Dickie Colburn: Fishing See Page 1B
Cooking with Katherine See Page 8A
Derek Jeter needs six Page 1B
County Record The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Vol. 51 No. 11
Week of Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Fireworks banned in Orange County
Penny Leleux
For The Record
Monday afternoon Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux signed a full ban of fireworks in Orange County. “It bans all sales of all fireworks and it bans all usage of fireworks in Orange County,” said Thibodeaux. “It’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I know people might think it’s an easy decision, but it’s not. Your affecting some people’s livelihood which is seasonal. It’s kinda like telling everybody they can’t eat apple pie and ice cream on the Fourth of July, the American traditions. It’s something that has to be done to ensure the safety of the citizens.”
The ban is in response to the serious drought conditions in Southeast Texas. Jeff Kelley the emergency THIBODEAUX management coordinator said 66 percent of Texas is considered under an exceptional drought. “We have a KBDI (the Keetch-Byram Drought Index) average of 736,” said Kelley. “I can’t remember a time in my career it being that high.” The scale that only goes to 800 measures drought conditions. A burn ban for the county has been in effect since April. A ban on aerial fireworks was put in place June 6. Orange and Jefferson Coun-
ties were the only regional counties of Southeast Texas not under a full ban. After Thibodeaux signed the disaster declaration the
paperwork was sent to Gov. Rick Perry, who has 60 hours to act open it. Once the governor sends the paperwork back with his okay, the court has
seven days to ratify the ban. A special meeting of commissioners court will reconvene at 10 a.m., Friday to vote as a unit to continue the fire-
work ban. “We can’t afford any wildfires right now. They cost a lot COUNTY BUSINESS PAGE 2A
Texas State Guard on alert for hurricanes Nicole Gibbs
For The Record
With hurricane season underway, many have already started preparing for the worst and it’s no wonder why. For those new to the area, the flood waters from Hurricane Ike ripped through Orange County with a force that no one was prepared for. Many lost everything. As the recovery is almost behind us, we shouldn’t forget what happened and should start preparing for what could happen again. The Texas State Guard, which all answer to the Gover-
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nor, has already started preparing for a potentially busy hurricane season. The Texas State Guard is a part of the MCNAIR Texas Military Forces. Along with the Air National Guard and National Guard, the Texas State Guard is recognized by the Pentagon and Department of Defense as a state military defense force. While all who join do so as a volunteer, their main mission is shelter management during emergency situations. They provide their own equipment needed for their job with the sole focus being this: to serve the citizens of the state of Texas. “We go to where the hurricane is coming ashore and set up shelters of last resort for individuals too poor or simply unable to get away or get out of the danger zone,” Mike McNair, Sgt. 1st Class and personnel officer for the 3rd Battalion/8th Regiment of the Texas State Guard. “Our responsibility is to make sure people have food and water, a place to sleep and that they remain safe.” The State Guard troops are trained in search and rescue, oil field disaster recovery, first aid, electronic tracking of evacuees (so that family/ friends can keep up with family and pets that have been evacuated). Some are trained to use the Military HAM Radio in case all forms of communication have gone down. “We are prepared for hurricane season, meaning our bags and equipment are ready to go when the governor gives the orders to deploy,” McNair said. McNair explained that unlike the federal military, the 8th Regiment could have 250 or more soldiers with boots on the ground in less than two days. The regular Army could take up to a week to deploy. The 3rd Battalion headquarters and training facilities are located at Lamar State College-Orange. “Hopefully people can rest a HURRICANES PAGE 3A
United Methodist group in front of Rainwater’s trailer.
RECORD PHOTO: Taylor Wendt
Youth mission restores homes Taylor Wendt
For The Record
In August of 2010 James Rainwater moved into his trailer home and just a few months later was overwhelmed by a leaking roof. After calling around the Orange County for months, and getting no positive responses, Rainwater finally received help from a group of teens who are devoting their summer to help restore homes of those in need. Initially Rainwater had tried many different ways to patch up the roof himself, such as tape, but in the end nothing seemed to give even temporary relief. Finally, after receiving no help, Rainwater had to resort to covering his couch and putting buckets on the floor to keep the rain from ruining his possessions. “I started calling, probably around
January, with the South East Texas Regional Planning Committee, and each time I called I thought maybe this would be the one and ended up going back to square one,” Rainwater said. “I tried patching it myself and thought maybe that would help, but when it didn’t work I just didn’t know what to do.” Within the last couple of weeks, Rainwater talked with 10 to 15 people trying to get some help, and finally got a call to set up an interview with a group from the Central Texas Conference Youth in Mission. The Central Texas Conference Youth in Mission from Fort Worth, headed by Rachel Heyduck, was founded in 1993 in response to floods in Missouri. When agencies that serve to help disaster areas finish their time in those areas, many homes slip through the
cracks and do not get the help that is needed, leaving them in bad shape. The CTCYM comes into these towns and helps rebuild homes for those that request help. This particular group that is helping rebuild a roof over James Rainwater’s home is part of a United Methodist youth group in Fort Worth. Giving up their summer to help rebuild homes in the Orange County area has made a great impact on Rainwater’s life and also on their own. “It’s just a dog eat dog world and, all of a sudden, here this Methodist youth missions comes up and everything changes, and they’re willing to give up their time to come down here and help,” Rainwater said. “I was skeptical at first YOUTH MISSION PAGE 2A
Deweyville swing bridge claims history Greg Hayes
For The Record
DEWEYVILLE — Ed Gallagher’s sevenyear project has finally come to fruition, as the swing bridge crossing the Sabine River into Louisiana on State Highway 12 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 8. Gallagher, a member of the Newton County History Commission, said that he has been working to get the bridge on the register since 2004. “That was when I started getting all the stuff together,” he said. “Newton County only has three things on the national register, so this was a pretty important project for us.” The Deweyville Swing Bridge is the oldest of the existing swing bridges in the State of Texas, according to the National Park Service. It was constructed in 1938 as a work-relief construction project during the Great Depression. On Nov. 12, 2007, Gallagher received confirmation, of the bridge being eligible for the national register, from both the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission. In September of 2008, Gallagher sent The long journey for Newton County historians to have the Deweyville Swing Bridge listed DEWYVILLE SWING BRIDGE PAGE 2A
on the National Register of Historic Places is completed. Ed Gallager of Deweyville stands next to the newly listed historic property. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
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