CR032019 by The Record Live

SPORTS

ORANGE COUNTY

Commentary

FISHING

Kaz’s Korner

Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1 Section B

Joe Kazmar Page 1 Section B

Outdoors HUNTING & FISHING Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 2 Section B

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County Record TheRecordLive.com

Vol. 58 No. 147

The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas

Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

OC Commissioners in knots for replacing judge Dave Rogers

For The Record

The Orange County Commissioners’ Court accepted the resignation of County Judge Dean Crooks Tuesday, and then delayed in naming a replacement. After the four commissioners met for 50 minutes in closed session with legal counsel Denise Gremillion and human relations chief Lori Alter to deliberate the appointment of a new county judge, they reconvened and announced they would take no action until at least next week.

They may need to hire a contortionist to get through all the twists and turns of the laws involved. Gothia Commissioner John Gothia has been acting as judge pro-tem since Crooks resigned five minutes into last week’s meeting of Commissioners’ Court, Wednesday, March 13. In a three-minute prepared speech, Crooks said he resigned “in order to stop this internal fighting.” Crooks had served only

Knights of Columbus members Max Staudt and Scott Rollins dish up the peach cobbler during the Lenten Fish Fry at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Friday, March 15. The Friday events will continue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. through April 12. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers

Fried or baked, St. Francis has the fish Dave Rogers

For The Record

Her membership is at Orange’s St. Mary, but Nelda Beadle’s Friday nights during Lent belong to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Beadle and her son, Ernest, never miss a chance to eat the Fish Dinner prepared and served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays by Knights of Columbus Council 13825. “We’re here every Friday,” Nelda said, “and we usually bring the rest of the family.” “We’ve been coming for three or four years,” Ernest Beadle said. “We try to make every Friday.” The Knights of Columbus,

a Catholic-based fraternal organization whose main game is raising money for charity, has been at St. Francis, 3400 Meeks Dr., since Council 13825’s founding in 2005. Scott Rollins, the Post Grand Knight, says his group has more than 100 members who look forward to providing a meatless meal on Fridays during Lent through April 12. Catholics are required to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during the season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter, in acknowledgment of the sacrifices of Jesus. ST. FRANCIS Page 3A

two and a half months of his four-year term before stepping down. He had defeated sitting judge Brint Carlton in the GOP primary in March 2018 and was appointed by commissioners to serve the final seven months of Carlton’s term, after Carlton took another job.

In the first two weeks of March, Crooks stirred up the opposition of all four commissioners and dozens of community leaders with his complaints about economic development efforts that succeeded in the county being named a finalist for a $5.8 billion ethylene plant.

The successor to Crooks will serve only until the end of 2020. A special election will be held earlier that year for a two-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021. It has been widely speculated that Gothia, a former chairman of the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Com-

merce who helped bring to Orange lucrative national fishing tournaments, would succeed Crooks as judge. But any commissioner wishing to be the next judge must first resign his commissioner’s seat, according COUNTY BUSINESS Page 3A

City progresses with public works projects Dave Rogers

For The Record

Drainage, development, City Hall, oh boy. Jim Wolf, Orange’s public works director, and his employees are staying busy with all of them, making steady progress as he recently reported to City Council. “We feel good about where we’re at with our scope of work,” Wolf said. “Are we moving ahead? Yes.” Wolf presented council a list of 46 projects and gave a status report on each. The most obvious ones involve Coopers Gully, 16th Street and I-10 and the new city hall and the former Orange Natatorium. The Coopers Gully project, which runs from 20th Street across Simmons Drive to the Sabine River, is winding up Phase 1. It’s a $2.3 million project to put a concrete lining on the drainage ditch which has been clogged with grass and debris in previous rainfall events. “The water is really flowing now,” a workman at the site said Monday. “This has made a big improvement.” The northern end of the project is awaiting the arrival of the next batch of community development bond grants. The final 12 projects on Wolf’s list are dependent on an estimated $21 million of hurricane mitigation grants and $14 million of CDBG grants. “Those are funding sources for Harvey grants,” Wolf said. “You don’t know what’s going to be approved until it does.” Wolf has set July 1 as the

Jim Wolf, Orange Public Works director, shows off a floor plan for new Orange City Hall on 16th Street. Wolf says renovation of the former First Financial Bank building will begin in April and be complete by mid-summer. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers

date he expects Orange to open its new city hall, which will be located in the former site of the First Financial Bank building on 16th St. The bank, which is moving into a smaller building it constructed next door, has its original building under lease from the city through March. On April 1, the city will

begin painting, flooring and replacing furniture in what will be its new home after 75 years in the former in the former Edgar Brown Jr. mansion on Green Street. City finance, customer service, human resources and its Convention Visitors Bureau will be moving from Green St. to the new city hall. Some space will be

leased to others, Wolf said. The “Green House” will be gutted, he said, and offered for sale. At the south intersection of 16th Street and I-10, the city has finished a project to reroute 15th Street and sewer lines to make room for a four-lot project that will include a Chick Fil-A restauORANGE Page 3A

DA John Kimbrough plans run in 2020 Dave Rogers

For The Record

John Kimbrough, Orange County District/County Attorney, says he plans to run for his eighth four-year term in 2020. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers

Orange County District Attorney John Kimbrough said Tuesday “I’m too young” to quit. He said he plans to run for his eighth four-year term in 2020. Noting that the filing deadline for 2020 elections is not until December 2019, Kimbrough said there was still time to decide otherwise.

“One day out of the month, you go ‘Aaaaagh,’” he said, meaning a bad day, but that [re-election] is my plan.” Kimbrough has been District Attorney/County Attorney for Orange County since 1993. Orange County is one of 31 counties in Texas in which the county attorney and district attorney are one and the same. Kimbrough’s office, which includes eight assistant county attorneys, provides

legal advice to county officials and prosecutes felony and misdemeanor cases. The DA was elected for his seventh four-year term in 2016, running unopposed. It is very rare that a sitting judge or DA draws a re-election challenge. Phillip Smith, Kimbrough’s First Assistant and a felony prosecutor here for 17 years, appointed a campaign treasurer a year ago, preparing for a possible 2020 run for DA.

But Smith, who has worked for Kimbrough since 1998, said he was only preparing in case Kimbrough wasn’t going to run. The next election in Orange County will be Saturday, May 4 for city and school boards. The next election for county, state and national offices will be Tuesday, March 3, 2020 party primaries. The general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

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• The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Texas House advances school finance bill, removes merit pay The $9 billion bill has more than 100 co-sponsors in the House, but will need to be reconciled with Senate proposals. Aliyya Swaby The Texas Tribune The Texas House Public Education Committee unanimously signed off on a comprehensive $9 billion school finance and property tax reform bill Tuesday — but only after removing a controversial educator merit pay provision that had angered teachers unions. House Bill 3, filed by committee chair Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, would put $6.3 billion into public schools and $2.7 billion into property tax reform. The bill will now soon likely head to the full House, where more than 100 have already signed on as co-sponsors. “Everybody’s opinion is welcome,” said Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, before voting to approve the bill. “I would just hate to see the destruction of a valiant effort because somebody didn’t like one little piece on it.” The initial version of HB 3 included money for districts that wanted to rate their teachers and provide the toprated ones with more money, modeled on a Dallas ISD

program that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has touted. “The language we ended up with to some degree could have been construed as tied to [the state’s standardized test] and created a little bit too much authority as we went forward,” Huberty said, explaining the change in the bill. At last week’s first hearing on HB 3, teachers unions and educators told lawmakers they opposed that portion of the bill. They argued that, although the bill didn’t require districts to rate teachers based on standardized test scores, it would be difficult for them to use any other metric. And teachers unions would rather have directed pay raises for all school employees than a program directing more money to just certain teachers. “Our teachers need to make a national average salary” before the state institutes merit pay, said Lisa Dawn-Fisher, lobbyist for the Texas State Teachers Association, last week. Huberty removed that portion of the bill and in-

stead included a section incentivizing school districts to pay teachers more to work at high needs campuses, in rural districts or schools, or in subjects with a shortage of teachers — a more widely palatable policy. School districts that choose to opt into this incentive program would then be subject to a state evaluation. HB 3 does not include an across-the-board teacher pay raise, with Huberty and Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen arguing school districts should instead have local control to decide how to use additional funding. The Senate has already unanimously passed Senate Bill 3, which would put $4 billion toward $5,000 raises for full-time classroom teachers and librarians. Educators and advocates have appeared divided in their support for the two bills, which will need to be reconciled in some form later this session. The new version of HB 3 also includes several other technical changes based on

Chairman of the House Public Education Committee and State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, hears public testimonies during the House Public Education Committee meeting on Tuesday. PHOTO: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune

input from advocates and experts. It would require school districts wanting to ask voters to approve a tax hike to first submit to an “efficiency audit” of their financial management. “This is important for transparency purposes. If you’re going to go to your voters for some reason, you should prove that you’ve been operating as efficiently as possible,” Huberty said Tuesday.

Texas Parks Go Technicolor with Wildflowers Staff Report For The Record

AUSTIN— Spectacular displays of blue, pink, red and yellow are blanketing the state, and Texas State Parks offer picturesque settings for family photos of this year’s parade of wildflowers away from busy roadways. Texas is home to nearly 6,000 species of plants, and recent rains are assured to accompany a colorful wildflower explosion from spring through late fall. More than

90 Texas State Parks offer some of the best and safest places to view and photograph nature’s bounty of wildflowers, blooming shrubs and trees. “Vibrant spring wildflower displays have been remarkable across the Texas landscape recently,” said Jason Singhurst, botanist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “With recent rains carpeting a large percentage of Texas, we are experiencing dazzling wildflower displays and should expect in-

creasing wildflower concentration through April and into May.” At present, every region of the state is showing different varieties of wildflowers, including: Central Texas: The rolling upland hillsides, canyons, and creek and river bottoms are providing a colorful and teeming wildflower wave that is layered with bluebonnets, Engelmann’s daisy, Texas star, blue sage, Indian blanket, Mexican hat, prairie fleabane, prairie verbena,

greenthread, two-leaved senna, four-nerve daisy, Drummond’s onion, green lily, old plainsman, golden eye phlox, white milkwort, wine cups, perfume balls, phlox, and Missouri primrose. East Texas: The Pineywoods’ hardwood slopes and bottomland forest flora has been extraordinary with a plethora of wildflowers including trout lilies, trilliums, Solomon’s seal, mayapple, partridge-berry, golden Alexanders, violets, and purple meadow-rue

The Record Newspapers of Orange County, Texas The Record Newspapers- The County Record and the Penny Record- are published on Wednesday of each week and distributed free throughout greater Orange County, Texas. The publications feature community news, local sports, commentary and much more. Readers may also read each issue of our papers from our web site TheRecordLive.Com.

