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Published for Orange Countians by Orange Countians
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County Record
TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 57 No. 38
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, January 20, 2015
Educator and environmentalist Mike Hoke dies
Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Michael Hoke, a man known for his passion for educating young minds and the environment died this past week. Hoke, who died Wednesday, Jan. 13, leaves behind a legacy which will be remembered for years to come. He was an important member of the community who strived to make the world a better place by improving the environment and he did that for many years right here in Orange. Hoke was very instrumental in the construction of Shangri La and making the facility the world recognized facility it has
become. He was employed with the Stark Foundation and Shangri La for 11 years before
retiring in 2013. “My colleagues and I were deeply saddened to learn of the
death of Michael Hoke,” said Walter G. Riedel III, president and CEO of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, in a statement. “As the first director of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Mike was extremely instrumental in not only planning and developing the Gardens, but also in presenting to the Foundation’s Board of Direc-
For The Record
Staff Report For The Record
The local community theater group is accepting play submissions for its upcoming season. The Orange Community Players has announced it is accepting play submissions for its upcoming 59th season. Any person with experience in directing is invited to submit a play draft for consideration for the new season, which will tentatively begin in August of this year. Each season of the Orange Community Players has four productions. The plays being submitted for consideration do not need to be submitted by a directorial candidate, but that is preferred. Anyone with directing experience is asked to submit a brief resume as well. Submissions may be sent to Diana Hill, chairperson of the Plays and Directors Committee, at dianakhill1@aol.com. More information is available on the Orange Community Players Facebook page or its website at www.orangecommunityplayers.com. The deadline to submit a play for consideration is Monday, Feb. 29, 2016.
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Before he went to work at Shangri La, Hoke was an educator for many years with the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District as a science teacher and spent many years shaping young minds. He helped create a Nature Classroom in the 1990s, which helped students
MIKE HOKE Page 3A
Commissioners establish policy for bill payments Tommy Mann Jr.
OCP accepting new plays, directors
tors the initial concept of a restored Shangri La. “His contributions to Shangri La Gardens were numerous, but none was more important than the emphasis on education,” Riedel continued. “Mike was a tireless advocate for education, and he touched the lives of countless students through his years as a science teacher, educator and mentor.
Mike Hoke, who died Wednesday, Jan. 13, leaves behind a legacy which will be remembered for years to come. He was an important member of the community who strived to make the world a better place by improving the environment and he did that for many years right here in Orange. RECORD PHOTO: Larry Trimm
Commissioners approved a new policy on Tuesday which will hopefully prevent any future problems with bill payments on the rare chance a meeting is not held. Orange County Commissioners unanimously approved a new policy Tuesday afternoon, which will continue until Sept. 30, 2016, the end of the current fiscal year, to help make sure certain county bills are paid when a situation arises and a meeting of Commissioners Court cannot be held. On Dec. 29, 2015, the last meeting of the calendar year for Orange County Commissioners, the meeting was can-
celed because a quorum was not in attendance. Two commissioners were out of town and one commissioner was ill, thereCarlton by canceling the meeting and prohibiting the court from approving the payment of bills, one of which included the county’s fuel bill. A special workshop session was held on Tuesday morning, where Orange County Judge Brint Carlton presented options on how this issue could resolved should it ever occur again. “Basically, what we did today was pass an order to pay bills in
the event Commissioners Court doesn’t meet for some reason,” Carlton said following Tuesday’s meeting. “It has nothing to do with our budget or funding. It’s just because we didn’t have a quorum to meet on December 29th, so the bill was already late by the time we approved it.” An issue which complicated the matter was the fact the bill was sent to the old billing address of the fuel company instead of the new address, which changed in late 2015. “That was no fault of the staff,” Carlton said. “We haven’t been using the return mail envelopes which are sent with the bill. Instead, we used a differ-
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Filing begins for May elections Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
The filing period for local elections in May has begun. The filing period for places on the May general elections is now open from Wednesday, Jan. 20 through Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 for several cities and school districts, along with various water districts and the port and navigation district. Early voting for the general election is from Monday, April 25 through Tuesday, May, 3. Election day will be Saturday, May 7. Some new laws are in place for this year’s general election. One of the new laws has changed the uniform election day to the first Saturday in the month of May, instead of the second Saturday. Another change pertains to voters who wish to apply for a ballot by
mail. The last day to apply for a ballot by mail will be April 26. It must be received by the Orange County Election Administrators Office on this date, not postmarked. City of Orange The City of Orange will have three council seats open for election this year. Positions open for election include District 2 seat held by Dr. Wayne Guidry, District 4 position held by Mary McKenna, and Bill Mello, who holds the Place 5 at-large position. People interested in filing may contact city secretary at 409-883-1042 for more information. City of West Orange The City of West Orange has three at-large city council
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Dozens of area residents participated in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, sponsored by the Orange chapter of the NAACP, through downtown Orange on Monday morning. The parade featured people marching, while singing “Happy Birthday” to Dr. King, as well as chants of inspiration and peace, followed by a procession of vehicles with signs honoring the great American man. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann Jr.
Orange Mardi Gras parade ready to roll Jan. 30 Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Laissez les bon temps rouler! It’s Mardi Gras time in Southeast Texas and that means Orange County will kick off the good times with its annual parade at the end of the month. The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Krewe of Krewes Parade beginning at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 30 in downtown Orange. The family-friendly event will feature
Betty Harmon of Orange during Orange Mardi Gras 2015. RECORD PHOTO: Larry Trimm
numerous decorated and lighted floats, more beads than you can imagine and an evening of live music and fun following the parade. “This parade is a true family-friendly event,” said Ida Schossow, president of the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce. “There is always plenty of beads, trinkets and toys for the children, and lots of illuminated floats and trailers to see. It’s just great family fun.” The parade will begin and end near the Orange Riverfront Pavilion, which is locat-
ed near the intersection of Sixth Street and Division Avenue. The parade route will start near the pavilion and travel down Division to 10th Street, where it will then continue right to Green Avenue. From Green Avenue the caravan will move east to First Street and turn right and then move to Front Street before reaching Sixth Street and concluding near the Pavilion. All floats will be staged in the parking lot adjacent to the Orange
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