Countyrecord issue111815

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Published for Orange Countians by Orange Countians

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County Record

TheRecordLive.com

Vol. 57 No. 29

The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas

Week of Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Oversight of Risk Management changed Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record

Orange County continues to make efforts to improve its operations in all departments and took another step to do so on Tuesday afternoon. Ryan Peabody, the Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator, addressed Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday and recommended moving oversight authority for Risk Management

St. Mary Alter Society gifts and gumbo Staff Report For The Record

St. Mary Altar Society Annual GIft Shop and Gumbo Lunch The women of St. mary Altar Society will be holding their annual gift shop and gumbo luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 19, at St. Mary Parish Hall, 912 W. Cherry Ave., Orange. Doors will be open from 9 am-2 pm. The gumbo, cooked by Larry David, will be served from 11 am-1 pm. Meal tickets will be available at the door for $8. This will include a 20 oz bowl of chicken gumbo over rice, potato salad, crackers, tea and homemade cake for dessert. Take out is available with the container being furnished. Delivery is available for orders of five or more. Orders must be placed by Tuesday, Nov. 17. In addition to lunch, there will be homemade baked and canned goods, frozen gumbo and homemade casseroles for sale. The Sweet Shop will have homemade cake, cookies, goodies and candies. There will also be crafts, aprons and Christmas gifts for sale and a silent auction including gift baskets and more beginning at 9 am. For questions or more information, call 8864623 or 779--7076.

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and Airport Departments to Commissioners from the Emergency Management Department. He also recommended Peabody making the Risk Manager position, which is held by Missy Pillsbury, into an independent department head.

“Our current risk manager (Missy Pillsbury) is doing a great job,” Peabody said. “She manages grants that we receive as Orange County and does a great job with that. This will just move the position out from under Emergency Management and eliminate redundancy as we streamline operations.” Peabody said Pillsbury would still work with Emergency Management as needed, and the move would not require any classification of the posi-

tion. Pillsbury stated she was fine with the change of oversight and commissioners approved the move by a unanimous vote. She received praise for her hard work as risk manager and for the county airport. In other news, Sabrina Gray, Event Coordinator of the Orange County Convention and Expo Center, was prepared to address commissioners about hiring an employee for the facility. However, the agenda

misrepresented the position as part-time while Gray stated it was supposed to be for a fulltime position. Since it was incorrectly listed, commissioners tabled the item to be placed on the next meeting agenda. Gray was able to speak to commissioners about another topic, which was a request for a wage increase from $8.76 per hour to $10 per hour for parttime help at the Expo Center. “These positions are not like other county part-time jobs,

where the employees work 29 hours,” Gray explained. “They are strictly limited to weekends, when we have activities at the Expo Center. It might be like five hours on a Saturday or Sunday, and they may work just one weekend a month or 3 weekends in a month. It just depends on the number of events going on.” The funds for this wage increase would not come from

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WO appoints new fire chief, assistant Tommy Mann Jr.

For The Record

The West Orange Volunteer Fire Department officially has new leadership in place. The City of West Orange held a specially scheduled meeting this past Monday at City Hall and the two leading items on the agenda were to appoint two people to positions of chief and assistant chief of the West Orange Volunteer Fire Department. Mayor Roy McDonald appointed Terry Veitch as the new fire chief and Dean Dyson as assistant fire chief. Both men were approved for these appointments unanimously by city council. “I’m thankful for this opportunity,” Veitch said following his appointment. “It’s been a honor to be with the city as long as I have, and I’m looking forward to this new experience as fire chief.” Dyson has been serving as assistant fire chief since 2011, according to McDonald, and agreed to continue serving in

that capacity. Veitch has been with the West Orange Volunteer Fire Department for 12 years. “This fire chief position has been open for only a few months at most, and we wanted to get it filled quickly,” McDonald said. “Dean (Dyson) agreed to step up and take charge, until we were able to fill the position, so we knew our citizens were in good hands.” In other news, the official Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration was announced at the end of Monday’s council meeting. The annual event will be held at 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 7, at City Hall and is open to the public. The celebration will include the tree lighting, singing of Christmas Carols, a visit with Santa Claus, and the reading of “A Cajun Night Before Christmas” by Carl Thibodeaux, former Orange County Judge and current West Orange councilmember. “I love doing it every year,” Thibodeaux said. “And it seems like everyone else loves it too.”