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• The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Orange public works rant. The former Natatorium will be converted into a recreation center with basketball and volleyball courts as part of an $8 million list of bond projects. Other projects include $3.1 million for street improvements, $800,000 for a new pavilion at the Orange Boat Ramp, $600,000 for a fire truck, $257,000 for street and landscaping and $200,000 for a new emergency generator for city hall. “We can’t start those projects until they sell the bonds in April or May,” Wolf said. Work to repair the boat ramp boardwalk is set to being, $350,000 of drainage work for Cypresswood Village II development is ready to start while the Richard Drive Water Plant is complete. The Westside Water engineering contract, a plan to tie the water plant in the northwest quadrant of the city to the airport in the southwest side, is in the design phase, Wolf said. Work has been completed on a Cherry Street storm

From Page 1

Leia Mann, right, cuts up fish for Emma Fisher at St. Francis Catholic Church on Friday, March 15. The Knights of Columbus Council 13825 serves $8 fish dinners from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays through April 12. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers Workers pour and finish concrete for the Coopers Gully lining project going on alongside Simmons Drive in Orange. The $2.3 million project is being paid for with federal funds. RECORD PHOTO: Dave Rogers

sewer and projects for Owens Road, Dawnwood Drive and West Bluff Road are under contract. Landscaping around the Riverfront Pavilion downtown has been completed. Eagle Point Boulevard, a road from Highway 62 to access a new car dealership and other proposed business, is

County Business to Texas law. And commissioners’ court is not allowed to select a new judge without a full court of four. If any of the four – Gothia, Johnny Trahan, Theresa Beauchamp or Robert Viator – were to resign, then it would be up to the last serving judge to appoint the replacement commissioner. “It takes a full court to replace the judge,” Gothia said, “and there’s some concern if one of us resigned about who he [Crooks] would put in that spot.” Until a replacement is named for Crooks, Gothia said, Crooks is still technically “the sitting judge” and remains on the county payroll. “We don’t want to be paying somebody who’s not going to be working,” Gothia said, meaning he hoped for a quick resolution. Gothia, a commissioner since 2017, admitted he was interested in becoming county judge. “Absolutely,” he said. “It wasn’t something I was planning on this early in the game, but my first goal is to do what’s best for the county.

in the design phase. The Eagle Point development will offer a western edge of Orange development along the highway while the project to re-do the highway between Adams Bayou and Simmons Drive will mark the eastern edge. Wolf has asked TxDOT to include a pair of obelisks,

From Page 1

And if that means me sitting in that county judge’s seat, then I’m all in for doing that.” Among those at Tuesday’s meeting were Pinehurst city manager Robbie Hood, Bridge City city manager Jerry Jones, Bridge City council members Terri Gauthier and Kirk Roccaforte, and West Orange city manager Michael Stelly. “I don’t know what happened,” Hood said, “but it didn’t go like I thought.” All except Roccaforte are board members of the Orange County Economic Development Commission. Roccaforte, a former BC mayor who led his town through recovery of Hurricanes Rita and Ike, told the Record Newspapers he had no interest in being a replacement county judge. “Naw. Naw,” he said. He didn’t rule out being a county commissioner from Precinct 3, Gothia’s current position. “I can’t really say what’s going to happen in the future and where I’ll be,” he said. “I do want to stay involved in city and county offices and helping to move that for-

ward. I always have.” Gothia could see Roccaforte as a replacement if he resigned his current job. “Kirk would definitely have an interest in it,” he said. In other action Tuesday, commissioners approved paying $336,000 in bills and happily accepted a report from Karen Fisher, tax assessor-collector, showing the receipt of $2,864,000 in February property tax collections for the county. Earlier this month, at the same time the Orange County Economic Development Corporation was celebrating the announcement by Chevron Phillips Chemical that Orange County was a finalist for a new $5.8 million plant, Crooks questioned the leadership of the OCEDC and the wisdom of its abatement policy. He posted a lengthy March 3 statement on his social media account, copied it to Orange County media and then gave follow-up TV and radio interviews in which he declared that Orange County had been making bad deals for 20 years.

St. Francis

From Page 1

like the ones at the end of the Purple Heart bridge in Beaumont. “One would go on the east end of the project, at Simmons Drive, and one at the west end, Adams Bayou,” he said. “That would signify, ‘Boom! You’re in Orange, Texas.’”

“We just do this as a service to parishoners, though it’s open to anybody who wants to come,” Rollins said. “We do have quite a few Protestants come here.” At St. Francis, you can get your choice of fried fish or baked fish, with two filets, hushpuppies, French Fries,

cole slaw and dessert for $8. “Frying and baking is a little extra work,” Rollins said, “but it’s nice for the people.” About two dozen KC members and volunteers cook for about 250 people per week, Rollins said. Dine-in or take-out meals are served.

At the March 5 commissioners’ court, two citizens and all four County Commissioners supported the OCEDC and its dealings with Chevron Phillips. Only Crooks opposed them. Civic leaders had pointed out since March 3 that the Chevron Phillips plant, if the company decides to build it in Orange, would be the biggest investment in Orange County since DuPont in 1946. After Crooks’ resignation at the March 13 meeting, 17 people lined up at the podium to talk about the OCEDC and its dealings with Chev-

ron Phillips and others. All but one praised the OCEDC and its work. Several specifically praised Jessica Hill, the executive director of the OCEDC. Clyde McKee III, president of the Stark Foundation, was the first to speak and, after stating the Stark Foundation “was totally in favor letting Jessica Hill negotiate,” he reminded the Stark Foundation and its founder, H.J. Lutcher Stark, had always been “in favor of offering incentives for companies to move here. “If he and Edgar Brown Jr. had not offered land and en-

ticed DuPont and other chemical companies to come here, Orange County would be a vastly different place.” Next week’s meeting has been moved from Tuesday to Wednesday March 27. Commissioner John Gothia said he and fellow commissioners will be out of town Tuesday to attend a Galveston meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the “coastal spine.” That’s the proposed multibillion dollar levee system to protect the upper Texas coast from hurricane storm surge.

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4A • The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

From The Creaux’s Nest AWAITING JUDGE CROOKS REPLACEMENT Judge Dean Crooks financed most of his own campaign to become county judge. He won by a good margin and had looked forward to putting in four productive years with a court willing to put their shoulders to the wheel. Last May he was appointed interim county judge to replace resigning Judge Brint Carlton. Everything over the first 10 months seemed to work well. Crooks attended all the required classes throughout the state and by the way, he paid all of his own expenses, travel and lodging to these seminars. Also last year Judge Crooks returned about $20,000 of his salary beck to the county. He had also suggested that commissioners and judge take a small cut in pay in order to help the employees with a raise. Maybe that is where the problem started but it seemed to come apart quickly. Crooks could have stayed four more years, drew his salary and put away nearly a half-million dollars. Most people would have stayed even though unable to accomplish much. As judge he could have done public relations, ribbon cuttings, etc. and drawn his pay but that is not who Dean is. It never has been about him; he had a sincere desire to serve and hopefully could better the county. He’s a man of high principle; maybe we could all learn something from him. I know I have. For most people, it’s hard to imagine someone who didn’t have to, and no one could make him leave, just walking away from the money. The reason that didn’t matter to Crooks is because he never got in it for the money anyway. He probably would have served just for expenses or less. Dean Crooks showed a lot of class when he took the blame for any problems that has caused the strife. He will move on and as a county, we will hopefully move forward. Regardless of what anyone says the new court will have a learning curve but they seem excited about getting started. Special thanks to Judge Crooks for his efforts and service. Now the court needs to go through due process instead of some shenanigans of short-time appointments in order to get a judge from the court and get to pick the new commissioner until that is settled Dean is still the judge.*****I have to move on. Please come along, I promise it won’t do you no harm.

TURNING BACK THE HANDS OF TIME 10 Years Ago-2009 COX BRINGS A PIECE OF HISTORY Neighbor Cox came by Saturday and left us a Dec. 26, 1976 Opportunity Valley News. The paper was still in the wrapper and had never been opened. I don’t know where our old buddy found it, but whoever had it had not read it. The lead story, by the late historian Nina Harden, reads, “Women’s Lib Nothing New to Texas.” Early pioneer land and cattle owner Jane A. Phelps, alias Jane Harris, petitioned for and was granted a head right league of land in Orange County in February, 1866. She was the daughter of Enoch and Sarah Harris. Mrs. Harris came to Orange in 1828 and they settled in what was, at the time, Jefferson County. That proves the Harris’ from Louisiana have been here a longtime, shortly after the first settler John Harmon. Women who obtained head right leagues or grants of land were widows who had children and qualified as head of the household. Sheriff L.R. Thomas testified he had known Jane since December of 1839 and she had a child. He listed the names of William Clark, A.Winfrey, A. Jett, John Harmon, Peyton Bland and John Bland as knowing the applicant and himself. The sheriff noted she is about 40 years of age. There were other women with grants. Among the cattle owners listed in 1852 were those of Mary Peveto, Nancy Bland, Emily Patillo and Carolyn Peveto. A bill of sale recorded in 1851 claimed a schedule of separate property by Ann Harris, wife of Victor N. Harris, that included, “One Negro man named Morgan, about 48 years old; one Negro woman named Harriet, age 38,with yellow complexion; one Negro boy named Hillary, age 14, with black complexion; one Negro woman named Amanda, age 50, yellow complexion; one Negro child named LoRina, age five months, rather light complexion; one Negro man named Bob, age 32, black complexion; one Negro boy named Thorton, nine years old, yellow complexion.” Also, one large American mare, chestnut; one sorrel male mule, three years, about 15 hands high; one Spanish mule; one large oxen horse wagon; and one black horse. Also held in trust was other property, three slaves and all cattle branded A/C. Ann wasn’t the only woman to own slaves in the county, Mrs. Harris’ story goes on. I love history and this is a great story that has been asleep in this plastic bag for 33 years. Interesting is that these women couldn’t vote and wouldn’t have dreamed that someday a Negro would be president of the United States. Thanks Cox. (Editor’s note: We first ran this entire story 43 years ago.)***** We were sorry to hear about the death of Charles “Charlie” Nixon, who died Saturday March 21, 2009, at age 76. He would have celebrated a birthday this week. For many years he has been the caregiver for his wife Barbara, who had suffered a stroke. Charlie was a great guy. He was raised in Port Arthur where he and Ms. Phyl were nextdoor neighbors. She and his sister Hazel, who was killed in an auto accident at a young age, were great childhood friends. Charlie was like family. He and Barbara lived in Bridge City and for many years had been caring neighbors of Ann Oliver Hall. He attributed June Gregory, his sister-inlaw, as being the one he depended on to be there to drive them to Houston or do whatever needed to be done. This guy was the real salt of the earth. . *****David Fusilier Jr.

has left the Air Force. He chose not to re-enlist and is at present looking for employment in the private sector. *****Jason Menard, after three trips to Iraq, is back at his home base in Hawaii. His mother Sharon picked him up at the Houston airport Friday and he will be visiting his family and friends this week. The Duns are still in their FEMA hut while repairs are made to their home. Not the greatest accommodations but it beats Iraq. *****Speaking of FEMA huts, the shaking going on with Donna and Jimmy Scales’ hut is not because hanky-panky is going on. It’s only the washing machine shaking away. *****Congrats to Olivia Wagner of Orangefield High, picked to play in the greater Houston area girl’s all star basketball game April 11 in Pasadena. Olivia is the only 3-A player selected, the rest of the team are 4-A and above. *****Also congratulations to Valerie Brown, a Bridge City powerlifter, who won the state championship last week. Just a junior, she will be back next year. She had a total of 986 pounds, just barely missing a state record. The BC Lady Cards placed second in the state as a team. Those Bridge City athletes just keep coming with the big wins. This weekend, at the Bob Cat relays, the BC boys captured first place. Tim Crud again won the 3200 meters and Kirby Shepherd won the 1600-meter with Tim close on his heels. Spotted at the meet was Johnny Dishon, LSU baseball player and Dion Beasley with the Texas Longhorns. *****Congrats to the Lady Bear power lifting team. Meagan Fontenot, a state record holder in the squat, broke another record in the bench press with 190 pounds and went on to tie another record in the lift by dead lifting 360 pounds. She finished with 875 total weight. Teammate, freshman Maggan Crosslin, took fourth place and finished with 795 pounds total weight.*****We were saddened by the fire of Optimist Village. It made many of our senior citizens homeless with only their clothes on their backs. More than 30 years ago, a bunch of determined Optimist members established that nice facility. Bennie Mazolla, club president, Roy Dunn, lieutenant governor; and club member Frank Manchek worked hard with HUD to purchase the property from Joe Hester.*****Work has finally escalated on Judge Janice’s home and in a couple of months she could be back. Meanwhile, around the corner, Judge Don Burgess and Bobbie are working full speed to be back home by hurricane season.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Obituaries 10 Years Ago-1909 Judy Gail Pepper, 63, of Orange, died Tuesday, March 17. Funeral services were Friday, March 20. She retired in February 2009 from the Vidor Police Department after over 27 years of service. She is survived by her daughters, Melissa Savoie, Melonie Bagley, son, Bryan Bagley, and four grandchildren.*****Norman Riley Harris, 63, of Orange, died Thursday, March 19. Funeral services were held Monday, March 23. He loved working on computers and loved to communicate with people. He is survived by his wife, LuEllen Harris; daughter, Wanda Harris and grandchildren.*****JoAnn Mier, 64, of Orange, died Tuesday, March 17. Funeral services were Saturday, March 21. She was the wife of Maxie Mier. She is survived by her daughters, Rhonda Dupuy, Margaret Dixon, Pricilla Hess and three grandchildren.*****Maxie Mier, 71, of Orange, died Tuesday, March 17. Funeral services were Saturday, March 21. He was the husband of JoAnn Mier. He is survived by his daughters, Rhonda Dupuy, Margaret Dixon, Pricilla Hess and three grandchildren.*****Drucilla “Dru” Harvey, 70, of Bridge City, died Wednesday, March 18. Funeral services were Saturday, March 21. She lived in Bridge City for 50 years and loved her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Terry Harvey, Howard Harvey, Robert Harvey, Donna Self and eleven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and sister, Caroline Savant.*****

110 Years Ago-1909 Mr. and Mrs. James D. Neff and son have arrived from Newton and will be making their home in Orange.*****Jesse Harmon, formerly of Orange, is now located in Lake Charles where he is in the saddlery business.*****Frank W. Hustmyre, general manager of the Orange Grocery Co. has just returned from a business trip to points in Louisiana.

