Published For Orange Countians By Orange Countians
BEST FISHING IN TEXAS
SPORTS NEWS & OPINION
OUTDOORS AND MORE Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 5B
Dickie Colburn Page 1B
KAZ’S KORNER Page 1B
‘Where the sun rises on Texas and the stars shine first!’
County Record Vol. 52 No. 50
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
LCM King of Hearts Debby Schamber For The Record
Dustin DuCharme is not an ordinary student at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, because he leads with his heart. As a result of his hard work and dedication to everything he is involved in, this amazing person was highlighted by Special Olympics Texas (SOTX) on their website. DuCharme became a SOTX athlete in 2001 and has received countless honors, awards, ribbons and medals since his first competition more than a decade ago. He competes in bowling, track and field, flag football, basketball and bocce in the Golden
DPS increases DWI search Staff Report For The Record
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase DWI patrols from March 8 – March 17, one of the most active Spring Break periods in Texas. DPS troopers will focus DWI patrols in high-risk locations at times when alcohol-related crashes are most frequent. The enhanced patrols that target intoxicated drivers are funded through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. “Too frequently people choose to drink and drive during Spring Break, which is an extremely dangerous decision that often leads to senseless tragedy,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Getting impaired drivers off the roads during Spring Break is a major priority for the department, and we also urge the public
DPS Page 3A
H • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page...................... 4A • Obituaries Page.......................8A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B
Triangle area. But, he said bowling is his favorite event. During the LC-M football season, DuCharme was a trainer. He helped to make sure the players had water to quench their thirst and cool them down in the scorching Southeast Texas heat. He also had the immense pleasure of being one of team when he lead the team through the inflated bear and banners onto the football field as the fans cheered. He smiles as he talks about those days and anxious-
ments and things they can do to honor him. Three football players started a campaign to have DuCharme as the next Homecoming King. Those who were on the ballot asked for their name to be removed or for the votes collected for themselves to be given to their friend, Dustin Ducharme. As Homecoming night grew closer, DuCharme’s family grew increasingly excited. To allow his entire family to be a part of the excitement, Dustin’s brother, Kevin, was flown in from Arizona.
Dustin DuCharme, of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School is the 2012 Homecoming King. Demi Sheppard is the Homecoming Queen.
ly waits for the next football season. But, he was not done yet as a member of the team. He also goes out into the center of the field for the coin toss. The football team along with fellow students are in support of his accomplish-
DuCharme was announced as Homecoming King at the game and the crown was placed onto his cowboy hat. As he walked off the field, he put his arms into the air for
LCM KING Page 3A
Schools seek meaningful student assesment Debby Schamber
For The Record
Region 5 school superintendents recently met with Susan Kelner, of Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, and decided the presentation is something all parents and people in the community needed to hear. The program is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 7 at 350 Pine Street, in Beaumont, which is known as the Entergy building. Area superintendents hope everyone will attend the presentation. “It would certainly be advantageous to any parent, educator, or community member, to have a better understanding of what’s going on with the legislature with the restrictions and requirements that they are placing on students’ education, “ said Pauliine Har-
grove, superintendent for Little CypressMauriceville CISD. “Additionally, they would have a better grasp of HARGRAVE the impact of some of these decisions that are being made. In and of themselves, some of the solutions being proposed sound fine. However, when one considers the total impact, they quickly learn that they may be giving up more than they are receiving.” TAMSA is a statewide, grassroots organization comprised of parents and other community members concerned with the overemphasis on high stakes State of Texas Assessments of Academic
STUDENT Page 3A
DPS: ‘Arrive Alive’ this Spring Break Staff Report For The Record
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers in Southeast Texas will join forces with local law enforcement agencies to participate in the Impaired Driving Mobilization (IDM) campaign for Spring Break. The Impaired Driving Mobilization campaign is a special enforcement effort targeting drunk drivers during Spring Break. The goal of IDM is to reduce the number
of serious or fatal collisions by increasing patrols in high risk areas where alcohol-related crashes occur frequently. The patrols are funded through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. The campaign will begin on March 8 and end on March 17. Spring Break is generally associated with high school and college students drinking and partying. However, local events, like the upcoming 2013 Spring Break Bash at La-
ARRIVE ALIVE Page 2A
Week of Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Fishing brings economic jolt Fishing tournament expected to have favorable economic impact Penny Leleux
For The Record
O
ne point five million dollars; that is the amount of money first expected to come into Orange County because of the Bassmaster Elite Series Sabine River Challenge March 14-17. Bobby Fillyaw, director of the Orange County Economic Development Corp. said the $1.5 million was the amount indicated by an economic impact study that was done in anticipation of the event. Fillyaw admits that number is very conservative, because some things have come to light that weren’t even considered when doing the original economic study. “We really think the $1.5 million that we first thought is probably going to be much, much higher impact than we originally planned,” said Fillyaw. They did not foresee the multitudes of
fishermen that came to the area prior to Feb. 11 to scope out the lay of the land and hunt for the fishing hotspots before the tournament. “They were coming in and out for a couple of months, fishing our waters and learnFILLYAW ing about the river and those kinds of things,” said Fillyaw. “They stayed in our hotels and ate at the restaurants. We didn’t even consider that when we were doing the economic impact study.” The study was also done before many other activities were planned such as the Riverfront Festival, free concerts, a free laser show, Art in the Park and more. Jack Patel of Holiday Inn Express said he believes the economic impact for hotels will be felt in a 50 mile radius. “They’re expecting over 10,000 people in one day,” said Patel. “It’s equivalent to a Super bowl,” he said. “It’s that big. It’s enormous.” Patel feels the impact will be felt for years with all the media attention the tournament will bring to Orange County. “We’re going to be showing the world what we have here.” “As for the hotels,” said Patel, “we are all excited and they’re all doing fantastic from
BASSMASTERS Page 2A
Stan Floyd along with employees of American Airboats, Inc. and volunteers work to clean up the waterways during the River Clean Up Challenge. During their efforts, they collected 18 refrigerators and about 50 tires along with enough trash to fill a 30-yard dumpster.
Volunteers clean Sabine River Debby Schamber For The Record
Stan Floyd, of American Airboats and Airboat Rides Inc. has a passion for making area waterways a better place to be for not only his business and the community, but for wildlife as well. During many of his tours, he has listened to tourists and passengers who come to view the natural beauty the area has to offer. But, through this he has heard people talk about the amount of garbage along the waterways and has become increasingly aware the waterways have become excessively littered with debris from past hurricanes and people dumping their unwanted garbage. Recently, he gathered an abandoned refrigerator from the muddy river bank. but knew it could not stop there. Tired and heartbroken about the condition of the Sabine River, Floyd with the help of others decided to do something about it. Not only would they work to clean up banks, but also the swamps and local estuaries. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and ocean environments and
Volunteers work to clean up the waterways during the River Clean Up Challenge.
are subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves and the influx of saline water. They have riverine influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. The inflows of both sea water and fresh water provide high levels of nutrients in both the water column and sediment which makes estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world. “The litter that plagues our swamps and rivers not only adversely affects the local residents but also the local wildlife that has to live
SABINE RIVER Page 3A