By Dale Hemmila When you step into Salon PiZazz in downtown Port Huron, you are greeted by the gleaming chrome, glass, and mirrors that hair salons feature. But if you look beyond that typical luster, you will find an owner with a heart as glowing as the salon she owns. Salon owner Kelly Strilcov stands … More KELLY STRILCOV: Making a Difference
By Dale Hemmila For someone who surrounds herself with ships, Laura Scaccia makes a big deal about bridges. Scaccia owns The Mariner in downtown Marine City, a converted historical theater, known for its world- class display of shipping memorabilia and models, including an 18-foot long, detailed model of the HMS Titanic, and a recently acquired … More LAURA SCACCIA: Building Bridges
By Dale Hemmila Life, like a good book, sometimes it takes a chapter or two before the real story — the good stuff — really begins. Just ask award-winning singer and songwriter Julianne Ankley. The Jeddo-native did not start singing in public until she was in her 30s. Since that time, she has spent the … More JULIANNE ANKLEY: Musically Talented
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher Marcia Haynes carries with her a favorite poem called “The Dash.” The poem explains that it is not the year of birth nor the year of death that tells the story of one’s life, but rather, the dash in between those years. Haynes’s dash is a long and productive one. Haynes … More MARCIA HAYNES: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher Ila Shoulders is a woman driven by faith. Faith in the Lord has helped her through life’s ups and downs. And, over the past 100 years of her life, Shoulders has had reason to question that faith – and she’s certainly been given reason to question her faith in humanity itself … More ILA SHOULDERS: A Century of Civic Leadership
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher Slow but steady wins the race. That cliché sums up the career of Port Huron Police Department Captain Marcy Kuehn. After joining the department in 1989 just a few months following her high school graduation, Kuehn slowly but surely completed her education – she eventually earned a master’s degree – all … More MARCY KUEHN: Problem Solver
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher This year, more women will likely run for elected public office than ever before. “What difference does it make whether or not there are women in office?” some people ask. It has been proven that men and women approach problem solving in different ways. It doesn’t mean one is better than … More 2020: Year of the Woman
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher Port Huron native Jazmyn Thomas is going to be a Really Big Deal. Trust us on this one. Thomas, 27, is a young professional who is making a positive impact on life in the Blue Water Area and beyond. And, as her personal light burns brightly, there is no stopping this … More JAZMYN THOMAS: The Next Really Big Deal
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi Patti Manley of St. Clair lives by those words. Manley, a native of Port Huron, is a certified public accountant who has given tirelessly – and quietly – to the Blue Water Area through her professional, volunteer, … More PATTI MANLEY: Being the Change
By Patti Samar Editor/Publisher For six years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Alice Rieves owned a restaurant in St. Clair called, appropriately, “Alice’s Restaurant.” After retiring as the executive director of the Mid City Nutrition Program in 2016, Rieves has once again joined the organization and has been named interim executive director of … More ALICE RIEVES: Passion for People