85 Years Ago-1934 Marriage licenses wren issued to Vertice Sands and Gladys Addison, Leo Thomas and Ruby Lee Moore, Helton McDonald and Evelyn Pawke.*****Charles Peveto has been elected principal of the Cove District schools.

70 Years Ago-1949 Bill authorizing the organization of a state recognized Sabine River Authority is now on the calendar for both branches of the state legislature. *****The Kiwanis Club has been organized and the first meeting scheduled for April 1. The president is Barney Hoover, O.B. Culpepper will serve as vice president, Herbert Journesay, treasurer and James Forse, secretary. Directors are C.H. Benkenstein, Henry Crew, Cecil Coale, R.D. Thompson, Jim Robinett, A.H. Stahl and Jack Love.

60 Years Ago-1959 Diana Ketchell, a beautiful Stark High senior, will represent Stringer Service Station in the annual contest to select the sweetheart of the Texas service station association. *****A construction worker at the Iron Bridge Reservoir in the upper Sabine River watershed uncovered a huge skeleton. The remains have been identified as a Mastodon. Archeologists of the University of Texas made identification of the 14,000-year-old skeleton.

40 Years Ago-1979 W.T. Oliver named Opportunity Valley News Citizen of the Year at ceremonies held at the Orange County courthouse. Presenting the award was former Attorney General and Speaker of the House Waggoner Carr. A few others present were county judge Pete Runnels, commissioners Asa Mansfield, Raymond Gould and Ollie Crawford. Roy Dunn publishes the OVN. *****Linda Richardson, formerly with KOGT for 16 years, is now associated with Wickersham Ford.*****Last week Lani Hall, daughter of Lynn and Dennis Hall, turned 10 years old. *****Rhonda Elizabeth Beeson, daughter of Harold and Sheila Beeson, turned 12 on March 19. *****John “Bojo” Moore was named Rotarian of the Week in Bridge City. *****Glenn Seale seeks re-election as West Orange mayor. *****Clayton Meredith, 82, a master tailor, is one of the last of a “dead trade.”*****Don Campbell, Junior Clark and Jimmy Conn are all presently in the hospital. Conn is

in Beaumont recovering from the fire burn that took the life of his wife Inez. The other two are in Orange. (Editor’s note: Clark is Judge Pat Clark’s late father. Anyone who knew Clark and Campbell will never forget those East Texas boys.)*****Tommy White died last week.*****Don Burgess is Orange County’s newest district judge and must be doing a good job; two lawyers were heard praising him. (Editor’s note: Don went on to become an appellant court judge.)*****Evelyn, wife of Frank Giarratano, celebrates her birthday March 28.

A FEW HAPPENINGS All Pro safety Earl Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens. The four year contract, worth $55 million, with $32 million guaranteed, $13.75 million per year is more than the $10 million on his previous contract with Seattle. *****I predict long distance LCM runner, Eli Peveto, will be a gold metal winner at this year’s state track meet.*****Would you believe sexy Vanessa Williams, Miss USA a few years ago, turned 56 years old on March 18. Time waits on no one. *****Last week, March 11, Obama’s Bull Market started its eleventh year. *****On March 22, 2014, our buddy Bobby Joe Taylor left us. We haven’t heard from his wife Barbara in the past five years. We hope she’s doing alright.*****It’s been seven years, March 21, since our friend Gene Hidalgo passed away at age 72.*****The youngest of Donald Trumps’ children, Barron, turns 12-years-old on March 20. He’s going to be a big boy. He already stands 6-feet tall. *****Happy anniversary to Susan and Judge Jerry Pennington on March 26. Best wishes for many more.*****The Real Texas Gun Show will be held this Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, at Orange County Expo Center, Hwy. 1442. Promoter Aubrey Sanders, Jr., promises a great show with plenty of merchandise reasonably priced.

A FEW BIRTHDAYS A few folks having birthdays in the next few days. March 20: Brittany Hilton, Ashley Ashworth, Ben Walles, Diane Sims, Kamela Latiolais and Brittany Backer all celebrate on this day. Joining them are Spike Lee, 61 and actor David Thewlis, 55. This is also the first day of Spring and a new moon.*****March 21: Barbara Mosier, Pam Nugent, Kyle Anderson, Tanya Simon, Lisa Roberts, Johnny Dishon and Alayna Jacobs celebrate today. Also having birthdays are actors Scott Eastwood, 32, Matthew Broderick, 56 and TV host Rosie O’Donnell, 56.*****March 22: Celebrating birthdays today are Sharon Boling, Carsen Carpenter, football player JJ Watt, 29, actors William Shatner, 87 and Reese Witherspoon, 42.*****March 23: Euel Norwood, Lance Eads, Chad Gearhart, Margaret Boehme, Abigail Gauthier, Natalie Sarvar, Renee Dillion, Helen Clark and Grady Rawls celebrate today. Joining them are Country singer Brett Edlridge, 32, actor Kari Russel, 42, blogger Perez Hilton, 40.*****March 24: Having birthdays today are Forrest Wood, James Stone, Joseph Blanda, Louise Wood, Brenda Edwards, Grant Kimbrough. Celebrities celebrating are former football player Peyton Manning, 42, Jim Parsons, 45 and actress Alyson Hannifin, 44.*****March 25: Celebrating today are Kim Faulkner, Katie Birdwell, Matt Thompson, Warren Claybar, and Mike Vincent. They are joined by Rock singer Elton John, 71, race car driver Danica Patrick, 36 and actress Sarah Jessica Parker, 53.*****March 26: Karen Bozman, Margie Fields, Sherry Stevens, Billy LeLeux celebrate today. Also having birthdays today are Soul singer Diana Ross, 74, Rock singer Steven Tyler, 70 and Country singer Kenny Chesney, 50.*****Special Happy Birthday wishes to pretty Lisa Guyote on March 22 and longtime friend Sherry Stevens, who celebrates on March 26.

CAJUN STORY OF THE WEEK Da rain it was coming down hard yeah, wen Joe Nunez and Miss Gladys Comeaux got in a bad two-car wreck dem. Neider one of dem was hurt a bit but da two cars dem, were demolished. After dey crawl out dare cars, Nunez start hollering about dem women drivers. Gladys answer, “So, you a man, I’m a women me, our cars, dem are total but we don’t get a scratch on us, wat you tink. hanh?” “Dat must be a sign from God dat we should be friends for da rest of our lives.” Well Nunez him, he’s flattered by dis so he agree. “Mais yeah, it must be a sign but you still at fault, you, womens should not be allowed to drive no!” Gladys, her she tink about dat and say, “But look at dis, anudder miracle, our cars are wreck dem but dis bottle of wine is not even chip. God him must want us to have a drink and celebrate. He had his angles dem watching over us.” Gladys hand Nunez da bottle, he open it up and take a big drink. He hand da bottle back to Gladys and she screw da cap back on and hand it rat back to Nunez. He axe her “You not gonna drink, hanh?” Gladys look at him and say, “Mister not me, I tink I’ll wait for da police.”

C’EST TOUT Spring has Sprung Well, today, March 20, is the first day of spring. I hope we have had our April showers early. Many lawns need the March winds to dry out. Usually by this time some of our friends have broken ground for spring gardens. We ran into Tommy Burton last week and he said his little brother Owen was happy he has set out his potatoes. This time of year, over many years, I watched Neighbor Cox and Ms. Ginny put in a nice garden. He broke ground and she had the green thumb. The last few years, Ginny has been living at Golden Years and Neighbor just hasn’t had it in him to work a big garden. This year the ground is way too wet anyway. He might sew a few okra seeds and a couple of bucket tomatoes and that will probably be it. I haven’t heard from Sue and Tommy Simar lately but I don’t think his health will let him farm anymore. Our buddy, John Heard stopped by but with continued knee problems and so much rain he hasn’t been able to tend his citrus. Much of the fruit rotted in the field. It’s been a bad year for our gardening friends but tough on our elderly friends also. Maybe the coming of spring will put a little extra spring in their step. *****I haven’t heard from Chuck Patterson lately. We’re not sure besides raising a couple of chickens; if he’s going to farm this spring. He used to really have a green thumb. If any of you get to put in a garden let me know how it’s doing. I believe it will be dry now for a few days. Good luck. *****This week the Lunch Bunch will dine at Robert’s Restaurant and next week at JB’s. Make plans to attend. Everyone always invited. *****Take care and God bless.

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The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 •

BCISD to hold information meetings on school bond proposal ree more informational meetings are planned by the Bridge City Independent School District in regard to the May 4 school bond election. e next meeting will be held on ursday, March 21, at 6 pm at the Bridge City Middle School. Another meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3, at 6 pm in the Bridge City High School library. A ﬁnal informational meeting will be held on ursday, April 18, at 6 pm at Bridge City Elementary.

Link and Bake Sale Benefit for Billy Coward Billie Coward of the Orange area was recently diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of head and neck. A link and bake sale will be held Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Bridge City Community Center Pavilion, 101 Parkside Drive, Bridge City. A link, chips, and drink will be sold for $8. Please call 409.670.2990 to pre-order. Cookies, pies, cakes, and more will be available to purchase. Raﬄe tickets are now on sale. A drawing will be held on the day of the event, March 23. Funds are being raised to help Billy with enormous medical expenses.

Annual Spelling Bee Sponsored by GOALS e annual spelling bee, the main fundraiser for GOALS (Greater Orange Adult Literacy Services), is set for Friday, March 22, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Lamar State College-Orange Student Gym. Master of Ceremonies will once again be KFDMTV weather personality Dana Melancon. Teams of three spellers plus one cheer support person are encouraged to register at the GOALS office, 520 Decatur, Orange 77630, with Rhonda Powell, Director, or call her at 409.886.4311. Deadline for registration is Friday, March 15. Non-profits are asked, as well as other organizations, to assemble a team to assist in this non-profit cause. ere is a registration fee required for a spelling team, with all proceeds benefiting GOALS, a 25-year-old local non-profit organization. A booklet of all possible spelling bee words is given to each participant to study upon paid registration. A light lunch is provided, and fun costumes and face paints are welcome! is is an annual event in the Orange community. Prizes are also donated to door prize winners by various merchants. GOALS prides itself on distributing study materials for the GED high school certification, helping increase reading skills, and assisting ESL (English as a Second Language) students prosper in the written and oral understanding of the English language.

