Published For Orange Countians By Orange Countians
BEST FISHING IN TEXAS
OUTDOORS AND MORE
SPORTS NEWS & OPINION
Capt. Chuck Uzzle Page 5B
Dickie Colburn Page 1B
KAZ. SECTION B
‘Where the sun rises on Texas and the stars shine first!’
County Record Vol. 53 No. 01
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Firestone strikers to return to work
Debby Schamber For The Record
As of Tuesday, workers with Firestone who have been on strike, are going back to work without a contract, according to Richard Landry, Staff Representative with the United Steel Workers Union. However, they are waiting on approval from the company. Landry also commented and said they are still negotiating the terms of the con-
Eggsactly what you’re looking for Penny Leleux
For The Record
The Easter Bunny is ready for several Easter egg hunts. The City of Orange’s annual egg hunt will be held on Good Friday, at the boat ramp on Simmons Drive. Activities start at 9 a.m. and the Easter egg hunt will start promptly at 10 a.m. The event is free including: food, balloons, face painting, prizes, and photos taken by our photographer, or photos can be taken with your personal camera. There will be three age groups for the egg hunt: 0-3, 4-6 and 7-8 years of age. Saturday several hunts will be held at local churches. West Orange Christian
EGGSACTLY Page 2A
H • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page...................... 4A • Obituaries Page.......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing...................1B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B
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tract. The United Steel Workers Union, Local 836, representing 108 members, have been on strike against Firestone Polymers located at 5713 Fm 1006 in Orange. Workers were at the gates of the plant beginning March 18 and two of the workers held signs and paced back and forth across the driveway. According to Richard Landry, staff representative, it is against the law in Texas to “mass picket.” Therefore, the workers alternate carrying the signs. The last time workers with USW Local 836 picketed was in 1993. There are two main reasons why they chose to strike which are health care and wages, Landry said. The workers want the right to be able to negotiate their co-pay, deductible and premium amounts on their insurance plans. The insurance deductible recently proposed by Firestone has tripled in costs to the workers, Landry said. However, the insurance company is not new to Firestone, since the corporation has been using the plan, but Orange has not had the same program. “What we are saying is that we want the right to sit at the table and achieve a fair deal,” Landry said. Their other source of contention was the amount of the annual cost of living raises which is two percent. The annual raises are part of the contract. “We are willing to consider any proposal, but two percent is not enough,” Landry said. The strike will continue as long as needed, Landry said. It has been our goal throughout the negotiation process to achieve a contract that is in the best interest of the local union members, will allow our company to compete in the global marketplace, and will ensure that as a company we are profitable now and in the long term. We believe that the contract offered to the USW would have moved the Orange, Texas plant toward those
goals. Firestone Polymers remains committed to searching for and achieving a mutually acceptable resolution of all is-
sues at the bargaining table,” according to a statement from Firestone Polymers. Firestone Polymers celebrated its 50th year of opera-
tion in Orange in 2007. In 1957, the plant opened and began operation by producing butadiene for the polymer industry. The Orange facility is
said to be an industry leader in the production of Polybutadiene rubber.
FIRESTONE Page 3A
Kree nears American Idol Kree Harrison inches closer weekly to winning American Idol Debby Schamber For The Record
K
ree Harrison is inching closer to becoming the next American Idol. Harrison is said to have “nailed” the Beatles song, “With a Little Help From My Friends.” But, the night was extra special since her aunt, Penny Harrison, was able to attend the show. “It was really neat getting to be there,” Penny Harrison said. After Harrison finished her song, Idol judge, Keith Urban, stood up and turned around to comment to Penny Harrison. “He said, I love her,” said Penny Harrison of Urban’s comments. “I told him, we do too.” Urban replied, “I can tell.” Ryan Seacrest, the show’s host, also gave a “shout out” acknowledging the presence of Penny Harrison and her husband. Penny Harrison said she also met other family members of the contestants and the other contestants as well. “Everyone was really nice,” Penny Harrison said. Harrison, 22, who is a Southeast Texas native, but currently resides in Nashville has people listening for her one-of-a kind voice. In the 8th grade she briefly attended school in Bridge City and lived in other local cities before leaving to pursue her dreams. Her parents grew up in Bridge City. Harrison had a rough start to her life with the loss of her father in an airplane crash when she was 12 years old. She was forced to face another tragedy when her mother died four years later. The singer took to song writing to express her emo-
KREE Page 3A
Kree Harrison, a former Orange County native, has made it to into the top eight finalists of American Idol.
Educators monitor Texas legislature Debby Schamber For The Record
Texas educators are keeping an eye on legislators to see how their decisions on education are handled and what effects they may have on the future of testing and funding. The three upcoming bills being debated are HB 5, SB 3 and SB 1734. The focus points are accountability, graduation plan reform and funding. Bridge City Superintendant Mike King recently spent time in Austin with legislators and other educators addressing the needs of the schools and students. Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock debated on the House floor Tuesday HB 5 which is a much needed legislation to make improvements to the current
state graduation and assessment systems. The bill is most beneficial to students because it reduces overemphasis of high-stakes testing by reducing the number of required end-of-course exams from 15 to 5. SB 1724, although similar, is written by State Senator Dan Patrick, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, calls for students in the Foundation Diploma and those with the Career and Business endorsement to take 5 tests in total, with the passage of four required for graduation. Students seeking the STEM, Humanities, or Distinguished endorsement would take six tests with passage of five tests required for graduation. The
EDUCATORS Page 5A
Weight management classes offered It’s not too late to join the weight management and diabetes prevention classes offered Wednesdays at Baptist Orange Hospital. The 16 week course that began Jan. 9 will continue through May 8. Afterwards there is a commitment to monthly support group classes for a year. The cost is $5 per person per class. Scholarships are available. Classes will educate adults to make healthier choices one day at a time. Look and feel better and learn nutrition for the prevention of diseases. Call AgriLIFE extension office at 409-882-7010 to preregister. Classes meet in the fifth floor classroom at the hospital.
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