The Home Of Super Bowl Champion Earl Thomas
County Record Vol. 53 No. 44
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday Febuary 5, 2014
Both parties get ready for primaries David Ball
For The Record
A slew of local candidates, particularly on the Republican side, will make for a busy primary season. The primary election for the Democrat and Republican Parties is March 4 with early voting from February 18 through 28. Here are some of
TxDOT Cow Bayou Swing Bridge Closures SH73/SH87 north and south bound, inside and outside lanes will have alternating lane closures in Bridge City for Cow Bayou Swing Bridge repair. Between FM1442 to just north of SH62. Tuesday (02/04/14) thru Thursday (02/06/14) 8:00AM to 3:00PM and Friday (02/07/14) 8:00AM to 12:00 NOON. Monday (02/13/14) thru Thursday (02/16/14) 8:00AM to 3:00PM and Friday (02/17/14) 8:00AM to 12:00 NOON. Monday (02/20/14) thru Thursday (02/23/14) 8:00AM to 3:00PM and Friday (02/24/14) 8:00AM to 12:00 NOON.
Eagles to host pool tourney The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2523, located at 803 N. 28th St. in Orange, will host a pool tournament at 8 p.m. each Friday. The two tables are free Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. Popcorn will be served and a drink special will be offered until 11 p.m. The community is invited to come meet the members of Aerie 2523 and join in the fun. For more info leave a message for Sharon Bodin after 4 p.m. at 886-7381.
H • Obituaries Page.......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page.....................8B
the local candidates who will appear in local races. Democrat Michael Cole, of Orange, is an educator at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School. He is running unopposed in the primary. On the Republican side, however, eleven opponents will be vying to be their party’s nominee for the general election in November. They are: Brian Babin, a dentist from Woodville; Chuck Meyer, a Hardin County assistant district attorney from Liberty; Dave Norman, a former military officer and insurance agent from Webster; Doug Centilli, of Baytown, former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady; Jim Engstrand, former military officer, farmer and business owner of El Lago; John Amdur, an attorney from Nassau Bay; John Manlove, a Pasadena businessman; Kim Morrell, a Seabrook business owner; Pat Kasprzak, an attorney, banker and educator from Crosby; Phil Fitzgerald, a business owner from Moss Hill and Robin Riley, former NASA employee who now works in the oil and gas industry from Seabrook. Incumbent David Bradley of Beaumont, an insurance and real estate agent, will face challenger Rita Ashley, a former educator and business owner from Beaumont in the primary for membership on the State Board of Education, District 7. Kathy King, an occupational therapy assistant of Port Neches, will represent the Democratic Party in the November general election. Republican incumbent District 3 State Senator Robert Nichols of Jacksonville is running unopposed. Republicans Dade Phelan of Beaumont and Judy Nichols of Orange will face each other in the primary to be State Representative, District 21. Phelan is a businessman while Nichols is a business owner. Democrat Gavin Bruney of Nederland, a nurse anesthesist, awaits the primary winner for the November election. Orange County Judge has four Republicans squaring off against each other in the primary. John Dubose, a CPA and former Precinct 3 County Commissioner, will compete against Mike “Tuffy” Hamilton, a former state representative from Mauriceville; Mike CANDIDATES Page 3A
Event Coordinator, Sabrina Gray, is seen within the foyer of the Orange County Convention and Expo Center. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
OC Expo Center Opens Public Invited To Attend Ribbon Cutting And Tour New Facility Debbie Schamber For The Record
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fter several years of planning and hard work, the Orange County Convention and Expo Center is open and hosting a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony Thursday. The celebration will begin with tours open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Expo Center located on FM 1442 near Interstate 10. There will be a ceremony for the ribbon cutting and dedication at 4 p.m. followed by a social mixer in the ballroom. The food for the mixer will be provided by the Garden District and Champs. The idea for the Expo Center has evolved over time. Initially Community Hands Assemble Multi-Purpose Structure, also known as CHAMPS owned part of the property along with other parts owned by the county. “Over time we purchased the land adjacent to the Orange County land and where the Expo Center is built with an understanding it would be part of the structure,” said Gus Harris, of CHAMPS. Later CHAMPS deeded the land to the county. They are still in the process of completing the project. CHAMPS is continuing to raise funds to build softball fields and an outdoor type
arena. The multi- million dollar building originally was set to hold the Emergency Operations Center and Emergency Management, but expanded to function as a multi-purpose building housing other county departments as well as a ballroom and conference rooms for rent. Since the flooding of Hurricane Ike damaged county buildings, also at the Expo Center is the Road and Bridge Department, Health and Environmental Safety and the Texas Argiculture Life Extension office. The Event Coordinator, Sabrina Gray, was recently hired for the new department for the county with the funds for her salary coming from the Hotel/Motel tax funds. The funding for the building came from insurance funds and Disaster Recovery Funding. Homeland Security grant funding for 2008 through 2011 allowed for the purchase of some of the technology available in the building such as computers, wiring and more. The Emergency Operations Center received funding through the 2009 Port Security Grant cycle which paid for the rest of the technology and classrooms now available for first responders. But even with grants comes the responsibility to
The ribbon cutting for the new facility will be held Thursday at 4 p.m. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
match the funding which was paid with private donations. Gray is busy at work filling her calendar by booking
events. However, with a possible gun show promoter seeking another place to host OC EXPO CENTER Page 3A
OFD medical runs routes in new ways Debby Schamber For The Record
The Orange Fire Department’s medical first responder unit will still answer emergency calls. They will just be responding in a different vehicle. Chief David Frenzel reported to the Orange City Council at their regular meeting Thursday evening the department’s proposal to allow medical runs be made in an alternative response type vehi-
cle, such as a pick-up truck with emergency equipment, rather than in the fire engine. Frenzel estimates the new vehicles will cut back by 75 percent on run times since it cost the city $66,000 responding with the three engines. He explained whichever station had the medical emergency would respond in that vehicle and the other engines would cover the city for fire responses while that unit was deployed. If a second or third
emergency medical call occurred during the same time period that the first call was being made, then those responses would still be made in the engines in an effort not to deploy all of the personnel assets without engine capabilities in case of a subsequent fire run. While multiple calls for medical assistance are occasionally answered at the same time by different stations, the probability of this is less than
five percent of the time. Three trucks with equipment will cost a total of $115,500 and take six months to make the transition. The motion passed. The council conducted a public hearing on re-adoption of the juvenile curfew ordinance. Police chief L.L. Martin said the last time the ordinance was renewed was in February 2011. Martin said the curfew has
been an effective tool with 43 citations written over the time period and several warnings issued. The curfew applies to minors under the age of 17 to be off city streets during certain hours and carries a $500 fine. One resident said, however, she sees juveniles near her home at all hours of the night and previous barriers that were erected have come down OFB MEDICAL Page 3A
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