Faith UMC Lenten Services Faith United Methodist Church invites you to attend our Lenten services each Wednesday through April 10 starting at 12 noon followed by lunch. Speakers include Mayor Larry Spears, Father Jim Sichko, Pastors Rick White, Brad Mckenzie, and Develous Bright. Please join the Lenten service at noon at 608 MLK Drive or for more information, call 886-1291.

Golden K Kiwanis to meet Golden K Kiwanis meets every Wednesday, 9:45-10:45 a.m., at the Salvation Army Building, 1960 MLK, Orange 77630. Please note time change, NOT being late. On Wednesday, March March 20: Orange County Commissioner John Gothia will speak about plans for Orange County. Margaret Light is in charge of refreshments. On Wednesday, March 27: Orange Co. Asst. DA Krispen Walker will speak about her duties in the DA oﬃce. Linda Pittillo is in charge of refreshments. Speakers for April are TBA.

Orange K of C Fish Fry St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus Orange Council 1680 will sell fried and baked fish dinners, dine in or take out, on all Fridays in Lent, except St. Joseph’s weekend and Good Friday, from 5 – 7 p.m., in St. Mary’s parish hall. Meals consist of fish, French fries, coleslaw, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, ketchup, tea, water. and dessert. Cost is $8 for 3-piece fried or 1 baked filet; $7 for 2-piece fried. All are invited to experience Council 1680’s renowned fish taste.

Lenten Fish Fry St. Francis of Assisi Knights of Columbus Council 13825 is selling ﬁsh dinners in the San Damiano Center (behind the Church) located at 4300 Meeks Drive from 5 to 7 p.m. on the following Lenten Fridays: March 22, March 29, April 5 and April 12. Dinner includes two pieces of ﬁsh, French fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw, drink, and dessert for $8.00.

Upcoming Orange County Master Gardener events e Annual Bloomin’ Crazy Plant Fair is to be held on Saturday, March 23, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., in Cormier Park, Orangefield. Pick from your every day choice of plants to the odd and unique plants along with visiting the vendors on premise to enhance your choices. e Master Gardener Certification Training starts ursday, April 4, 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., at the Orange County EXPO. is is for the beginner gardener to the experienced gardener, and to improve one's horticulture knowledge while gaining the experience to become a Certified Texas Master Gardener. For more information, check the website https://txmg.org/orange or call 409 882-7010.

VFW Auxiliary Spring Garage Sale e Orange VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Auxiliary Post 2775 is taking reservations for its Annual Spring Garage Sale on Saturday, March 23, from 7a.m.-2 p.m. at the VFW Hall on Highway 87 North. Vendors will be allowed to set up on Friday, March 22, from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Tables and/or spaces will rent for $10 each. To make a reservation, send a check made payable for the number of tables/spaces wanted. Please make check payable to VFW Aux. 2775 and mail to: Mary Snapp, 7927 Sandra Lane; Orange, Texas 77632. Please include your name, address, telephone number, and any special needs. For further information, call Mary Snapp at 409697-0380 and leave a message for a return call.

Attention Senior Citizens Before computers existed we played card games like canasta, euchre and others, or scrabble or dominoes. Want to play again one afternoon a week? Call Bill at 735-6936.

Lamar State College Orange Job Fair A job fair will be held at Lamar State College Orange on ursday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. e event, in partnership with Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, will be held at the Shahan Events Center located at 209 Green Avenue in Orange.

and Scholastic Book Fair will be announced. Both of these events are sponsored by the Friends organization. e American Association of University Women will present the year’s Library Family of the Year. Light refreshments will be available. Public is invited.

Help with Taxes AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) Tax Filing Assistance is offered at the Orange Public Library. IRS (Internal Revenue Service)-certified volunteers will be available from 12:15 to 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday through April 12, and on Monday, April 15. April 15 is the last day to file 2018 taxes. Anyone coming for assistance should bring the following: Proof of identification (photo ID); Social Security cards for you, your spouse, and dependents; Birth dates for you, your spouse, and dependents; Wage and income statements (Form W-2, Social Security, 1099-R, 1099-Misc, W2G); Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099); Records of any Capital Gains and Losses; Forms 1095-A, B or C, Affordable Health Care Statements; and a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, very helpful in the preparation of the 2018 return. For contact information, call or email Richard Porter, 409.883.0698 or porter4897@sbcglobal.net.

Orange Library Friends, AAUW Library Family of the Year meet A co-meeting of the Orange Friends of the Library and the AAUW (American Association of University Women) and its annual Library Family of the Year will combine in the City of Orange Public Library Meeting Room on Saturday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m. e family will be announced at that time. A Friends of the Orange Library meeting will also be held. Director of the Library is Brenna Manascu and President of the Orange Friends of the Library is Diane Sturdivant. President of the Orange AAUW branch is Linda White, and Mary Ann Fetchin is chairing this year's AAUW Library Family of the Year. Light refreshments will be served.

Orange Co. Sheriff’s Posse to award scholarships e Orange County Sheriﬀ ’s Posse is pleased to announce they will be awarding scholarships to seniors in Orange County. Applications are available at the student’s high school counselor’s oﬃce. Completed applications should be returned to the counselor by date on application. For more information, contact the high school counselor at any Orange County Public School.

Jackson Community Center offers tax help e Jackson Community Center will be oﬀering fast tax refund and electronic ﬁling to eligible families and individuals earning up to $54,000 or less by appointment only. is service will continue until April 15. e JCC is located at 520 W. Decatur Ave in Orange and is open Mon. thru Fri. from 10 am to 5 pm, and every other Saturday. Please call to schedule an appointment and for additional information, contact Elizabeth Campbell at 409-779-1981 or email jccorange@gmail.com.

AAUW Book Donations e AAUW (American Association of University Women) will have its annual used book sale on the porch of the Lutcher eater at Art in the Park, Sat., April 6, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Book donations may be made at Looking Good Salon in the Northway Shopping Center next to Market Basket until March 31. e owner of the salon, Paul Burch, volunteered to be a drop-off point again this year. For further information, please phone 409-886-5739 or 409-882-1679. Donations accepted include gently used books, puzzles, board games, reference books, cookbooks, childrens' books, religious books, mysteries, nonfiction, biographies, fiction, DVDs, CDs, etc. All proceeds go for college scholarships for both a West Orange-Stark High School and a Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School female graduate. The Orange AAUW Scholarship applications will be available in the counseling office of each high school in the near future.

OC Texas A&M University Mothers' Club Scholarship The 2019 Orange County Texas A&M University Mothers' Club Scholarship application is now available. For a copy of the application, contact the local High school counselor and/or scholarship coordinator. Applications are also available at https://orangecountymoms.aggienetwork.com/scholarships/ . For more information, contact Bridget Trawhon at (409) 8824195 or btrawhon@gmail.com.

GriefShare Program at Trinity Baptist Church A 13-week class called "GriefShare" is underway at 6 p.m. on Sundays at Trinity Baptist, 1819 16th Street, Orange 77630. It is a grief recovery group led by Dan Cruse, and assisted by several people who have also experienced grief. Whether it is a spouse, a child, or a parent, GriefShare is ready to support. Participants are welcome to attend the GriefShare group at any point. Each session is "self-contained," so a participant does not have to attend each session. Past group members have, reportedly, said that they felt safe and loved, that they received hope, and that they felt it was a turning point in their lives. GriefShare could be a person's journey from mourning to joy, according to Cruse, Trinity Baptist worship minister. Cruse is also a retired guidance counselor, as well as a retired music educator. Please call 409.886.1333, email pastor at ryan@trinityorange.com, or check Trinity Baptist Facebook page. There are other retired guidance counselors in the group to assist. There is also a national website, www.griefshare.org, and the classes include a personal workbook, a video seminar, and a group discussion, giving participants support and encouragement for their own grief journey. GriefShare is a network of 15,000 or more churches worldwide equipped to offer grief support groups. The program is nondenominational and features biblical concepts for healing from a person's grief. The minister at Orange Trinity Baptist is Pastor Ryan Chandler.

Remembered Mission Project Set in April by Trinity Baptist A service project entitled, "Remembered Event," is set for April 12-13 by the members of Trinity Baptist Church in Orange to coordinate with a sermon series called, "And God Remembered," preached by Ryan Chandler, Trinity pastor. The membership plans to service those who are still in need of help from Hurricane Harvey from over a year ago. Over 40 percent of Orange County residents who received damage from Harvey are still displaced or suffering from homes still having tremendous repair needs. Please call Trinity Baptist at 409-886-1333 and ask for Pastor Ryan Chandler or Henrietta Gentry for more details.

Friends of the Orange Public Library, Inc. will hold their annual business meeting of members and visitors on Saturday, March 30th. e meeting will be at 10:30 am in the Ira Williamson meeting room of the Orange Public Library at 220 5th Street in Orange. Information of the Orange Public Library’s annual used books sale

Bridge City Chamber to Award Scholarships Attention all Bridge City and Orangefield High School seniors: The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce they will be awarding two $500 scholarships to Bridge City High School seniors and two $500 scholarships to Orangefield High School seniors. Applications are available at the student’s high school counselor’s office, Bridge City Chamber office at 150 W. Roundbunch Road, Bridge City, TX 77611, or can be downloaded from the chamber’s website at www.bridgecitychamber.com. Completed applications should be returned to the respective high school counselor no later than April 5, 2019. For more information, contact the high school counselor or call the Bridge City Chamber at (409) 735-5671.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Nut Fundraiser Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is currently selling Durham Ellis Nuts. Pecan halves are $9.75/lb., Pecan Pieces are $9.50/lb., and Walnut Pieces are $8.00/lb. Also available are Chocolate Covered Pecans for $9.00. Come see the inventory of nuts. The phone number is 409-735-4573.

Dementia Care Givers' Support Group The Dementia Care Givers' Support Group meets at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Canticle Building, 4300 Meeks Drive in Orange on the following days and times: Second Wednesday of every month at 10:00 a.m., and Second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m..

GOALS Seeking Board Members GOALS (Greater Orange Adult Literacy Services) is interested in replacing several spots on the Board due to some who have moved or plan to move. The mission of GOALS is to help those in Orange County who are unable to read, to assist ESL (English as a Second Language) students with the adult learning of English, and to provide tutoring for those wishing to take the GED (General Educational Development) equivalency test to obtain a high school diploma. GOALS is a nonprofit organization founded by Orange's Bonnie Hopperton 25 years ago. Additionally, now members of GOALS assist at the Orange OCARC in teaching fun art projects or read books to client participants. The GOALS office may be contacted at 409.886.4311, and please ask for Rhonda Powell, Director. Powell also can give guidelines for those wishing to volunteer to tutor, or possibly secure a spot on the Board of GOALS. GOALS is a tax-exempt, non-profit adult literacy program. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekly, Monday-Friday. Dues are not required. The annual Spelling Bee for GOALS is Friday, March 22, at Lamar State College-Orange Student Gymnasium. Please see information in this column for more information under Annual Spelling Bee Sponsored by GOALS.

Seek & Find Resale Store The Seek & Find Resale Shop is open on Thursdays from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Fridays from 12 noon to 3:00 pm and Saturdays from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm. We are selling all types of used items - clothes, toys, books, household items,etc. Our proceeds help fund our music programs at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Please come and see us at 785 W. Roundbunch Road, next to Happy Donuts.

Pinnacle Music Academy Pinnacle Academy offers private music lessons for Piano, Vocal, Guitar, Drums, Bass Trumpet, Ukulele, and more for all ages. Learn all musical styles including Pop, Rock, Country, Metal, Jazz, Blues, and Hip Hop. Pinnacle Academy is located at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 945 W. Roundbunch, Bridge City. Come and discover this opportunity to learn an instrument in the local area. For more information, call 409-2413920 or visit www.PinnacleMusicAcademy.com.

