port
ecord
Home Cooking
FISHING
Bread
The Best On The Coast
See Section A Page 6
See Section B
Pudding
East vs. West
Orange County Football Stars See Section B Page 2
H H H H H YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 H H H H H
The Record TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 52 No. 9 Week of Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Penny Record of Bridge City and Orangefield • Founded 1960
County looks to repair East Roundbunch bridge David Ball
For The Record
The East Roundbunch swing bridge near Peggy’s on the Bayou restaurant on Cow Bayou is still a busy bridge. Clark Slacum, Road and Bridge engineer, reported to the Orange County Commissioners’ Court the bridge was opened 63 times for the month of May for boats to pass through. Consequently, the commissioners are looking for ways to either build a span across the bayou or rebuild it. County Judge Carl Thibodeaux said the county is seeking renovation grants
from Ike Round 2.2 funding or a Texas Department of Transportation grant. “It was damaged and it’s old. It was built in the 1940s. We’re constantly repairing the electronics on it. When we had the storm the other day, some lightning knocked it out. We would like to replace it with a span or repair it,” Thibodeaux said. Several months ago, the
commissioners gave approval on the Disaster Recovery Round 2.2 application budget consisting of $3,780,000 DUBOSE for the swing bridge on East Roundbunch in Bridge City, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike; $829,805 for a county-wide
planning study to include, but not limited to long term infrastructure development, economic development and overall strategic planning as it relates to county-wide growth and development; and $5,827,656 for road repairs left over from Hurricane Ike. The actual budget for the road repairs is $2.5 million, but was reduced to the S1.2 million to accommodate the
available funding. They will finish what they can with the available funding. The total for the round 2.2 application budget is $5,827,656. Precinct 3 Commissioner John Dubose said current estimates for the project are from $5 million to $8 million. “A span there is needed dearly. We need it opened for emergency evacuations from
Chemical Row. Commissioner Dubose has been working on this for years,” Thibodeaux said. He added though the court is planning for the project, building or repairing the bridge will not happen anytime in the near future. Dubose said by maritime law if the bridge is inoperable, it must remain open for boats to pass through.
Vidor man gets 30-year sentence for manslaughter Debby Schamber For The Record
Orangefield homecoming Saturday The 64th annual Orangefield Homecoming will be held Saturday, June 9, at the Orangefield Elementary cafeteria 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Barbecue, drinks and serving pieces are provided by the committee. Bring your favorite side dish, salad or dessert. The Orangefield Cormier Museum will be open and the ACES car club will be on display there Saturday A hootenanny fundraiser will be held Friday night. There are three motels at Interstate 10 and Texas 62: Comfort Inn at 409-7450400; Sleep Inn at 409-7459393; and LaQuinta Inn at 409-883-0011. For more information contact: Mary Nixon at 409-735-3019; Robert Montagne at 409-697-2836; Kay Bilbo at 409-735-3360.
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Wayne Lee Wilkerson, 41, of Vidor, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in the 128th District Court to two counts of intoxication manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison on each count to be served consecutively for a total of 30 years. He will have to serve a minimum of 15 years before he is first eligible for parole. He could have received a sentence of 25 years to life for the second degree felony which was enhanced. The vehicle he was driving was found to be a deadly weapon. The charges stem from an incident on Dec. 15, 2009 when Wilkerson crossed the center line into oncoming traffic causing the deaths of Ann Lynette Sizemore, 42, of Rye and James McCollough, 45, of Call. According to reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Sizemore was driving a 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup truck east on State Highway 12 while Wilkerson was driving west in a 2000 GMC Yukon. Upon impact to the front of the pickup,it flipped over onto the roof of the vehicle.
Wayne Lee Wilkerson, 41, of Vidor, is led to the courtroom Monday by James Lucia of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office where he will receive a 30 year sentence for two counts of intoxication manslaughter. RECORD PHOTO: Debby Schamber
Sizemore and McCollough were pronounced dead at the scene. Wilkerson and his passenger, 39-year-old Mary McDaniel, received non-life threatening injuries. Witnesses reported to troopers they saw Wilkerson fail to maintain a single lane and suddenly go completely into the opposite lane of travel MANSLAUGHTER PAGE 3A
BC to meet on proposed rezoning Mike Louviere For The Record
Bridge City Manager Jerry Jones reported at the council meeting June 5 that the last phase of street work in Round One is being completed. “Our streets are getting in good shape and we are completing the pipe bursting on schedule,” said Jones. “The funds have been approved for Round Two and we will be starting that phase next.” The council approved a request from the Planning and Zoning Commission to hold a public hearing to change property from R-1, Single Family Residential District to C-2, Second Commercial District. The property is located on W. Roundbunch across Highway 1442 from the Common Ground Church. Bridge City Properties approached the Planning and
Zoning Commission about changing the zoning on property located behind the Chicken Express and Bridge City Roccaforte Police Station from R-1, Single Family Residential to C-3, Third Commercial District. The council also approved this request. The joint public hearings for these two requested changes will be held June 25. The Building Standards Commission will be meeting to make recommendations about the demolition of properties that have remained in bad condition since Hurricane Ike. In order for the Commission to be fully functional it was necessary to make two BC REZONING PAGE 3A
Lemoine turns down Texas Rangers, to be honored as ‘Player of the Year’ Former Bridge City Cardinal pitcher, Jacob Lemoine, was selected by the Texas Rangers on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday. Lemoine was chosen in the fourth round of the draft to pitch for the Rangers. Last spring he, signed to play Division I baseball for the University of Houston Cougars last spring. After weighing his options, Lemoine has decided to pursue his collegiate career and education with the University of Houston prior to going into Major League Baseball. He will be honored on Saturday during half time of the annual Southeast Texas Ford Dealers All-Star Classic football game as 2012 Baseball Player of the Year. SEE STORY PAGE 2B. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
Missing father brings film crew Penny Leleux
For The Record
“I just happened to be the one to answer the phone about a month ago,” said Orangefield HS Librarian Mona Bradford. She was referring to a phone call from across the Atlantic Ocean. On the other end of the phone was Deniece Ostenda, an editor for the German TV-Production company Endemol Deutschland GmbH. “The show we are producing is called “Missing” and we are looking for long lost people on behalf of their family members all over the world,”
wrote Ostenda in a subsequent e-mail. “In this case a woman named Melanie has written to us who is looking for her father,” Stephenson she continued. Apparently he was in the military in Germany around 1968. He married her mother, but they broke up when she was about two, and he came back to the states. Melanie really never had much contact with her father. The production company had determined the father was
a 1968 graduate of Orangefield High School by the name of Lonnie Roy Stephenson. Ostenda asked Bradford if she could help them locate Stephenson or find some of his former friends. Friday morning a film crew will be at the school to interview Stephenson’s best friends from high school, Kent Sarver and Johnny Dorman. “They’re going to come to the high school because we have pictures of him in the annual,” said Bradford. One of those pictures is of the 1967 District 25A football champs.
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