Joe Alford, West Orange city attorney, at left, gives the oath of office to Dean Dyson and Terry Veitch as the two men had been appointed as assistant fire chief and fire chief, respectively, of the West Orange Volunteer Fire Department during Monday’s West Orange city council meeting. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann

The Orange chapter of Altrusa International, Inc. prepared approximately 200 orders of chili on Thursday as part of its annual fundraiser for scholarships, which will be awarded to local high school students in 2016. Pictured, clockwise, from left, are: Joey Williamson, Gale Beckett, Eva Magnuson, Pat Caillavet, Patti Nimitz, Neil Nimitz, Geraldine Chesser, Patrick Breckel and Debbie Hughes. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann

Altrusa helps students with annual chili fundraiser Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record

A local organization known for dedication to the community continued with an annual tradition on Thursday to assist local high school students. The Orange chapter of Altrusa International, Inc. held its annual chili supper fundraiser this past Thursday inside the Gillespie Building of First Presbyterian Church in Orange. The event is held each year to raise funds for scholarships, which are given to two local students, one from West Orange-Stark High School and one from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School. “This is our largest fundraiser each year,” said Gale Beckett, president of the lo-

cal chapter of Altrusa. “It’s primarily for scholarships, so students can attend any of the Lamar campuses, but it hasn’t always been just for scholarships.” In 2008, following the devastation of the storm surge unleashed by Hurricane Ike, the organization opted to use the proceeds from its chili fundraiser to assist four families in Bridge City on the road to recovery. Each year the Altrusa organization prepares approximately 40 gallons of chili and several pounds of rice for its limit of 200 orders, which are made through pre-paid ticket purchases each year for the fundraiser. “The public has always been very receptive of our event,” Beckett added. “We

deliver most of the orders to local businesses, but a lot of people come here to pick them up at a specified time. We enjoy doing this for the community and for the students we try to assist each year.” Altrusa International was founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1917, according to its official website. Altrusa members are united through their dedication to develop and apply leadership abilities, to capitalize on its worldwide member network and to find partners to help improve its communities. Along with its annual chili dinner fundraiser, the local chapter of Altrusa International also presents a “Woman of the Year” award each spring.

Family of Tami Higgenbotham wants justice Debby Schamber For The Record

The family of Tami Higgenbotham, who was murdered in Feb. 2013, is still seeking answers in the case against Joshua Latham of Mauriceville. The murder charges against Latham have been dropped by the Newton County District Attorney’s Office. Latham now faces charges of tampering with evidence after he flung Higgenbotham’s purse out of his vehicle. He also faces a failure to appear charge after he fled the state and failed to show up for the murder trial in Feb.

2015. Higgenbotham’s family arrived at the nearly empty court room only to discover they would not see justice for her on that day. PHOTO: The family of Tami Higgenbotham, who was murdered in Feb. 2013, stand outside the Newton County court house awaiting the trial of Joshua Latham of Mauriceville. The charges of murder have been dropped. Latham now faces charges of tampering with evidence and failure to appear. They made signs to express their distress over the happenings during the past two years.

Latham has chosen to allow a jury to decide his fate on the charges. However, due to an oversight by the jailor who brought him into the court room in handcuffs, the trial has once again been postponed until Dec. 7th. The judicial district judge presiding over the case explained it was against his constitutional rights to be seen by the jury pool in handcuffs. If convicted of the charges Latham could receive up to 10 years in prison and is eligible

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