Orange County Beekeeping Group The Orange County Beekeepers Group is a group of local beekeepers interested in spreading information about honeybees and the pollination service they perform. The group also strives to aid and assist fellow beekeepers, any new beekeepers, and the general public. For information or assistance with honeybee removals, please contact Len VanMarion 409-728-0344 or Brian Muldrow 713-377-0356.

Orange Al-Anon meetings Al-Anon can help if someone close to another person has a drinking or addiction problem. Al-Anon meets Sundays and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., at North Orange Baptist Church, 4775 North 16th Street (Rear), Orange. Call 409-474-2171 or 409988-2311 for more information. Calls are kept confidential.

Bridge City Al-Anon Meetings Al-Anon meetings are held on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Library at St. Henry's Catholic Church Education building, located at 475 W. Roundbunch Road, Bridge City. For more information, please contact Cindy at 409-749-9036 or Mike at 409718-0333.

A Women's Bible Study based on the book, "Proven," by Jennie Allen, and through the gospel of John, continues on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church, 1819 N. 16th Street, Orange 77630. A short video is also shown and group discussion is held until the study's ending time each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Lynae Sanford is in charge of the Bible study. Anyone may join at any time, even if prior sessions have been missed. Please call the church at 409-886-1333 for more information.

Students who are planning to take Advanced Placement exams in May must sign up in the LCM High School counselors' oﬃce between now and March 28. e cost is $94 per exam. e price is reduced to $25 per exam for students who qualify for free or reduced meals. Upon registration, payment must be made by cash or check. Checks must include the driver license number of the person who signed the check. AP Exam dates and times are set by the College Board as follows: May 6 - U.S. Government - 8:00 AM; May 8 - English Literature and Composition (English 4) - 8:00 AM; May 14 - Calculus AB 8:00 AM; May 15 - English Language and Composition (English 3) - 8:00 AM; May 16 - Statistics - 12:00 PM and May 17 - Music eory - 8:00 AM. For additional information, call 409.886.5821

Friends of the Orange Public Library to meet

Orangefield School District. For complete contest rules, go to www.bridgecitychamber.com or call the chamber at 409-7355671.

Women's Bible Study at Trinity Baptist Church

LCM Advanced Placement tests

BC Chamber accepting Mother of the Year nominations Do you know a mother who deserves special recognition? Nominate her for Mother of the Year, it’s. Visit our website: www.bridgecitychamber.com/make-a-nomination. The Mother of the Year will be recognized at the Bridge City Chamber’s May Networking Coffee & Annual Banquet, have dignitary status at the Bridge City Christmas Light Parade, and receive over $1,000 in gifts and gift certificates from these generous sponsors: The mother nominated must live or work within the Bridge City or

CMYK

6A • The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Ellen Walker Reinstra, a co-author of the book, “The Long Shadow: The LutcherStark Lumber Dynasty,” autographs a book as Orange DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) treasurer Bertie Herman of Bridge City chats about when she and Reinstra were both members of the Golden Triangle Writers’ Guild many years ago. Rienstra was the guest speaker at the March 19 DAR event. Herman also used to own a book store on Texas Avenue in Bridge City. Rienstra and Jo Ann Stiles, both of Beaumont, were employed by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation in Orange in 2012 as contract historians to compose the book, published in 2016. RECORD PHOTO: Anne Payne

Deaths and Memorials Harrell Dee Butts Sr, 78, Bridge City Harrell Dee Butts, Sr., 78 of Bridge City, Tx. went to meet his savior on Friday March 8, 2019 in Vidor,Texas. He was born on November 11,1940 in Meridan, Mississippi to Raymond Butts and Bessie (Davidson) Butts. Harrell proudly served his country in the United States Army. He was a retired riverboat captain after 46 years. He loved spending time with his wife and other family and friends. A gathering to honor his memory will be on Saturday, April, 6 at e Knights of Columbus Hall in Bridge City from 1-4 p.m. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Ada butts; daughter eresa Hollaway of Ft. Worth Tx, and sons Harrell Butts Jr.(Skipper) of California and Michael Butts of Deweyville Tx. He also survived by 6 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Pictured left to right: Rory Die, Cody’s sister whom is homeschooled and a member of Orange County 4H; Cody LaBry and his heifer, Smith Paul Smiling Times, 2019 National and International Grand Champion Simbrah Female and Cassidy Ashworth, his best friend who is a graduate of Bridge City High School and with Ashworth Cattle.

HARRELL DEE BuTTS SR.

Sandra K. “Sandy” Townsend, 70, Orange Sandra K. “Sandy” Townsend, 70, of Orange, Texas, passed away on March 15, in Beaumont, Texas. Funeral services were held Monday, March 18, 2019, at Claybar Funeral Home in Bridge City. Oﬃciating was Pastor Robert Edwards of True Faith Tabernacle in Orange. Burial followed at Orange Forest Lawn in Orange. Born in Port Arthur, Texas, on November 2, 1948, she was the daughter of Judy and Huey Davis. Sandy was married to the love of her life, Kenneth Townsend, and they would have celebrated their 49th Anniversary on April 8, 2019. She enjoyed solving puzzles and cryptograms. Sandy also loved to watch movies, especially Hallmark Christmas movies. She loved her family and adored her grandchildren. Sandy will be missed by all who knew and loved her. SANDRA k. She was preceded in death by her parents, Judy and Huey Davis; ‘SANDy’ TOWNSEND her grandparents; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her husband of 48 years, Kenneth Ray Townsend of Bridge City; her daughters, Stephanie Townsend of Bridge City, and Angela Howard and husband Robert of Bridge City; her grandchildren, Kaleb Howard and Jakeb Howard; and her sisters, Diane Cormier and husband Mike of West Orange, and Cheryl Vaughn and husband Nate of Canyon Lake.

OHS junior LaBry earns top honors during stock shows Cody LaBry, a junior at Orangefield High School, Orangefield, Texas has experienced a very successful run this spring at major shows. LaBry, and his heifer, Smith Paul Smiling Times earned the 2019 Grand Champion Female honor at the 2019 National Simbrah Show, held at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and then the duo won the same title at the International Simbrah Show, held in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Show. In addition, they stood as the 2019 SimbrahSimmental Superbowl Reserve Grand Champion Simbrah Female. He received a buckle for his class win, $200 for the division win on the way to the overall title that paid $1,000. In the San Antonio and Houston Junior Shows, he stood first in class. His heifer is a March 15, 2017 daughter of McCrary Smith Inspired and was bred in the Smith Genetics program, Giddings, Texas. LaBry, who has only been showing for three years, will continue to campaign the heifer at upcoming shows this summer. LaBry’s interest in showing cattle can be attributed to his brother. “I saw my brother doing it and thought I wanted a 1,000-pound pet on a leash. Then my brother joined the U.S. Army during his junior year in high school and left for boot camp that summer. My sister and I promised him we would show his cattle while he was gone and we did. It was a lot of work, but fun. When he came back my parents bought me my first heifer and her name was Lilly. I will never forget her. She had an unusually white tongue,” recalls LaBry. LaBry’s family is involved in the cattle business, so he always enjoyed the agricultural lifestyle. Like almost everyone in the area, he and his family were affected by Hurricane Harvey. “We lost the school ag farm, which was where we had all of our show cattle and market animals. They spent two days in the water. My mom and I took a boat to the ag barn. We started walking the show goats out after hand feeding all of the cattle, because they were all in water. We turned them out of the barn, but there was water everywhere. The next day we arranged for big trucks provided by Kelly and Bobby LeBlanc to help to move our animals. Luckily, we had left our trailer there and were able to rescue animals. We lost a lot of material things, but no animals. All of this pushed us to hurry and move to my grandparent’s land, where we lived in our RV, because our whole community was devastated. We worked many hours to get fences back up and put our show cows in the yard in just panels for several months until we could have a barn built. We had so much support from our family and friends. The breeder of our show cattle, Smith Genetics had to keep our cattle for a few days right after Harvey, as we had no way of getting feed or hay. Ashworth Cattle in Bridge City also kept many of the ag barn’s animals for several

days. They kept the pigs in their cattle trailer and found room for the goats and cattle. Peveto’s Feed Store provided feed to many of our students. Our ag teacher, Mr. Jenkins helped get more feed and spent time hauling hay in to help all of us affected by the loss of the ag barn. The Cowboy Church in Orange coordinated delivery of round bales of hay. Our community was destroyed physically, but we all stuck together to get each other through it. LaBry is quick to note that having show heifers has taught him time management and made him more responsible. “When you have an animal to care for then you have to be there to feed it and make sure it’s doing okay. You can’t not be there,” he said. He has been an active member of Orange County 4-H, Orangefield FFA and is an active high school student. He plays football and enjoys powerlifting. He serves as sentinel of his FFA chapter and is on the livestock judging team. “I never thought showing livestock and being involved in FFA would be so life changing, but it has been. It has taught me qualities such as hard work and responsibility that I will use all my life. It has brought my family together more than anything else ever has. We fight and get mad at each other, but we get over it and are closer than we ever have been. By the way, working cattle with your family is not always sunshine and roses, but man do I have some stories I will be able to tell my kids. I have gained a community of friends that I would not have had without this life. “My parents are the only reason that any of this has happened at all. My dad is right beside me unless he is at work. He works so hard for us for us to be able to have what we have. He is hard on me, but I know he loves me more than anything in his life and worries about me. I can never repay him for it, but I am grateful for everything he does. My mom makes sure we have dates of the show, keeps us organized and feeds us. She also works the farm while going back to college, herself. She is always in the stands or watching from where she is. Without their support, I wouldn’t be who I am now. My brother is my best friend and helps me stay on track in life and advises me with hard decisions. He reminds me when I am mad at our parents that they are usually right. My breeder, Tim Smith always answers our calls even in the middle of the night when mom is panicking over a calf. He supports us as new Simbrah breeders,” he explained. He plans to attend Sam Houston State University, where his brother is also going to attend when he returns from deployment. He is interested in engineering and architectural degrees at this point. LaBry is enjoying success right now in the show ring, but he finds almost every aspect of being involved with a junior heifer project enjoyable.

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The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 •

THREE-CHEESE, NO MEAT QUICHE If you are fasting during this Lenten season by choosing not to eat meat, here is a quiche recipe with no meat, just 3 different cheeses, 14 eggs, bread, and milk, an original by me.

Equipment needed: 9”x12” pan sprayed w/PAM Measuring cup Fork/whisk for egg beating Large mixing bowl Large spoon for stirring

Ingredients: 14 large eggs 1/2 cup whole or skim milk 1 8-oz pk Mozarela cheese 1 8-oz pk Cheddar cheese 1 8-oz pk Muenster cheese 4 slices Texas Toast white bread, crust removed

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Break 14 eggs into large bowl. Add 1/2 cup milk. Take crust oﬀ 4 slices white

Texas Toast, then tear each crustless slice into small pieces. Add to mixture. Add 3 cheeses to mix, preferably shredded since small size works well. Stir all with spoon. Pour mix-

ture into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool for minimum 5 minutes before cutting to serve. is recipe serves about 14-15 persons. Cut inhalf for smaller group.

IRISH GREEN SCRATCH CAKE

Bundt cake pan Baker’sChoce ﬂour/oilspray Electric hand mixer or counter-based mixer Large mixing bowl Large mixing spoon Small pan to soften butter Measuring cup Measuring spoons Sifter

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray Bundt cake pan with Baker’s Choice ﬂour vegetable oil spray. Soften the butter in small

Lege ensures TRS is stable Sen Robert Nichols Special to the Record

21 budget cycle. e Legislature has made a commitment to these teachers and it is our job to make sure we are keeping that promise in ensuring they

1. Teacher Retirement

Equipment needed:

Directions:

MY FIVE CENTS

March is always a busy month in the Capitol as many people make their way to Austin during spring break. We enjoy seeing everyone, but there is no spring break for legislators as committee agendas are full of potential legislation. Here are ﬁve things happening at your Capitol this week:

If you want to continue to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in style, bake a green cake with lots of green food coloring. Some of your family or friends will eat it; some may not, likely due to the green color! Since my husband and I both have Irish ancestry, we like the color green, shamrocks, leprechaun tales, rainbows, hills and meadows, cottages, and Border Collies.

