by heading over to their facebook page (St. Clair Women’s League is a group) or  by email at stclairwomen@gmail.com.   If you would like further information, you can call Carrie at 586-202-5918.

The Michigan State Police, working closely with Port Huron Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit, investigated an embezzlement complaint involving a local charity.  According to Port Huron Police Captain Marcy Kuehn, the investigation revealed that an accountant for the Blue Water Center for Independent Living is responsible for embezzling over a million dollars during his employment.  Investigations found the suspect had a prior embezzlement conviction from the year 2000, having embezzled more than $3 million from a Detroit-area auto supplier over the course of six years.  A search warrant on the suspect’s home in Okemos, MI on March 29 led to the arrest of the suspect, whereupon he admitted his involvement.  71-year-old Richard Laurence Hartwick was arraigned on six felony charges.  Bond was set at $1 million and a probable cause hearing is scheduled for April 9, with a preliminary exam set for April 16 in front of the Honorable Judge Cynthia Platzer.  If you have any knowledge that would assist investigations, please call Port Huron’s MCU at 810-984-5383.