Dickie Colburn: Fishing See Page 1B Cooking With Katherine See Page 8A
Columnist Kent Conwell Page 5A
County Record The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Vol. 51 No. 44
Week of Wednesday, February 1 , 2012
Transit officer recovers after shooting David Ball
For The Record
Beaumont port project could yield funds for Orange Penny Leleux
For The Record
Mark Viator of Partnership Strategies along with Alfred Salizar, CEO of Jefferson Refining presented to Orange County Comm issioners’ Court Monday plans to revitalize the old Independent Refining plant located in THIBODEAUX Hamshire. The refinery will be able to handle 70,000 barrels per day. They are also building a port in Brownsville that can handle 100,000 barrel barges and one at High Island that will have 150,000 barrels worth of storage and 120,000 barrels worth of barge capability. “Jefferson County has been a tremendous help to us in the last year that we’ve been working on this project,” said Salizar. “We actually started on the project three years ago and it is getting ready to launch this coming year… and will be completed in 2013.” They also require a deep water port and have determined the Port of Beaumont which is partially located in Orange County to be the best location. They were allocated $300 million in municipal bonds by Jefferson County two years ago for Ike redevelopment through a proclamation of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. “That money has been issued to the bank and is being used for construction of these projects,” said Salizar. “We went back to the well about six months ago and asked for an additional $200 million. That’s the issue before the court today,” said Salizar. “These are Jefferson County Bonds. They are issued by the Jefferson County Industrial DevelopCOUNTY BUSINES PAGE 2A
Inside The Record • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page..................... 4A • Obituaries Page......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B •Outdoors Weekly Chuck Uzzle..........4B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B
An Orange County deputy sheriff who was shot in the chest twice last week is listed in stable condition and is recovering in a private room at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, according to Det. Sgt. Chad Hogan of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “Deputy Ashworth is still in Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital and doctors are pleased with his progress. He is expected to be released in the next few days,” Hogan wrote. Monday Sheriff Keith Merritt updated Orange County Commissioners’ Court on Deputy Fred Ashworth’s condition. “You know last Thursday an incident happened where he took two shots to the chest with a 40 caliber.” The sheriff said he’s doing remarkably well. He said the surgeons called them two miracle bullets. “That caliber in the chest area that actually goes through like that and not hit a major organ or artery or anything like that is nothing shy of a miracle,” said Merritt. “He’s ready to come back to work. Obviously it’s going to be awhile, but no complications, no nothing, so we’re very fortunate. You take a bad incident and really some good comes out of it.” Deputy Rod Carroll of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Of-
fice is conducting the investigation on the Jan. 26 Thursday morning shooting of Deputy Fred Ashworth, age 45. He was shot
ASHWORTH
at the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center on Highway 69 in Beaumont at the sally port of the facility by a juvenile suspect he was transporting from Orange County. Carroll said he couldn’t release all the information since the incident is still under in-
vestigation, but preliminary results show Ashworth took off his firearm to enter a secure area. The alleged suspect was secured in the back seat of the patrol vehicle and somehow managed to reach the firearm in the front portion of the vehicle.
Carroll added he can’t say yet why Ashworth wasn’t wearing his protective vest or how the suspect managed to free himself from his handcuffs. A news release from the JCSO the day after the shootDEPUTY SEE PAGE 2A
Fate uncertain for Orange business David Ball
For The Record
Rollie Burr’s business, Burr’s Barbecue, was in business for 10 years on Interstate 10 westbound near Doty Road in Vidor before construction started on the roadway. Now his restaurant is out of business. “The construction just really destroyed the business,” Burr said. “It took over five years to complete. The feeder road was changed to oneway traffic and people had to drive all the way to (FM) 1442 to turn around. “They (the Texas Department of Transportation) did not keep us informed. They were hardly no help. They’re not business-friendly.” He added heavy equipment sometimes blocked the driveway to the restaurant.