2 cups sugar 3/4 cup butter 4 large eggs 1/2 cup whole milk 2 cups all purpose ﬂour 2 tsps baking powder 2 tsps cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 3 tsps semi-sweet cocoa 1/2 of one-oz bottle green food coloring 1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur (possible suggestion: Michael’s Celtic Irish Cream with Irish Whiskey) Topping: powdered sugar

Women receiving the vote in 1919 under the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and voter registration were the center of attention on Wednesday, March 13, in the Golden K Kiwanis meeting at the Orange Salvation Army Building on MLK Drive. Leading the lively discussion dressed as women’s suffrage leaders were, center, Dr. Deborah Bednar (in white clothing) and Sandra Hoke (in dark clothing), both certified voter registrants for Orange County, Texas. Joining the fun are Golden K members, from left, Rosie Hurst, Karen McKinney, Bednar, Hoke, Lois Ferrell, Margaret Light, and Linda Pittillo, all of Orange. Not pictured are Golden K female members Diane Grooters, Sharon Proellochs, Debra McCombs, Juliet Smith, and Anne Payne. Voter registration forms were distributed to those needing them, as an in-depth discussion was held. Bednar and Hoke are also active in the Community Gardens of Orange Christian Services and in the beautification of Orange campaign.

bowl in microwave or in small pan on stove. Cream together the softened butter and sugar. Add 4 large eggs, milk, ﬂour, and baking powder. Mix the ingredients well with mixer. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, green food coloring, and Irish cream liqueur. Pour into greased and ﬂoured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about one hour. After removing cake from oven, test for doneness by inserting toothpick in middle of cake, pulling,out clean. After cake is cooled (about 20 minutes), invert cake onto serving platter, and top with small amount of sifted powdered

sugar. After about 20 more minutes, cover cake with dome lid. Cut and serve

Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the state’s Teacher Retirement System (TRS), one of the 13th largest pension funds in the world which provides retirement benefits to over 420,000 people. e last few sessions, the Legislature has allocated funds to ensure TRS is financially stable and this session will be no different. Senate Bill 12, by Senator Huffman and of which I am a co-author, has been filed to address these costs. It will increase the states’, districts’ and active employees pension contributions over a six-year period, as well as provide a ‘13th’ check to all retired school employees in an amount equal to their current monthly pension check during the 2020-

Fickle weather in Southeast Texas fooled honey bees, sending them to their deaths.

Nature’s cruel trick, death of a honey bee Len VanMarion TAIS Master Beekeeper Special to the Record We all tend to be complacent when it comes to Nature and wild animals struggles to survive. Nature has a way of humbling all of us. is winter has been hard on the honeybee and has deﬁnitely taught me a few lessons one of them very humbling. Honey bees don’t leave the hive when it’s raining, very windy or when temperatures are below about 55F. is winter and false spring fooled both myself and the bees. e bees

have spent more time in the hive eating up their winter stores and nectar replacement has been hard to come by. Remember it takes 1 million bloom visits for 1 pound of honey. We had a early warm spell and the bees began laying heavily to prepare for spring this surge of young bees and larvae to feed further consuming the food stores. e early warm up or false spring sent things moving forward then the frost knocked all the blooms but bees were already building their numbers.

See BEES, Page 5B

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are receiving their beneﬁts.

2. Supplemental Budget is week, the Senate passed

See NICHOLS, Page 4B

8A • The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

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Week of March 20, 2019

The Record Sports

The high school kids are teaching the old pros some new tricks as they take some big fish during recent tournaments.

Oh... The Madness!

The Duke Blue Devils are highly favored to win the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

College hoops take center stage this week KAZ’S KORNER JOE KAZMAR

FOR THE RECORD e madness has already begun as college basketball fans dropped everything and started filling out their brackets earlier this week for the 2019 NCAA Men’s Tournament which began last night at Dayton, Ohio when Prairie View A&M met Fairleigh Dickinson followed by a pair of No. 11 seeds in Belmont vs. Temple. No. 16 North Dakota State hooks up against No. 16 North Carolina Central while 11th-seeded Arizona State plays No. 11 St. John’s today (Wednesday) in another pair of games to fill out the normal 64-team bracket. Full first-round action takes place ursday and Friday with 16 games played each day as the field gets whittled down to 32 teams that will play in the second round

Saturday and Sunday to determine the Sweet Sixteen. Oddly enough, three of the four No. 1 seeds— Duke, North Carolina and Virginia- come from the Atlantic Coast Conference, which ties a tournament record, while Gonzaga, with an enrollment of only 5,200, has one of the nation’s strongest rosters. e Duke Blue Devils, at 9-4 to win it all, get the nod as the top team of the 68 vying for the national championship, thanks mostly to 6-8 Zion Williamson, who according to the Boston Globe can play forward, guard or center “with the breadth of Charles Barkley, the hops of Dominique Wilkins, the inside moves of Kevin McHale and the passing ability of Magic Johnson.” Duke’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski, a fan favorite for many decades, has plenty of

other talent, including potential NBA firstround picks Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett. North Carolina, who played one of the toughest regular-season schedules, should feel comfortable playing against these tough teams in their Midwest Regional such as Kentucky, Houston and Kansas. e Tar Heels’ pair of freshman guards—Nassir Little and Coby White—are NBA prospects. Virginia returns as No. 1 seed for the fourth time in six years and needs to make up for being the first-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in an NCAA opener. e Cavaliers are the second overall No. 1 seed behind Duke and are back in the South Regional after losing to MarylandBaltimore County (UMBC) a year ago. e Cavs are still looking to reach their first Final Four with Head Coach Tony Bennett. e tourney will be one of the first times that Gonzaga is finally healthy. e Bull-

Local high school teams doing great DICKIE COLBURN FISHING REPORT FOR THE RECORD

While local saltwater anglers continue to struggle with the trout bite on Sabine Lake, their freshwater counterparts are cashing in on the spawn on both Rayburn and T-Bend. is past weekend a huge number of talented young anglers competed in the SETX High School Association tournament held on Rayburn and the final results confirmed just how good that bite has been. anks to a whopping 11.1 pound kicker bass, the Barbers Hill team of Ricky Bailey and Paden Dugat weighed in 21.28 pounds to nail down first place honors. e Orangefield team of Drew Tran and Koltin Marshall posted the top weight among County anglers and tied for the thirteenth spot with a 14.49-pound bag. e LCM team of Garrison Byerly and Will Henson finished right on their heels with 14.43 pounds. irteen county teams finished in the top 50 in a field of over 500 teams and 269 teams weighed in at least one bass. ere

See COLBURN, Page 2B

See KORNER, Page 2B

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2B • The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Korner

dogs played most of the season without forward Killian Tillie because of foot injuries but still beat Duke in the Maui Invitational and had a perfect regularseason run through the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga has been to the NCAA Tournament 21 times and is the No. 1 seed for the third time in seven years. Since 1985, the combined record of No. 1 seeds vs. No. 16 is 135-1 or 99.3 percent. No. 2 seed vs. No. 15 has a 94.1 winning percentage of 128-8. In comparison, No. 8 vs. No. 9 is exactly 50 percent with a 68-68 record. No. 1 seeds since 1985 have a won-loss record of 455-115 with 56 Final Fours and 21 national championships. e No. 2’s are 321-131, 16 Final Fours and 5 championships. Oddly enough, no No. 5 seed has ever won a championship. Five Lone Star State teams are competing in this year’s tourney with three in the West Regional—No. 16 Prairie View, No. 9 Baylor and No. 3 Texas Tech—and two in the Midwest Regional—No. 3 Houston and No. 15 Abilene Christian from the Southland Conference. Unfortunately, the Texas Longhorns and their 16-16 record was overlooked by the NCAA but was snapped up in an instant by the NIT. e ‘Horns hosted South Dakota State (24-8) last night in the Erwin Center. e South Regional 13thseeded UC-Irvine Anteaters have some good genealogy with guard Max Hazzard the grand-

From Page 1B son of UCLA legend Walt Hazzard and guard Spencer Rivers son of coach Doc Rivers. I’ve been a Dukie for a long time, probably because of my fellow countryman Coach K, and will be rooting them on again this tournament. KWICKIES…I was hoping that Jim Furyk’s lead in the clubhouse of last weekend’s Players Championship golf tournament would hold up but I’m not upset that he was overtaken by Irishman Rory McIlroy on St. Patrick’s Day, who pocketed a whopping $2.25 million while the 48-year-old Furyk took home $1.35 million, which has to be some kind of record for second place. Major League Baseball announced changes for the upcoming season by stating that all trades must be made by July 31 with waiver trades beyond that date eliminated. In 2020, pitchers must face a minimum of three batters, unless one or two suﬃce in ending the inning. Rosters expand to 26 players through August, but the traditional 40-man roster of September is reduced to 28. And speaking of baseball, former West Orange-Stark star pitcher Chad Dallas ﬁred a onehit shutout over Angelina giving Panola an 8-0 victory. e talented freshman had a perfect game going for six innings in racking up his third straight victory without a loss. And on a personal note, Army has had a busy spring break, coming to Texas and losing three games to the University of Houston by a total of six

Colburn were also three bass that bested the nine pound mark brought to the scales. Congratulations to the Association and all of the County High School teams that participated! While it is evident that most of the eighteen and under anglers were exploiting Rayburn, at least a few were making their mark on Toledo Bend. Seventeen year old Sam Conich and his brother, Allan, were drifting Carolina rigged Centipedes across a shallow ﬂat in the Tennessee Bay area when Allan thought he had hung his lure on the bottom. When the snag started moving on its own, both youngsters sensed it may be the bass they were looking for. After a chaotic struggle that included kicking the net overboard, Sam ﬁnally got a grip on his brother’s bass and lifted it over the side. “He wanted to keep it,” said Sam, “but his ten pound bass didn’t quite weigh nine pounds and I convinced him to immediately release her to grant her another chance of growing that big.” It didn’t help Alan’s noble cause when they showed Dad

runs, sweeping Stephen F. Austin 5-4 in 12 innings and 85. My grandson, Logan Smith started Wednesday’s game on a sloppy field, but limited the Lumberjacks to three hits and two earned runs in five innings of work. He left the game with a lead, but his relief wasn’t so fortunate and didn’t hold it, depriving Logan of the victory. Army played Ohio University last weekend, winning two and losing one. ey stood at 9-8 for the young season before returning to West Point to defend their 2018 Patriot Conference championship against Hofstra today. Johnny Manziel has found a team either desperate for a quarterback or doesn’t know about his life as a disruptive playboy as he signed an Alliance of American Football contract with the Memphis Express. e Canadian Football League terminated his contract during the off-season claiming Manziel violated his agreement with it, but offered no specifics. JUST BETWEEN US…Like I said in last week’s column, it wouldn’t take very long for a team to give Orange’s Earl omas what he was looking for in a new NFL contract. e Baltimore Ravens signed the All-Pro free safety to a fouryear, $55 million deal, with a whopping $32 million guaranteed. e Ravens needed someone to protect the middle of the field and that happens to be Earl’s specialty.

