On Saturday, I attended the 12^th Annual Livingston County Community Connect event. Community Connect is a free one-day event that aims to connect people to information and services such as employment services, free lunch, legal consultations, haircuts, health screenings, and various other community resources. Thank you to everyone that participated in this informational program.

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I would like to congratulate Jeff Nelson, the Business Development Manager of Bulldog IT Services for being named the Hartland Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. Jeff has been a very active member of the HCOC and a vital part of many community projects. I’m honored to have received the Hartland Chamber of Commerce Business Advocate of the Year award. Thank you to the Chamber for selecting me for this truly special award.

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Congratulations to Jeremy Thurmond for receiving the Hartland Area Fire Authority Firefighter of the Year award during the department’s annual recognition program. This department has a long history of providing protection and safety to our community.

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Last week on Jan. 28, 30, and 31, severe weather conditions gripped the state of Michigan, forcing an unprecedented shutdown of the state government. I would like to thank all of our first responders who helped residents in our community during this cold and snowy period. In addition, a special thank you goes out to each and every one of you who helped and checked in on friends, family, and neighbors during this time to make sure everyone had the supplies and necessities required to stay warm. Adverse weather such as this requires us to band together as a community, and it is a credit to our community that we did just that.

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This week, I have been attending various workshop programs for legislators and staff on current and historical education funding and revenue sharing for our local and county government.

The Health Policy Committee held its first meeting for the term this week. Along with being an organizational meeting, we heard presentations from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Michigan Association of Health Plans on how insurance policies are determined.

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Please join me for this month’s coffee hours on Friday, Feb. 15 at the following times and locations:

• 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Fowlerville Farms, 941 S. Grand Ave. in Fowlerville;
• 4 to 5 p.m. at Biggby Coffee, 11325 W. Highland Road in Hartland; and
• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at All Star Coney Island, 934 Michigan Ave. in Howell.

As always, I look forward to seeing you and hearing your thoughts!

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If you have any ideas, comments or questions for my office, please do not hesitate to call us at 517-373-8835 or send an email to [email protected]. We are happy to hear from you!