Chllds’ Manufacturing and Building Supply, at the intersection of Interstate 10 and 16th Street, will lose half of its business and is seeking fair compensation to relocate before the Interstate 10 project is started in the Spring of 2013 by the Texas Department of Transportation. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball
Now a longtime business in Orange is facing a similar predicament. Childs’ Manufacturing
and Building Supply, at the intersection of Interstate 10 and 16th Street for the past 44 years will lose their lum-
ber yard when the feeder road construction begins in the Spring of 2013 from Adams Bayou to the state line. The project is scheduled to be completed Spring 2016. “It completely takes over half of my business and half of my revenue. Say, for instance, a customer needs a 2x4 and we can’t sell it because now we’re just a hardware store. We’ll be Childs’ Building Supplies, what will we have left?” Owner Brad Childs said. Another concern is a customer can buy their lumber in another store in town, possibly purchase an expensive item such as a power tool, and Childs would miss the sale. The feeder road when built will carry all the way through the present intersection. There will be a crossing ORANGE BUSINESS PAGE 3A
SRA installs new officers
Jenny Morgan For The Record
Kathy and Randy Brown, of Orange, were named the king and queen of the “Wonders of the World,” the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce 9th Annual Mardi Gras Grande Ball.
A new slate of officers was elected for 2012 by the Board of Directors at the annual meeting of the Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) recently held in Orange, Texas. Earl Williams of Orange was elected as Board President. Other elected officers include Vice President David Koonce of Center, Secretary/Treasurer Cliff Todd of Carthage and Secretary Pro Tem Mac Abney of Marshall. Other mem-
bers of the SRA Board include Past President Don Covington of Orange, Stan Mathews of Pinehurst, Connie Wade WILLIAMS of Longview, J. D. Jacobs Jr. of Rockwall, and Connie Ware of Marshall. President Williams is CEO of Tool Tech Machining in Beaumont, Texas, partner of Cypress Bayou Industrial Painting and President of Cypress Bayou, Inc. in Orange,
Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard Payne University, a Master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and completed post graduate work at Texas A&M University. Mr. Williams was appointed to SRA’s Board of Directors by Governor Rick Perry in 2001. He previously served on SRA’s Board from 1994 to 1999. Mr. Williams and his wife, Suzanne, have two children and live in the Orange area. The Sabine River AuthorSRA SEE PAGE 3A
GOACC’s Mardi Gras festivities underway Nicole Gibbs
For The Record
The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce held their 9th Annual Mardi Gras Grande Ball at the VFW on Hwy. 87 in Orange. The members of the 13 krewes, dressed in their finest Mardi Gras attire, were in attendance. This year’s theme is “Wonders of the World,” and Randy and Kathy Brown were named the King and Queen of this year’s Mardi Gras festivities. The parade, to be held on at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, is free and open to the public. It will start on the corner of Green Ave. and Simmons Drive in Orange, and will wind it’s way through historical streets in downtown Orange. The parade will showcase the dukes, duchesses and the new 2012 King and Queen, the Browns. Many local businesses and political candi-
dates will join the 13 krewes in the parade. Each float will be illuminated and decorated to celebrate this much anticipated event. The community is encouraged to come out and enjoy Historic Downtown Orange and the spirit of Mardi Gras.
Link sandwich benefit set for Feb. 4 A homemade link sandwich sale to benefit the South-Central Kidney Transplant Fund in honor of Roy Amacker on Saturday, Feb. 4 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Krogers parking lot on 16th Street in Orange. It will cost $5 per sandwich. For more information, please contact Johnnie Amacker at 409883-6022 or 409-330-3099.
GOACC welcomes Sisters and Friends The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed Sisters and Friends with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Sisters and Friends is a family owned business with a taste straight from New Orleans. Hot plate lunches are offered with great food such as jambalaya, baked chicken, barbecue chicken and ribs, catfish, smoked brisket, mustard greens mac and cheese and so much more. Sisters and Friends is located at 111 Green Avenue in Orange. For more information call 409-233- 8054.