From Page 1B the pictures and he said that his scales were not at all accurate. He later admitted that he was only kidding! A little further south in the Arnold’s Bay area, sixteen year old Jamie Lenz caught and released a bass that did nudge past the ten pound mark while fishing with her Uncle. “He said the bass weighed 10.2 pounds and would have kept it had I wanted to,” said Jamie. “I felt sorry for the fish,” added the youngster, “especially after he said she was full of babies.” Her Uncle Cal reported that they have been catching a lot of really nice fish in that area jerking Long A’s down in six to eight feet of water. He caught an eight and seven the evening before the kids arrived. “We are catching all of our larger bass in the afternoons when the wind allows,” he later added. And, last but not least, Jeremy Sams enjoyed the thrill of the bite, but had to settle for a nine pound gaspergou. “My Dad said that if I added a little crawfish scent to my lizard that I would catch a bigger fish and he was right, but it was the

wrong kind of fish.” Jeremy is not the first person to share that experience, but he later added that the Fatherly tip also resulted in three bass over six pounds in two days of fishing. “I had never caught a five pound bass so I’m not complaining,” said Jeremy. ey were vertically jigging craw worms and lizards along the edges of hydrilla in twelve feet of water. I got in a couple of days on Sabine Lake last week and it was more of the same for me. We could not fish the lake due to the wind on Friday and had to settle for fishing a muddy Cow Bayou. We quit early, but still managed to catch a handful of small bass and several undersized reds on crankbaits. Louis Whitley said he and two friends found some solid slot reds Wednesday afternoon drifting three to four feet of water between Madam Johnson’s and the Gator Hole. He added that they caught their fish on Gulp jerk shads rigged under a popping cork. He also said that it was the clearest water they could find on the east shoreline.Clear measured eight to ten inches!

Drummin’ on the rocks CAPT. CHUCK UZZLE OUTDOORS WEEKLY FOR THE RECORD

Spring is the time when the whole fishing world loses its collective mind, winter is in the rear view mirror and most anglers are suffering miserably from cabin fever. Some of the angling faithful have taken advantage of the lack of on the water participation from most fishermen, big trout hunters have spent the past weeks waist deep in chilly water snatching stud trout from nearly every venue along the coast. Bass fishermen have enjoyed some incredible catches already this spring; double digit bass seem to be popping up anywhere and everywhere. Big trout and big bass certainly steal the thunder for the most part at this time of the year but they aren’t the only big fish game in town. Right now there are some genuine huge fish patrolling the near shore waters and only a few people actually take advantage of what could be the best opportunity all year to take a bona fide giant fish. e jetty systems at both Sabine and Calcasieu are known for spitting out some huge redfish and black drum. ese fish routinely top the 40 pound mark and occasionally go much bigger. is style of fishing is nothing close to finesse and requires some degree of patience along with some good gear. If catching the biggest fish of your life interests you then read on. Having these giant fish so close is not a new concept, for many years local anglers have gone to the rocks to tackle these huge fish. In a yearly ritual both fish and fishermen make their way to the passes, each for different reasons. e spring cur-

rents and water temps coax the redfish and black drum to follow their instincts and heed the call of nature; this is what brings them within most anglers reach. ese big spawning size fish make an annual predictable migration that only few fishermen take full advantage of. Once you decide to head for the jetties or the channel to tackle one of these awesome fish you need to be sure to gear up accordingly. Light action rods meant for chunking soft plastics and topwaters need not apply here, you can catch these fish on those lighter rods but they are certainly not preferred. A quality rod made to handle 20 pound test monofilament is a good place to start, the stiffer the action the better. Fish of this size are not delicate; they are pulling machines and require the angler to put plenty of pressure on them. A quality reel capable of storing a good amount of 15 to 20 pound test mono is the other piece of the equation. e old tried and true wide framed Ambassador or Calcutta are favorites for this duty. Good drags on reels are also a must as these fish will certainly put them to the test. Rigging up for these fish consists of a basics fish finder rig, also known as a Carolina rig. On the terminal end of the rig it’s preferable to have some heavy shock leader or fluorocarbon for extra abrasion protection from rocks, shell, or gill plates. e big 5/0 circle, live bait, or J style hooks are tailor made for this application, they need little or no pressure for a hook set and make releasing these big

fish much easier as they tend to lodge in the corner of the mouth rather than being swallowed. Any number of live or dead baits will work on these fish, shrimp, crab, mullet, or shad area all proven producers. Cracked crab is probably the favorite of the baits mentioned; the big reds and black drum are suckers for fresh crab. Now that you are all rigged up it’s time to concentrate on an area, deeper holes along the jetty wall and along the channel are without a doubt the best places to start. ese depressions tend to congregate these big fish as bait gathers in these areas on tide changes and the fish don’t have to move around much to get a meal. One of my personal favorite places to use this technique is around Lighthouse Cove; the shallow shell that lines the drop off into the ship channel is a magnet for these big fish. Also there are several spots along the jetty that are deeper than the rest, the end of the Texas jetty on the gulf side is also a great place to start. Once you locate these big fish and catch a couple you will soon see just how amazing this style of fishing can be. e opportunity to catch 40 plus inch fish that weigh near 50 pounds is awfully exciting, I don’t care who you are. A couple of reminders to think about take caution fishing around the channel or the jetty system because the ship traffic can be dangerous if you are not careful. Also be sure to take care of these huge fish when you catch them, most will be too large to keep so take great care when releasing them so they can live another day. Now that you have the low down on catching those huge fish get out there and get your line and arms stretched out.

Bridge City’s Kian Perry won the singles championship at the Kirbyville meet while teammate Alberto Munguia won the cosolation singles medal. Waverlee Cooper continued her domination of the girls singles after winning the gold, coming back from a one-set deficit to win the match 2-1.

Cardinals find tennis success At the Kirbyville Varsity Tennis Invitational held at the Beaumont Tennis Center, the Bridge City Cardinals continue to rack up the medals. Kian Perry, who usually plays doubles with his brother, decided to play singles while brother Camden enjoyed his spring break. Kian fought his way thru the

Boys Singles bracket playing ﬁve matches without dropping a set. He defeated Colton Haines from Kirbyville in the championship match 6-3;6-3. Teammate Alberto Munguia captured the consolation medal in the Boys Singles, defeating a player from Warren 8-0 in the ﬁnals. In Girls Singles action, Wa-

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verlee Cooper continues to dominate. Cooper was impressive in her battle to reach the ﬁnals. She defeated a very strong player from Kirbyville 4-6;6-1;60 in the championship match. e Bridge City Cardinal Tennis team will compete in the Ms. Sheila Varsity Invitational on March 22 at Lamar University.

The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 •

Madison Taylor, senior at Orangefield High School, competed at the Texas High School Womens Powerlifting Association State Meet in Waco, Tx on Friday. Madison brought home the gold, winning 1st place in the 3A State Championship 132 pound weight class. Her squat was 375 pounds, her bench was 215 pounds & her deadlift was 335, totaling 925 pounds. Madison was also awarded the THSWPA Scholarship for the 3A division in the amount of $1,000. Bridge City Cardinal junior pitcher Logan Hamm gets the start on the hill against Hardin Jefferson. The Cardinals prevailed 7-6 in the district bout for a 3-0 record and 11-4-2 overall. On Friday, Big Red returns to Chuck Young Field to host Lumberton. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn

Bridge City's Cameron Yadon smacks a hit against Hardin Jefferson as the Cardinals rolled on to a 7-6 victory over their district challenger. On Friday Bridge City host Lumberton. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn

GAME WARDEN FIELD NOTES e following items are compiled from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

That Dog Does Hunt While patrolling the Sam Houston National Forest, a Montgomery County Game Warden contacted four individuals who had firearms, rope and GPS tracking equipment. The hunter’s claimed that their dogs had gotten off the private property they were hunting, and they were trying to get them back. The warden asked if they knew it was illegal to run dogs in the national forest and they said that they did but were only trying to retrieve their dogs. The warden told them to gather their dogs and leave the forest as soon as possible. Once out of sight, the warden parked his vehicle and doubled back on the group just in time to witness them dragging a pig out of the woods. All four individuals received citations and a few warnings, and one was taken to Montgomery County Jail on local warrants.

Smile! You’re on Camera Hardin County Game Wardens wrapped up a weeklong investigation that resulted in apprehending two local subjects in the act of taking 35 catfish by way of hoop nets that were placed in Village Creek near the Polk/Hardin County line. The warden had begun the investigation the week prior and walked several miles along the creek until he discovered a boat that was tied up and unattended in a very remote part of the creek. After a quick inspection of the boat, he believed it was possibly being used to run hoop nets. The wardens devised a plan to enter the property before daylight, ahead of a forecasted heavy rain event, to catch the subjects in the act. After lying in wait for over 6 hours, the wardens heard the subjects arrive by vehicle and get in their boat that was still tied up on the creek. After they emptied one hoop net upstream, they returned to check a net downstream that just happened to be right in front of the wardens hiding spot. The subjects were captured on video removing fish from their nets and the look on their face when they were caught was “priceless.” Two hoop nets and 35 catfish were seized and several charges for taking fish by illegal means and possessing hoop nets in prohibited waters were filed.

Dug Himself into A Hole Houston County Game Wardens were watching bank fishermen on the Trinity River near the Lock and Dam when they observed a fisherman pull in his stringer and remove a white bass. The fisherman then cut off a large portion of the tail, baited his hook with it and reset his line in the water. He then turned around and began digging a hole into the side of the riverbank.

The wardens watched as the fisherman then placed the cut up white bass in the hole and covered it up to hide the evidence of what he had been doing. The wardens made contact with the fisherman and after denying even catching a fish he finally admitted to what he had been up to and uncovered the buried white bass. He was charged for using game fish as bait and given a warning for waste of game. Case pending.

Not Even Once A Henderson County Game Warden received a call from Malakoff Police Department regarding hunting from a public road. Malakoff Police Department had received a call about a suspicious vehicle and while searching the area, observed a vehicle shining a spotlight from a public road. The driver was found to have a cocked crossbow, with a bolt in place, multiple flashlights and methamphetamine. Numerous reports have recently been received on this vehicle regarding suspicious activity, along with numerous deer carcasses being found in the same area. The driver was placed in jail for both the drug and hunting charges. This investigation is continuing.

Can’t Hide on the Water Beaumont District Game Wardens were on patrol transiting through the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Jefferson County when they observed a bass boat traveling at high speed and attempted to stop it for a water safety inspection. Suspiciously, the bass boat occupants never turned around to observe the wardens and the activated blue lights on the patrol vessel. They were able to catch up to the bass boat after approximately 3 miles at a public boat ramp, and it appeared that the subjects were in a hurry to load their vessel. Contact was made and upon inspection, the wardens found several water safety and fishing violations. Over the limit of red drum (X4), undersized red drum (X5), and one undersized black drum were some of the violations noted. Multiple citations were issued, and civil restitution is pending.

Reunited and It Feels So Good A Marine Theft Investigator was contacted about a suspicious vessel on the banks of Little Cypress. Upon arrival, he discovered the hull identification number plate was removed, so the vessel was seized. After further investigation, the warden was able to locate it, finding no record listed for the vessel. Realizing that a local outdoor retailer sells this brand of vessel, the warden contacted them about finding a possible owner through their system. After a brief search, he was able to find the owner of the vessel and verified that he had reported a theft 3 years prior. The warden contacted the owner and returned his vessel. The owner, who is a veteran and has a passion for fishing in his private lake, was beyond excited the have his vessel back.

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4B • The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Katy Latiolais of Orange, Regent (President) for the Orange William Diamond Chapter of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), standing, presents Ellen Walker Reinstra of Beaumont with a gift for her book review of “The Long Shadow: The LutcherStark Lumber Dynasty.” Rienstra co-authored the book with Jo Ann Stiles, also of Beaumont, which was published in 2016 by the University of Texas Press. Rienstra autographed several books after the March 19 review at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Bridge City. DAR is an organization based on one’s ancestry of one participating in the American Revolution. RECORD PHOTO: Anne Payne

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Senate Bill 500, also known as the supplemental budget bill. e supplemental is used to cover outstanding expenditures that may have arisen after the last biennium’s budget was adopted. Of the $6 billion allocated in this bill, most of it will be directed to cover Harvey related costs. is includes approximately $900 million for school districts impacted by lowered property values and attendance decreases caused by Hurricane Harvey. $100 million has been allocated to harden schools related to school safety,

as well as additional funding to increase the state’s contribution to the Teacher Retirement System. A state ﬂood plan and other disaster prevention plans would also be funded, contingent on legislation passing to cover these costs. I talk about some of these bills in the item below.

