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Published For Orange Countians By Orange Countians

BEST FISHING IN TEXAS

SPORTS NEWS AND OPINION

OUTDOORS WEEKLY Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 5B

Dickie Colburn Page 1B

KAZ’S KORNER Page 3B

‘Where the sun rises on Texas and the stars shine first!’

County Record Vol. 52 No. 44

The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas

Week of Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Guns! Guns! And no more guns! Debby Schamber For The Record

Recent headlines on gun control issues have people talking about their rights to bear arms, but it was Samuel Adams who was the “Father of the American Revolution” said, “The constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.” Ray’s Pawn Shop in Bridge City, has recently sold a large

County tables credit cards Penny Leleux

For The Record

Commissioners tabled action on a contract with Gov-Pay to enable the Orange County Tax AssessorCollector office to accept over the counter debit/ credit cards. Payments with credit/debit cards has been available online, but not for transactions made in person at the tax office. OC Tax Assessor-Collector Lynda Gunstream said she had checked several different services and the county would get a better price with Gov-Pay. “There is a convenience fee which is required,” said Gunstream. “The customer pays the convenience fee. The county does not get any of the fees; it all goes to the service. That is the same way it is online.” The fee would be 2.5 percent of the transaction or $3, whichever was higher. Debit card transactions would be slightly lower at 1.95 percent. Gov-Pay would also supply the ma-

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H • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page...................... 4A • Obituaries Page.......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B • CHURCH NEWS Page.......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B

number of guns, but an even larger amount of ammunition sold. In addition, the pawn shop is a licensed dealer for the sale of Glock pistol, but the guns are on back order. “Sales increased because of the magazine,” said John Trouquille, of Rays’s Pawn Shop. “Ammo is extremely hard to get,” Trouquille said. “It’s harder than guns.” At a recent gun show, Trouquille said he saw ammunition which generally sells for $16 per box was being sold as high as $49 per box. A shopper at the pawn shop, Phillip McCollough, of Vinton, was looking at the gun selection and is not happy with the rumors of the proposed change in the gun laws. But, he plans to continue purchasing guns anyway. Jon Payne, a local firearms trainer contracted to Suarez International, who teaches Texas Concealed Handgun classes, has a goal of teaching law-biding citizens to protect themselves. Recently, as guns and ammunition were flying off the shelves, 65 people signed up on a waiting list for Payne’s classes.

To obtain a concealed gun permit, a person first must complete a packet and turn it in to the DPS. They must also include two passport photos, a copy of the fingerprints and attend a 10 hour class given by a certified instructor, according to Payne. The second amendment which is often misquoted actually states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” “The second amendment has nothing to do with legitimate sporting use or hunting,” Payne said. In the gun control act of 1968, Congress declared that the purpose of this title was to provide support to Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials in their fight against crime and violence, and it is not the purpose of this title to place any undue or unnecessary Federal restrictions or burdens on law-abiding citizens with respect to the Jon Payne, of Bridge City, is a local firearms trainer contracted to Suarez International, who teaches Texas Concealed Handgun classes, practices at the gun range. RECORD PHOTO: Debby Schamber

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Flu season sparks run on vaccines Debby Schamber For The Record

With recent reports of people having the flu, health officials are suggesting getting the shots now and not waiting. According to Sabrina Davis of the UTMB-Orange County Health Department, the best prevention to avoid the flu this season is to get the vaccination. “It takes about two weeks before a person is protected after being vaccinated,” Davis said. The seasonal flu usually begins to spread around Oct. 1 through March 31, with the peak month being February. With seasonal flu, the flu season varies in terms of timing, duration and severity. Seasonal influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year, in the United States, on average 36,000 people die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related causes. Of those hospitalized, 20,000 are children younger than 5 years old. Over 90 percent of deaths and about 60 percent of hospitalizations occur in people older than 65, according to the Center for Disease Control. “The elderly, young and people with compromised immune systems should get a flu shot,” Davis said. “Children over six months old should also get a flu shot.” Children under nine years old and it is the first time ever getting a shot should return after four weeks for a second shot, she added. Once is person is vaccinated, they may feel achy or fatigued, but this is not com-

mon. Most people may only experience tenderness at the site of the injection, Davis said. With the seasonal flu, certain people are at “high risk” of serious complications. This includes people 65 years and older, children younger than five years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions. About 70 percent of people who have been hospitalized with the virus have had one or more medical conditions previously recognized as placing people at “high risk” of serious seasonal flu-related complications. This includes pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease, according to the CDC. Dr. Servet Satir, said he has

Nicole Gibbs, of Bridge City, is given a flu shot by Bobby Duhon of the Family Pharmacy in Bridge City. Health officials are suggesting everyone get a flu shot now. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn

seen a “fair” amount of patients with the flu although he thinks the worst is over and the number of cases may decline. He added, some people may have gotten their flu shot way of the Golden Triangle Family Care Center, in Bridge City, said people who received flu shots too early left them vulnerable to contracting the flu. “Flu shots given way to early may leave a person unprotected,” Satir said. However, he added, it is not too late to get a flu shot now for this season. To help avoid contracting the virus, the CDC recommends;

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LC-M guns threats prove false Debby Schamber For The Record

A recent gun threat at Little CypressMauriceville schools has left investigators searching for clues to see who is responsible for starting the rumors. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office along with administrators from LCMCISD are working on identifying the persons responsible for the wide spread rumors of students at the high school or students from surrounding schools who had or would be bringing guns to the LC-M High School campus. The OCSO has investigated multiple social networking sites as well as text messages and has determined these rumors are not true. These rumors where spread through social networking sites and through text messages and grew ex-

ponentially as they were passed around. Investigators believe there was no threat to the safety of any students at the LCM High School campus. However, as a further precauHARGRAVE tionary effort, there were deputies at LCM High School to ensure the safety of the students and to assure parents such actions will be investigated and the safety of the students is a priority. “I don’t know that there is anything that we can do to “fix” what happened, since our emergency operation procedures were followed,” said Sherry Combs, Community Relations Coordinator for the Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD.

However, according to Combs, the issue was the large number of parents who did not believe either the district personnel or the sheriff’s office and insisted on picking up their children and sharing the pandemonium, regardless of the truth. “This was social media run amok,” she said. School officials were prepared and sent out voice messages which went out from the school administrators to all of the high school parents assuring them there was no threat. One thing the people either discount or do not realize is the staff also has children on that campus. There are seven people in Central Office who have

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