Mecanum Knights are In It to Win It as Robotics Season Gets Underway

High School robotics competitions are back and no one is more excited than Team 3667, the Mecanum Knights, representing Port Huron Schools. After two years without in-person events, the team is ready to show what they can do.

The team competed at Kettering University in Flint last weekend and made it to the semi-finals, while also winning the prestigious Entrepreneurship Award.

Port Huron Schools Enrichment Coordinator Kristen McRobie said, “Our team had a late start this year compared to our past seasons.  We have a new coach, new mentors, and our student roster is filled with mostly rookie kids so it has been a ‘re-building’ year for us.”

McRobie said that the team has set some new goals to accomplish and will adjust and add some things to their robot prior to their second District competition at Macomb Community College on April 1st and 2nd.

This year’s competition explores the future of transportation and challenges teams to explore sustainable transportation innovations.

Follow the Mecanum Knights on their Facebook page to stay updated on the team’s competition season.

https://www.facebook.com/Team3667

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Lake Huron Medical Center Recognized for Exceptional Patient Safety 

Lake Huron Medical Center has received the 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades. The award goes to the top 5% of all short-term acute care hospitals that are evaluated by Healthgrades. 

The Port Huron facility, a member of Prime Healthcare, has also been recognized as the only five-star facility in St. Clair County by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It has also received straight As since 2018 from Leapfrog, a patient safety indicator. 

Healthgrades is looking in particular for common patient injuries like hip fractures, collapsed lungs, bedsores, and bloodstream infections acquired in hospital. If all hospitals had the level of care of their Patient Safety Award recipients, over 100,000 injuries could be avoided. 

Jose Kottoor, Chief Executive Officer at Lake Huron Medical Center, said, “Providing high-quality, compassionate, comprehensive and cost-effective health care to the mind, body, and spirit of all those who walk through our doors is not just something we say; it’s what we do.” 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Discovery City Sticking Around for Another Year

Just after the City of Port Huron City Council voted to make Port Huron Museums free for everyone, the museum announced that Discovery City will be here for at least another year.

The popularity of the exhibit, which is an indoor play experience for kids, motivated the museum to extend the exhibit until March 31, 2023. Families with Bridge Cards can access Discovery City for free due to a partnership with the James C. Acheson Foundation, and visitors without Bridge cards pay $5 per child for a 1 hour and 15 minute session.

Andrew Kercher, Community Engagement Manager for Port Huron Museums said Discovery City has welcomed over 6,00 visitors since it opened. He said, “Between the regular sessions, the scheduled birthday parties, and our popular Wednesday morning  face painting and activity days with Miss Michelle of Wonderwolf Entertainment, there are very few  times that the Carnegie Museum doesn’t echo with the sounds of children getting to experience a true  hands-on museum, many for the first time! Everything about it has been wonderful, and we are very  thankful to our partners at the City of Port Huron.”

With the new grant from the City of Port Huron, all Port Huron Museum sites will offer free admission for city residents and the many visitors to the community. There will still be a $5 charge for admission to Discovery City, but families will now be able to explore the rest of the museum during their visit free of charge.

Details about the start date for free admission will be announced soon. In the meantime, families can stay connected with Discovery City activities by following Port Huron Museums on Facebook and checking their website: https://www.phmuseum.org/

*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that admission to Discovery City would be free as well as admission to museum sites. The free admission only applies to general admission to the museum sites, not special exhibits such as Discovery City.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Check for Water Leaks During “Fix a Leak Week”

It’s the annual “Fix a Leak Week”, which might sound funny, but is actually quite important for energy savings.

Kris Donaldson, the Clean Water Public Advocate from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, said, “Fixing water leaks in home plumbing can reduce consumer water bills and prevent water damage within the home. Investments in water conservation are essential to reducing energy consumption and the associated costs while striving toward environmental sustainability.” 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which created “Fix a Leak Week”, has an at-home checklist that can be used to find places where water could be leaking in your home and wasting money.

A good way to check for leaks is to monitor your water meter over a two-hour period when no water is being used. If it shows usage, it’s time to be a detective and look for a leak.

Older homes and homes in disrepair are most likely to be wasting the most water, with estimates at 10,000 wasted gallons per year.

A link to more resources for finding out how to conserve water in your home can be found in the News section at WGRT.com.

https://www.michigan.gov/cleanwater/0,9779,7-411-105853_105854—,00.html

https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Michigan Food Security Council Addresses Ongoing Hunger Issues

How does Michigan help the 1.9 million people, including 552,000 children, who don’t have enough to eat? Michigan’s Food Security Council has made recommendations to increase food security in the state. 

Those measures include increased funding for fresh food, increasing feedback from those who use food programs, and ensuring that Medicaid beneficiaries get medically appropriate food when dealing with conditions such as diabetes. 

The Council has proposed increased funding for regional distribution of fresh foods. They have also outlined the need to understand and support residents who are experiencing hunger and the need to improve the navigation to assistance programs.

Dr. Phil Knight, chair of the Food Security Council said, “Members of the Food Security Council are passionate about this complex challenge because most of us see its effects on a daily basis. Families and individuals faced with food insecurity deal with toxic stress that impacts all parts of their lives – including their health and their ability to maintain employment and support their children.”

 A link to the full report can be found at WGRT.com.

 The Food Security Council final report can be found here. 

 Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Basketball Players Build Bikes for Charity

St. Clair County Community College is hosting the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship through March 19, 2022, and players took some time this week to have some fun and donate to a good cause.

Through a partnership with the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the girls playing in the tournament were able to participate in team-building activities at the Blue Water Convention Center. One activity had teams compete to assemble a new bicycle, and the Convention Center was buzzing with activity as they raced to finish first.

NJCAA at Blue Water Convention Center for Team Building

The winning bike-building team was from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and all 16 bikes assembled in the competition were donated to the St. Clair County Child Abuse and Neglect Council.

Bikes will be donated to St. Clair County Child Abuse & Neglect Council

The Blue Water CVB had fun with the competition and shared a highlight video of the night’s event on their TikTok page which you can find on TikTok at Discover the Blue.

Photos courtesy of Katie Stepp, Blue Water Area CVB

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand