Free Activities for Youth Promote Healthy Lifestyles

St. Clair County, MI — The St. Clair County SPEAK coalition’s mission is to prevent youth substance abuse and they use creative activities to promote healthy lifestyles.

All school aged St. Clair County youth can participate in their virtual scavenger hunt that takes place through the GooseChase app.  Youth complete missions in the app to earn points, and the highest point-getter will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card.

The scavenger hunt is available from now until August 15, 2021.

The SPEAK Coalition is also sponsoring a free Youth Trivia Night at the YMCA of the Blue Water Area on August 19th at 6 PM. The trivia night includes pizza and prizes while educating and engaging those in attendance.

For more information, visit the SPEAK Coalition’s Facebook or Instagram page.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Belle Isle Aquarium Reopens July 16

The Belle Isle Aquarium is reopening after an extensive closure. The Aquarium will open at 10:00 a.m. on July 16th.

The Aquarium, located on Belle Isle, a Michigan State Park in Detroit, has been closed for sixteen months. The Aquarium has undergone $1.2 million in renovations, taking advantage of the forced closure due to COVID to make some much-needed upgrades. The renovations set the stage for future generations to learn about aquatic life and enjoy the beautiful setting. 

Opened in 1904, the Belle Isle Aquarium is an architectural wonder, designed by Albert Kahn. It is the oldest aquarium in the country.

Visiting the Aquarium is free, but donations are gladly accepted. Visitors will need a State Parks pass to enter the island.

The Aquarium improvements include “enhancing the quality of the visitor experience, upgrading exhibits, stabilizing critical life support systems, and modernizing behind the scenes infrastructure” according to their announcement.

The Aquarium is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

New Traffic Shifts Planned for I-69 Road Work

Interstate 69 in St. Clair County is at the heart of the Rebuilding Michigan program that is targeting roads that are critical to the state’s economy and carry heavy traffic loads. While the work is going on, drivers will need to be prepared for new traffic shifts and closures of lanes and ramps.

The Michigan Department of Transportation says that the investment in roads is aimed at making longer useful lives of the roads and improving the condition of the state’s infrastructure. The work is planned to make the roads smoother and improve the driving experience.

The work going on right now involves moving the eastbound I-69 traffic onto the newly built lanes on the eastbound roadbed. The eastbound Riley Center Road ramps will reopen.

The westbound ramps at M-19 near Emmett will be closed and detoured. The ramps will be closed through October of this year.

Next week, the westbound traffic will be shifted to the eastbound roadway and the westbound ramp at Riley Center will be closed and detoured.

The latest work on I-69 started over the weekend and is scheduled to be completed in November of 2022. The project has a $38 million price tag.

Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland

Health Department Asks Community to Participate in Survey

The St. Clair County Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) begins today,  July 12th,  and St. Clair County residents may be randomly selected to participate in the survey. The health department is asking residents who are contacted by Wilkins Research to answer the phone call and take the survey.

At least 1,200 residents will be randomly selected and contacted by Wilkins Research, and the call will come from a 423 area code number from Tennessee. Participation in the survey is voluntary, anonymous, and confidential.

Responses to the survey will be included in a report that provides an overview of the community’s opinion of health-related needs and concerns.

The feedback provided will help:

  • assess community members’ health risks
  • monitor health trends
  • respond to emerging public health issues
  • provide data for planning and development
  • enable community organizations to secure grant funding
  • determine where funds can best be allocated
  • work to improve treatment

The survey includes health-related questions about exercise, tobacco use, doctor visits, health insurance and other topics. Additional questions were added to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected people’s behaviors and in what ways it may have impacted their health.

“Information from this survey reveals how healthy St. Clair County is in many specific areas compared to Michigan and the United States,” said Dr. Annette Mercatante, Medical Health Officer with the St. Clair County Health Department. “The results will help hospitals and other organizations target their efforts to where the need is greatest. We’re asking residents who receive a call to please contribute their time to this valuable project.”

The St. Clair County BRFS is one of the primary data sources that contributes to the St. Clair County Community Needs Assessment (CHNA). Previous assessments also guided strategies developed in the St. Clair County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).

To find more information about St. Clair County community assessments and planning visit http://www.stclaircounty.org/Offices/health/CHAP.aspx

For more information call (810) 987-5300. To learn more about Health Department services visit www.scchealth.co and follow us on social media @scchdmi.

Submitted by the St. Clair County Health Department

Blue Water Transit Adding Electric Buses

Blue Water Area Transit is getting ready to add two battery powered electric buses to their fleet, and they are inviting the community to join them for a ceremony on July 14th to celebrate.

Dave McElroy, Blue Water Area Transit Commission’s General Manager, said, “Adding electric powered buses to our existing fleet of compressed natural gas buses continues our local tradition of providing state-of-the-art, eco-friendly service. Pursuing cleaner technology for our riders and  community has been a priority of the Commission for decades.”

The new Proterra ZX5+ battery-electric transit buses have 450 kilowatt hours of onboard energy and they will be charged  in a newly constructed overnight charging station at both its Admin and Maintenance facility on Lapeer Avenue and an in-route charging station at the Downtown Port Huron Transfer Center.

Blue Water Transit is the first transit organization in the State of Michigan to add 100% battery electric buses to their fleets.

The public can attend the ceremony at BWATC’s facility at 2021 Lapeer Avenue in Port Huron on July 14th at noon.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

MiLEAP Grants Lead Workers to Jobs

The Michigan Learning and Education Advancement Program, or MiLEAP, is an effort to help job seekers transition from education and training to high skill, high-wage careers.

MiLEAP grants totaling $15.6 million were just awarded to ten recipients, including the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance.

Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Acting Director Susan Corbin said, “By bringing a mix of economic development, education, non-profit and business partners together to serve as the MiLEAP consortia partners, we can ensure the customized programs developed will meet the unique needs of the over 5,000 program participants.”

The grants will support individuals who are dislocated, underemployed, serving as essential workers, living in distressed rural and urban communities or economically disadvantaged. The money will also pay for MiLEAP Navigators who will help find employment for job seekers. Individualized testing and learning plans will be offered to help increase the skill level of the work force. 

Funding for MiLEAP comes from a Reimagine Workforce Preparation Grant from the United States Department of Education.

 Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland