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THOMAS Kaz’sKorner Page 1B
BEST FISHING IN TEXAS
OUTDOORS WEEKLY
Caroline Brewton Columnist
Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 6B
Capt. Dickie Colburn Page 1B
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County Record Vol. 53 No. 42
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday January 22, 2014
Keeping Orange County Beautiful one step at a time David Ball
For The Record
It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. Keep Orange County Beautiful has been one busy organization the past year and it shows no signs of slowing down this year. J. David Derosier, chair of the KOCB, said one of the
Benefit for Olivia Maria Coats Benefit for Olivia Marie Coats will be from 10 a.m. until Sunday, Jan. 26 at the Orangefield Fire Department near the intsection of Hwy 105 and Hwy 408 in Orangefield. There will be live music, bbq, decals, t-shirts and a silent auction. Olivia’s skull was crushed and she suffered a fractured spine when her mother’s doctor decided to use forceps prior to performing an emergency Csection in a Port Arthur hospital. Olivia’s parents are trying to raise money to encourage the banning of forceps being used to aide in difficult deliveries across the nation, as serious injuries, and even death, can occur as a result. For more info go to https://facebook.com/oliviamariecoats.
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highlights the nonprofit corporation is participating in is the red litter button on the kocb.org website. Residents can report litterers at the click of a button. The site is connected with the Texas Department of Transportation’s campaign Keep Texas Beautiful and Keep American Beautiful. Residents who see others litter roadways from their vehicles may report to the site after submitting the license number, make and color of the
vehicle, date and time, location, who tossed the litter and what was tossed in a form. Violators are Derosier sent a Don’t Mess with Texas litter bag along with a letter reminding them keep trash off the roads. KOCB created 25 promotional banners for businesses to purchase and sold out. For instance, the entrance to Clai-
borne West Park in Vidor has a red button banner. KOCB contracted with American Air Boats to clean the Sabine River from Interstate 10 to the city boat ramp prior to the Bass Masters Tournament in Orange. Recovered were 18 refrigerators, 50 tires, numerous plastic barrels and foam blocks, plastic and glass and aluminum bottles and cans to fill 300 large industrial trash bags. Also collected were ice coolers, tackle boxes, fishing lures
and line, a dead hog carcass, a steel framed old car backseat and a stove and a shower. Derosier said KOCB would like to do the Sabine River clean-up on an annual basis if they can get money to do so. KOCB also received $2,000 as part of the Clean Air Program for clean bus emissions. Recipients could use the funds for either replacing engines or toward the purchase of a new bus. Little CypressMauriceville CISD used their money to purchase a new
school bus. The city of Pinehurst now has over 300 crepe myrtle trees planted along Strickland Drive thanks to KOCB. Derosier said he was approached by the city of Orange to do the same in their city. One hundred thirty trees were planted on 16th Street, Green Avenue and Simmons Drive. The Stark Foundation and the Orange Economic Development Corporation also assistKEEPING BEAUTIFUL Page 3A
TxDOT to begin Phase II rehab Cow Bayou Swing Bridge Debby Schamber For The Record
Phase two of the rehabilitation and historic preservation of the Cow Bayou Swing Bridge is set to begin with Texas Department of Transportation officials making plans on future lane closures and re-routing traffic. The $9.5 million project will cover 0.991 miles and is scheduled to take 476 working days to complete. Workers will make repairs while keeping the bridge, the control building and other parts historically accurate. They will use new and the working old parts to restore the control desk while the new building will mimic the original structure. The Cow Bayou Swing Bridge is one of only two remaining center pivot swing bridges of it’s kind remaining in Texas. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The Rainbow Bridge was listed to the N.R. in 1996. It was history in the making when an estimated 3,000 people attended the 1941 dedication. The ribbon was cut by Miriam David, the daughter of Julis H. David, Sr., the president of the Orange Chamber of Commerce. The Bengal Guards of Orange and the Red Hussars of Port Arthur, musical marching bands from the
Sklya Crosslin and her foster dog, Hooch, share a moment. Hooch wandered up to a house one night and was starving and extremely bloated from heartworms. An estimated 3,000 people attended the 1941 dedication of the Cow Bayou Swing Bridge. The ribbon was cut by Miriam David, the daughter of Julis H. David, Sr., the president of the Orange Chamber of Commerce at the time.
two high schools, marched towards the Cow Bayou Bridge from opposite directions and met in the center of the span for the ribbon cutting. The Rainbow Bridge, which was originally the Port Arthur-Orange Bridge, was completed in 1938. The following year construction began on the ‘Cow Bayou Bridge’, a swing bridge with an electric motor. Both bridges where marvels of American technology in the years leading into World War II, as they are today. The swing bridge at Cow Bayou was the final link in “Hug-The-Coast Highway” COW BAYOU Page 3A
SAVING THE WORLD . . .
One dog at a time Debby Schamber For The Record
Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever. Skyla and Nicholas Crosslin have done what they could to change the their part of the world by fostering dogs in their home. They originally found a stray and contacted PAWS, Piney Woods Animal Welfare Society, on their Facebook page. Once they found out more about the program, they began fostering dogs. Skyla tends to get very attached to each of the dogs as she showers them with love and affection, but says in the end when she sees how happy they are with their new family,” it makes it all worth while.” The Crosslins have had a variety of breeds
in all sizes and ages in their home. They offer a fenced back yard and plenty of daily affection. “I just can’t stop,”Skyla Crosslin said. “I can’t be selfish and I have to follow my heart.” In the program there are currently up to fifty dogs. Each foster care provider has about six dogs. Skyla wishes she could foster more, but the funds are not available. Although PAWs primarily cares for dogs, not all foster care providers have dogs, some have cats, goats, rabbits and other animals. The animals they have collected are not always strays, but sometimes are just needing a place to live because their owner could no longer care for them. Although they strive to find an adoptive ONE DOG AT A TIME Page 3A
County officials monitoring weather status Debby Schamber For The Record
Orange County Commissioners along with Jeff Kelley, Director of Emergency Management, will be monitoring reports closely to determine if a burn ban will be needed in the future. During the commissioners court meeting on Monday, he was already looking at weather conditions and reports. On the Forecast Danger Map, Orange County is slated to be in “high” danger. In addition, the
U.S. Drought Monitor indicated Orange County may face severe drought conditions. A burn ban was not necesKELLEY sary, although the KDBI stats are “High, but not dangerously high” at this time, Kelley said. The Keetch-Byram drought index (KBDI) is a continuous reference scale for estimating the dryness of the soil and duff
layers. The index increases for each day without rain. The amount of increase depends on the daily high temperature and decreases when it rains. The scale ranges from 0 (no moisture deficit) to 800. The range of the index is determined by assuming that there is 8 inches of moisture in a saturated soil that is readily available to the vegetation. “It’s looking bad,” Kelley said referring to the forecast. Sabrina Gray, event manager for the Orange County Convention Center, submitted a
logo for approval. It was a circle with a pineapple in the center. She said the pineapple is a symbol for hospitality. Commissioners balked at the idea and said they wanted to see something with an orange to symbolize Orange County in the picture. They suggested a basket of oranges with a pineapple in the center. Gray will return to court with the updated logo in the future. She said she hopes to have it approved within the next few weeks so she can use the logo on the Orange County web
site. Although not on the agenda, Dr. Dale Fritz made quick presentation on the job position vacated by Paula Tacker, of the Orange County Extension office. Fritz requested permission to fill the open position. Tacker’s job duties included nutrition services, the food service management program, senior rally day and assisting with the 4-H program among other things. The job opening will be posted internally for two weeks before becoming open to the public.
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