3. Disaster Relief Bills e Senate has ﬁled Senate Bills 6,7 and 8, with the funding allocated in each amounting to $1.8 billion in disaster relief for Texans. Senate Bill 6 would re-

quire the Texas Department of Emergency Management to create a disaster response plan for local officials in cities and counties. Senate Bill 7, would create a ‘resiliency fund’ of $900 million from the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund (also known as the Rainy Day Fund) to help local communities draw down billions more in federal recovery funds for flood projects. Approximately $200 million of these funds would be used to draw down federal funds to construct nearly 27 miles of coastal levees in Orange County, which lies within Senate District 3, and to shore up nearly 30 miles of existing coastal levees in Port Arthur and Freeport. Senate Bill 8 would direct the state’s water planning agency to create the first statewide flood plan in Texas.

Webmaster at LCM CISD also award-winning master filmmaker Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD Network Engineer and Webmaster, Roy Mazzagate, obviously has technical skills, given his chosen profession. One of the ways that he uses those skills when he’s not working at LCM, is filmmaking. Besides weddings and other special occasions, Roy has done several short films that have received nationwide recognition. His latest film, “Waiting For You,” received the Sanctity of Life, Runner Up Award at the Christian Worldview Film Festival in Nashville, TN, one of the biggest faith-based film festival in the country. According to Roy, “Speakers included Stephen Kendrick, co-writer and producer of Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, and their new movie coming out, Overcomer.” Just recently, it was announced that “Waiting For You” is 1 of 16 short films nominated for Best Short and 1 of 14 nominated for Most Inspirational Short at the upcoming International Christian Film Festival in Orlando, FL., another major faith-based fest. This is out of 97 total short films selected into the festival. The film has been selected into 19 national and international festivals and this latest recognition is the tenth award that it has received. Other awards garnered by the

Roy Mazzagate, network engineer at Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD, is a multi-award winning filmmaker. film, which features Roy’s daughter, Emily, are: Best Redemptive Short CARE Awards · Best Mini-Film, Best Actress, Best Choreography, Best Educational - Christian Film Festival · Best Micro Film - James

Bond III Film Festival Christian Edition · Director’s Award - Jamaica International Faith Film Festival · Best Micro Short - Christian Family Film Festival · Best of Fest - Cherub Film Festival

4. School Finance e Senate and the House have each filed their versions of a school finance reform bill. In addition to Senate Bill 3, the teacher pay raise bill, and Senate Bill 2, the property tax reform bill. Senate Bill 4 contains proposals for fund full-day prek, incentives for school districts to improve their third-grade reading performance, increase funding for low-income students and potential funding for teacher merit pay. ere are many aspects of this bill that are still being considered in terms of changes in school funding formulas. e house version, House Bill 3, combines many aspects of the three Senate bills into one. it would provide an increase for base funding per students, funding for property tax reform, help to reduce recapture payments and funding for school districts to offer a merit pay program. e Senate and the House will have to work together to ensure that we are able to provide effective school finance reform. or it

5. Shelbyville Basketball Team It was a very proud moment for Senate District 3 when we heard that an East Texas boys basketball team had won State Championship. e Shelbyville ISD Dragons are now the UIL Boy’s State Basketball Tournament Champions after they beat their opponents in San Antonio this past week. On their path to the championship, the Dragons outscored their opponents by a margin of 531 points to 343. I would like to congratulate the team on their win and hope that all teams in East Texas are successful in their futures.

Based in Dallas, the 3 Redneck Tenors have been seen as top 10 finalists on America’s Got Talent, on Larry The Cable Guy’s History Channel Show “Only in America” and live in theaters across the nation and around the world.

‘3 Redneck Tenors’ headline 16th Annual Gulf Coast Gala e eclectic singing group “3 Redneck Tenors” will headline the 16th Annual Gulf Coast Gala at Lamar State College Port Arthur. e fun-ﬁlled event will feature a mixture of down-home laughs with big city music on Saturday, April 27, starting at 7 p.m. e performance takes place at the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center on the campus of LSCPA, 1800 Lakeshore Drive, Port Arthur. e black-tie or business attire event includes a formal meal preceding the night’s entertainment and, as always, proceeds beneﬁt the College and the Museum of the Gulf Coast. 3 Redneck Tenors, the trailer park singing sensations, have a lot of great stories to tell during their performance, taking the audience on one sidesplitting

ride of comedy and crowd interaction. Audiences spend an evening wowed by veteran singers showcased through a smorgasbord of songs ranging from Gospel and Country to Broadway, Pop, and Classical. “e Gulf Coast Gala is always a great night of entertainment each spring but to have a fun and unique group like 3 Redneck Tenors is particularly exciting,” LSCPA President Dr. Betty Reynard said. “ose in attendance are in for a great night of laughter and world class music.” Various levels of sponsorships are available to help the eﬀorts of the college with individual tickets and tables available for purchase. Tables are priced at the Benefactor level for $10,000, Grand Patron $5,000, Patron $2,500 and Friend $1,200. Individual tickets are available for $150. For sponsorships, tickets or information, call 409-999-6281. Tickets and tables may also be reserved online at www.lamarpa.edu/gala. Based in Dallas, they have been seen as top 10 ﬁnalists on America’s Got Talent, on Larry e Cable Guy’s History Channel Show “Only in America” and live in theaters across the nation and around the world. e 3 Redneck Tenors have been touring since 2005, and in that time, they have performed in almost 1,000 cities. For years they were a mainstay venue at the Andy Williams eater in Branson, MO., which has led them to major venues all over the country. ese included the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, the Majestic eater in Dallas, Bass Hall In Fort Worth, the Friars Club In New York City, e Improv of Los Angeles and Pittsburg, e Balboa eater in San Diego, and Severance Hall with the Cleveland Pops, among many others. Internationally they have been seen in Buenos Aires (Argentina) Reykjavik, (Iceland), Santiago (Chile), and Halifax (Nova Sco-

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tia). Last year they were in 130 cities and have just returned from Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida to be with us April 27, 2019. Matthew Lord is a native of California. He is recognized as a versatile performing artist whose stage work is consistently praised for its naturalness, intensity, and commitment. Lord has performed with almost every major opera house in the U.S. and made his New York Metropolitan Opera debut in January 2004 in Boris Godunov, and also performed in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera as Piangi in the Hamburg Germany production. He is a graduate of the prestigious Julliard Opera Center. Blake Davidson is an awardwinning singer who has performed all over the world and whose range of experience includes opera, symphony, and musical theatre. He has been presented in solo concerts at NYU, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Tokyo Opera House. Davidson has sung with the Anchorage Opera and the Dallas Opera, and is a featured soloist on the Dallas Symphony’s Christmas CD. Early in his career he was seen oﬀBroadway at 2nd Stage, and as the ringmaster for the Shrine circus. Jonathan Frugé holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and his Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University. His credits include choral performances and soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall with the New York City Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Concert Hall, among many others. Before joining 3 Redneck Tenors, Frugé was a highly sought-after stage performer having over 20 leading roles to his credit including Col. Hugh Pickering in My Fair Lady, Jinx in Forever Plaid, 3 original premiers and 4 regional tours.

The Record • Week of Wednesday, March 20, 2019 •

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is collecting new children’s shoes through April 3 in preparation for April’s Child Abuse Awareness Month.

D.A.’s office collects kids shoes e Orange County District Attorney’s Office is collecting new children’s shoes now through April 3. In preparation for April’s Child Abuse Awareness Month we are collecting new, closed-toe shoes, toddler size through size 13 and bigger children’s sizes (adult sizes) 1-8. (No sandals or flip- flops please). ese shoes will be donated CPS’s Rainbow Room to be given to children in need who have been victims of child abuse and neglect. If you want to help give an abused and/or neg-

lected child a NEW pair of shoes, you can deliver them to our oﬃce in the Orange County Courthouse, or just place them in a box inside the courthouse that we have set up. Or, you can deliver them to the Orange Chamber of Commerce. One last thing, Friday, April 5 is Go Blue Day. Wear blue to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention and join us at noon in front of the Orange County Courthouse for lunch and to stand together to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention.

Bees Even now the middle of March there is not enough flowers to sustain the hives. I was truly humbled as I failed to recognize the speed at which the bees were eating up their stores and began to starve. I lost several good strong hives to starvation. One day they are growing, working, looking really good and then a few weeks later I opened hives to find a pile of bees on the bottom board and lots of dead bees stuck in the empty cells. When you find dead bees with their tails sticking out of empty cells that is a sign they starved trying to lick the last speck of honey. I feel sick at the

From Page 7A loss of these hives, I try to leave plenty of honey in July/August when I rob my hives. You can’t imagine how sickening it is to find a hive that has starved. For a beekeeper this almost like having to put your favorite pet down. I’m not trying to make a living off my bees. I just want to sell enough honey to buy equipment, wood ware, bottles, labels and miscellaneous beekeeping stuff for next year. Well, I learned a hard lesson and I hope to not make the same mistake again. I’ll watch more, be more observant and not make the same assumptions I did this year. I used to hold the position that if a hive did not

survive the winter maybe that was a way to select only the best genetics, only keep bees that can survive. But when you go an Apiary (a place where beekeepers place hives) and every hive in that area is starving you realize it’s not the bee genetics that are bad it’s the ignorant beekeeper. Well I learned my lesson, I’m still sick to my stomach as I think about how I let my bees down. Every time I pick up one of those empty hive boxes to clean it up and get it ready to reuse it’s like a kick in the stomach. Help save our bees, let a few wild ﬂowers bloom, buy honey from a local beekeeper.

The Orange County Master Gardeners will host their annual Plant Fair this Saturday, March 23, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Orangefield.

Master Gardeners hold Plant Fair this Saturday Plants, Plants and more Plants! is is what you will see when you visit the Orange County Master Gardeners’ Annual Bloomin’ Crazy Plant Fair. Held yearly at the pavilion in Cormier Park, 8235 FM 1442, Orangefield this Saturday, March 23 from 8AM – 1PM, rain or shine, you will not be disappointed. There will be hundreds of plants to choose from to beautify you landscape, patio and home. All which have been locally grown by the Master Gardeners and local wholesale nursery suppliers. There will be several different citrus varieties including orange, Satsuma and mandarins for sale and Mr. Bonnie Childers who lived in Orange at one time will be available to answer any of your citrus questions. He is known locally as the “citrus guru”. In addition to citrus, we will have 4 varieties of fig trees, Thornless blackberries, blueberries grown by a local grower who supplies blueberries to HEB statewide,

sweet strawberries, summer raspberries, Mexican Plums and many more fruit and nut trees. For your landscape and flower beds, we will have our famous Texas SuperStar plants available along with native Texas and perennial plants that grow best in our area. There will be such a large assortment of plants, too many to list, you will have to come see for your self. Of course, vegetables can’t be left out; with 7 varieties of tomatoes and 8 varieties of peppers there will be many herbs and other vegetables to select from also. The plant sale is the main and sometimes only fundraiser the organization has each year. With monies raised, it helps fund projects and educational opportunities for all of Orange County in the horticultural area along with school projects. In addition, we present a scholarship yearly to a LamarOrange student. Our Ask the Master Gar-

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dener expert will be there to answer your gardening questions including any of the Master Gardeners in the different plant areas. This year seven vendor booths will be on premise to accentuate your plant buying. The vendors will have available organic fertilizers, honey made products, essential oils, goat milk products, items for home and office, home made jewelry and growing asparagus books. So come prepared to spend time browsing all our plants and vendors. To learn more about Orange County Master Gardeners please visit our website https://txmg.org/orange. Our next Master Gardener class starts April 4, for more information contact the Orange County Texas A&M AgriLife Office at 409 882-7010. Monthly meetings are held the second Thursday of each month from 6:30 – 8PM at the Orange County EXPO Center. The public is invited to attend any of the meetings.