FISHING ORANGE COUNTY
Sports
OUTDOORS
Kaz’s Korner
Capt. Chuck Uzzle
Commentary
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1B
Page 1B
Hunting & Fishing
RELIGION & LOCAL CHURCH GUIDE Page 7A
Page 3B
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 58 No. 7
Distributed FREE To The Citizens of Bridge City and Orangefield
Week of Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Bessie Heights marsh ‘fleeting’ draws concerns Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
A wetlands area known for its natural beauty and delicate eco-system was a point of discussion during commissioners court on Tuesday afternoon. The Orange County Commissioners met in a regular scheduled session on Tuesday afternoon to take care a variety of regular business, but also to address a matter involving an unidentified company beginning to use the Bessie Heights Marsh as a fleeting area, or staging area, for nu-
merous barges and push boats. “The Bessie Heights Marsh is an integral part of Orange County,” said Jody Crump, Orange County Commissioner of Precinct 4. “It’s a protected area and millions of dollars have been spent to restore it over the years. It’s well known for its fishing, hunting and for its birding and it serves as a natural watershed. I’m concerned about the damage that can be done to this area by using it as a fleeting area.” According to Crump, a total of 38 vessels, from barges to push boats, are already being stationed in and using more
than 28 acres of the Bessie Heights Marsh and many are already encroaching on shoreline areas which are of great concern. “This company has never come to see (Commissioners
Court) and all of the meetings were in Jefferson County,” Crump added. “We have not seen any documentation from this group or any environmental studies on what the impact will be to these wetlands.”
Orange County Judge Brint Carlton was opposed to the current situation as well and believes there is need to rectify the matter. “We’ve tried to improve economic development in Orange
County and we want businesses to come hre, but there appears to be a lack of information on the environmental impact and economic impact
COUNTY Page 3A
More to horsemanship than a ‘whisper’
‘The Record’ brings home media awards Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
The Record Newspapers staff shined brilliantly this past Friday following an annual awards banquet featuring media outlets from across the region. The Press Club of Southeast Texas held its 25th Annual Excellence in Media Awards on Friday, June 10, at the MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont to recognize the best in radio, television and print journalism in 2015. Staff from The Record Newspapers secured a total of eight awards, including three first-place awards, in the non-daily newspaper division. Writer Debby Schamber claimed a first-place award on the night in the “Feature Sto-
“Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart. Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it.” Psalm 37.4-5
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The Record community news staffer Debby Schamber poses with three first place trophies the organization won during the 2016 Press Club of SE Texas ‘Excellence In Media” awards.
ry” category for her article, “Thirty-one year old case leaves unanswered questions.” Mark Dunn was recognized three times on the night for his work with The Record Newspapers. He won a first place award in the “Non-Daily Sports Page Design/Layout” category, a second-place award for “Non-Daily News Page Design/Layout” and an honorable mention for The County Record in the “Overall Excellence” category. Columnist Caroline Brewton won three awards for her with The Record Newspapers in 2015. Brewton received second place in “Guest Column” category for her article, “Self Starvation and the bikini bridge hoax,” a second place in the “General Column” category for the column, “Outgrowing growing pains,” and an honorable mention in “General Column” for her article, “On choosing a private Christian school: an outsiders perspective.” Sportswriter Meri Elen Jacobs won a first-place award in the “Sports News” category for her story, “Mustangs claim state championship,” which was about the West OrangeStark Mustangs first state title in football since 1987. A full list of categories and awards can be found online at pressclubofsoutheasttexas.org
Twenty-three riders, ages 7-15, participated in the Texas A&M University Horsemanship Clinic at T2 Arena and Event Center in Orange on Monday and Tuesday. The Event was sponsored by the Orange County 4H Club ‘Boots and Bridles’ and The Hardin County 4H Club ‘Horse and Rider’. Instructors Abby Snyder and Sarah Caty Cochram from Texas A&M worked with each individual and small groups on basic and fundamental horsemanship skills. Drills were as much for the benefit of the horses as well as the riders. RECORD PHOTO: Lawrence Trimm
Cooking Camp offers youth life skills Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Summer is a time for fun, friendship and making memories and one local organization is helping children do just that. The Orange County 4-H and Texas AgriLife Extension Service are once again holding their annual Summer Youth Cooking Camp for area children ages 8 to 14. The weeklong camp, which is being held at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center, located off FM 1442 in Orange, has grown in size and popularing over its three years. “When we started this camp three years ago, we only had 15 kids participate,” said Fallon Foster, County Extension Agent. “It has become very popular, very quickly. We had 55 children attend in 2015 and expanded it to 60 children this year. We still had 30 children on the waiting list for this year’s program, but we can only accommodate so many because our biggest problem is making sure we have enough volunteers.”
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Orange County 4-H are holding the annual Kids Cooking Camp this week at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center on FM 1442 in Orange for children ages 8 to 14. Campers, from left to right, such as Ava Dyer, Sofia Harrison, Kelsey Carolan (volunteer leader), Jaxon Briggs and Alexis Gantt, prepare items for Tuesday’s entree, Mexican Zucchini Burrito Boats. The campers also learn proper techniques for cutting, measuring, health and safety in the kitchen. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann Jr.
The children are divided into small work-groups at each work station and rotate hourly into different areas of the camp. These areas include cooking, food safety, nutrition and 4-H Prep, which provides
information about Orange County 4-H and its many other programs. “The concept of the cooking camp is to introduce the children to 4-H and what it is all about,” Foster added. “Many
people do not realize it, but 4-H is more than just dealing with livestock.” As for the cooking camp itself, the program is providing many of the children a valuable learning experience they can use at home with adult supervision. “We are trying to teach them basic cooking skills, such as measuring ingredients and cutting, and we are letting them do as much of the work as possible,” she explained. “Cooking is a life skill they can use as they grow-up and give them confidence.” To make the cooking camp even more exciting for the children, each day of the camp followed a theme. On Monday, the campers prepared Italian dishes and were visited by a guest chef from Luigi’s Italian restaurant in West Orange, and on Tuesday the children prepared Mexican dishes. For the rest of the week, the youth will prepare an Asianthemed meal and desert on Wednesday, while Thursday will be the “Food Challenge” COOKING Page 3A