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County Record Vol. 53 No. 14
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Solution needed for speeding on Four Oaks Ranch Rd. Penny LeLeux For The Record
Corbin Erway presented commissioners with a petition requesting action against commercial vehicles speeding on Four Oaks Ranch Road in Vidor. Erway said the posted speed is 15 mph but he estimates most commercial vehicles are driving at speeds up to 60 mph. He said there are only four to five houses on the street, but there are 12 children aged 8 and under. He is very concerned a child will
DPS to Boost DWI Patrols for July 4 Holiday Staff Reports
For The Record
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will increase DWI patrols for a 10-day period that includes the July 4 holiday. From June 28 – July 7, DPS troopers will focus DWI patrols in high-risk locations at times when alcohol-related crashes are most frequent. “The Fourth of July is a time of celebration in our country, and we encourage Texans to enjoy and mark this holiday responsibly,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Impaired driving can quickly turn a time of celebration into a tragedy, so Texans should designate a sober driver or secure another form of transportation if they plan to drink alcohol. Our troopers will also be doing their part during the holiday by increasing their patrols to keep our roadways safe.” The increased patrols that target impaired driving are funded through a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). According to TxDOT, Independence Day traditionally ranks among the deadliest holiday periods on Texas highways as a result of alcohol-related crashes.
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be injured if the problem is not corrected. Commissioners couldn’t comment because the matter wasn’t an agenda THIBODEAUX item, but County Judge Carl Thibodeaux accepted the petition. Sheriff Keith Merritt was talking with Erway after commissioners’ court. Some of the agenda items covered in Monday’s court session include: Connie Cassidy, the county purchasing agent was authorized to advertise for sealed bids on three seized items that will not be in the current auction because the county doesn’t have title to them. Sealed bids will be accepted for a 2001 Chrysler 300, 2000 Pontiac Sunfire and a 2007 covered trailer. County policy was changed concerning reinstatement of benefits and seniority. Employees rehired before July 1, 2013 will have their seniority and benefits restored after 24 months of additional continuous service. Rehires as of July 1, 2013, will not be entitled to reinstatement of benefits or seniority of any previous service and will receive the same benefits as any new hire. Part time employees are any employee in a position with normal work hours of 29 hours or less per week. Part time employees are not eligible for county benefits. All regular part time employees must be
placed on TCDRS retirement regardless of the number of hours worked per week, effective July 1, 2013. Commissioners also gave
Enterprise Liquids Pipeline LLC permission to conduct a survey near the airport. They had previously given permission for the survey, but this
request covers to tracts of land acquired by the county since that permission was granted. They also gave Wood Group Mustang permission for a geo-
Local writers collaborate on George Jones tribute
Penny LeLeux For The Record
The recently recorded song “Dear George” is a tribute to the late George Jones. It is performed by Georgette Jones (Daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette) and Vince Moreno. The lyrics of the song are an arrangement of titles from various past Jones hit recordings. The song was written and arranged by Orange County natives T.A. Collins and Mike Magnuson along with Nashville, Tenn. singer/ songwriter Sandy Laird. When Jones passed away on April 26 of this year, Magnusun remembered a demo he and Collins recorded years before. Collins was in Honduras, South America at the time of Jones’ death. When Magnusun informed Collins of the passing, they both had the same thought. “Sing Together Again,” the song they recorded, should be rewritten as a tribute to Jones. “Dear George” was actually written in 1991 by Collins and Laird, according to Magnusun.
Country singers Tammy Wynette and George Jones performing at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Oct. 4,1995. “Dear George” is a tribute song performed by the couple’s daughter, Georgette Jones.
The original song was written with the idea that Jones and Wynette should sing together again after years of profession-
al separation following their divorce in 1975. The demo recording of “Sing Together Again” was produced in 1991
Capital One Bank robbed...again Debby Schamber For The Record
The Capital One bank located at 3738 16th Street was robbed at 3:24 p.m. Tuesday for the second time within a year. The suspect believed to be an older man wearing a wig, khaki pants and a black shirt entered the bank. He quietly gave a teller a note demanding money but did not display a weapon. He was wearing a knee brace on his right leg and is about six feet tall. It was all “very low-key” and nobody was alerted as to what was happening at the time. The teller gave him an undetermined amount of cash and he fled the scene. He left the bank on foot and got into his vehicle, a teal twodoor Saturn, which was
parked behind Texas State Optical. He fled the scene heading south on 16th Street,
according to Captain Cliff Hargrave of Orange Police Department.
Orange Police are searching for a man who robbed the Capital One bank Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call OPD at 409-882-1026. The last time the bank was robbed was July 27. 2012. Arrested and charged with the robbery is James Hunter Bergeron, 22, of Sulphur, La. Bergeron wearing a black cowboy hat and tattered jeans patiently waited in line behind other customers with a bank bag under his arm. When it was his turn he reportedly approached the teller and presented her with a note demanding money. She complied and he took back the note before leaving. Witnesses reported he got into a white pickup truck which was parked in an adjacent parking lot and fled the scene. He was turned in by friends a few days later after they saw the reports of the bank robbery.
SETX Interdenominational Mass Choir accepting members Debby Schamber For The Record
The first Orange branch of the Southeast Texas Interdenominational Mass Choir is accepting new members now. “The purpose is to bring singers from various churches together and to sing unto the Lord,” said Marie Sanders, branch representative. “Everyone is invited to participate.” The first practice in scheduled for 7 p.m. July 5 at Mount
logical drill to determine geological make-up of the area of the proposed Shell Pipeline Company LP Westward Ho Project.
Calvary Baptist Church located at 612 N. Third Street. They will return the following day 10 a.m., Saturday, July 6. They will make their debut Sunday July 7, at 7 p.m. in front of the congregation. So far, about 110 people have committed from various churches to joining the choir. But, Sanders said they still need more people. “I am just so excited,” Sanders said. ‘This is really a big thing.”
There is a $10 registration fee to join. For the performance, choir members are required to wear khaki pants or skirts. Female members are to wear a orange and fuchsia blouse. The men will need to wear a white short or long sleeved shirt with a orange or fuchsia tie. Those who just want to listen to the phenomenal gospel music are invited to come to the church for the performance.
Eventually, all the area branches such as Orange, Port Arthur, Beaumont and Lake Charles will gather and record a CD of their performance. Sanders said she could not pull all this together without the efforts of the founders, Reverend Major M. Goldman III and the co-founder Lawrence Ingram. In addition, to Bernita Bias who has been her assistant. For more information, contact Sanders at 409-313-2018.
by Magnuson and Collins in Orange County. Just before its
JONES TRIBUTE Page 3A
Case to go to Newton County Grand Jury Debby Schamber For The Record
The case of the missing Louisiana woman which is now worked as a homicide case will now go to the Grand Jury in Newton County on July 18. Autopsy reports indicate Tami HiggenLATHAM botham, 41, was strangled to death. Joshua Latham, 26, of Mauriceville is considered to be a “person of interest,” according to Robert Smith, of the Texas Rangers. According to Robert Choate, Newton County District Attorney, the case will be presented to the Grand Jury and they will decide what charges will be filed. They could be tampering which is a second degree felony up to first degree murder charges. ‘We will see what indictment they choose to return,” Choate said. Latham is in the Orange County Jail after he violated his probation and was sen-
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